Looking for Deer Slugs?

[wolc123]

7 hours ago, Buckmaster7600 said:

Where are you getting your info on a slug having double the energy at 150yds?

12ga on top muzzleloader on bottom. From hornadys website

It looks like the ML table you posted was for at least a 300 gr bullet, and 150 gr of powder.  I always used a 240 gr bullet with my T/C omega, and 100 gr of powder back then.  That explains much of the difference.  This year, I upped the powder charge to 150, to use up my supply of 777 a little faster, so I can move on to bh209.

The shotgun table that you posted does comfirm my fear of low energy from the 20 ga.  I knew the old 20 ga fosters were weak, but that table shows that the modern 20 ga sabots are also much lower on energy at 100 yards than the 12 gauge.  That means that a 20 ga slug gun is best left to the recoil shy folks, just like the .243 rifle.

 

 

[Buckmaster7600]

It looks like the ML table you posted was for at least a 300 gr bullet, and 150 gr of powder.  I always used a 240 gr bullet with my T/C omega, and 100 gr of powder back then.  That explains much of the difference.  This year, I upped the powder charge to 150, to use up my supply of 777 a little faster, so I can move on to bh209.
The shotgun table that you posted does comfirm my fear of low energy from the 20 ga.  I knew the old 20 ga fosters were weak, but that table shows that the modern 20 ga sabots are also much lower on energy at 100 yards than the 12 gauge.  That means that a 20 ga slug gun is best left to the recoil shy folks, just like the .243 rifle.
 
 

Nope, 250gn SST’s.

Back when I hunted with a shotgun I much preferred 20ga. Killed a pile of deer with them.

A 20ga slug blows the 44mag out of the water when I comes to energy. I won’t feel under gunned at all tomorrow morning tracking.


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[wolc123]

Just now, Buckmaster7600 said:

Nope, 250gn SST’s.

Back when I hunted with a shotgun I much preferred 20ga. Killed a pile of deer with them.

A 20ga slug blows the 44mag out of the water when I comes to energy. I won’t feel under gunned at all tomorrow morning tracking.


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It all comes down to range.  When you get much over 100 yards, is where you get in trouble, when you are under gunned.

I would not consider a 20 ga for deer based on a single incident that I witnessed more than 30 years ago.  A buddy had one up in a tree stand, at the opposite corner of a field from me, and i was armed with my 16 ga. 

There was 250 yards between us, when two button bucks walked across, dead center.  My buddy unloaded his 5 shot magazine at the pair.  One ran into the adjacent bush and the other walked my direction.

When it got to about 75 yards I dropped it in its tracks with a single shot.  There was snow, and my buddy climbed down and followed a blood trail from the other one.  About an hour later, I heard his finishing shot, far in the distance.  

The 75 lbish field dressed bb, that he dragged out,  had a few holes in it, and one penetrated just thru the hide at 125 or so yards.  Another entered the guts without exit.

 

 

[Buckmaster7600]

It all comes down to range.  When you get much over 100 yards, is where you get in trouble, when you are under gunned.
I would not consider a 20 ga for deer based on a single incident that I witnessed more than 30 years ago.  A buddy had one up in a tree stand, at the opposite corner of a field from me, and i was armed with my 16 ga. 
There was 250 yards between us, when two button bucks walked across, dead center.  My buddy unloaded his 5 shot magazine at the pair.  One ran into the adjacent bush and the other walked my direction.
When it got to about 75 yards I dropped it in its tracks with a single shot.  There was snow, and my buddy climbed down and followed a blood trail from the other one.  About an hour later, I heard his finishing shot, far in the distance.  
The 75 lbish field dressed bb, that he dragged out,  had a few holes in it, and one penetrated just thru the hide at 125 or so yards.  Another entered the guts without exit.
 
 

Lol, again you make claims based on a single event. I shot plenty of them at well over 100yds with a 20ga. Don’t think I ever had one get away with it. Most didn’t go far.

That being said you do you, I just don’t think spreading false info off little to know experience is good for the forum.


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[WNYTRPR]

I’ve had no problem with my savage 220 20 ga at well over 100 yards ...

[Pygmy]

Back in the day, when we had to use shotguns in my area, my main deer gun was a Rem 1100  20 gauge skeet gun with a 26"smoothbore barrel ..I shot some deer with it with the double bead on the skeet bbl and then I had the receiver drilled & tapped for a scope mount and killed a bunch more deer with it with a Weaver 1.5X scope...Most of my shots were from 40 to 75 yards, and I had good luck with good hits..  Most were killed with Foster slugs, but toward the end I used Brennekke  slugs and they worked the best...

 

In the early 1990s, rifled barrels became much more available  ..I bought a rifled cantilever BBL for my 12 gauge 1100  because they still did not have rifled bbls for the 20..Worked very well for me for 10 or 15 years using std vel.  BRI sabots, which grouped around 3-4" at 100 yards...

 

 When rifles were legalized,  I  put my slug guns aside and never looked back...

 

[wolc123]

11 minutes ago, Buckmaster7600 said:

Lol, again you make claims based on a single event. I shot plenty of them at well over 100yds with a 20ga. Don’t think I ever had one get away with it. Most didn’t go far.

That being said you do you, I just don’t think spreading false info off little to know experience is good for the forum.


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Were you using 20 ga fosters on those "well over" 100 yard kills, or sabots ?  The incident I referred to involved fosters.  

What was the approximate yardage of your furthest deer kill with a 20 gauge foster and sabot, if you have used both ?

I have never, nor would I ever use a 20 gauge for deer.   My furthest slug gun kills were: 120 yards with a 16 ga foster, 110 yards with a 12 gauge foster, and 163 yards with a 12 gauge sabot.

[Buckmaster7600]

Used buck hammers at first, furthest was probably 100yds

Went to sabots after a couple years when I got a rifled cantaliever barrel for the 870. My furthest was probably 170ish paces. That was before I owned a range finder and I was always shooting across the ravine so hard to know exactly. I know the two guys that owned the land where the old man and I hunted down there both went to 20’s after seeing the old man and I kill with them.


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[Buckmaster7600]

Back in the day, when we had to use shotguns in my area, my main deer gun was a Rem 1100  20 gauge skeet gun with a 26"smoothbore barrel ..I shot some deer with it with the double bead on the skeet bbl and then I had the receiver drilled & tapped for a scope mount and killed a bunch more deer with it with a Weaver 1.5X scope...Most of my shots were from 40 to 75 yards, and I had good luck with good hits..  Most were killed with Foster slugs, but toward the end I used Brennekke  slugs and they worked the best...
 
In the early 1990s, rifled barrels became much more available  ..I bought a rifled cantilever BBL for my 12 gauge 1100  because they still did not have rifled bbls for the 20..Worked very well for me for 10 or 15 years using std vel.  BRI sabots, which grouped around 3-4" at 100 yards...
 
 When rifles were legalized,  I  put my slug guns aside and never looked back...
 

But how? They won’t even kill button bucks!


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[Pygmy]

1 minute ago, Buckmaster7600 said:

But how? They won’t even kill button bucks!


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Hehehehe...I certainly never did much long range ( over 100 yards)  shooting with shotgun slugs, but I have killed about an equal number with 12 gauge and 20 gauge,  not two or three, but perhaps 25 for each gauge, and I could not see much difference  in effectiveness for either gauge with decent shot placement... I only ever killed one with the 16 gauge..Perhaps there is something magical about that gauge...

[wolc123]

14 minutes ago, Pygmy said:

Hehehehe...I certainly never did much long range ( over 100 yards)  shooting with shotgun slugs, but I have killed about an equal number with 12 gauge and 20 gauge,  not two or three, but perhaps 25 for each gauge, and I could not see much difference  in effectiveness for either gauge with decent shot placement... I only ever killed one with the 16 gauge..Perhaps there is something magical about that gauge...

The 16 is just right.  It is too bad they dont make sabots for them.  I would guess that I have also  killed about 25 deer with both the 16 and the 12.  All the 16's were with fosters, but all except 5 or 6 of the 12's were with sabots.

[Don_C]

Interesting that this has taken off. I only posted because I thought a member was having trouble finding slugs a while back.

 

When I moved to NY in the late 80s I brought my rifles and shotguns with me. I soon learned of the ridiculous (to me at the time) shotgun laws for deer hunting and bought a smooth bore barrel for my 20 gauge. I shot some deer with it, they all died. For some reason I thought I needed a 12 gauge rifled barreled deer gun so I bought an 1100. It kicked a lot harder but still killed deer. Thankfully NYS allowed rifles in Catt county in the early 2000’s and I quickly pulled out the .270 and bought a few new rifles. Never looked back. I still have that old 20 gauge in my safe, but all the other slug guns are long gone. unless I have the opportunity to hunt in Erie county it will never see the woods again.

 

 

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[Pygmy]

8 minutes ago, wolc123 said:

The 16 is just right.  It is too bad they dont make sabots for them.  I would guess that I have also  killed about 25 deer with both the 16 and the 12.  All the 16's were with fosters, but all except 5 or 6 of the 12's were with sabots.

Possibly the reason they don't make sabots is because they nobody makes rifled bbls for the 16....

I am a great admirer of the 16 gauge as a shotgun for small game and birds,   but loading  specialty  big game loads for sabots  sounds to me like a solution for a need that does not exist....

[wolc123]

55 minutes ago, Pygmy said:

Possibly the reason they don't make sabots is because they nobody makes rifled bbls for the 16....

I am a great admirer of the 16 gauge as a shotgun for small game and birds,   but loading  specialty  big game loads for sabots  sounds to me like a solution for a need that does not exist....

What came first, the chicken or the egg ?   Same deal with the sabots and rifled barrel.   They ought to make both in 16 gauge.    I would be all over it if they did.   

[Kmartinson]

11 hours ago, Enigma said:

Who didn't enjoy getting scoped by your 12g slugger while you sighted it in lol? The muzzle blast from a ported Mossberg slug barrel is obnoxious as well. I carried an NEF Ultra slugger for one year. Not horrible to shoot but so so heavy to carry. 

For some dumb reason though I like putting 3 1/2 turkey loads down my 935. I guess I think if I'm getting walloped the bird is too. Twisted logic I guess. 

3 1/2 for turks is the only way to go. My ulti whoops me but turkeys roll. I shoot 3 inches at ducks and geese to save the shoulder damage

[Pygmy]

2 hours ago, wolc123 said:

What came first, the chicken or the egg ?   Same deal with the sabots and rifled barrel.   They ought to make both in 16 gauge.    I would be all over it if they did.   

Yup...Probably you and about 17 other people in the state....No offense, but GOOD LUCK  !!...

[Pygmy]

2 hours ago, Kmartinson said:

3 1/2 for turks is the only way to go. My ulti whoops me but turkeys roll. I shoot 3 inches at ducks and geese to save the shoulder damage

I have never shot a 3.5" shell and don't ever intend to.....I'm glad the appx. 130  turkeys that I have killed were not aware that  the 3.5" shell was the only way to go.....

[Buckmaster7600]

I have never shot a 3.5" shell and don't ever intend to.....I'm glad the appx. 130  turkeys that I have killed were not aware that  the 3.5" shell was the only way to go.....

I tried them, didn’t take me many shots to realize the 2 3/4 kills em just as dead!


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