Ammo Cost Considerations

[Puncha]

Hello All,

I need some honest opinions about whether or not slugs are worth the cost. Where I'm at, 12ga slugs cost about US$1.04/shell while good 00 buckshot costs US$.046/shell. As I earn about as much as an American bus driver or rank and file prison guard, I find the slugs to be rather expensive. However, I might be going on a wild boar/crocodile hunting trip overseas and would like to practice with slugs before going. With the following factors being considered:

1) At ranges below 20 meters, is the wounding potential of slugs enough to justify their cost vs buckshot?
2) With a tight budget, would it better serve the shotgunner to buy more buckshot vs less slugs so that he could train more?
3) If one can just about tolerate the recoil from full power buckshot loads, would full power slugs be too much pain to be worth it?

Should I buy 2 cases of buckshot (which would be cheaper) or one case of slugs (would would be more expensive than 2 cases of buckshot)?

Fyi, local laws state than ammo can only be bought in lots of 500rds each. Also, reduced recoil loads are simply NOT available.

 

[kudu]

If I were going after hogs and crocs, I would want slugs anyday over buck. I would prefer a rifle over a shotgun unless it were to get close, even then I would prefer slugs. There is a reason some professional hunters in Africa will go after wounded cats with a shotgun loaded with slugs, not buck.

You may want to drop this question down into the hunting forum.

 

[zinj]

I'd take the slugs. As to recoil, what do you mean by full power buckshot? The only buckshot I have shot is a 9 pellet 00 load at about 1300ish FPS. Slugs recoil a fair bit more than that load of buck.

It seems your situation is the opposite of the U.S. Here a five round pack of rifled slugs runs $2.50, and the five pack of 9 pellet 00 buckshot goes for $4

 

[Dave McCracken]

Slugs....

 

[Fred Fuller]

Boar?

Crocodiles?

Not just slugs- BRENNEKES!

lpl/nc

 

[RemingtonFreak870]

Might I suggest a 30.06 or something larger? Maybe a Saiga in .308 and a 20 round clip...20 rounds of .308 oughta stop even the meanest biggest crocs.

 

[John C]

I frequently shoot both slugs and buck in my 18 inch 870. My advice would be to train with buck and shoot slugs. I prefer slugs for most range shooting (other than trap, of course) since I like accuracy of the slug. However, I have a ton of #4 buck that I got from a police officer friend when his department changed from #4 to #0 buck. So I shoot the #4 for fun, and save my low recoil slugs for competition. It kicks the crap out of me, and I'm a big fellow. I know it might be tough to swing the cost of that many cases of ammo, but in the end you'll have a partial case of slugs that will last you a long time, and the buckshot for practice and other uses.

What shotgun are you using? What choke? The answer to using slugs versus buck in crocodile hunting would be how tight is your buck pattern is at the range you intend to shoot. With a tighter choked barrel, you may get a tight enough pattern so that the difference is negligible. However, if it was up to me, I'd use slugs.

Is it possible to reload in your country? With the prices you're quoting, you can reload for a lot cheaper with similarly good results. Plus, you can reload low recoil rounds. A slug mold is less than $25, and buckshot molds are similarly priced on ebay. You could easily cast your projectiles.

Where are you going to hunt crocs?

-John

 

[John C]

To more succinctly answer your questions, here are my answers:

1) The penetration of slugs vs. buck depends on the size of the game. #00 Buck typically overpenetrates in humans, +/- 20 inches. Slugs typically more. With tight patterns, buckshot can actually have a superior permanent wound cavity, if the pellets are close enough together so that the individual would channels have a complimentary effect. The size of your pattern at the desired range will dictate whether this will meet your needs.

2) See my answer above.

3) I cannot determine a difference in recoil between full house buck or slugs. Both kick the crap out of me, when not using a shoulder pad, and I'm pretty much done after 20 or so rounds. Then my wife rubs my shoulder for the next few days and chides me about why I do that to myself. I have found that the shoulder strap recoil pads (the brand escapes me) makes all the difference in the world when shooting full house ammo. I have two, one thicker and one thinner, that I use for different occasions. The either pad makes a BIG difference in felt recoil. I use them in everything but competition, where I use low recoil rounds.

Let me know if you're interested in the brand of shoulder pad, I'll get it for you. It was cheap, maybe $30, and lasts a long time (10 or more years on my first one, still going strong). It makes all the difference in shooting.

-John