Challenger slugs

jjohnwm

jjohnwm

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I've always been a fan of the old Challenger 2-3/4 inch slugs, the ones with the colourless translucent plastic hull. They are one of the most accurate slugs I have tried overall in a number of different guns, and accounted for a bunch of deer for me back when I lived in a shotgun zone.

I'd like to get back to using them a bit, but there seems to be several different versions now. Lots of places selling volume packs (100 or more) of what they are calling "tactical" or "reduced recoil" Challengers, often for just a bit more than a buck per shell. The packaging and cosmetics of the shells are quite different that the old ones I remember. The original style Challengers are much harder to find, saw some at Canadian Tire recently in the original 10-round package but at $4 per shell.

Does anyone know if the old-style Challengers are still around, and if they can also be bought in larger-volume packages at lower prices? Has anyone tried the tactical/low-recoil ones for hunting, or are they strictly for playing around on targets?
 
Yes, the Challenger (Gualandi Borra) slugs are still around. However, I have never seen them in a bulk pack.

Sporteque has them in stock right now it seems (the 10 pack):
https:// sporteque.ca/en/slug-buckshot/8134-challenger-12-ga-2-34-slug-10box.html

Tenda and Alflahertys as well ....

https://www.gotenda.com/product/challenger-magnum-rifled-slug-12-ga-2-75-1-1-8-oz-box-of-10/


https://alflahertys.com/challenger-magnum-rifled-slugs-12-gauge-2-3-4-1-1-8-oz-pack-of-10-0200/



And the Challenger Target slug is a very different design ….. I have never hunted with them, but with 1oz at 1450 fps …. I assume they will kill a deer just fine. Accuracy however ... was mehhhhh in my tests ....

https://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php/1635960-Unofficial-12ga-Slug-Penetration-Comparison?p=18450733&viewfull=1#post18450733
 
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Sail carries them as well as canadian tire, sometimes cabelas will have them. Maybe check your local gun store if they can get them in. The price has jumped though, back in 2019 i got 10 for 19.99, in 2022 i got lucky and found some for 29.99 at my local gun store, canadian tire had it for 36.99

Someone had 60 boxes of them on the EE for i think like
600$ a while ago in the montreal area, i was thinking of making the drive but i didnt have 600 to spend at the time, great deal.

Ive never tried the bulk pack or reduced recoil stuff but i cant see them being comparable since the magnums shoot at 1610fps.

Just googled it and i see tenda has them on sale for 26.99 currently, down from 32.99
 
Challenger magnum deer slugs are excellent out of my smothbores. In testing I did they were accurate and penetration was about twice as deep as foster slugs. Penetration was tested in green aspen blocks.
 
Thanks to all for the input, and especially to Ofaustus0 for the links to those other threads. I had seen one of them, the other was new for me. I must say it's a bit surprising and disappointing to read about the apparent poor quality control on the Challengers, and to find that many don't seem to care for them; I wonder if their quality has begun to slip, or if I was just lucky before. They were my favourite slugs for a long time, and I never had any problems with them in an assortment of shotguns. I have a nice old Beretta 1201 that used to shoot them as well as just about any sabot slugs would shoot in my best rifled barrels, at least out to about 125 yards. I also had an older Mossberg (model 9200, I believe) which shot them better out of its rifled barrel than any sabot slugs! My dad took his last deer with that gun/load; wish I still had it.

But, I just picked up 10 boxes of Federal Powerballs, which were a close runner-up to the Challengers and actually their equal in some guns, including the Beretta. Cabela's had them in stock, cheaper than Canadian Tire and much cheaper than anyone's price for the Challengers. I'll play with them a bit and perhaps get a shotgun-zone tag for this fall and use them.

Funny, I hated being restricted to slugs for many, many years. I moved to a rifle zone a bit over a decade ago and got to enjoy and hunt with a bunch of favourite rifles that didn't see much hunting use previously. And now, here I am pining for the nostalgia of slugs again. :)

rmsg0040, those Thug Slugs certainly look like the same general type of attached-wad slug, but they're definitely not identical to the old Challengers. Both the slug and the wad design are quite different.
 
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250 sav said:
Challenger magnum deer slugs are excellent out of my smothbores. In testing I did they were accurate and penetration was about twice as deep as foster slugs. Penetration was tested in green aspen blocks.
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I get the same . strange how they vary sooo much .. Diff guns / diff strokes . I am more than happy with them . I did test them against the Brenneke and the challenger out did it in all area's . This is all 20 ga info and results
 
Spruster said:
I get the same . strange how they vary sooo much .. Diff guns / diff strokes . I am more than happy with them . I did test them against the Brenneke and the challenger out did it in all area's . This is all 20 ga info and results
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Same when I compared to the brenneke. Challenger out penetrated.
 
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