What is your favorite smoothbore shotgun slug ammo for deer

[LJC]

7 hours ago, eagle rider said:

just curious, why would anyone be using a smoothbore at this point?  Not being a jerk, but even if your in one of the few remaining shotgun DMU's, wouldn't you want to get a rifled barrel on your gun and shoot sabots?  You be going from a 3" 50 yd grouper to a  2" 100 yd gun.  Hell, If I was in one of those counties I'd think I'd be using my front stuffer instead.  

You should really go check out some youtube hunting videos of guys using smoothbore shotguns for deer especially the ones of deer drives in fields if you want to see how effective a shotgun can be on deer . 

 

 

Edited October 26, 2016 by LJC

[eagle rider]

You should really go check out some youtube hunting videos of guys using smoothbore shotguns for deer especially the ones of deer drives in fields if you want to see how effective a shotgun can be on deer . 
 
 

http://www.chuckhawks.com/shotgun_slugs.htm


Read this. He makes a lot of sense to me on this one. It's all about ethical shooting and safe shooting. Statically there are still higher incidences of hunter fatalities in shotgun states then rifle.

I get it if your using a longer barrel and a rib that you'd wanna switch to game loads, but then again how accurate can someone be using a rib on a barrel to hit a deer at 70 yds???



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[Core]

8 hours ago, eagle rider said:

just curious, why would anyone be using a smoothbore at this point?  Not being a jerk, but even if your in one of the few remaining shotgun DMU's, wouldn't you want to get a rifled barrel on your gun and shoot sabots?  You be going from a 3" 50 yd grouper to a  2" 100 yd gun.  Hell, If I was in one of those counties I'd think I'd be using my front stuffer instead.  

I plan on hunting with a rifle this year, but I am also going to run a through slugs through my mossberg 500. Rifled slugs are $1-1.50/piece, yet on sale/rebate I've gotten foster slugs for as little as $.30/piece, plus the rifled barrel is well over $100 for what I don't really expect to use. So I guess my answer is I doubt I will ever buy a rifled barrel because I can rifle hunt in my area (but the shotgun is a decent back up inside of 100 yards).

I tested a number of slugs last year and my favorite out of my gun were the Remington 7/8 oz high speed slugs. I think they go out at 1600 fps or something. I was getting really nice groups at 75 yards. I can't remember the exact numbers but something pretty solid like 3" groups--definitely no more than 4". This was with a red dot. But all the slugs I tried including the cheap federal were all perfectly fine out to at least 75 yards--way tighter than a pie plate.

Edited October 26, 2016 by Core

[LJC]

46 minutes ago, eagle rider said:

 

http://www.chuckhawks.com/shotgun_slugs.htm


Read this. He makes a lot of sense to me on this one. It's all about ethical shooting and safe shooting. Statically there are still higher incidences of hunter fatalities in shotgun states then rifle.

I get it if your using a longer barrel and a rib that you'd wanna switch to game loads, but then again how accurate can someone be using a rib on a barrel to hit a deer at 70 yds???



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Depends 3 4 5  inch groups if you have the right slug gun combo something like that .  He is shooting out to 80 yards in this I believe off hand check it out you really don't need lazer acuracy on deer with a slug they go down . 

 

 

Edited October 26, 2016 by LJC

[Buckmaster7600]

Depends 3 4 5  inch groups if you have the right slug gun combo something like that .  He is shooting out to 80 yards in this I believe off hand check it out you really don't need lazer acuracy on deer with a slug they go down . 
 
 

You can't use Hickok as an example. I have watched him shoot them same critters with a snub nosed revolver.

On a separate note a 590 is a cylinder bore with no choke tubes. I have found shotguns with cylinder bores to be more "accurate" with rifles slugs.


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[Core]

I should mention on my Mossberg 500 I was using the improved cylinder screw in choke.

[LJC]

3 hours ago, Buckmaster7600 said:

 

You can't use Hickok as an example. I have watched him shoot them same critters with a snub nosed revolver.

On a separate note a 590 is a cylinder bore with no choke tubes. I have found shotguns with cylinder bores to be more "accurate" with rifles slugs.


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O yea  i saw that the guy no doubt is a expert shot. 

BUT it does show the potential of a shotgun I mean he  can't perform miracles.  I had to try a bunch of different ammo and chocks to get the one that shot the best in mine even bought a rem rifled choke tube . But I found for some reason in my gun anyway I got the best  accuracy with 3" rem sluggers and improved cylinder choke.  You have to experiment with them to know for sure .

[Buckmaster7600]

O yea  i saw that the guy no doubt is a expert shot. 
BUT it does show the potential of a shotgun I mean he  can't perform miracles.  I had to try a bunch of different ammo and chocks to get the one that shot the best in mine even bought a rem rifled choke tube . But I found for some reason in my gun anyway I got the best  accuracy with 3" rem sluggers and improved cylinder choke.  You have to experiment with them to know for sure .

We have had these discussions before and neither of us will change our opinions but I'll say this.

You're correct he can't perform miracles but he can shoot way better than the average joe just like Mark McGuire could hit a baseball a lot further than most. You can't use an extreme end of the spectrum and call it the norm.

I have watched a lot of Hickok's videos and just took 5 minutes and compared videos between this one and one of his glock 20
Reviews and he had a better hit % with a semi pistol with a 5" barrel on his further targets than he did with this shotgun, that's not very good.

I don't know how you tested all these chokes and different rounds when just the other day you said you have never shot your shotgun at a range and only shoot trees and stumps in the woods?


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[LJC]

4 hours ago, Buckmaster7600 said:

 

You can't use Hickok as an example. I have watched him shoot them same critters with a snub nosed revolver.

On a separate note a 590 is a cylinder bore with no choke tubes. I have found shotguns with cylinder bores to be more "accurate" with rifles slugs.


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O yea  i saw that the guy no doubt is a expert shot. 

BUT it does show the potential of a shotgun I mean he  can't perform miracles.  I had to try a bunch of different ammo and chocks to get the one that shot the best in mine even bought a rem rifled choke tube . But I found for some reason in my gun anyway I got the best  accuracy with 3" rem sluggers and improved cylinder choke.  You have to experiment with them to know for sure .

[LJC]

27 minutes ago, Buckmaster7600 said:

 

We have had these discussions before and neither of us will change our opinions but I'll say this.

You're correct he can't perform miracles but he can shoot way better than the average joe just like Mark McGuire could hit a baseball a lot further than most. You can't use an extreme end of the spectrum and call it the norm.

I have watched a lot of Hickok's videos and just took 5 minutes and compared videos between this one and one of his glock 20
Reviews and he had a better hit % with a semi pistol with a 5" barrel on his further targets than he did with this shotgun, that's not very good.

I don't know how you tested all these chokes and different rounds when just the other day you said you have never shot your shotgun at a range and only shoot trees and stumps in the woods?


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I actually don't even  remember the last time I tested all the different chokes and slugs  . Probably 15 20 years ago . There could be even better ones out there now .  Besides I'm not using a scope as I said in the other post  so Im not the guy to give you the exact  accuracy of these things  because you're always going to shoot a little better with it scoped .   

There are a few field and stream articles on this .  Here is one  check it out .

http://www.fieldandstream.com/blogs/gun-nuts/2012/07/smoothbore-slugs

 

 

Edited October 26, 2016 by LJC

[Buckmaster7600]

 
I never have taken my shotgun to a proper range to test slugs but just playing around in the woods using just iron sites and shooting sticks 
I can have the   3inch  sluggers do about 4 to  5  inch groups  at 75 yards    at 50 yards I can chop small  trees  with them at 100 I can hit a 8 or 9 inch plate size target all day .  If i scoped it and   shot off a real bench rest and not just  my shooting sticks   those groups would  shrink  I'm sure . 
I know there are guys getting 3" 4" groups at 100 yards with slugs ,smoothbores that are scoped shooting on a    bench rest . 

So you're telling me you just carried these different chokes and slugs afield and the. Tried to hit stumps with them to figure out what was most accurate? I'm very confused.


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[chas0218]

Anyone use the rifled slugs in a rifled barrel. My grandfather last year asked me to go out and shoot his 20 ga. 870 with smooth bore. I did and it shot great. Got back to the house looked at the box, I was shooting rifled slugs thru the rifled barrel. I asked him if he knew he replied "Yes, those others are too expensive and it shoots just fine." How do you argue when he is right. Now it will lead up faster but he might be taking 3 more shots with it the rest of the season. 1 or 2 to make sure it shoots for him then 1 for a deer. He bought the barrel around 14 years ago (nice hastings barrel) and never had an issue with it leading up just cleans it good every year.

 

For what it is worth he buys the cheapest slugs he can find generally the remington sluggers or winchesters.

Edited October 26, 2016 by chas0218

[LJC]

17 minutes ago, Buckmaster7600 said:

 

 

 

So you're telling me you just carried these different chokes and slugs afield and the. Tried to hit stumps with them to figure out what was most accurate? I'm very confused.


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Honestly I don't remember anymore . I just stick with the ones  I use now .  Im happy with them .

May have brought the gun to the range back then  but it's just so long ago I can't remember  really .  If I tried them all in the woods or at  range .

Back then some years i was  hunting in rifle zone so i would us my rifle . 

I only remember just testing the sluggers off  shooting sticks last time  I played around with it .  

 

[Buckmaster7600]

Anyone use the rifled slugs in a rifled barrel. My grandfather last year asked me to go out and shoot his 20 ga. 870 with smooth bore. I did and it shot great. Got back to the house looked at the box, I was shooting rifled slugs thru the rifled barrel. I asked him if he knew he replied "Yes, those others are too expensive and it shoots just fine." How do you argue when he is right. Now it will lead up faster but he might be taking 3 more shots with it the rest of the season. 1 or 2 to make sure it shoots for him then 1 for a deer. He bought the barrel around 14 years ago (nice hastings barrel) and never had an issue with it leading up just cleans it good every year.
 
For what it is worth he buys the cheapest slugs he can find generally the remington sluggers or winchesters.

I always used them to get on paper. I never found leading to be a big issue and accuracy was never bad either.


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[eagle rider]

I don't hunt corn fields all brush thickets mostly 60 yards is all you can shoot  that's why . Btw averge shot in ny is only 75 yards on deer .

Plus I can switch out slugs for small game loads hunt deer in the morning small game mid day back to deer later in the day with out going back to the car or carrying another gun .

The deer don't care if you hit them 4  inches to the left  or right of the vitals organs  .

Dead  all the same but its  kinda of like asking why hunt with a recurve bow or a,muzzleloader  or a airgun . It's just for the challenge in a way .  And because  I can my smooth bore is plenty acurate for deer even out to 100 really but realistically not going to get a clear 100 yard shot on a deer in the places I hunt anyway .  

Cant shoot in standing corn anyways. Just sayin....

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[eagle rider]

YouTube pop culture. Hickok is an old retired LE peckerwood from back east who live in the woods and shoots tin plates behind his house. He can shoot well, but most of us don't have all that free time to get that good. Tiger Woods can hit my clubs better than I can too.


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[growalot]

Quote

I get it if your using a longer barrel and a rib that you'd wanna switch to game loads, but then again how accurate can someone be using a rib on a barrel to hit a deer at 70 yds???
 

I tried biting my tongue...Pretty damn accurate thank you very much..I posted just a very few pics of just how accurate on here the other day and more than a couple out to 120 yards  with just my little orange bead for a sight. With a 20 ga to boot!

If you are wondering...the only deer I have lost with my shot gun were...a 6pt that went over on posted land Jumped a fence at camp, Guys found it 1 week later recovering another deer......an 8 that was literally stolen by one neighbor when I went to get recovery permission for another... and one 8 that As Dad and I tracked in the snow ran into a group of hunters on the property we had recovery rights to saying they saw nothing in the direction we were tracking...and the deer magically disappeared in a creek bed...we found foot prints and a blood drag down stream.

Edited October 27, 2016 by growalot

[stubby68]

56 minutes ago, eagle rider said:

Cant shoot in standing corn anyways. Just sayin....

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Why? I and others I know have taken quite a few in the middle of standing corn

[LJC]

1 hour ago, eagle rider said:

YouTube pop culture. Hickok is an old retired LE peckerwood from back east who live in the woods and shoots tin plates behind his house. He can shoot well, but most of us don't have all that free time to get that good. Tiger Woods can hit my clubs better than I can too.


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The same can be said of people seeing guys take 500 yard shots with rifles so what's your point ? Or 100 yard shots with a bow ?  I can hit a plate size target every time at 70 yards with my smoothbore. It's more then I need why do you think many parks  and parts of the country want you   using  only shotguns  if they  were so bad inhumane no park would let you use them obviously .  Btw  law inforcement  use them to. 

So the thing about  bad acuracy is overblown.  You don't need sub 1 inch group to kill a deer  besides every hunter needs  to test the capabilities of their gun and skills before they  use them in the field that should be obvious.  Who hunts with out first testing out there gun for acuracy first . Just common sense  .

If you cant  hit a target at 70 yards don't hunt at 70 yards that simple .

Be it shotgun hand gun rifle or what ever you plan on using . You have to test out you  equipment first.

 

 

Edited October 27, 2016 by LJC

[Larry]

My favorite smooth bore slug, I have 2 are Dan Arms 12ga and Active 12ga. Nether are made anymore.

[SuperMag]

I might catch some flack for this but I use 2 3/4" federal rifled slugs . . . Out of a fully rifled barrel on my 870. I've done it that way for many years and killed deer with it no problem. I've wanted to change over to saboted slugs but I guess I'm just too cheap. $12+ for a box of 5 is ridiculous in my opinion. 

[LJC]

28 minutes ago, SuperMag said:

I might catch some flack for this but I use 2 3/4" federal rifled slugs . . . Out of a fully rifled barrel on my 870. I've done it that way for many years and killed deer with it no problem. I've wanted to change over to saboted slugs but I guess I'm just too cheap. $12+ for a box of 5 is ridiculous in my opinion. 

I here they work well out of then you  just have to clean barrel more often 

[SuperMag]

8 minutes ago, LJC said:

I here they work well out of then you  just have to clean barrel more often 

Yes, I do clean my barrel every year at the end of the season and have never had any issues. 

[eagle rider]

Why? I and others I know have taken quite a few in the middle of standing corn

Hunter safety 101. Know your target and what's beyond it. Tough to do that in rows of corn.


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[eagle rider]

The same can be said of people seeing guys take 500 yard shots with rifles so what's your point ? Or 100 yard shots with a bow ?  I can hit a plate size target every time at 70 yards with my smoothbore. It's more then I need why do you think many parks  and parts of the country want you   using  only shotguns  if they  were so bad inhumane no park would let you use them obviously .  Btw  law inforcement  use them to. 
So the thing about  bad acuracy is overblown.  You don't need sub 1 inch group to kill a deer  besides every hunter needs  to test the capabilities of their gun and skills before they  use them in the field that should be obvious.  Who hunts with out first testing out there gun for acuracy first . Just common sense  .
If you cant  hit a target at 70 yards don't hunt at 70 yards that simple .
Be it shotgun hand gun rifle or what ever you plan on using . You have to test out you  equipment first.
 
 

LE uses slug and 00 buck for different reasons. Slug more so breaching because its more focused energy. At least that's was our patrol guide. Buckshot would be clearing a building for an active shooter or defensively at a barricaded suspect scene. Distances tend to be much closer. There are so many M4 carbines in use now and specialty teams available the use of patrol tactical weapons are really not at all common these days.

Unfortunately I don't think that all of use practice our shooting enough or even as much as we can. For many reasons likely. Time is probably the biggest reason. Look I'm not trying to disrespect you at all for using what you choose to. I just don't get it when better tools of the trade are more available now. IMO.


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