Slug recommendations for Smooth bore 12ga
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ProCarryNAustin
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On YouTube, check out the ballistics test from tnoutdoors9 using foster slug. Was an eye opener!
I use 00buck myself, but would be fine with slugs. Don’t really recommend birdshot as I have seen it penetrate less than 25 acp in gel.
I use 00buck myself, but would be fine with slugs. Don’t really recommend birdshot as I have seen it penetrate less than 25 acp in gel.
double-dipper
Member
What WR Moore said!!! he nailed it. I have shot a lot of deer with rifled slugs and sabots going 1600+ - 2000+ FPS, even at 50-70 yards I get a complete pass through. With that said, for home defense I would recommend G2 R.I.P 303 grain 1430 FPS. And on the less expensive side Fiocchi Low recoil @
1150 FPS.
1150 FPS.
max503
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Those Breneke's are so accurate out of my 870 that I've never felt the need for a rifled barrel.
duane_wade
Member
Several others have stated in regards to a home defense round accuracy at long range is not important, what you want is great terminal performance and any sluggish should do the job. My preference in my HD shotgun is staggered #4 then slug and repeat for my 5 rounds using 3" magnum for all defense loads.
Buy the most of what you can afford.
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Buy the most of what you can afford.
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Birdshot ineffective
Taken from shotgun and personal defense sites. Birdshot thought to not be as effective as buckshot. Penetration or lack of is a problem. Always better than nothing. The military uses #4 buck, and OO for guard duty. I keep #4 or #1 for the house.
Taken from shotgun and personal defense sites. Birdshot thought to not be as effective as buckshot. Penetration or lack of is a problem. Always better than nothing. The military uses #4 buck, and OO for guard duty. I keep #4 or #1 for the house.
Brennekes
The TKO were cheap and accurate to 75 yds ( my personal max)
Tru Ball work equally well.
The TKO were cheap and accurate to 75 yds ( my personal max)
Tru Ball work equally well.
Sistema1927
US Veteran
Home Defense?
I would prefer #4 Buckshot over slugs.
I would prefer #4 Buckshot over slugs.
Have to agree with the 'something other than slugs' camp. I've been using regular old 1 oz. Foster's on deer for 30 years and even at 60 yards have seen broadside pass-throughs. Much too much juice for inside a house.
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schutzen-jager
Member
fyi
the rifling on foster + Brenneke slugs do not promote any spin to the projectile at all - heavy nose + hollow base or wad is what stabilizes slug in flight - for home defense large birdshot or small buckshot are a better safer choice - at most home distances the shot will be acting like a single projectile anyway -
the rifling on foster + Brenneke slugs do not promote any spin to the projectile at all - heavy nose + hollow base or wad is what stabilizes slug in flight - for home defense large birdshot or small buckshot are a better safer choice - at most home distances the shot will be acting like a single projectile anyway -
Home Defense?
The OP said he needs a slug for a smooth-bore shotgun for home defense. Unless he lives in a convention center, most any Foster type slug will do just fine.
I will say that in my deer hunting days, one of the major companies made their Foster slugs a few thousandths wider than the competition and these tended to be more accurate. Sorry, I don't remember exactly which slug that was but somebody here might.
The OP said he needs a slug for a smooth-bore shotgun for home defense. Unless he lives in a convention center, most any Foster type slug will do just fine.
I will say that in my deer hunting days, one of the major companies made their Foster slugs a few thousandths wider than the competition and these tended to be more accurate. Sorry, I don't remember exactly which slug that was but somebody here might.
schutzen-jager
Member
the hollow base on the foster slugs expands with propellent detonation to fit bore + allows it to constrict to clear tight chokes -
a few thousands in diameter will make little difference in accuracy - velocity +| aerodynamics have more effect then size - -
a few thousands in diameter will make little difference in accuracy - velocity +| aerodynamics have more effect then size - -
I dearly hate slugs. Coming from a slug only state when I got to hunt with a rifle it was never the same again. From then on it was looking for ways to hunch on Ohio regs. I didn’t get sucked in on rifled barrels and sabots. Many of them will shoot like a rifle with right combination. My smooth bores will all do 3” at 100yds. No need for anything better. I got a couple hundred 410, 20 and 12g slugs left. Unless rioters come to town won’t be using them any more.
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Federal, Winchester and Remington Forster style Slugs have always worked just fine in any gun I've shot them from.
IMHO the OP would be much better served with #1 or #4 Buckshot within the confines of a home. Up close, Buckshot is devastating and will penetrate far less than a Slug will. When in a home environment that is very important and a miss or even a poor hit with a Slug could be dangerous to innocent people. Just my opinion of course.....
My personal fav for HD is #1 Buck Winchester 2 3/4" shells and has 16 .30 caliber balls inside. That should do the trick.
IMHO the OP would be much better served with #1 or #4 Buckshot within the confines of a home. Up close, Buckshot is devastating and will penetrate far less than a Slug will. When in a home environment that is very important and a miss or even a poor hit with a Slug could be dangerous to innocent people. Just my opinion of course.....
My personal fav for HD is #1 Buck Winchester 2 3/4" shells and has 16 .30 caliber balls inside. That should do the trick.
The Foster type slugs have always impressed me, way more accurate out of a smoothbore than you'd think. And I've shot maybe a dozen deer with Brenekkes, puts them down like a .45/70.
But no way would I consider slugs for home defense. Too much penetration and recoil.
I bought a case (250 rounds) of PMC #4 Buck from SG Ammo.
A bit less penetration than OO Buck ( that's a good thing for use inside the home) but you have 28 pellets that are 24 caliber.
My quail/SD model 1100 holds 8 shots, so if I empty it that's 224 projectiles going downrange.
Pic below is modified choke on the left, Skeet #1 on the right, both at 25 yards.
The 1100 has a +3 extension, 21 inch barrel length, and a Meprolight tritium white bead.
But no way would I consider slugs for home defense. Too much penetration and recoil.
I bought a case (250 rounds) of PMC #4 Buck from SG Ammo.
A bit less penetration than OO Buck ( that's a good thing for use inside the home) but you have 28 pellets that are 24 caliber.
My quail/SD model 1100 holds 8 shots, so if I empty it that's 224 projectiles going downrange.
Pic below is modified choke on the left, Skeet #1 on the right, both at 25 yards.
The 1100 has a +3 extension, 21 inch barrel length, and a Meprolight tritium white bead.
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Depending on your firearm, look at some of the min-slugs. Lower recoil and 7/8 oz. (382 grains) of lead at 1250 will pack a wallop.
DWalt
Member
And the arguments go on and on. Accuracy (grouping) performance means nothing inside a house. Larger shot sizes, #2 or #4 (not Buck) game loads will be more than adequate for up-close defense and will not create much of an overpenetration problem, e.g., shooting through walls, ceilings, or floors. I would not recommend anything smaller than #4 shot. A load of #2 or #4 to the chest from 10-15 feet will stop anyone instantly and permanently. My personal choice is #4 Buck. I would never use rifled slugs of any kind for inside-home defense.
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For the house gun.....The first round in my M1Super 90 slug gun is a 3 dram 1 1/8 ounce of 8s...all the rest are 2 3/4 inch Rem #4 buck. The first one??? If they can't see ya they can't hurt ya. Cold thought, I know. Even a hit anywhere on the body inside the house is going to be VERY painful. The following 8 #4 buck if needed will probably be fatal. One story.... BTW. I have shot an awful lot of slugs and deer. Foster slugs work ok out of some guns clear to a hundred yards. Sabot slugs in a scope sighted IC/Skeet smooth bore are good for 150 yds if you get 'em sighted right. Rifled bore w/sabots finding the right one for your gun/bbl; are seriously good up to 200 yds. It does take serious testing to find the right combo. Slugs are clearly the wrong ammo for a house gun
I took the OP's question to mean he has a barrel that isn't a rifled slug barrel.
As to choke, we've always been told to use an open choke like cylinder bore for slugs or 00 buck. But I've found the smaller buckshot like #4 responds well to some choke, I got better (denser) patterns with #4 buck when using modified than when I used Skeet #1, which is almost as open as a cylinder bore choke.
As to choke, we've always been told to use an open choke like cylinder bore for slugs or 00 buck. But I've found the smaller buckshot like #4 responds well to some choke, I got better (denser) patterns with #4 buck when using modified than when I used Skeet #1, which is almost as open as a cylinder bore choke.
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