Was just looking through my stuff, deciding what to use to take a deer with this year, I found some slugs, and some 00 buckshot. can some one give me an idea of the effective range for these in a 12 gauge, I have an 11-87, I usually use a rifle, but since I had these rounds I thought I might use them.

[ 09-18-2003, 06:29: Message edited by: Bulletman ]

Depends on what kind of slugs and shotgun set up you've got. With sabots and a scope, 100 yards is an easy range for slugs, with Brennecke type slugs and no sights, I wouldn't want to try more than 35 or so, without a lot of practice.

As for buckshot, it is a horrible wounder of deer at anything beyond 25 to 30 yards MAXIMUM and I wouldn't use it for anything but humans or something that was VERY close.

In short, based on the question (which is not a put down, but since you asked you obviously don't have much experience with either slugs or buckshot), I would STRONGLY recommend that you stick to a rifle.

[ 09-18-2003, 06:45: Message edited by: Gatogordo ]

the slug is a "slugger" remington magnum,3"
I have exactly zero experience with slugs and buckshot, but have tens of thousands of rounds through shotguns.clays, birds , wabbits etc.
Thanks for the info also.

[ 09-18-2003, 06:52: Message edited by: Bulletman ]

1.rifled slug barrel,sights or scope, w/ sabot slugs 100 yards. 2.smooth slug barrel(no rifling) i/c choke ,rifle sights, forster slugs 75 yards. 3. 00 buckshot out of a full or modified choked smooth barrel (no rifling) 50yards max.,,less if the oo buckshot does not have a buffering agent in with the buckshot,rifle sight or a bead sight.

Go to the range and shoot the old slugs and buckshot for fun and practice. Then buy a Hastings rifled barrel and stick some saboted slugs in it. Use it when the woods limit your shots to less than 125 yards. Under these conditions you will find that you will pick the shotgun over your rifle almost every time. The winchester premium partitions are absolutely deadly. I shoot an 870 with a scoped 24" barrel and it is very accurate. The deer drop dead or leave a profuse blood trail for about 25 to 50 yards right up to a very dead deer. Same thing with feral hogs too.

[ 09-27-2003, 03:27: Message edited by: Old & Slow ]

I shot a lot of 00 buck and slugs from shotguns prior to our gunlaws changing in 1996.
I haven't shot a deer but on pigs I'd mirror pretty much what Gatagordo said regarding ranges.
00 buck and 18 pellet loads of SSG (27.5 grain pellets)is very common here on hogs out to about 40 yards. And similar range for trying to get smoothbore slugs on target.
Of course this game is regarded as pests here and free to kill(or maim), so you may not want to risk a miss on your deer species.

Karl.

I suggest if you use the slugs make sure you have the IC or better yet the C choke tube in. That is all I use in my Ithaca 37 Slug Gun are Brenneke Slugs 2-3/4" Mag 1-1/8 OZ. Very potent slugs on Bear and Moose in Alaska. I try to keep my shots under 50 yards but with a scope I can take it out too 100 yards.

The Best Buckshot is the Copper Plated 00 from Federal or Winchester and keep your shots 40 yards or closer (not for bear). I do not use Buckshot! My 37 is primary camping and boat gun that goes with me and my family on our salmon and moose trips on the rivers here.

I concur with the results of Buckshot, I wornder how many game are lost each year due too Buckshot?

[ 12-08-2003, 23:04: Message edited by: Alaska Bush Man ]

I shot a black bear at about 20 yrds with 00 and it just ran. Never saw it again. Talked to some cops about it, who said they tried to kill a black bear (that was already down from a rifle shot) with a point blank load of 00 in the back of the neck. No pellet penetrated more than 3".