I'm thinking of getting a 20 gauge slug barrel (rifled) for a TC Encore to use for deer in a shotgun only area. Any recommendations on which slug to use with that kind of barrel?

Well, I'd try out the lightfield slugs, or the winchester BRI sabot slugs. They've both seemed to work well. Try out a few and see what shoots best through your gun.

gd

johnnyreb....i hunt whitetail in the southern tier of NY with a 20ga. shotgun....i've not killed a deer yet with that set up but i did shoot alot of slugs before i decided the federal 3" with a barnes X slug was the best....the lightfield was the most accurate but at 75yds. it had almost no penetration in wet phone books....the federal is a little less accurate but has great expansion and more penetration....i want a pass through if i can get it....regards...bearit....

Johnny,

If the gun is for a youth to use, then the 20 might be the way to go, but if it's for an adult, I'd suggest 12 guage, if available.

I once saw a young hunter put a 20 rifled slug through the lungs of a whitetail doe at about 70ish yards. The deer just stood there, eating corn like nothing had happened. She hit it again a moment later, and the deer collapsed. Yet, even with two slugs through the lungs, it still required a finisher when she walked up on it.

Just what I've seen in this neck of the woods!

Good luck,

friar

Myslug gun is a smoothbore and it is very accurate. Remington and Winchester rifled slugs go inside three inches at 75 yards. My favorites are the Rottweil Brenneke slugs in the 2 3/4 length. They shoot just as well and have excellent penetration. I think the softer rifled slugs may give quicker results on deer but I really like the Brennekes on feral hogs. My longest shot with my slug gun was around 90 yards.

I have the old Savage 24C with a 2 3/4 chamber. For thin skinned game like deer I think the original forster slugs are the way to go. Mine will shoot under 3" at 75 yards with it's cylander bore.

20 gauge is more than enough for deer. Low velocity big bore slugs don't have the powerful smashing blow that comes with speed but they are sure.

My daughter took down her first deer this year, a nine pointer, with an 870 youth model shooting a remington 20 ga. slug, and when I did the on the spot autopsy I could see the damage was just as extensive as on any deer I've ever taken with a twelve gauge.
Unfortunately, when the deer turned to look for his heart my son in law, the wannabe p.h., decided it needed a followup shot and raked it lengthwise from front to back with his mighty 7mm mag and blew the stomach contents into one hindquarter.
I salvage 3/4 of the deer, and after a couple of weeks my son in law recovered from the injuries inflicted by his greatful bride.

Nice imagery, DIYASUB. How'd your SIL like the dopeslap you gave him (I hope)?

Johnny Reb, I have taken several deer with a 20ga and slugs. Three with an 870 shooting remington slugs out to 70 yrds. One with an H&R Ultra Slug Hunter (Rifled, heavy barrel, scope) using Rem Core Loks..At 55 yrds the core loks provided me with a pass thru, did not hit any bone other than ribs. Deer trotted away and dropped at 45 yrds from where I shot him. Don't let anyone fool ya, I have shot small deer in Louisiana with an -06, 165 grain, shot thru the heart and they trotted off. Have shot 3 with my 54 cal muzzleloader and round ball out to 70 yrds and they dropped like a rock. Hit two with my 50 cal using sabots at approx 78 paces and they both dropped. The 20ga is plenty of gun for a whitetail. Rifled barrel, try the new Hornady's, I get a 2 inch group at 100 yrds off the bench with my Ultra Slug Hunter.

bearit wrote:

quote:

the lightfield was the most accurate but at 75yds. it had almost no penetration in wet phone books

Keep in mind that wet phone book performance and on-game terminal ballistics will have little correlation.

In fact, the 12 & 20 gauge Lightfields will completely penetrate virtually any chest-shot whitetail or mule deer given broadside presentation.

Bobby

Actually thats not true, while shooting wet phone books is no substitute for live game, it is a good medium to predict how far some projectiles will penetrate and which ones will fragment. If you shoot five slugs into phone books and one really shines, penetrates far and retains a lot of weight, you can bet it will do a good job on a live animal. It sure as hell beats doing no testing......

Hornady is loading the SST in 20ga.

http://www.hornady.com/shop/?page=shop/browse&category_...71ad74e3d35d6bc0ec9e

If I where to move down to a 20, it would be my first choice. I can't imagine a 250 grn .452 SST w/ a MV of 1800fps not being enough for whitetail.

This is almost identical to Hdy's 250 SST sabot loaded over 2 pellets in a MLer and if any of you have used that combo, you know how deadly it is.

I know I've slammed quite a few nice bucks with the 250 SST and it is by far my whitetail bullet of choice in my MLers.

Good Luck

Reloader

quote:

Originally posted by DIYASUB:
I salvage 3/4 of the deer, and after a couple of weeks my son in law recovered from the injuries inflicted by his greatful bride.

Come on tell us the rest of the story

Thanks for the replies gents. I would be using the 20 gauge, specifically on the Encore platform. Hunting would be out of a tree stand in my back yard. One of my coworkers suggested the 20 as he had friends try the 12 gauge on the Encore and they felt that the recoil was not worth it, and both went to a 20 gauge barrel with no regrets. My coworker was unsure of which brand of slugs for rifled barrels they used, so I asked the question here.

I believe a 20ga slug is close to 58cal with a shotcup wich I use to shoot in a Shorten version of a Stevens twenty gage shotgun. It had a lot of punch.

BTW I was using cast Lee hollow-base bullets the same as I shot in my 58cal Zoave(sp) BP rifle.

I would think it would be plenty for a deer if you kept the range with-in reason.

Unfortunately we have to use shotguns/slugs on public land here in Connecticut. While I would never advocate the use of a shotgun when rifles are permissible. Slugs out of my rifled barrel are effective up to 100yds or so. That's usually enoough in the eastern woods. I would recommend a 20 ga only if you're recoil shy since the 12ga slug can knock you pretty good. I use a semi auto Beretta which cuts down on the recoil significantly.I don't believe there is any omparison between the 12 and 20 ga slug with the 12 being vastly superior.I do prefer the new sabot slugs. I have taken game with the Barnes which worked well but I'm now working on the new Hornady loads.

20 ga is excellent for deer and kills just as far out as 12 ga with less recoil. In 1976 I witnessed a deer killed at 256 yards with a 20 ga from a 1930's vintage Remington pump with no front sight. Slug passed completely through the buck's chest. With modern slugs availale today you'll have no problems with the 20 ga.

johnnyreb my hunting area in ny was shotgun only until last year. i have used alot of different slugs. ifind lightfields and brennike my favorite.two years ago shot anice six pointer with a20ga lightfield at 50yds went in right front sholder went out just behind off sholder. when gutting biggest mess inside ive ever had lungs hart compleatly destroyd deer went 20 feet droped.