# 20 gauge slugs...?



## aquaholic2 (Feb 17, 2010)

I have a nice 20 gauge single shot, smooth bore that I like to shoot deer with. Does anyone have a suggestion on good accurate slugs, I have had only marginal luck with the standard Remington slugster variety.........Thanks AH2


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## bobk (Apr 30, 2004)

Try the brenneke rifled slugs.


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## Lewis (Apr 5, 2004)

x2 on the Brenneke Rotweil slugs. Years ago they shot well through my smoothbore, before I went to a rifled barrel.


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## sherman51 (Apr 12, 2011)

x3 on the brenneke slugs. its what I shot through my smooth bore.
sherman


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## Cajunsaugeye (Apr 9, 2013)

Actually in my experiences all shoot about the same,accuracy wise.Now one may pattern a little higher/lower than another so I don't suggest "mixing" them from sight in to hunting.That out of the way,these are rifled slugs. "Accuracy" is a loose term for these things(all brands).I still and always have hunted w/a smoothbore gun.As long as you know where its shooting and don't take over a 50-60 yd shot,Winchester,Remington,Brenneke,etc. will all perform @the same.You're not touching holes or shooting same holes at 50-60 yds w/a smoothbore unless you're lucky.BUT,it should pattern in a "pie plate" sized area at that distance.Again,I've shot and hunted w/them all and all perform well and will do their part as long as you do.Just don't expect MOA accuracy.Not gonna happen.


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## chatterbox (Jan 7, 2013)

Every fire arm has a round that will group tighter than others. Find it and then sight in the group. With smooth bore slug guns, I expect 3" groups at 100 yrds. with a scope, from a rest. I made my slug gun from a 1960's mossberg bolt action, that I also did a trigger job on.

Most single shots shoot downward hitting the ground at about 35 yrds. They also need a better sight put on them. Some times cutting the choke off will help make them more accurate as well. In the day before factory slug guns these are a few things that gave better accuracy. Still work today.  I should add that I am a journey man machinist and You should seek help from a good gunsmith before altering any fire arm. It can be very dangerous.


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## chris1162 (Mar 12, 2008)

Cajunsaugeye said:


> Actually in my experiences all shoot about the same,accuracy wise.Now one may pattern a little higher/lower than another so I don't suggest "mixing" them from sight in to hunting.That out of the way,these are rifled slugs. "Accuracy" is a loose term for these things(all brands).I still and always have hunted w/a smoothbore gun.As long as you know where its shooting and don't take over a 50-60 yd shot,Winchester,Remington,Brenneke,etc. will all perform @the same.You're not touching holes or shooting same holes at 50-60 yds w/a smoothbore unless you're lucky.BUT,it should pattern in a "pie plate" sized area at that distance.Again,I've shot and hunted w/them all and all perform well and will do their part as long as you do.Just don't expect MOA accuracy.Not gonna happen.


Smoothbores are capable of way better than "pie plate" accuracy at ) 60 yards. It sounds like you dont know what you doing.


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## Cajunsaugeye (Apr 9, 2013)

OK.Smoothbore,open sights,hunting situations(not off a locked up gun rest but just a solid (real world rest) you aren't gonna get better than 4-5" at 60-70yds,except maybe occasionally.And no,shooting 35+yrs and dozens of deer killed,no,I have no idea.Maybe google smoothbore accuracy and have a gander at what "people who DO know what they're doing" have to say.And since you DO know,do you have any idea the drop of a rifled slug at 100 is or how much ke is lost by 100yds? Im just stating what I KNOW and what is the norm among the hunting mortals of the world."super" shooters may be different.


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## chatterbox (Jan 7, 2013)

Years ago I owned an 870 Wing master I bought for $126.00 brand new from Kames in North Canton. A good gun but weighed 13lbs. with scope, mounts, and slings. About 1/2 inch from the muzzle in a spot about 1/2 inch long the bluing burnt off the out side of the barrel. I think the riffle slug was exiting the exact same spot each time from an imperfection in the bore. It was very accurate. Sight in the group.  I had a 26" Imp. cylinder barrel, 30" Full Choke barrel, and Versa Mec Jr. reloader. One gun all hunting. A long with a kennel of Beagles. 

I like the idea of the light weight single shot. Once You get one the way You want it hang on to it. 

Forty Years ago I tried to get Ohio to go Hand Gun Cartridge Riffle.and was told I'd never see the day. HA! HA! Just for the less weight. I like the 20ga. round also.


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## aquaholic2 (Feb 17, 2010)

chatterbox said:


> Years ago I owned an 870 Wing master I bought for $126.00 brand new from Kames in North Canton. A good gun but weighed 13lbs. with scope, mounts, and slings. About 1/2 inch from the muzzle in a spot about 1/2 inch long the bluing burnt off the out side of the barrel. I think the riffle slug was exiting the exact same spot each time from an imperfection in the bore. It was very accurate. Sight in the group.  I had a 26" Imp. cylinder barrel, 30" Full Choke barrel, and Versa Mec Jr. reloader. One gun all hunting. A long with a kennel of Beagles.
> 
> I like the idea of the light weight single shot. Once You get one the way You want it hang on to it.
> 
> Forty Years ago I tried to get Ohio to go Hand Gun Cartridge Riffle.and was told I'd never see the day. HA! HA! Just for the less weight. I like the 20ga. round also.


Lots of good information here as always...I bought some high dollar Hornady SST slugs, they look really cool, but after I got them home I found out they are for guns with rifled barrels...will they shoot decent out of my smooth bore...? I have my 20-G set up with a custom thumb hole stock, and 4x32 /1" tube scope, nice solid gun to poke at deer with...AH2


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## buckeyebowman (Feb 24, 2012)

chatterbox said:


> Every fire arm has a round that will group tighter than others. Find it and then sight in the group. With smooth bore slug guns, I expect 3" groups at 100 yrds. with a scope, from a rest. I made my slug gun from a 1960's mossberg bolt action, that I also did a trigger job on.
> 
> Most single shots shoot downward hitting the ground at about 35 yrds. They also need a better sight put on them. Some times cutting the choke off will help make them more accurate as well. In the day before factory slug guns these are a few things that gave better accuracy. Still work today.  I should add that I am a journey man machinist and You should seek help from a good gunsmith before altering any fire arm. It can be very dangerous.


You are right on, c'box! I don't care what firearm you are talking about, there will be one type of ammo that it "likes" over all others! 

This may be an "apples to oranges" comparison, but it serves. Many years ago I bought a Remington 700 ADL in .243 Win. I thought Remington gun, Remington ammo. I was all over the paper! Then I started thinking about it. The .243 is a Winchester caliber! So, I tried Winchester ammo and I started shooting cloverleafs! And even better!

Another example. My BIL has a Traditions in line muzzleloader. He uses Powerbelt bullets and gets fantastic accuracy. A couple years later I also bought a Traditions ML (different model), and tried the same bullet and load. All over the paper! I finally found the Hornady XTP in 240 grain. That's a round that will shoot where I want it to!


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## chatterbox (Jan 7, 2013)

Thanks Buckeyebowman. I have helped many friends sight there fire arms in. When sighting in a scope on a shot gun or muzzle loader, often You will run out of travel on the elevation screw. If this happens to You, just place .010 brass shim under the scope in the back ring.

I will post the formula for Kennetic Energy. You want a minimum of 1200 ft/lbs at point of bullet impact for deer.

Sight Your slug gun to hit dead on at 75 yrds and just hold right on at all ranges to 100 yrds.

Aquaholic, sorry but i doubt that they will handle well. they will be in some kind of sabot that is suppose to fill space in the barrel for a tight fit and and they lack fins for rotation. For a smooth bore stick to the foster type slugs. Which ever one your gun groups best. In smooth bore guns each manufacture made the bore diminsions different.


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## chatterbox (Jan 7, 2013)

Foster type slug examples are: Soft Hollow Base Lead Slugs ( Karl Foster )
Winchester Super X
Remington Sluggers
Original Brenneke
Federal

Kennetic Energy = KE = ( MV² / 7000 / 64.32) x grains of bullet weight. Note: 1oz. = 437.5 grns.

Minimum muzzle Energy = deer, pronghorn, sheep, goat, black bear = 1500 ft lb. Elk, bear, boar to 500 lbs. = 2000 ft lb. Grizzly, Brown Bear, Polar Bear, Moose = 3000 ft lb.

Nice that Foster type slugs are also the least expensive.


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## aquaholic2 (Feb 17, 2010)

chatterbox said:


> Foster type slug examples are: Soft Hollow Base Lead Slugs ( Karl Foster )
> Winchester Super X
> Remington Sluggers
> Original Brenneke
> ...


Just to follow up. I returned the Hornady slugs and bought Bernneke and they fly just fine out of my smooth bore, after a little scope tweaking, the last two shots were both cutting a 2" bull at 65yds. good enough for the area I hunt........Thanks for all the good advice, can't blame the gun this year.....AH2


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## Cajunsaugeye (Apr 9, 2013)

Just be careful w/shots.It'll be carrying a "whopping" 700ft/lbs of KE at 75yds.Muzzle KE means VERY little.Rifled slugs have the aerodynamics of a brick and slow down very quickly.But,I don't know anything anyways.


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## RJohnson442 (May 14, 2013)

700ft/lb in the size of the tip of your pinky. It will do it just be a little messy on the way through


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## chatterbox (Jan 7, 2013)

aquaholic2 said:


> Just to follow up. I returned the Hornady slugs and bought Bernneke and they fly just fine out of my smooth bore, after a little scope tweaking, the last two shots were both cutting a 2" bull at 65yds. good enough for the area I hunt........Thanks for all the good advice, can't blame the gun this year.....AH2


AH2, That is great. I am glad Your happy. Good Luck and have a Good Deer Season. Thank You for the follow up!!


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## bobk (Apr 30, 2004)

You will be good to go to at least 100 yrds. with those Brenneke's. Good luck next week.


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## aquaholic2 (Feb 17, 2010)

bobk said:


> You will be good to go to at least 100 yrds. with those Brenneke's. Good luck next week.


I dug a couple of the green slugs out of the soil where I shot, and they are really blunt.... kind of like a "brick" as mentioned earlier.... don't look very aerodynamic.... but they both cut the paper in the right place, look out bucks.............!


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