Slugs for Shotguns

[Mel Carter]

I know this may be better suited in the shotgun section, but I was wondering what most of you hunted with at Camp Roberts for hogs when your in the Primitive weapons areas. I have several shotguns that are smooth bore with interchangable chokes, (not rifled) I know the accuracy won't be there past 50 yards or so, but will this be sufficient with rifled slugs.

Thanks for you input.

 

[Speckmisser]

Hey Mel,

Have you shot slugs out of any of those barrels yet? You might be surprised (slightly) at the accuracy, but it'd be better to be surprised at the range rather than in the field. Take three or four boxes of slugs, then toss in your modified, improved, and skeet chokes, and send some lead downrange. I bet you'll find a combination that's in the kill zone at 75 yards or more. Or else you'll find out real quick that even 50 yards is a stretch.

Even so, from all accounts, the odds of a close enounter are pretty good down there. If you find the hogs, getting inside 50 yards shouldn't be too tough. Several of the guys from the July hunt were within 20 yards before they even saw the pigs.

 

[Backcountry]

Ditto what Speck said...I mounted an el-cheapo Tasco Propoint red-dot scope ($35 at Midway) on my Mossberg 590 SHTF gun (20" imp cyl smooth bore) to use with slugs as a Bambi depredation tool.

Off sandbags at 50 yards Federal Classic slugs grouped at 4.5", and Brenneke KO slugs groups at 3". The Brennekes proved very effective on a couple does, killing one broadside at 67 yards with complete pass-through destroying both lungs, and another at about 15 yards right in the brown-eye (facing away shot). The second slug I recovered near the breastplate and it was hardly deformed at all (the innards of the doe were a different story).

As Speck said, plan to put in some range time with the slugs, and be prepared for heavy recoil. I never thought of myself as recoil averse, but shooting 20+ slugs off a bench caused me to purchase a PAST recoil pad.

Cheers, Backcountry

p.s. I’d never take a facing away shot on a buck during hunting season, but since it was a depredation hunt, I didn’t care about meat loss, or even deer loss, since the objective was to eliminate deer causing crop damage from the property. In any case, there was absolutely no meat damage to the doe hit in the caboose. Nothing! It was a crying shame to have to turn that carcass over to Fish & Game… I expect the Folsom Zoo animals enjoyed it, though.

 

[BLASTMASTER]

I shoot slugs every quarter, at the range, because of my job, so I'm used to them. Believe it or not, I used a breach loaded single shot with rifled slugs. Last May I sent 5 slugs flying out at varying distances from 50yds up to about 15ft, because that pig would not stay down. Tough animals. My daughter spun one around and it dropped dead on the spot with one well place .410 slug at about 20yds. Slugs are great, I'm going to start using them more often.

 

[Backcountry]

Dang... now you got me thinking. CR + 2.5 hour drive + primitive weapons area + hogs + 590 = fun weekend away from urban insanity.

Speck, offhand, would you know if I would need to put a plug in the 590's spacious 9-round magazine in order to comply with any regulations governing magazine capacity? Something tells me its 4+1 or 5+1, but I can’t find that info handily.

Thanks, Backcountry

 

[Speckmisser]

Backcountry,

CA definitely requires a plug for any shotgun hunting for small or big game (maybe not for varmints).

It's kinda silly, since you can carry a rifle with a big ol' clip of 5 mile bullets, but you can only have three slugs in a shotgun (deadly range of what... about a 1/2 mile?).

 

[VHRAM]

i didnt even check the regs about the shot gun plug with big game boy have i been lucky .Im glad you guys posted this.kinda makes you feel stupid for not checking

 

[Mel Carter]

Thanks for the reply guys. I'll see ya in a few weeks.