questions about ammo (Mostly slugs)

[therealtwitch]

OK so in my home defense gun I currently have loaded 2 shells of 3" 000 buck followed by 5 shots of 2 3/4" 00 buck federal flight control. so my question is about slugs. I have read alot of people talk about using slugs in the HD shotgun. now to be honest the only thing I have ever shot with a slug was black bear, and that was with a 3" Remington copper sabot slug. Which stopped the bear cold. I would be afraid to use such a round for home defense. So are all slugs created equal? I was at the sportsman's warehouse today and was looking at several different offerings. I looked at the federal sabot slug that used a barnes bullet, the winchester supreme elite sabot slug that used a lead less slug, and the remington acutip copper sabot slug. and after talking to the sales gun I now find myself wondering how to decide what slug to pick? so I ask you all what you would recommend? And if a guy was to go say bear hunting would you then recommend a different slug of perhaps just a bigger (say a 3" or 3 1/2" as appose to a 2 3/4" for HD) version of the same slug.

Again sorry if this has been beat to death but I have very little experience with slugs. So thanks for your patience and replies

[hogdogs]

Absolutely not... There are a dozen venerable designs for a smooth barrel and then all the sabot slugs for rifled bore guns.

The elcheapo winchester is a soft lead with a nose heavy cupped shape to fly like a badminton birdie. Then you look at the brenneke brand and others... Many folks here speak of various nice slugs so we have to wait for them to post links as I am just to cheap and short range shooting soft ol'deer to worry about them.
Brent

[therealtwitch]

so is that to say that a sabot style slug is less effective out of a smooth bore?

[rantingredneck]

For a smoothbore you really want to steer clear of sabot slugs. Mostly because the money spent on them will be mostly wasted as you won't get the performance potential out of them without rifling.

For smoothbore slugs for HD/Hunting, I personally see no reason to go above 2 3/4" varieties. Good brands to try would be Brenneke KO, Federal Tru-Ball. Federal Classic, and Remington Slugger. I've had best results with Brenneke's and Tru-Balls. The Brenneke's are a harder alloy lead and I would trust them more to handle thicker skinned game.

[therealtwitch]

good info thanks guys!

[kx592]

Just be sure not to shoot threw walls into rooms where family is..But about the slugs iv got a smooth bore and i use remington sluggers, rifled slugs, they work great with smooth bore and mod. choke..I got very good groups with them and will stick to them.

[therealtwitch]

thanks I'll give them a look. I recently decided theses were on the short list of ammo to have as well

for home defense

http://www.brennekeusa.com/start.html

for what ever else needs a massive hole in it

http://www.brennekeusa.com/start.html

[JerseyDrez]

You can shoot rifled slugs out of a smoothbore barrel?

Never knew that. I thought rifled slugs were only for rifled barrels.

[rantingredneck]

Rifled slugs = smoothbore barrel
Sabot slugs = rifled barrel

The "rifling" in rifled slugs doesn't really impart much, if any, spin to the projectile. It's there to allow the slug to swage down through a choked barrel.

[.45 COLT]

If you're meaning smoothbore in the house HD slugs, I wouldn't look any farther than any of the 1 ounce rifled slugs offered by Remington, Winchester or Federal. Cheap, surprisingly accurate even at longer ranges, and they'll any of them do a job on any intruder. All three are exxentially the same load - slugs vary only slightly, not enough to recommend one above the others. Winchester floods the market with a 1 1/4 ounce rifled slug about this time of the year, but on a person, it isn't going to do any better than the 1 ounce variety.

DC

[therealtwitch]

lately I am realizing there is a lot more science to shotgun ammo then I ever thought possible.

[Rigby1962]

EEK, a slug for HD? Maybe in a 410, but that just doesnt give me the warm fuzzys. Using a slug in a shotgun for HD sorta defeats the purpose. Plus the chances of over penetration are too risky.
For hunting unless things have changed dramatically in the last 10 years I have no use for modern shotgun rifling and sabots. For deer 2 3/4" fosters work well and usually pretty accurate with IC choke. For bigger stuff Brenneke is the best. They are very hard and are more then accurate enough to100 yards. After all isnt that what shotguns are really 100 yd gun.

[greyeyezz]

I wouldn't use a slug for home defense unless,
a) your the only house within miles
b) you really don't like your neighbors

[zombieslayer]

I keep my 590 loaded with a couple 000 buck 3'', then the rest of the tube is filled with federal 1oz hollowpoint lead slugs. Im damn good and I dont have kids or neighbors, so slugs are great for me!

[therealtwitch]

for the record I do live a few miles down the road from poduk and boy you got a purdy mouth(banjo softly plays in the back ground)

[greyeyezz]

what you mes around that river, boy