Slug MAX Effective/Ethical Range

H

Hoskins

New member
What is the MAX range that you good folks would take a shot on a deer using the high performance shotgun slugs we got nowdays.

I bought my wife a .20 ga Mossberg 500 combo for deer hunting here on base (centerfire & rimfire rifles are not allowed to be used on base for any type of hunting). I am using the Hornaday SST slugs. I figure that about 150 yds would be the MAX range, though the manufacter suggests that you can get a 200 yd shot. I think I'll limit it to a 150 yd MAX & try to wait till the deer closes in to 100 yds if possible.

Any thoughts?
 
Shots at game birds in flight should be limited to your “maximum effective range.” This is the distance at which you can hit the target consistently. Shooting beyond this distance leads to an increased number of birds wounded and lost. Also, firing at game too close may destroy the meat.


http://www.hunter-ed.com/wa/course/12-12_marksmanship.htm




wa_shotgun_range_distance.gif
 
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My experience is hunting with a 12 gauge using slugs on foxes , dingoes, goats, pigs, kangaroo & water buffalo- but not deer. I have found brenekke slugs devestating on all the above mentioned game, but have always limited my shots to under 100 yards, with 75 yards preferable maximum.
The rainbow trajectory of a slug together with the inaccuracy of the shotguns Ive ever used limits me to under 100 yard maximum shots.
 
sight arrangement

One of the limiting factors on slugs is the sight set up. A plain bead is not good for much past 50 yds, if that.

Put a low powered scope on that 20 ga, or some type of peep arrangement for best results and increased hunter confidence.
 
While I have never shot the Hornady SST's, I have shot both 12 gauge and 20 gauge using Winchester Partition Golds. I have to say that I love the 20 gauge with high performance slugs. I find the 20 to be a bit more accurate and flat shooting than the 12. Of the dozen or so deer that I have shot with this set up, half have been over 100 yards. The longest was at 164 verified with a laser range finder. The slug is capable. The question is, how capable is your wife? I will warn you (and your wife) that even with a 20 gauge those slugs are going to have a stiff recoil.
 
Be ready to try different brands or see what the manufactor says should work best. 150 yard would be about a max for most shooters true but more than range is to find one that shoots the best. I found a couple years ago that most fance sabots did not shoot well in my slug gun and found that a reminton buck hammer did . New ammo out now so have to try again to find something that give me some extra fps and still shoot well. Hate it.
 
What was said about a sighting device is correct. Louann uses a NEF Handi Rifle with a 20ga rifled barrel for hogs once the deer season is over. During the deer season she has the .243 barrel on the same frame.

Experence is that the Hornady Sabots are plenty powerful for hogs at close range and based on what I've seen when cleaning them I think even at 150 they should be plenty potent. Of course trajectory fast becomes a issue at those ranges increasing the chances for missing, or worse wounding a animal.

Someone already mentioned the sights as important. They are right. We use Red Dot sights with no magnification. They are perfect for the close shooting we do when walking up hogs in the swamps and palmettos. Their weak point is that as the range gets longer the dot covers up more of the target making shot placement more dificult. Also makes it more dificult to fine tune the sights at 100 yards.....though not impossible.

I've shot the Brenneke slugs a couple of times at the range but not at game. They have less recoil than the Hornady and shoot as accurately at least to 50 yards.....which is as far as I have shot them. And at those ranges they shoot to about the same POI as the Hornady. I think though that if you chose them you had better dial your range back to about 75 yards as they are not very aerodynamic and look like they will shed velocity, and consequently drop a lot, rather fast.

As was said, buy a few different loads and spend some time shooting it. Different brands will behave differently.

Last thing. Tried the Reduced Recoil Buckhammers in her gun. Shoot GREAT with very mild recoil........but they strike me a 50 yard max loads. Inside that range though they would be the ticket!
 
noyes, I was talking about slugs for deer, but I'm glad you posted that table...very informative.

The set up is currently a Mossberg 500 .20 ga w/ scope & rifled barrel & before season comes in it will be a Mossberg 835 w/ scope & rifled barrel.

Definately going to try different slugs as yall mentioned & see which ones the guns like better. Didn't really think about it, but should look at it the same way as trying different turkey loads for the best pattern out of a particular gun.

While I have never shot the Hornady SST's, I have shot both 12 gauge and 20 gauge using Winchester Partition Golds. I have to say that I love the 20 gauge with high performance slugs. I find the 20 to be a bit more accurate and flat shooting than the 12. Of the dozen or so deer that I have shot with this set up, half have been over 100 yards. The longest was at 164 verified with a laser range finder. The slug is capable. The question is, how capable is your wife? I will warn you (and your wife) that even with a 20 gauge those slugs are going to have a stiff recoil.
Click to expand...

She's shot the rounds before & put great groups on paper at 50 yds. Just actually wondering what the effective/ethical limitation of these rounds were. Thanks for the info .264, gonna pick up a box of those rounds you mentioned 7 give em a try.
 
Hornady's 20 ga Slug 250 gr FTX

Velocity (fps) / Energy (ft-lbs)
....Muzzle .......50 ..........100 .........150 ........200
1800/1798 1628/1471 1470/1200 1331/983 1212/815


150 yards +/- 12 would give you the evergy needed to penetrate the hide into the vitals to perform a clean kill on a deer more or less.
 
Anyone that has not found there pet ammo for a slug gun try those remington buckhammers. Not a good aero point but it seems that all that have shot them say that they do print pretty good compaired to some saboted types. They may not be the prefect round ,but a good fall back and does knock a deer down. I will try some of the newest loads out there as i would love to have another 25 to 50 yards added ,but. Red dots can be bought with 3 minite dots and do work well out to 125 yards if shooting for a 100 yard zero. I use them on handguns and can group well at 100 yards. But a 1 x 5 or 2 x 7 power is better.
 
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