What solid slug for MAX penetration from smooth bore 12ga?

[arizonaguide]

I Won't be hunting at all here in Az, except with a Camera, and I will take 00 buckshot on Photo expeditions here.

But summers in Alaska I want something that would be as effective against Bear as possible (last ditch emergency/close range), and I'm not sure exactly WHAT slug that would be (from my smooth bore barrel).

I DO know I DON'T want anything HollowPoint, but that it must be a solid slug for PENETRATION!

So, what do you shotgun folks recomend for a solid slug for max penetration, from 18-1/2" smooth bore/no choke.

I hear something about a solid copper slug, but maybe that's the "sabot" that requires a "rifled" barrel.

It's ALL new to me, and I'm confused about the whole rifled slug/rifled barrel issue.
Any expertise and words of wisdom are appreciated.

 

[FMF]

found lots of people talking about these

Sauvestre Balle Fleche Fin Stabilized Slugs

or the Brenneke Black Magic 1 3/8oz 3" magnum slugs

OR maybe some of these Dixie Terminators

 

[Al Thompson]

Brenneke slugs - though the usual Wal-Mart standards do just fine. I've popped some BIG hogs with cheap slugs, penetration was not an issue.

 

[monkyboy1975]

Brenneke Classic Magnum. Their made out of harder lead and don't really expand that much and have wicked penetration.

 

[alaskanativeson]

Coming from a Native Alaskan, there are only two words I've ever worried about when buying backup shotgun ammo:

Brenneke slugs.

 

[C-grunt]

Watch out for the Gila Monsters or a Chupacabra while walking through Az mountains. You need some serious firepower for those critters.

 

[arizonaguide]

Yeah I'm more concerned about stepping across rattlesnakes !
We do have black bear and mountain lions that COULD be an issue.
Most concerned about 2 legged critters around here (00 buckshot fine).


Alaska, whole nuther story.
Looks like that Brenneke is the way to go.

 

[C-grunt]

Javelina get pretty good sized. Had a couple in the parking lot a couple weeks ago when I was leaving work. Kinda scared me a little, I drew down on them. lol

 

[wnycollector]

My neighbors son lives in alaska and was home for the holidays. I asked him this very question. His answer was the Brennke black magic slug...backed up by is 44 mag blackhawk

 

[A man with a gun!]

Brenneke Special Forces Short Magnum slugs if it's penetration you're after. Cops around here call them "car killers."

 

[alaskanativeson]

...backed up by is 44 mag blackhawk

Mine is a Super Redhawk in .454 Casull. I just wrote to Marlin and asked them to consider making a lever action in the same caliber. I know Puma makes one, but if I'm going to carry it in bear country, I'd rather have Marlin's reliability.

 

[earlthegoat2]

Bear Spray

 

[A man with a gun!]

"Bear Spray"

Best range that stuff has is about 30-35 feet when the air is calm. It's nearly worthless on a windy day or in thick manzanita which blocks the spray even further.

A charging bear can move close to 35 mph. Do the math.

12 gauge for me.

 

[SuperNaut]

Bear Spray

By the time you are thinking that maybe it's time to spray, it's too late. IME bear bells work better than bear spray, for black bear anyway; I don't know diddly about brown bear.

Ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure...

 

[A man with a gun!]

I deal with bears roughly every other day during the summer months.

Bears have two types of attacks. Offensive attacks (They just decide they really want to bite you) and defensive attacks. (Like protecting protecting their cubs.)

No doubt bells do remove the element of surprise and help prevent defensive attacks. In fact they work great for that. But the flip of it is the bells can lead to an offensive attack with a bear so inclined.

Just like bears have long ago figured out dumpsters they have also begun to figure out bells. My theory is they learned that bells equal hikers and hikers carry food. I guess all it takes is a couple scared hikers dropping their packs while running away to teach em that but what do I know... I'm not a bear shrink.

Well anyway, I generally refer to them as "dinner bells" and choose to forget the bell, make some noise when I hike (like talking to myself) and carry a 12 gauge instead.

 

[SuperNaut]

You bring up a good point about human-acclimated bear. When a bear has lost its fear of humans, all bets are off.

 

[danweasel]

Brenneke Black Magic. Or if you can't get that the green Brenekkes are good too (2 3/4 hardcasts).

On alerting a bear that I'm around: I just crash throught the woods and mumble to myself. I would carry spray but I don't wanna overload myself and at least with a shotgun you have a multipurpose tool on hand.

 

[arizonaguide]

I will be carrying spray, and I'm also familiar with avoidance techniques.
Good stuff.

But my main question is what's the MAX penetration 12ga slug that you know of? Minimum expansion / MAXIMUM penetration?

Sounds like the Brenneke "Black Magics" or "Special Forces" are the way to go. Correct?

Thanks folks! This new "slug" stuff is all new to me, as I always just carried the old style (and 00 buckshot), so never had to learn the latest and greatest. Thank you.

 

[earlthegoat2]

It is possible to load your own slugs. I have reloaded Foster style slugs a few times with good results. I happen to have a solid rod of copper that is 1 in in diameter. A little lathe work and you will have yourself the best penetrating slug that there is. If you want expansion i suppose you could give it a hollow point but i dont know how well a solid nugget of copper would do for expansion.

 

[kmrcstintn]

Brenneke K.O. 1 oz slug loaded by Kent (black box w/ red and yellow writing); solid with very, very shallow hollow cavity in a broad, flat front surface; harder alloy than forster style hollow base slugs; economical & accurate; I ran one of these into a hardwood tree & it penetrated @ 2" + deeper than a softer lead forster style slug;