Hello All...
I was originally worried about barrel length as well, however this year I set out to collect some qualitative experience with a short factory barrelled (factory making it legal up here in Canada) Remington 870 shooting reduced recoil slugs. Thus far this experience has all been extremely positive
gun and ammo:
factory 14 inch barreled Rem 870
1 oz remington reduced recoil slug
This first one is a whitetail buck I shot with my 870 at a range of approximately 55 yards. I'd been stalking the buck, and was partially parked behind a terrain feature at about 100 yards when he made me via sound. He snuck back around the terrain feature, working his way downwind to confirm with his nose what he had heard. He hopped the fence and was about 20 yards away from winding me when he became temporarily distracted by some other deer movement (a large heard of mule deer about 150 yards away...too bad I only had whitetail tags left).
Slug performance was interesting. I'm zeroed for 85 yards, and that puts my mid point trajectory at about 3 inches high with my current rig at this range. In the excitement of the moment, I did not fully consider this and only held a little low. The slug impacted about 1.5 inches higher than I would have liked, punching through the lower part of the scapula and then deflecting slightly off the ribs rolling up through the right lung as it entered the deer's thorax. It rolled up along the top of the thoracic cavity and deformed significantly as it hit the spine, then rolling down through the left lung and exiting the thorax. It came to rest just under the skin right behind the offside shoulder on the back side of the deer. The recovered slug weighed in at 425 grains (97% of it's original mass of 437 grains). Incapacitation was instant as a result of the CNS damage.
whitetail kill animation (DANGER! GRAPHIC CONTENT)
This next one is a mule deer doe shot earlier in the season with the same rig at a range of approximately 85 yards. I had held for the bottom 3rd of the chest cavity and shot placement was exactly as intended. I mucked up the camera though and did not get the shot on film, however caught her just after she did the famous "kick-when-shot-through-the-heart" manouver and ran while bleeding out. Total distance she travelled after being shot was approximately 125 yards, most of it in a big circle. The other deer (doe with fawn and a nice little buck) in the herd were not terribly alarmed by the gunshot, however were terribly interested in what was happening to their herdmate. It was sad to watch as I was left with the strong impression they had concern for their dead companion.
The slug passed completely through the thorax, cutting a .75 caliber hole through both lung bottoms and through the middle of the heart. It then passed out the backside of the thorax creating a 0.75 caliber exit hole. It was not recovered.
If you look closely you can see both the entrance hole and the exit hole as the deer is doing her final circle.
mule deer kill animation (DANGER! GRAPHIC CONTENT)
And lastly, here are some terminal ballistic photographs of a spring bear (was not rigged up for video on that trip) I shot with this same rig in May of 2004. Range was approximately 25 yards. The slug hit the onside shoulder, passing through the deltoids and hitting the humerous square on, crushing it completely in two. It then exited the shoulder and entered the thorax, passing through both lungs and exiting out the other side. The slug was not recovered.
the entrance wound:
entrance wound (DANGER! GRAPHIC CONTENT)
and the wound channel through the thorax:
thorax passage (DANGER! GRAPHIC CONTENT)
I don't yet have my chronograph (coming soon though); I will post velocities out of 14 inch barrels as compared to 18.5 inch barrels soon.
Take care,
Brobee
