Slug Shotgun vs. Large Calibre Rifle

[werner.reiche]

I've often heard the term "I wounded it"

Oddly enough while standing there looking down at a well anchored animal I've never heard "He's too dead"

Therefore

I'll stick with a little ooomph

That's why I like the 265 gr .444 rounds.

[trimmer21]

That's why I like the 265 gr .444 rounds.

I agree. Whether it's a .444 or .45/70 out to about 150M,they are definitely the Sultans of Swat. LOL

[Waftrudnir]

Side car or heavy duty truck with leather seats?
Slugs have always been a makeshift solution. The reason why we still have them is regulation based. For example, changes were made in NY to allow rifles in more counties – guess what people use now.
Granted that slug guns came a long way; i.e. closer to rifles. The reason why they exist is because there is a market for it, and the market exists, because regulation don’t allow rifles in some areas as we all know. There is absolutely NO technical reason for that.
Speaking of safety. It doesn’t make any difference in medium populated areas if the projectile travels 1.5km or 5.0km. All that matters is that you have a safe backstop as both are equally dangerous. Remember, if you shoot from a tree-stand you have in most cases the ground as safe backstop. If you run around you rarely have ever a safe backstop. Long story short, the entire shotgun & muzzleloader rules make absolutely no sense!
No doubt, centre fire. If you prefer a big slow pill or ultra-fast tiny projectiles is another topic on its own as both concepts have merits and downfalls.

[GW11]

The thuddy for urban/farm deer maybe. I've watched our hill deer take a thuddy through and through like it was Your daisy red rider. You can thank Clint Eastwood for people having the notion that the cartridge lives up to "MAGNUM"

Never found any of the big woods deer I shot with a 30-30 went very far with no lungs. Yeah, if the dogs were on them and the adrenaline was flowing, they would continue on for a ways dead on their feet but ended up no less dead than when I shot them with the 30-06.

[Big Jack]

Honestly if I had an option to use a rifle it would be a no brainer. Don't need a large cal one either. Nice 270 does well.

I spend a lot if time trying to make my slug guns and muzzleloader shoot like a rifle and they are solid 200 yard guns the mz is closer to 250. I have shot many deer beyond 100 yards and have no complaints with regard to performance but 200 yards is limiting and you must account for bullet drop more than with a rifle and at 3 bucks plus a shot it isn't cheap.

I understand the reg and why it exists and wouldn't want guys hunting with rifles around the bush I hunt. Too many guys too close.

[Fox]

Where you get into trouble with the underpowered rounds (.410 slug, .357 etc) is when you don't have what would be a reasonable bow shot (i.e. broadside or quartering away). I'd have no trouble with a texas heart shot with a .30-30 170gr. I wouldn't be so confident with a .410, .357 or even a .44 mag.

Again, not condoning any use of any round, I just brought up the fact that people say the 357 out of a handgun is a good deer load, but a 410 is useless, even though they are about the same when you look at the numbers.

People also claim the 12ga foster slug is a powerful round, but fail to see how fast it sheds velocity and becomes anemic. If you look at the numbers then sabot slugs at high velocity are on par with the big bore rifles. High velocity rifles will always hold more velocity than a slug with a poor BC, but there are slug options that compete with rifles within normal deer hunting ranges.

The 30-30 is a great deer round and with the Lever Revolution ammo it steps up on the BC scale. I have a Win 94 and got my fiancee a CIL bolt action in 30-30, it is a great caliber for deer sized game, but so is a 20ga sabot slug with a proper sight.

[Pat32rf]

A 357 CAN be a deer killer, with the right slug, from the right gun at tree stand ranges and conditions on stationary deer. For moving animals it can't compare with a 30-30. At least a 44mag gave exit wounds on a broadside shoulder shot (again, with the right slugs), something the 357 would never do.

[ch312]

These shotgun only areas where designed back when shotguns were only smoothbore and ammo was not like it was today.


These new shotguns are pretty much rifles, I wonder how long before they are banned.....



Stupid rule anyways because I can use my .243 for all small game and it shoots A LOT farther and flatter than my rifled barrel shotgun

This is exactly why they aren't allowed for the controlled hunts around here.

Southern Ontario is heavily populated and slugs will travel a much shorter distance than a typical rifle someone would choose for deer (.243, 25-06, .270) meaning they're far safer to use during the controlled gun hunts when there are tons of people in the bush, often hunting around developed areas.

Quick comparisons:

3" 20 gauge sabot. With a 100 yard zero the slug will drop 90" (almost 8 FEET) at 300 yards.
.243. With a 100 yard zero the bullet will drop only 11" at 300 yards and 50" at 500 yards.

So, when those small armies are out taking a dozen shots at one deer those slugs will be in the dirt long before they have the chance to hit another hunter or house in most cases. Let those guys use a .243 to do the same thing and the bullets could go 3-400 yards and still easily be high enough off the ground to hit an unintended target.

[Waftrudnir]

...

3" 20 gauge sabot. With a 100 yard zero the slug will drop 90" (almost 8 FEET) at 300 yards.
.243. With a 100 yard zero the bullet will drop only 11" at 300 yards and 50" at 500 yards.

....

first scenario: a good chance of wounding game (because people unfortunately do shoot well beyond 100yrds, especially those who don't practice often enough and are therefore completely oblivious to pay attention to distance and bullet drop)
second scenario: insignificantly more dangerous - in other words a slug is just as dangerous if you don't have a safe backstop! so telling people (and some only hear what they want to hear...) that shooting a slug is much safer can be actually really dangerous....

[Fox]

Quick comparisons:

3" 20 gauge sabot. With a 100 yard zero the slug will drop 90" (almost 8 FEET) at 300 yards.
.243. With a 100 yard zero the bullet will drop only 11" at 300 yards and 50" at 500 yards.

Your numbers are a little off on the shotgun.

Hornady SST 2 3/4in 20ga

sighted in at 150 yards, 8.2in drop at 200 yards, 100 yard zero would be about 12.5in drop at 200 yards.

http://www.hornady.com/store/20-GA-SST-Slug-250gr-SST/

Not 8 feet.

Winchester 2 3/4" 20ga foster style slug when sighted in at 100 yards drops about 36in at 200 yards.

Sorry, I don't want to be too negative, but the numbers are there.

Sorry ch312, I misread the yardage.

300 yards is a heck of a long shot with a crappy BC on a sabot slug.

8 feet? That is nuts.