deer hunting: .223 vs 12 gauge slug

I've seen a regular 1oz slug hit a full grown deer in the left ham and end up just in side the right front shoulder. That's a solid 2 1/2-3 feet of penetration. Which is about 1 foot and a half more than you need.
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I'm pretty sure you are as familiar with deer anatamy as I am, Peetza ..... and though my math skillz are not that great ....... lessee here .... 3 minus 1 1/2 is still 1 1/2 .....18 inches ...... 18 inches of wound track on a line from the left ham to the right shoulder does not quite reach the diaphram and vital territory .... if you are going after the "Texas Heart Shot", you need that 3 feet of penetration. Me, I'd rather not shoot than tear up guts that I'll have to be removing shortly......

"If liberating poo, and soon to be poo, once chewed food, urine, etc., from the neat confines of the intestines, stomach, and bladder, into the body cavity where it will come into contact with your food is part of your plan, then you have a bad plan."
 
Yeah, not 18 more than was needed for THAT shot, THAT shot shouldn't have been taken, the shooter (not me) got lucky. I meant 18 inches more than you need for a normal side or quartering shot.
 
THAT shot shouldn't have been taken, .
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Agreed.

the shooter got lucky
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If by lucky you mean lucky his meat did not spoil ....yeah.

If by lucky you mean he got to reach up into a body cavity full of bloody, foul smelling fecal matter ..... no, that's ..... unfortunate, maybe ...... but not lucky.
 
Nah, I meant lucky the deer died quickly. Guess in a way the deer was luckier than the hunter.

Yeah, the gut job was... let's say nasty.

That shot, a couple inches either way would have been either a grazing wound along the left shoulder or a total gut shot.
 
Personally, I just don't considered the "Texas heart shot" when deer hunting but have heard guys say they would take the shot if presented in the right circumstances.

It's to risky of a shot on hitting vitals. The deer may die but will die a cruel death. Too, the huge chance of tearing up hams doesn't work for me as there's just to much meat wasted.

As we all have probably have been around when a gut shot deer is being field dressed,it's not pleasant. Sadly, over the years I've had a few.

Our deer gun hunting group consists of mostly seasoned hunters. Gut shoot a deer and most likely you won't get a hand field dressing that deer. Kinda the price the shooter pays for making a bad shot.

The shooter gets to enjoy ALL that aroma by their lonesome while the guys stand upwind laughing/talking trash about 'making better hits on deer', 'you should practice shooting more' etc.... and, you can bet there will be a story or three about prior gut shot deer where so and so gut shot a deer and puked the whole time they where dressing it. :D

This kind of cuttin up while the unfortunate shooter is field dressing his gut shot deer kinda adds pressure to all us hunters before we pull the trigger. You gut shoot one and you know what you'll be facing. ;)
 
If you use a smoothbore with slugs you might want to put some Tru-Glo sights on it and sight it in precisely. A lot of shotguns don't shoot to point of aim using just a front bead.
 
If you use a smoothbore with slugs you might want to put some Tru-Glo sights on it and sight it in precisely. A lot of shotguns don't shoot to point of aim using just a front bead.
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Very good point PH

Most slug bbls.(smooth or rifled) have rifle sights for a reason. Your no longer shooting a spread pattern but a single projectile.

Have never used a rifled bbl. in 40+ yrs of shotgun hunting for deer. Been using the same old Rem. 1100 with the same old smoothbore bbl. with rifle sights and Remington sluggers for the last 27+-. Two years ago switched to Brenneke's cause my pattern at longer distances(50-75yds) tightened up just a bit. But, have never felt inferior in the woods shooting out to that distance with either slug.

I wouldn't attempt shots at that range with just a front bead.
 
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