Reduced-recoil 12GA slugs for deer?

[A strange person]

Deer season's on the horizon, and while I love shotguns for the purpose, I've never really been a fan of the recoil of 12GA slugs. I usually use either 2-3/4" Rem sluggers or Brenneke "KO's" (whatever the local gun store has at the time), and I can "tolerate" the recoil if I have a recoil pad on the weapons butt AND a folded pair of wool socks tucked under my right suspender (a little trick I thought up). I've been looking at some "reduced recoil" slugs on midway, in particular the ones from Remington and Brenneke. The Remington uses a 1 oz. slug at 1200 fps, and the Brenneke, also a 1oz slug, but at 1378 fps.

Im leaning towards the Remington load, as recoil reduction would obviously be greater, but would penetration in a whitetail still be decent at 100 yards (the extent of potential error in range estimation given my own personal maximum of 80 yards)? In terms of range, accuracy would still be the limiting factor for me, not trajectory, but impact velocity would be about 850 fps. Given the poor SD of a 1 oz. 12GA slug, errr... I dunno. I figure that's like a .22 pistol at the muzzle, but a 438 grain projectile is obviously going to be retaining it's energy much better than a .22 bullet. Even a .22 pistol would likely reach the vitals, it just wouldn't make a very big hole.

By that logic, I think they should be ok. If anyone can prove me wrong, please do so; I don't like wounding game.

 

[MAKster]

On the Remington website it says the Slugger managed-recoil rifled slugs have "effective energy out to 80 yards."

 

[LeonCarr]

In an article I read online from Field & Stream they recommended reduced recoil slugs for non-dangerous game up to 500 pounds, and if I recall correctly 80 yards maximum distance.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

 

[dak0ta]

I took my first deer with federal truball slug. Worked very well.

 

[A strange person]

I'm definitely going to try them. I wish I had ballistics gel or stacks of newsprint to test them on though.

 

[Jason_W]

A one ounce .725 diameter chunk of lead is a force to be reckoned with even at velocities under 1,000 f/s.

You'll have to practice a bit to learn how to compensate for the bowed trajectory at ranges exceeding 50 yards, though.

 

[One_Jackal]

Yes, they have reduced recoil slugs that are effective. It's called a 20 ga.

 

[A strange person]

Yes, they have reduced recoil slugs that are effective. It's called a 20 ga.

Or I can just use reduced-recoil 12GA slugs and still be able to enjoy all of the advantages of a 12GA AND not have to go and buy another gun.