Sabot Slugs

[biggamefish]

I know a few people that have taken a few deer and had no blood trails with the sabots. I am looking at getting a canterlever barrel fully rifled and want to know what you guys shoot. 12 guage. I shoot the winchester sluggers right now and they leave a blood trail that you can find in the dark with out a light. I love them but just a little wary of the sabots.

[Lawdwaz]

You have absolutely nothing to fear with sabot slugs. I guarantee you anybody that had a problem with them had poor shot placement. A 375 H&H or 458 Win Mag in the brisket, paunch or leg won't be any better than any big fat punkin' ball.

[biggamefish]

I was hunting with one guy and he swore he had a good shot on the deer and we found the deer 100 yard away from where he shot it. It was a good shot just no blood. I only say this because I have heard this from numerous people that are ligit hunters good shots(family, close friends that i have hunted with). Not saying they can't make a bad shot but we recovered some of these deer after shooting with them and no blood but good shot placment. The deer never ran any farther than 130 yards we just had to search to find them. I am just trying to find out what slugs are out there and what people use and have good luck with.

[Lawdwaz]

I was just thinking.......IIRC, the first time I used saboted slugs, was 1985 or 1986. They were the original BRI loads in red hulls. I haven't used the shotgun at all in the past 4 or 5 years because I enjoy using the ML more.

20 years with many types of sabots and many deer killed with them.

Funny, I've been using saboted bullets in the muzzleloader since about 2001.

I like sabots!!

[dave6x6]

Love Copper Solids out of my 12 guage. Not really sure about the blood trail concern. For me it usually leaves a big fat hole on this side and splatters everything within 10 ft. on the other.

[blackradio]

I use Winchester 375 grain sabbots. The only deer I shot with it died in in 20 yards and left a great blood trail.

[Gizmo285]

I use 2 3/4 winchester slugs out of a rifled bbl. I killed over 30 deer with this gun with the same slugs and I never even thought about alood trail. Shot em right and they drop in their tracks. Shoot them in the hoof with a Howitzer and they are in the next county. Shot placement is the key and you don't have to worry about a blood trail. Learn how to shoot..

[ELMER J. FUDD]

I just upgraded last year to a rifled barrel for my 12 ga. I can tell you that the fusion sabots are decent, and dare I say consistent at 75yds, however they had the smallest hole on paper (they seemed to drop more at 100 yds too) vs copper solids, lightfield hybrid EXP, accutips, and the Hornady SST. The Lightfields had the biggest hole, and they apparently pride themselves on knock down power (K.O. factor).

Sorry, as I know this isn't the exact answer you're looking for, but I'd try the lightfield exp's if your concern is blood trail and less tracking. Buckhammers maybe?

[dave6x6]

I use 2 3/4 winchester slugs out of a rifled bbl. I killed over 30 deer with this gun with the same slugs and I never even thought about alood trail. Shot em right and they drop in their tracks. Shoot them in the hoof with a Howitzer and they are in the next county. Shot placement is the key and you don't have to worry about a blood trail. Learn how to shoot..

Wow, pretty sure he was only looking for opinions , not a lecture Gizmo. By the way, where do you aim exactly to kill 30 deer "in their tracks" with your fancy shootin'? I must be doing something wrong because i usually double lung them and often hit the heart and yet they still manage to go 40 or 50 yrds. Please tell me what i'm doing wrong..

[oblivitar]

I use 2-3/4 " federal expander slugs, they leave a pretty nasty hole big enough to put my fist in. No problems on the blood trail there

[Gizmo285]

Wow, pretty sure he was only looking for opinions , not a lecture Gizmo. By the way, where do you aim exactly to kill 30 deer "in their tracks" with your fancy shootin'? I must be doing something wrong because i usually double lung them and often hit the heart and yet they still manage to go 40 or 50 yrds. Please tell me what i'm doing wrong..

You don't have to get cocky with your remarks mr hunter. It's not fancy shooting it's just hitting your target. I got my share of wood bark when I was younger but now I feel it's not fair to the animal if all I can hope is to wound and track him. If I don't have a clean shot and I know I can't hit him why shoot??? Just my opinion.. I didn't mean to sound like Mr Deer Hunter.. Sorry.

[dave6x6]

You don't have to get cocky with your remarks mr hunter. It's not fancy shooting it's just hitting your target. I got my share of wood bark when I was younger but now I feel it's not fair to the animal if all I can hope is to wound and track him. If I don't have a clean shot and I know I can't hit him why shoot??? Just my opinion.. I didn't mean to sound like Mr Deer Hunter.. Sorry.

Gizmo, You made the statement "learn how to shoot"... Did you read the posts made by the guy that started this thread? He repeatedly said bad blood trails on deer they found with good shots.... Not bad blood on deer hit in the "hoof", like you said. And now your talking about clean shots and wounded deer.. All he wanted was suggestions on sabots that people have had success with.. Right

[WNYBuckHunter]

You have absolutely nothing to fear with sabot slugs. I guarantee you anybody that had a problem with them had poor shot placement. A 375 H&H or 458 Win Mag in the brisket, paunch or leg won't be any better than any big fat punkin' ball.

Id beg to differ with that statement. I shot many deer with the Remington Copper Solids, and not many of them left a decent blood trail. Shot placement did not matter. The slugs failed to expand and left small entry and exit wounds with light blood trails right up to the deer, then a bunch of blood where they were laying. Before I started using them, I used Lightfields in a smooth bore, and had great blood trails. I am now using Hornady SSTs, and am looking forward to seeing how they do. In my experience, the copper solid sabots just dont expand very well.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

I have heard other similiar stories about the blood trails with the copper solids. I haven't used my shotgun in 4 years becasue I have been hunting with my ML. When I did I had great success with the Barnes expander bullets in the 3" Federals. Fist sized exit holes. BUT. if you took that quartering away shot and got into the off side shoulder it was ruined. I would think any major manufacturer with an agressive hollow point (like the Barnes Expander) of any of the new polymer tipped bullets (which force expansion) would work very well. It alwsy amazes me how the fat on a deer can act like a cork in the bottle. Just gotta make the neck of the bottle too big...lol.

[Ox108]

I have been using the Hornady SST's for the last two or three years. Great take down power and really does some damage on the inside, but I will have to agree with the issue with a lack of blood trail. The round leaves a very small exit wound, very similar to a rifle round exit wound. The entry and exit seem to be right around the same size. I have center punched two deer this year with them, the first from a tree stand left good blood but I think that was more based on the angle of the shot, also probably because the round sliced the heart in half. the second was from the ground and through I punched out both lungs the blood trailed off after 25m. Found here about 125m away but for about 75m they're was very little blood on the ground until she started stumbling and rubbing on trees. All be told I have not lost a deer with this round even with a few chancy shots. Acts more like a rifle round than a slug, much higher velocity and really able to shoot out to 100m +.

[Fishon]

I shoot lightfield slugs. 3 inch 20 gauge. They work great ,usually the deer drops right there or they drop within sight.

[13BVET]

Shot a deer with the Fusions last year, and there was literally no blood whatsoever. Thankfully, it dropped him pretty fast. The slugs I used to have excellent blood trails with, were the Brenneke KO's. They were just plain nasty.

[mossy725]

I use Brenneke KO's, and they blood trails are freakin' awesome. I've never had a problem with them. Love 'em!

[screamon demon]

i Started using the copper solids three years ago. Deer I killed this year left a blood trail like I have never seen before. It looked like someone turned on a faucet full tilt while running 60 yards through the woods.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

i Started using the copper solids three years ago. Deer I killed this year left a blood trail like I have never seen before. It looked like someone turned on a faucet full tilt while running 60 yards through the woods.

Heart shot? what did the exit wound look like? I have heard good results if you get into a heavy bone like a shoulder. Most of the horror stories I hae heard have been on broadsides with nothing hit to force the expansion.

[biggamefish]

Ok so now I have some slugs to research. That being said has anybody shot the plain old slugs through a fully rifled barrel like these?

[biggamefish]

Thse are what I use now with a smooth bore and they have great blood trails and they shoot well for me.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

These are designed for a smooth bore and well lead up your rifling in the barrel like crazy.

[gunner1]

If I remember when I get home, I'll take and post a pic of a recovered Winchester Supreme Partition Gold from a deer I shot a couple of years ago. The deer was slightly angling towards me and it traveled the length of it's body and was just under the hide on the opposite rear quarter! Awesome performance. Last year a shot one, and there were bits of lung and heart on the ground using the same slugs.

[phade]

I'll admit that I've seen better blood trails with rifled slugs on occassion as compared to sabots. On most instances with poor blood with sabot shots passed clean double lungs at relatively close range or 100 yds and past.

The copper solids out of a 20 guage have been less than stellar. Lightfields almost always left good trails. I've shot a couple deer with the SSTs but they were all bang flops since I was close to property lines.

I shot a doe at 15 yards with a Truball on Sunday...the hole was impressive. I prefer bang flops but the 100 yard trail was solid.