shotgun slugs for whitetails

[Just a Hunter]

I recently purchased a slug gun with a rifled barrel, and would love some input to what sabot slugs have worked best in your own rifles.

I hear alot of good reports on the Hornady SST's in regards to there accuracy, and trajectory but very little in regards to there performance on deer sized game.

What about the rest of the offerings from other manufactures.

PS:I'm aware that finding a gun/bullet combination can be one of trial and error as you find what your rifle likes. With the knowledge that these bullets can run $15 per box of 5 I would like to start with something that comes from a good recomendation.

[ncboman]

I can't help you because I shoot 1oz fosters thru a smoothbore but I think a guy could spend a lot more on saboted slugs than he has to.

I gotta wonder how winchester fosters would shoot thru a rifled barrel? :rolleyes:

[Sabre]

Of the sabot loads I tried in my rifled slug guns the Brenneke K.O. sabots were the most accurate and consistent, followed closely by the Winchester BRI, Federal Barnes expander and Lightfield Hybred. The Hornady's were wildly inaccurate in my gun. I mostly stuck with the Brenneke's and they were very effective deer killers. The Wichester BRI's ballistics don't look impressive but a buddy of mine has used them for years with good effect on lots of deer.

[Twanger]

Years ago I bought a second hand slug gun with a rifled barrel for $200 and I've probably spent $200 on six different brands slugs at the range trying to get it to shoot... not to mention new scope rail, rings, and scope. I think the gun has problems but it seems to like the Lightfield Hybred 2-3/4" best, and I know two other hunters that shoot these and really like them.

[45seventy]

I hunt exclusively with a slug gun. I use a remington model 1100. I've tried many sabot slugs, and the one that works best for me is the regular Winchester 2 3/4 inch sabot in the grey box. They are the most accurate out of my particular gun. I would bore sight it to 25 yds, then tweak it to shoot 2 inches high at 50 yds. My local gun dealer sells em for $11.00 for a box of 5. They are a little pricey but not too bad for sabots. Some run much higher.

[Just a Hunter]

Has anyone tried the Remington Buckhammer's?

[Hi Ball]

Now last year they ran the results of testing all the various slugs to use in a shotgun for deer etc. There must of been at least 20 of so listed in the NRA magazine. It went on to say, that it is trial and error to find out what your particular shotgun will shoot the best. However, I do remember that those Winchester brand slugs seemed to be very good in accuracy as a general rule of thumb.:)

[GF.]

Some days I think that a reduced-recoil slug load probably hits better than anything else out there, regardless of how well the load 'shoots' off of a bench. Most people just don;t do well at standard, 12-ga. recoil levels.

And honestly - at 35 or 40 yards, how big a difference does it make whether you group into 2 inches or 3? :rolleyes:

[Just a Hunter]

I would be more than happy with a good managed recoil slug.

The Remington buckhammers reduced recoil are said to have 1350fps at the muzzle, and 1032 ft-lbs of energy at 100-yards.

This is about as far as I would wish to send a slug, and more than enough for whitetails.

[GF.]

What's the slug's weight in that load? I'm kind of surprised that's the spec for managed recoil load, because that sounds like a pretty typical shotgun MV. Right about on par w/ my .45/70.

Irony: If I had to get a shotgun to hunt deer with, I'd probably go with a 20-ga. saboted round like the Winchester that hucks a .45 cal bullet. In which case I'd basically be back to a ,45/70, except that the old Sprg round is a 'rifle', and therefore illegal in most places around here....:rolleyes:

[Just a Hunter]

RL12LSS Managed-Recoil™ Buckhammer 12gauge 2 3/4" 1 1/8 oz. 1350fps

http://www.remington.com/images/products/ammo/shotshell/managedrecoil_buckhammer.jpg

SP12LSS Buckhammer 12gauge 2 3/4" 1-1/4 oz. 1550fps

http://www.remington.com/images/products/ammo/shotshell/express_buckhammer_big.jpg

[Just a Hunter]

these are full diameter slugs designed for rifled slug barrels

[45seventy]

Interesting, I have never seen those before. Guess i never
looked to hard tho, since I just buy the winchesters. Those
don't have any attached sabot's on them, they are just lead slugs?
I'll have to look for them, and maybe give em a try.
Are they around the same price as a regular sabot?

[Smitty5]

I recently sighted my 20 gauge in with Buckhammers and they shoot just fine in my NEF Ultra Slug Hunter. The 2 3/4 inch shell pushes a 1 ounce slug to 1500 fps and recoil is there but not bad. I am under the impression that the sabot stays on the slug as I found none on the ground in front of my bench. This load also seems to clean fouling out of a barrel and leaves a pretty shiny bore with just a bit of powder fouling.

[Bushman]

I thought that 1 1/4 ounce 12 gauge load was a misprint until I looked it up. 1 ounce slugs were the heaviest lead slugs that I ever remembered. I only gunned two deer with them with just that bird bead front sight, but inside a hundred yards or so they sure seemed to hit pretty hard. Looks like slugs have come a long way from back in the day. An unlucky buck with that front bead covering most of his rib cage.

[Just a Hunter]

45seventy

From what I understand the buckhammer is not a sabot, but is a different approach for use in rifled slug barrels.

As im told the slug is of a diameter in which it matches your rifling and the attached white plastic at its base is suppose to assist in stabilizing the bullet.

If I understood things correctly it does not seperate from the bullet as it exits the barrel.

In regards to prices you can find them at Bass Pro, Cabelas, Sportsmans guide and several other retailers for as low as $7 a box (on sale)
reg price is around $11

[Altjaeger]

I thought that 1 1/4 ounce 12 gauge load was a misprint until I looked it up. 1 ounce slugs were the heaviest lead slugs that I ever remembered. I only gunned two deer with them with just that bird bead front sight, but inside a hundred yards or so they sure seemed to hit pretty hard. Looks like slugs have come a long way from back in the day. An unlucky buck with that front bead covering most of his rib cage.

I still have some 20 plus year old Federal Foster slugs weighing 1 1/4 ounce.

[Waidmann]

Regarding the buckhammer slugs:

Doesn't the lead foul the riflings in the barrel? I've used them and they do shoot good enough groups, but I have that underlying concern that they're clogging up the riflings. Also, I've heard that cleaning lead from the groves is a PIA. Anyone experienced that?

Waidmann

[GF.]

Not likely to be an issue at slug velocities unless your bore is pretty rough to begin with.

As a point of comparison, have you ever worried about a lot of lead build-up in your favorite .22?

[45seventy]

Waidmann,
That was my concern too.
I've been told that a regular slug will
lead up the rifling, you will lose accuracy,
and you will have trouble cleaning it out of the bore.

JAH, thanks for the info, I'm heading down to S. ILL
this weekend for a hunt. Think I'll stop by Cabela's,
and grab a box. Can't hurt to see how they shoot.:)

[Sabre]

Not likely to be an issue at slug velocities unless your bore is pretty rough to begin with.

As a point of comparison, have you ever worried about a lot of lead build-up in your favorite .22?

.22 bullets are lubricated, shotgun slugs are not. Yes, unsaboted lead shotgun slugs can and will severely lead a rifled bore in as few as 5 rounds. Anything resembling accuracy is normally gone in fewer than 15 rounds. The lead can be quickly and easily removed with a 50/50 mixture of hydrogen peroxide and white vinegar.

[GF.]

OK, so I'll bite...

Why don't they lube the slugs and reduce the problem? (And BTW, thanks for the solution :D )

[Sabre]

OK, so I'll bite...

Why don't they lube the slugs and reduce the problem?

Beats the hell outta me:confused:

[Just a Hunter]

who knows, maybe the buckhammer is lubricated.

I wouldnt think it would be any worse than the guys shooting lead couwboy bullets from there leveractions.

[Sabre]

who knows, maybe the buckhammer is lubricated.

I wouldnt think it would be any worse than the guys shooting lead couwboy bullets from there leveractions.

Virtually all cast lead rifle/pistol bullets are lubricated and that makes all the difference in the world.

[DaveHawk]

Put the shot gun barrel back on do not put a chock in it. Pick up a box of Fedrels 1 oz slugs and take it out and target shot it. Better then any sabits.

[alan]

.22 bullets are lubricated, shotgun slugs are not. Yes, unsaboted lead shotgun slugs can and will severely lead a rifled bore in as few as 5 rounds. Anything resembling accuracy is normally gone in fewer than 15 rounds. The lead can be quickly and easily removed with a 50/50 mixture of hydrogen peroxide and white vinegar.
Will this also work on severely leaded muzzleloader barrel? I haven't been able to get my renegade barrel to come clean after multiple lead conical use.

[Sabre]

Yep, just plug the nipple with a toothpick and pour the barrel full of the mixture. Let it sit for a few minutes {it will fizz like a glass of soda} and then pour it out. The lead will be GONE.

[GF.]

Chemistry's a beautiful thing, ain't it? :D

[Just a Hunter]

Chemistry's a beautiful thing, ain't it?

What I really need is a way to turn the lead to gold, not remove it.

[Just a Hunter]

PS: I ordered 4 boxes of the reduced recoil buckhammers.

we shall see if they live up to there name

[GF.]

Well, even if you can't turn 'em into gold, at least you can convert them to meat! :D

[Crockettnj]

Yep, just plug the nipple with a toothpick and pour the barrel full of the mixture. Let it sit for a few minutes {it will fizz like a glass of soda} and then pour it out. The lead will be GONE.

Sabre, dont you have issues with the vinegar (acetic acid) dissolving blueing? I used vinegar on a ML years back and it had that thing in the white anywhere the vinegar touched. Not good. I wonder if its an issue with the Investarms blueing or will this be an issue iwth other brands as well.

[Sabre]

Sabre, dont you have issues with the vinegar (acetic acid) dissolving blueing? I used vinegar on a ML years back and it had that thing in the white anywhere the vinegar touched. Not good. I wonder if its an issue with the Investarms blueing or will this be an issue iwth other brands as well.

I've never had the mixture effect the bluing on any firearm at all and I've used it a bunch on my Remington, Mossberg and Ithaca slug guns.

[alan]

Sabre, dont you have issues with the vinegar (acetic acid) dissolving blueing? I used vinegar on a ML years back and it had that thing in the white anywhere the vinegar touched. Is the bore of muzzleloaders blued?

[Twanger]

It's hard to believe they'd be blued after very many shots. :D

[ncboman]

I got an old 22 I'm gonna try that mixture on and judge the results before I try it for real. :rolleyes:

[alan]

I got an old 22 I'm gonna try that mixture on and judge the results before I try it for real. :rolleyes:

Please post results.

[GrayWolf]

I bought my son a 12 ga. H&R Ultraslug complete with a LimbSaver recoil pad and Nikon Slug hunter scope with the BDC reticle for his 18th birthday. We took his new outfit to our local range to finish sighting it in (it was bore-sighted where I bought it). After getting his gun on the bull at 50 yds, we began our testing. three 3-shot groups at 50 yds were all just large jagged holes, at 100 yds we had three sets of cloverleafs. Since our range only goes out to 100 yds we were not able to test 150 or 200 yd groups. If I hadn't seen it, I wouldn't have believed any slug gun could consistently produce groups like that.

Now I've been hunting with a Mossberg 500 with a cantilevered rifled barrel and Burris 4x scope for some years and can regularly shoot 6" to 7" groups at 100 yds. After seeing what my son's new outfit can do, I will be trading my outfit for one that is duplicate to his. After all, let's face it . . . after the first shot, the deer is either down or long gone!

[Altjaeger]

The only thing is Graywolf I might consider the 20 gauge. With the 12 gauge blank bored to 20 gauge it is heavier and more recoil absorbant. Also the 20 gauge slug produces ballistics almost identical tpo the original 45-70 and how much more can you need?

[Just a Hunter]

http://huntamerica.com/forum/showthread.php?3416-Slug-Gun-hunt

A link to my hunt with Remingtons Buckhammers

[rimrock]

a decent slug gun with a rifled barrel Like a savage bolt gun, equipped with a good 2.5x scope can usually produce 3" or smaller 100 yard 3 shot groups

http://www.savagearms.com/firearms/finder/
http://www.savagearms.com/images/firearms/finder/medium/212.png

http://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/item.asp?sku=000152654112

these work reasonably well in my rifled slug gun
http://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/product_images/015-2654112.jpg


This is load data for the 525 Gr. Lyman Sabot Slug. Its tough to format for the forum but the list reads of follows.

Powder Charge Primer Wad Velocity Pressure

Federal Gold Medal

Univ. Clays 36.0 Win 209 WAA12F114 1503 10,100
WSF 34.0 Win 209 WAA12F114 1482 11,300
Herco 32.0 Win 209 WAA12F114 1389 11,100
SR 4756 44.0 Win 209 WAA12R 1585 10,500
800X 31.5 Fed 209AWAA12 1459 10,700
Blue Dot 46.5 Win 209 WAA12R 1544 9,900
571 42.0 Fed 209AFed 12S4 1429 10,700

Federal Plastic Hunting

Univ. Clays 35.0 Win 209 WAA12F114 1442 9,300
34.0 Win 209 WAA12F114 1421 9,200
Herco 30.0 Win 209 WAA12F114 1297 9,100
SR 4756 40.0 Win 209 WAA12R 1439 8,300
800X 30.0 Fed 209AFed 12S4 1403 9,800
Blue Dot 44.0 Win 209 WAA12R 1408 7,300
571 42.0 Fed 209AFed 12S4 1405 9,900

Fiocchi Plastic

Univ. Clays 34.0 Win 209 WAA12R 1478 10,100
WSF 31.0 Win 209 WAA12F114 1383 10,000
SR 4756 37.0 Win 209 WAA12R 1396 8,700
N3SH 36.0 Win 209 WAA12R 1486 9,700
Blue Dot 44.0 Win 209 WAA12R 1476 8,800

Remington RTL (Premier)

Univ. Clays 29.0 Win 209 WAA12F114 1386 10,800
Unique 23.0 Win 209 WAA12F114 1269 11,100
Herco 25.0 Win 209 WAA12 1249 11,300
SR 4756 34.0 Rem 209PWAA12R 1448 11,100
SR 4756 35.0 Win 209 WAA12R 1462 10,900
Blue Dot 41.0 Rem 209PWAA12F114 1475 11,000
Blue Dot 43.0 Win 209 WAA12F114 1501 11,200

Remington Unibody SP

Univ. Clays 32.0 Win 209 WAA12 1416 9,900
WSF 32.0 Win 209 WAA12 1434 11,400
Herco 30.0 Win 209 WAA12 1336 10,600
SR 4756 37.5 Win 209 WAA12F114 1468 10,200
800X 31.0 Win 209 Fed 12S3 1440 10,700
Blue Dot 45.5 Win 209 WAA12F114 1482 9,300
Blue Dot 46.0 Win 209 Fed 12S4 1532 10,600

Winchester AA

Univ. Clays 29.0 Win 209 WAA12F114 1358 9,700
Unique 23.0 Win 209 WAA12F114 1271 11,100
Unique 22.5 Win 209 Fed 12S3 1231 10,500
WSF 30.0 Win 209 WAA12F114 1393 11,000
WSF 28.0 Win 209 Fed 12S3 1332 10,500
Herco 25.0 Win 209 WAA12F114 1273 10,900
SR 4756 35.0 Win 209 WAA12R 1378 8,800
N3SH 30.0 Win 209 WAA12F114 1372 10,100
Blue Dot 44.0 Win 209 WAA12R 1474 9,200