Design a Slug Gun....

D

Dave McC

Staff In Memoriam
Here, deer season is over, so it's the Getting Ready for Deer Season Season. W/o major Monday Morning QB'ing, how about we talk about the factors and features that would make up the slug gun of our dreams.

Since many of us hunt areas where the rifle's verboten due to range and safety considerations, let's design the perfect shotgun for deer hunting and ONLY deer hunting. See what we come up with...

Consider:

Weight
Recoil Control
Effective range
Action type
Sights
Gauge
Payload
Use environment,for instance I hunt in some swamps and woods where visibility is measured in feet, not yards.
Mag Capacity

And so on.

A lively discussion here may help keep cabin fever away until the weather warms and we can fish(G)....

Thanks...
 
Dave,

My "back-up" rifle is a remington sportsman 12 magnum 12 gauge shotgun. i added a reminton factory 20 inch barrel with rifle sites and a sling swivels (one in the end of the magazine cap) it doesn't weigh much and off the bench a 1 ounce max dram slug will open the action and eject the shell BY ITSELF. Its a fierce recoiling gun. However with that winchester 1 ounce "punkinball" slug and a rifled tube i cab shoot a 2inch group at 50 yards.. not bad with iron sites and a gun that kicks like a mule wearing iron shoes.

Like i said.. its my back-up gun so I left the optics off of it.. but its a fast handling rig for walking through the jackpines and marshy quakies where the elk make wallows annd hide out the heat of the day. And since isa pump gun .. you can field strip it witout tools in a matter of seconds for a field expedient cleaning.

You can't get a sportsman 12 new anymore, but a remmington "express" 870 would have the same feel, PLUS the advantage of that black parkerized non-reflective finish, which nicely sheds water and resists damage.

i carry four rounds in the gun and another 4 or five in my pocket when carrying this rig.

Dr.Rob
 
Thanks, Dr Rob. An 18" bbled 870 runs about 6 lbs 12 oz empty, and they can hurt when fired with slugs. Try a 1 1/4oz Brennekke if you're into pain(G). Kill at one end, cripple at the other.

There's three reasons I put a mag entension on my 20 bbled deer dedicated 870. It's backup for my HD 870 outside the season, clamping the bbl to the extension tightens groups,and the extra 7 oz or so takes most of the sting out of the slug testing.

If you've access to a lathe, try machining a solid brass mag plug two rounds long and inserting it when you need to bench the weapon. Bet your shooting will surprise you!!

BTW, my 870 likes those Winchesters, which happened to be my old duty load. Terminal effect on deer at Md ranges was impressive.
 
What about a short stroke pump. I'm talking about shorter than the Browning system. Possibly a compound stroke? Short actions bars utilizing needle bearings interacting with another pair of action bars thus compounding the pump action.
What about the action bars? They could made of a non-flexible polymer or possibly replacd with...?
 
I am stuck up in Fairbanks so I don't get a chance to hunt deer, but I do carry a slug gun when out during the summer.

I use the Marlin Slugmaster, and love it. I am after durability and functionlality, not elegance and after market add-ons. For some reason, everybody I talk to either loves or hates this gun.

It is rugged enough (and inexpensive enough) that I don't worry if it gets dinged up a bit.

21" rifled barrel-It doesn't get hung up in the scrub or pine trees. Easy to use in tight spots with limited visibility.

rifle sights-Easier to use in limited visibiltiy, and faster to acquire (for me, at the limited ranges i would encounter).

12ga, 3" chamber

2 round clip(+ 1 in the chamber)-Most would want more ammo on board, but this is really all that I need. I carry two extra clips.

bolt action-Many people would probably prefer a pump action, but I am comftorable with it. It also makes cleaning a lot easier.

8lbs weight-Takes most of the sting out of the recoil. I usually have a pack on, and the pack straps on the shoulder take care of the rest.
 
Thanks, guys. Dunno about compound or short stroke designs, fail to see many advantages unless one is challenged or of little stature.

As for the bolt actions, the big nine point over the fireplace fell to a Mossberg bolt action in 1977, If i hadn't gotten a bad case of the proverbial Wild Hair, it'd probably be wearing an ER Shaw bbl and a Leopold now.IOW, a 12 ga rifle.

Slug guns tend to be using guns, and unglamorous in the extreme.The bolt actions tend to be tough as a DI and reliable as a gun can be.AND,if one's first shot is on, speed of the second round becomes kinda moot.

Something I've noticed here, nobody so far has mentioned full rifling,nor had anyone mentioned choke tubes or chokes.

Weight, IMO anything less than 7 1/4 lbs can hurt,and few call me wimp(G).One of the unspoken but real reasons the sabots have become popular is the fact that they kick a bit less than say, Brennekes or the Forster slugs.

Also, since it came up, I doubt any critter shot with a slug can tell if it came from a 2 3/4 or 3 inch case.
 
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