Slug Hunting

[Reel Assassin]

I really wish there was more attention paid to serious slug hunting considering the number of areas in the country that have shotgun slug areas! Perhaps that would spur companies to put more research into improving there slugs performance. I mean really they produce sabot slugs but he technology of the projectiles inside the sabots leave a lot on the table. A sabot round has a lot more potential than is being utilized. Think about it. A sabot round out of a modern American battle tank has an effective range of 3,280 yd. While I'm not advocating developing armor piercing fin stabilized discarding sabot rounds for 12 gauge shotguns, unless you do it for police use against some body armor wearing bank robbers, but I know that there is room for a lot of improvement in what is currently being offered especially for use in dedicated fully rifled heavy barreled 12 gauge slug guns.

I like the Winchester idea of the 385 grain Partition Gold but the ballistics of the slug itself could be greatly improved for a vastly better performance over the full range of the round. Thus the round would have a wider application to more hunters for more animals and thus more sales. I mean come on where is the development on the slug? And why not some development of the full bore slugs for the fully rifled heavy barreled slug guns? Why have we not seen a full bore copper slug with at least an attempt at a printable ballast coefficient? Don't slug hunters deserve some type of load development from the major ammo makers?

The only real advancement in my mind for bear hunters has been from Dixie Slugs that makes, at least in my mind two serious bear rounds that make big holes in and out that if they do not anchor the black bear will give you a better chance to find a blood trail. The rounds seem to carry their energy down range better than most also.

The Lightfield Commander IDS Plus 3" 12 ga. 600 grain slug leaves the barrel with greater Muzzle Energy 3850 ft/lbs at the barrel and 1324 ft/lbs at 150 yards than the Dixie Terminator. The Dixie Terminator 12 gauge .730 caliber, 730 gr. hard cast heat treated slug in more like a bullet. It leaves the muzzle with only 2334 ft/lbs of energy yet at 150 yards still has over 1400 ft/lbs of energy. So while the Lightfield starts higher it also sheds energy faster than the Dixie Terminator.

 

[snox801]

I agree, I think the Accutip is the only slug with a development team. Great bullet all the way around I have shot through razorback shoulders and left the opposite side. Although I would lime a faster fps. I feel the bullet would really benefit from it. I think we will see better slugs soon I have converted many guides and other hunters to Accutips simply by using them and the results speak for themself. There is no way hornady will sit on there hands and continue to lose market share. I hope the Accutips drive a technology race for slug, because I do almost all my hunting with slugs.

 

[Reel Assassin]

What slug gun do you use? I have an original Ithaca Deerslayer lll; the one with the fully rifled bull barrel and laminated stock.

For the record:
I am not connected with Dixie Slugs in any way and anyone is free to contact me for my name so that you can contact the company to verify that statement. I am just a very picky 63 year old Vietnam Era vet that has been hunting since I was allowed to have a firearm as a child.

The 730 grain hard cast .73 caliber Terminator moving out at 1268 FPS, penetrated 29 inches into the wet pack. This round blasted a 4 inch wide tapering tunnel for the biggest "wound channel" of the seminar!

The slightly deformed nose of the Terminator on the left above occured when one round was fired too close th to top of the paper. It exited the paper stack near the end of its travel and slammed into the heavy pine support board.

For comparison, a Federal .416 Rigby round with a 400 grain Partition, penetrated 30 inches with a considerably smaller displacement of the test medium.

From the "Ole' Dixie vs The Bone Box"

 

[Reel Assassin]

While I am showing what Dixie Slugs are capable of doing; my purpose is not too simply blow Dixie's horn but to call for more and better development of all slugs for hunting. I am using Dixie's as my example because to me they are the standard to beat when it comes to slugs to be used on any potentially dangerous animals such as trophy sized black bears and oversized wild boar. These are not the long range sabot style rounds but the full bore bullet style slugs that deliver .73 caliber "bullets" for tremendous penetration and holes for blood trails. It all depends on what you are hunting and where you are hunting it.

There is no reason great strides can't be made if those making ammo put the effort into it.

 

[ishootkittens]

give brenneke a look. they work great in my supernova and the black magic near slugs have tremendous power. they are veryyy accurate out to 100 yards. i have a rifled choke tube but i doubt any extra accuracy is gained from it

 

[Reel Assassin]

I have looked at Brenneke slugs and they do make some good slugs. I just think there is a potential for a quantum leap in the technology if the same effort that is being applied to modern rifle bullets were applied to the slug gun hunters' ammo.

I like the Winchester Partition Gold using the 385 grain Nosler partitioned slug. Being a HP the 385 grain limits the ranging ability on this slug however.

I do believe that in say a 12 gauge 3 1/2 " shell there should be room to fit a better BC bullet however even if it must be lighter in weight but then that could be compensated for with higher velocity.

 

[snox801]

I am shooting am hr ultra slug Hunter deluxe 20 gauge with the crown cut by Bob hart. I use this and the Accutips for longrangehunting and for deep penetration. I also shoot an 870 with buck hammers on anything closer than 75 yards. Although the buckhammers are discontinued I have 30 boxes. After that hopefully Dixie has there 20 slugs done they told me this spring so hopefully. Again at short range the buckhammers are hard to beat. For deep penetration and long range the Accutips are far and above everything else.