best penetrating slug?

well i just got my challenger 2 3/4'' slugs in the mail today. ill give them a shot. anyone have a good idea what to use at the range to test penetration against other brands? something easy to set up? ill be going on saturday. thanks alot.

chris.
 
jcombe said:
Was thinking a BRI sabotted slug, hourglass shape for better flight characteristics.
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They can be pretty hard to find IMO. I found these in 20 gauge from a Thunder Bay sporting goods shop and that was four years ago. I've personally never seen these elsewhere in the last decade or more.

BTW, I just looked at these Winchester brand BRI saboted slugs. They are in .40 calibre (yes, 2 3/4 inch 20 gauge) and appear to be a soft lead construction. I bet you the 12 gauge one is similar.
Deer hunting loads IMO.
 
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Best I've seen here are the Rottweil brenneke style slugs. Following that your best bet for commonly available are Federal foster style 1 1/4oz slugs. Get the 2 3/4" as the 3" have significantly more recoil for minimal energy gains and should you ever want it in a bear situation high recoil is not your friend.

Used to carry a shotgun in the field with me a lot so those opinions are ones I used myself. I personally had issues with the Rotweil slugs I tried as they were 3" and for some reason the casing was 1/8" longer than any other 3" shell on the market causing them to jam in my gun upon ejection. Every other brand of 3" I've used I had no issues with. Could be something isolated to my gun but that is why I never actually carried them.
 
Stay away from high velocity foster slugs unless you're taking long shots well outside 50 yds. The high velocity causes extreme fragmentation and severely reduces penetration. Remington's managed recoil slug outpenetrates magnum slugs by a good margin. The downside is the low velocity doesn't produce much hydrostatic shock so the animal has to bleed out before losing consciousness. That's why I pack my .45-70 for the big critters. Not wanting to start a debate, just passing useful information.
 
I experimented with challengers, federal, winchester and remington. (only at the range)

Overall the best for your money is winchester. Remington strangely needs a tighter choke to work for some reason, even in a Remington cylinder bore for an 870. :confused: Challengers are okay but the availability is spotty at best (around here anyways). Federal are pretty much tied with winchester, but I think the winchesters are slightly more accurate. If you want something that will throw a #### into a t-rex at close range, get some federal 3" magnums 1-1/4oz, they are shoulder killers. I stick with the 2-3/4" winchesters by the way.

If you want to reload, check out Ed Hubels endless 12 gauge from hell thread. All kinds of novel ideas for 12 gauge slug loads there.

Other than federal, winchester or remington foster slugs, there is zero availability for things like remington buckhammers (would be nice to try at least once).

I don't care for sabot slugs due to the prohibitive cost for factory loads. I would love to have a paradox choke tube for my 870 so I could try paradox slugs with it, but there is no such thing as a rifled choke tube with paradox rifling available anywhere as far as I can tell.
 
fat tony said:
I experimented with challengers, federal, winchester and remington. (only at the range)

Overall the best for your money is winchester. Remington strangely needs a tighter choke to work for some reason, even in a Remington cylinder bore for an 870. :confused: Challengers are okay but the availability is spotty at best (around here anyways). Federal are pretty much tied with winchester, but I think the winchesters are slightly more accurate. If you want something that will throw a #### into a t-rex at close range, get some federal 3" magnums 1-1/4oz, they are shoulder killers. I stick with the 2-3/4" winchesters by the way.

If you want to reload, check out Ed Hubels endless 12 gauge from hell thread. All kinds of novel ideas for 12 gauge slug loads there.
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I would concur with everything you say except one little item Fat Tony. The 3inch fosters from federal would most likely penetrate less than the slightly slower velocity 2 3/4inch variant of the same slug. These slugs are most often made from the same softer lead and higher velocities just make them pancake sooner transmitting full energy a bit quicker but slowing down penetration, especially on a raking shot. Academic arguement on your average WT deer and harvesting distances, but certainly a big negative for larger &/or tougher big game. More importantly some 3inch capable pump action shotguns have shorter actions than others. The expended and longer 3inch smoking empty hull (from various differing manufacturers tolernaces) could hang up within the ejection port and causing a malfunction that puts one shooter out of the game until it`s cleared and they have reloaded. Best option is to stay with a shorter and most likely to be problem free shorter shell that has been proven before taking it into the game fields IMO. Waterfowlers versus serious use applications could scew the arguement one way or another with just time wasted and missed feathers or a much worse outcome in other situations. Of course any hinged action shotgun does not suffer these issues as long as it will fit-shoot-eject.
I have nothing to contribute regarding Challengers as Brenneke/Winchester are my go to factory loads.

Cheers!
 
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Score Slugs:

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Brenneke

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Brenneke with Score wad inserted

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