poppeye
Member
witch is better? i have a 28in 12gage stoger p350 stock barrel, for deer. and what size load should I use? what about for yote?
riffled slug vs. buck shot?
- Thread starter poppeye
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sacp81170a
Member
For deer, definitely rifled slugs. We shoot offhand from 50 yards during qualification with shotgun and it's no problem keeping slugs in a 6 inch circle. With buckshot, you'd be lucky to get any pellets on target at that distance. I'd see no reason you couldn't use rifled slugs out to 100 yards if you practice, and you can get even farther if you use a rifled slug barrel.
If you can't sneak up to within 20 yards or less of a deer, I'd stick with slugs. Can't say anything about 'yote, never hunted 'em. I'm assuming they'd be at least as hard to sneak up on as a deer...
If you can't sneak up to within 20 yards or less of a deer, I'd stick with slugs. Can't say anything about 'yote, never hunted 'em. I'm assuming they'd be at least as hard to sneak up on as a deer...
poppeye
Member
what size brand modle?
sacp81170a
Member
What size shell is your Stoeger chambered for? I'd go with 2 3/4" with a 1 ounce slug unless you're really into punishment. 3" magnum kicks like a durn mule, makes it hard to practice. As for brand, I've used Remington and Federal with good results. I've heard good things about Brenneke, but I've never used 'em. Took a deer 6 years ago with my Mossberg 500, 75 yard shot, DRT. They work plenty good. Make sure you abide by any Game & Fish regs on magazine capacity. We can have a magazine capacity of 5 for deer hunting here in Arkansas, IIRC. I don't even pretend to know what a Stoeger P350 looks like...
rantingredneck
Member
I hate to say this poppeye, but you're gonna have to do your homework (read rangework) with your particular gun. We all will have our favorite loads based on either range results or real world results in the field, but we have a different gun than you. Even other owners of a stoeger p350 (3.5" chamber is it?) will have different results than you with the same ammo. Shotguns are strange creatures and each has it's own preferences and personalities.
Best thing you can do is buy a box each of 2 or 3 different brands of slugs and of buckshot and head to the range. With slugs you'll want to use an improved cylinder choke. Shoot at 50 and 75 yards and go with the most accurate slug you find. I personally like Brenneke KO's, but have had good results with Federal Classics too.
With buckshot, use a Mod or maybe even full choke (depends on the gun) and shoot at 15/25/35 yds and see what your pattern looks like. You want a load that will keep all pellets in an 8-9" circle. That's your average size killzone on a whitetail deer.
Good luck and happy shooting.
Best thing you can do is buy a box each of 2 or 3 different brands of slugs and of buckshot and head to the range. With slugs you'll want to use an improved cylinder choke. Shoot at 50 and 75 yards and go with the most accurate slug you find. I personally like Brenneke KO's, but have had good results with Federal Classics too.
With buckshot, use a Mod or maybe even full choke (depends on the gun) and shoot at 15/25/35 yds and see what your pattern looks like. You want a load that will keep all pellets in an 8-9" circle. That's your average size killzone on a whitetail deer.
Good luck and happy shooting.
rantingredneck
Member
I wouldn't use one through a turkey choke but anything up to full shouldn't cause any damage. Will degrade accuracy some though.
What type of shotgun do you have that you are unsure of the choke on. May be able to help you figure it out.
What type of shotgun do you have that you are unsure of the choke on. May be able to help you figure it out.
rantingredneck
Member
I'm assuming it's a fixed choke barrel then? If so it's most likely either IC or Mod. Maybe full, but I doubt it.
rantingredneck
Member
I've never handled a Franchi, but there may be a very small stamping on the actual barrel. Barring that you could measure it with a micrometer and look up tables of choke diameters in 12 ga.
poppeye
Member
thanks Brenneke KO's slug it is unless thats bad?
and sabots is that for riffeled barrels?
and sabots is that for riffeled barrels?
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bhk
Member
Looks like you live in Missouri. You can't use buckshot for deer in Missouri, so slugs are your only legal option. For 'yotes, bb's or number 4 buck seem to be preferred by the coyote hunters that use shotguns. You should definitely pattern your gun with a variety of shot sizes to see which work best for you.
rantingredneck
Member
Yes Sabots are for rifled barrels
I have an old Savage model 745B,which was my Dad's,that is similar to the old Browning patent, and it doesn't have any markings on the barrel as well. It is a fixed choke barrel and it does appear to have two of these(**)on one side near the chamber end. On the Franchi there is also some different markings stamped on the receiver, but no markings on the barrel.
Rampant_Colt
Member
an old trick i learned was a dime won't fit into a full-choke
KBintheSLC
Member
For deer and elk...
I like the effects of a 3" magnum with a 1 & 1/4 oz rifled slug out of my 870 12ga. Kicks like hell but it will drop anything that lives on this continent.
For small predators...
#4 buckshot works but I would rather have a .22 long rifle or .223.
I like the effects of a 3" magnum with a 1 & 1/4 oz rifled slug out of my 870 12ga. Kicks like hell but it will drop anything that lives on this continent.
For small predators...
#4 buckshot works but I would rather have a .22 long rifle or .223.
I have only shot a few deer, I am not a real experienced hunter. However one of them was shot with a Brenneke rifled 12 gauge slug. I was using a smooth bore slug barrel with rifle sights.
It was late in the day, I decided to snooze on the ground and the buck walked up on me. I reached up and aimed my Mossberg 500 one handed and shot the deer just behind the shoulder. I should have aimed further forward because the shot basically went low and diagonally through the lungs. The deer ran off.
I picked myself up and found pieces of lung all over the scrub brush. And the blood trail, looked like someone had taken a bucket of red paint and splashed the ground, on the sides of trees. Huge blood trail, blood on the left, blood on the right.
Followed it, and not more than 50- 75 yards away was the deer.
The entrance wound looked like a drilled hole. I mean the hole was about the size and shape of an egg. Huge. On the other side, intestines were hanging out the wound.
If I had hit something structural, like a shoulder, I am sure it would have flipped the deer. I tell you what, a big square chunk of lead puts a world of hurt on the target.
As for me, my side hurt for days. When I shot the Mossberg one handed, the gun recoiled back into my ribs.
I asked the guys at the weigh in station about the performance of slugs. They see about 300-500 deer a year there, and in this hunting area you have to use slugs or blackpowder. They were of the opinion that slugs were a highly effective projectile on deer.
It was late in the day, I decided to snooze on the ground and the buck walked up on me. I reached up and aimed my Mossberg 500 one handed and shot the deer just behind the shoulder. I should have aimed further forward because the shot basically went low and diagonally through the lungs. The deer ran off.
I picked myself up and found pieces of lung all over the scrub brush. And the blood trail, looked like someone had taken a bucket of red paint and splashed the ground, on the sides of trees. Huge blood trail, blood on the left, blood on the right.
Followed it, and not more than 50- 75 yards away was the deer.
The entrance wound looked like a drilled hole. I mean the hole was about the size and shape of an egg. Huge. On the other side, intestines were hanging out the wound.
If I had hit something structural, like a shoulder, I am sure it would have flipped the deer. I tell you what, a big square chunk of lead puts a world of hurt on the target.
As for me, my side hurt for days. When I shot the Mossberg one handed, the gun recoiled back into my ribs.
I asked the guys at the weigh in station about the performance of slugs. They see about 300-500 deer a year there, and in this hunting area you have to use slugs or blackpowder. They were of the opinion that slugs were a highly effective projectile on deer.
chris in va
Member
I wonder what the ft/lbs is on a 2 3/4 slug...
CajunBass
Member
Every deer I've ever killed was killed with No 1 Buckshot, all but one of them was with the 3" load out of a Mossberg/Sears pump gun. (The exception was a 2 3/4 No 1 out of a Remington 1100.) Both guns have modified choke. All Remington shells now that I think of it, FWIW.
When I first got the pump gun I didn't know squat about patterning. Never heard of it. I did want to see how well it shot No 1, my grandfathers favorite load. I set a bushel basket up with the bottom side facing, then stepped off forty paces, figure it was just over 30-32 yards, about what I figured a shot would be in the woods and swamps down home. I put 17 out of 24 buckshot in the bottom of that basket. I figured that was good enough. It always has been. I've never had a deer get up off the ground after being hit. He might have tried to get his feet back under him, but the next load would put him down for good.
When I first got the pump gun I didn't know squat about patterning. Never heard of it. I did want to see how well it shot No 1, my grandfathers favorite load. I set a bushel basket up with the bottom side facing, then stepped off forty paces, figure it was just over 30-32 yards, about what I figured a shot would be in the woods and swamps down home. I put 17 out of 24 buckshot in the bottom of that basket. I figured that was good enough. It always has been. I've never had a deer get up off the ground after being hit. He might have tried to get his feet back under him, but the next load would put him down for good.
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dawei
Member
First ensure your state hunting area permits the use of Slugs and/or Buckshot. In my 40+ years of deer hunting both with shotgun & rifle (as well as a dose of CW); I offer this:
For Smooth Bore shotguns use "Rifled Slugs" (Federal®, Remington®, Winchester®, et. al)
For Rifled Bore Shotguns, use "Sabot Slugs".
(Rifled Slugs will "Lead Up" a rifled barrel damn quick. Conversely Sabot Slugs won't shoot with any accuracy out of a smooth bore barrel). Slugs in any of the 3 most common gauges (12, 16, or 20) will cleanly take deer out to 125yds or so.
Buckshot is an entirely different animal, limit your shots to 35yds. For Buckshot use the largest size you can pattern most effectively albeit 00, 0, or 1 Buck; (I personally will not use #4 Buck on Deer). The smallest Buckshot I've ever used successfully deer hunting; and what patterns THE BEST IN MY GUN; is Remington® #1 Buck). If you are using a 20ga gun stick with slugs IMHO.
If you are hunting deer with a SxS, or an O/U; you have the best of both in that you can load one barrel with a Slug & the other with Buckshot. (That was my combo for many years while stationed in SE Virginia). By all means have the capability for a second or subsequent shot w/o reloading.
Go Get Em"!
For Smooth Bore shotguns use "Rifled Slugs" (Federal®, Remington®, Winchester®, et. al)
For Rifled Bore Shotguns, use "Sabot Slugs".
(Rifled Slugs will "Lead Up" a rifled barrel damn quick. Conversely Sabot Slugs won't shoot with any accuracy out of a smooth bore barrel). Slugs in any of the 3 most common gauges (12, 16, or 20) will cleanly take deer out to 125yds or so.
Buckshot is an entirely different animal, limit your shots to 35yds. For Buckshot use the largest size you can pattern most effectively albeit 00, 0, or 1 Buck; (I personally will not use #4 Buck on Deer). The smallest Buckshot I've ever used successfully deer hunting; and what patterns THE BEST IN MY GUN; is Remington® #1 Buck). If you are using a 20ga gun stick with slugs IMHO.
If you are hunting deer with a SxS, or an O/U; you have the best of both in that you can load one barrel with a Slug & the other with Buckshot. (That was my combo for many years while stationed in SE Virginia). By all means have the capability for a second or subsequent shot w/o reloading.
Go Get Em"!
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