Sabot slug recommendations

[Judoka95]

I have been using Winchester Supreme 12 ga. sabot slugs (below) for years. Over the last few years, they have been increasingly difficult to find. I see Hornady and Remington available but I don't have any experience using them. Anyone have positive experience with other brands? If I have to re-sight in my shotgun, I only want to do it once.

[grampy]

Back when we used shotgun, we used Remington Copper Sabots or (Accu Tips now) for years. Tried numerous other brands, but these always shot the best from our guns. Performance on deer was very good as well, out to 125 yards. that was the farthest shot taken between us. Quite a few DRT drops too.

[Bolt action]

Another vote for the Rem Accu Tips. That's what I used prior to rifle. Also Lightfields worked well in my guns. Using those two sabots, I only lost a few deer over the years. I think that was more my fault thought for poor shot placement.

[turkeyfeathers]

Lightfields if you can find them. Amazing energy dump and excellent accuracy. Shot back to back deer with sabot just under skin of opposite  shoulder. One was a big ole doe at 10 yards and no pass through. She fell over and never twitched. 

[MPHunter]

Just went to the Lightfield web page to check out their slugs and got this

[Five Seasons]

I switched from lightfields after they became impossible to find to the hornady sabot slug. They're much lighter and you'll need to re-site in your gun but I found they add some distance to your shotgun range. Thing is for me, I'd never take a shot over 100 so I preferred the weight of the lightfield. oh well. 

[phade]

Accutips - and when you find them, but every single box so you have a stock pile. Sabots are hard to come by in the premier offerings like the Accutips. You'll see a split on fans of the Hornady SSTs - some people like them and some do not. I am most definitely in the do not category. They run hot IMO and across the board been inconsistent lot to lot for me any time I have ever tried them.

Winchester and Federal offer other premier options, but those too, can be rare. 

I bit the bullet, pun intended, and have 15 ish boxes of Accutips. Two seasons ago we ran into a big issue finding them. Should be more available than 2020 or 2021 but still, not easy, to find.

Hint - Batavia Dick's store has a few boxes of 12 g Accutips as of Sunday. Pricing was not cheap but again, is what it is.

[phade]

Also, Lightfield had a factory fire several years ago and despite efforts, have not and probably won't bounce back.

With alot of slug states moving to straightwall options (hello 350 Legend), the demand for slugs has shrunk and is shrinking. Factories that still make them, are doing so in runs, meaning they're not making them 24/7/365, and like Remington, while their lines were being moved, didn't make Accutips for 18 mos or so. Other lines might make a run once a year. It's not the old days for slugs. 

Edited August 17, 2022 by phade

[Larry]

You are going to have to buy a box or two of the slugs you want to try and shoot them in your gun what shoots good in my gun may not shoot well in your gun. My gun has a 1/33 twist rate and shoots slugs going 1700 fps or slower the best. The best slugs I have shot out of my gun are WW BRI sabots at 1350 to 1450 fps. Most slug gun have a 1/33 or a 1/35 twist rate.

[Judoka95]

2 minutes ago, phade said:

Accutips - and when you find them, but every single box so you have a stock pile. Sabots are hard to come by in the premier offerings like the Accutips. You'll see a split on fans of the Hornady SSTs - some people like them and some do not. I am most definitely in the do not category. They run hot IMO and across the board been inconsistent lot to lot for me any time I have ever tried them.

Winchester and Federal offer other premier options, but those too, can be rare. 

I bit the bullet, pun intended, and have 15 ish boxes of Accutips. Two seasons ago we ran into a big issue finding them. Should be more available than 2020 or 2021 but still, not easy, to find.

Hint - Batavia Dick's store has a few boxes of 12 g Accutips as of Sunday. Pricing was not cheap but again, is what it is.

I see that Bass pro has some Accutips and they have a 5-box max limit on them. They are $25 per box.

The reviews of SST's seems to line up. Some people love them, most people hate them. My Brother IL tried them last year and we had issues keeping a group at 75 yards. Even with a Caldwell lead sled the shots were all over. we would get 2 shoots within an inch or two and the third would be a flyer that was off by 6-8".  we checked the gun and scope and after multiple boxes we switched back to the Winchesters. 

 

[Five Seasons]

26 minutes ago, phade said:

Accutips - and when you find them, but every single box so you have a stock pile. Sabots are hard to come by in the premier offerings like the Accutips. You'll see a split on fans of the Hornady SSTs - some people like them and some do not. I am most definitely in the do not category. They run hot IMO and across the board been inconsistent lot to lot for me any time I have ever tried them.

Winchester and Federal offer other premier options, but those too, can be rare. 

I bit the bullet, pun intended, and have 15 ish boxes of Accutips. Two seasons ago we ran into a big issue finding them. Should be more available than 2020 or 2021 but still, not easy, to find.

Hint - Batavia Dick's store has a few boxes of 12 g Accutips as of Sunday. Pricing was not cheap but again, is what it is.

what ranges were you siting in at with the SST's?

[Five Seasons]

11 minutes ago, Judoka95 said:

I see that Bass pro has some Accutips and they have a 5-box max limit on them. They are $25 per box.

The reviews of SST's seems to line up. Some people love them, most people hate them. My Brother IL tried them last year and we had issues keeping a group at 75 yards. Even with a Caldwell lead sled the shots were all over. we would get 2 shoots within an inch or two and the third would be a flyer that was off by 6-8".  we checked the gun and scope and after multiple boxes we switched back to the Winchesters. 

 

Honestly these are the first bad reviews I've heard. I had 3" groups at 100 yards right out of the box. I'm using them in a browning gold edition auto if that matters at all. 

[Nomad]

27 minutes ago, phade said:

Accutips - and when you find them, but every single box so you have a stock pile.

This holds true for most ammo today .

I haven’t hunted with slugs in years, yet I have boxes of 12ga . My daughter has several kinds for her 20ga , which she also no longer uses, lightfield , Hornady , some KO labeled things and a bunch more .

 

The best time to buy is when you see it .

[phade]

17 minutes ago, Belo said:

Honestly these are the first bad reviews I've heard. I had 3" groups at 100 yards right out of the box. I'm using them in a browning gold edition auto if that matters at all. 

SST are a love or hate. I know several who like them and many who don't. I'm going to generalize here because this is my opinion, but every single person who has ever said they like the SSTs have been people who aren't as serious or don't put time in. It's a weird observation but everyone I know who likes them are a few rounds down the lane kind of guy and are always running low so they're on the lookout for them. I don't get it. Even my FIL loves them, but he shoots maybe 2-3 slugs a year and calls it done. I only ever seen him hit the broadside of the barn once - and of course it was a long range dart, lol. All other times...not sure he'd hit Lake Ontario if he aimed at it.

[Judoka95]

12 minutes ago, Belo said:

what ranges were you siting in at with the SST's?

It was a new gun and scope so we started with the laser bore sight and moved to 25 yrds to get it on paper. after that we moved out to 50 and 75. We would have a good group, then a bad group. it was frustrating to say the least. He was using an 870 with a rifled cantilever barrel. 

I typically stick with my Mossberg 535 ATS, and I do believe that certain guns like certain ammo. What works well for one may not work well for the other. I also hunt thick woods, so I do not need 150-yard accuracy. I prefer a heavier bullet for the "knock down" and most of the deer I have taken on the property have been within 40-50 yards.

[phade]

20 minutes ago, Nomad said:

This holds true for most ammo today .

I haven’t hunted with slugs in years, yet I have boxes of 12ga . My daughter has several kinds for her 20ga , which she also no longer uses, lightfield , Hornady , some KO labeled things and a bunch more .

 

The best time to buy is when you see it .

Those Lightfields would be a good flip if she were willing to part with them. 

[Judoka95]

I still have some Federal Premiums that have the Herb Philipson's price tag on them. That should raise their resale value alone.

[rob-c]

3 hours ago, Judoka95 said:

I have been using Winchester Supreme 12 ga. sabot slugs (below) for years. Over the last few years, they have been increasingly difficult to find. I see Hornady and Remington available but I don't have any experience using them. Anyone have positive experience with other brands? If I have to re-sight in my shotgun, I only want to do it once.

What gun are your shooting ? Tried the sst’s in the boys Remington 870 20 gauge and they shot terrible . My Remi 870 12 and his 20 loved  the copper solids . I killed a ton of deer with them . 

[Dinsdale]

49 minutes ago, phade said:

SST are a love or hate. I know several who like them and many who don't. I'm going to generalize here because this is my opinion, but every single person who has ever said they like the SSTs have been people who aren't as serious or don't put time in. It's a weird observation but everyone I know who likes them are a few rounds down the lane kind of guy and are always running low so they're on the lookout for them. I don't get it. Even my FIL loves them, but he shoots maybe 2-3 slugs a year and calls it done. I only ever seen him hit the broadside of the barn once - and of course it was a long range dart, lol. All other times...not sure he'd hit Lake Ontario if he aimed at it.

Well, call me embarrased.

The Savage 220 i have absolutely tack drives sst's, its stupid accurate with them. Better then it should be for what it cost( i bought mine when prices were sane)

But there ya' go; i have hardly shot anything for guns, and dont know chit.

[Engraver99]

at 62 years, I guess I have a lifetime supply of lightfields....lol

[Judoka95]

1 hour ago, rob-c said:

What gun are your shooting ? Tried the sst’s in the boys Remington 870 20 gauge and they shot terrible . My Remi 870 12 and his 20 loved  the copper solids . I killed a ton of deer with them . 

Mossberg 535 ATS. But like I said earlier I have not used them in my gun. My only experience with then was in my BIL's 870.

[phade]

45 minutes ago, Dinsdale said:

Well, call me embarrased.

The Savage 220 i have absolutely tack drives sst's, its stupid accurate with them. Better then it should be for what it cost( i bought mine when prices were sane)

But there ya' go; i have hardly shot anything for guns, and dont know chit.

Good thing I don't know you!

[Swamp_bucks]

I usually shoot hornady sst but the last couple deer I’ve killed or seen killed just wasn’t impressed with how they expand.  Pulled on out of a buck a few years back and it actually closed up and bent over on itself. Granted the deer died however issuing a slug gun I expect a hole in them

[Nomad]

Just looked  around at what I have here , although it’s in a few locations , and when we returned from Fla in a March it took two months  till I found my last ammo box I hid  !

Ten boxes SST, ten of Brenneke  KO slugs , two lightfield , and some Fusions which were her slug of choice , I grabbed the others when I couldn’t find fusions . Five boxes of Winchester Defenders, a segmented slug, geared more for SD . 
 

She deer hunts with a 7mm08, these are just back ups in case something happens to her rifle .

[wolc123]

22 minutes ago, Swamp_bucks said:

I usually shoot hornady sst but the last couple deer I’ve killed or seen killed just wasn’t impressed with how they expand.  Pulled on out of a buck a few years back and it actually closed up and bent over on itself. Granted the deer died however issuing a slug gun I expect a hole in them

That can be good or bad, depending on where they hit.  I put a couple thru a buck’s chops, mid way back, a few years ago (due to a busted scope) and I was very surprised at how little meat was destroyed.  
 

Tracking is definitely tougher on center-lung hits, because the expansion is negligible and the exit hole is small.  A plain old, full-diameter foster slug leaves much better blood trails on hits like that.  
 

I usually try to aim for the shoulder blade with the 12 ga SST’s.  They are DRT every time, if I hit it.  The meat damage on those shoulder blade hits, with that 12 ga SST, is no where near as bad as when a .243 hits there.  

Edited August 17, 2022 by wolc123