Unofficial 12ga Slug Penetration Comparison
- Thread starter 0faustus0
- Start date
Excellent work. Thanks for sharing.
I do like the BRI slug, big fan and It’s quite accurate in my 870.
The velocity of that .50 cal hour glass shape slug is right up there with my smoke-poles with patched roundball. So no worries
using them on big game.
Works good on Aliens
as well.
I do like the BRI slug, big fan and It’s quite accurate in my 870.
The velocity of that .50 cal hour glass shape slug is right up there with my smoke-poles with patched roundball. So no worries
using them on big game. Works good on Aliens
as well.
I found the plain Jane Winchester 1oz slug to shoot quite well from my smoothbore. And even better with a rifled choke tube. Your experiences may vary.
As for the 3” Lightfields in the pic above. I have never fired such a beast with its recoil. Kicks like an irate cross eyed mule!!!!
Not a fan of these. Still have a box and half that will be neglected.
As for the 3” Lightfields in the pic above. I have never fired such a beast with its recoil. Kicks like an irate cross eyed mule!!!!
Not a fan of these. Still have a box and half that will be neglected.
Yes BIG ouch lol. And you feel every oz of energy. I wear a PAST shooting pad and she still THUMPS
Yes BIG ouch lol. And you feel every oz of energy. I wear a PAST shooting pad and she still THUMPS
That’s 338 Win Mag territory. But with a 338 rifle you’ve got some weight behind it. With those Lightfields, you could drop one in a light 5lb single shot shotgun, and put the chiropractor’s kids through college.
Lol that's one way to put it! The most I've done is 1 1/4oz federal slug @ 1600 from my single shot, (3109ft/lbs) and that was more than enough!
That said, you could always build a 338wm in a 6lb gun too, I've seen a 300wm that weighed barely over 6lbs with a scope on it! It was a sheep rifle for grizzly country.
Penetration Test the 4th
Competition / Sport / Target Slugs
Ok, I was able to get out today and test 2 more slugs.
I have been shooting the Sellier & Bellot Sport Slug for the last couple of years and for my plinking and target practice. Accuracy, according to my tests, is mehhhhh … but I am accepting this because the price is ok. The slug is accurate enough for target practice and I am not intending to hunt with it.
But recently, I got a hold of some Challenger Target slugs and some Score Competition slugs … and I wanted to see if there is a difference. Hey, maybe I am missing out on something …. Right? So, I tested all three slugs today with respect to penetration and accuracy out of my 870 Police.
From left to right:
1. Sellier & Bellot Sport Slug: 1oz; 1345 FPS
2. Challenger Target Slug: 1oz; 1450 fps
3. Score Competition Slug: 1oz; 1300 fps
( link )
Observations
The Challenger and the Score are the exact same slug and which Ballistic Products sells as the "Thug Slug 12ga 1oz". The only real difference is that the Challenger is loaded to a slightly higher velocity. All three slugs are hollow Foster type slugs with an attached tail-wad that is supposed to stay with the slug during flight.
Penetration Test
Setup was the same as described in my first test (see the first post in this thread), however, from past testing I knew that those slugs would not penetrate 4 boards. So, I set up with 4 boards instead of 8. Shots were fired from around 9 meters and with my 870 Police.
Penetration Result
No real surprises here. All three slugs penetrated 3 boards and I recovered all three slugs from the back of the third board. All three are “Low Recoil” slugs. The Challenger seems to have a little bit more “umpfffff”. It left a larger/deeper dent in the 4th board.
( link )
(Link to high resolution image)
Recovered Projectiles
From left to right: Sellier & Bellot, Challenger, Score
( link )
Accuracy
I tested all three slugs today for accuracy at 50 meters and from a bench rest … and here are the results. The gun was my trusted 870 Police with Ghost Rings and a fixed Improved Cylinder choke (link to image). The circle is a pie plate, 10 inches in diameter. 4 shot groups!
The group today confirmed what accuracy I normally get from the Sellier & Bellot.
( link )
( link )
( link )
Conclusion
With respect to penetration there were no surprises. All three slugs are low recoil slugs with the same weight, 1oz … and between 1300 fps and 1450 fps velocity. So, we are talking Brown Bess territory. All three slugs penetrated 4.5 inches of solid spruce wood.
And with respect to grouping …well, I was surprised by the group that I got with the Score slug. Honestly, I did not expect that. I think I will test the Score slugs once more in the future … and I might switch to Score slugs for my target practice ….
Competition / Sport / Target Slugs
Ok, I was able to get out today and test 2 more slugs.
I have been shooting the Sellier & Bellot Sport Slug for the last couple of years and for my plinking and target practice. Accuracy, according to my tests, is mehhhhh … but I am accepting this because the price is ok. The slug is accurate enough for target practice and I am not intending to hunt with it.
But recently, I got a hold of some Challenger Target slugs and some Score Competition slugs … and I wanted to see if there is a difference. Hey, maybe I am missing out on something …. Right? So, I tested all three slugs today with respect to penetration and accuracy out of my 870 Police.
From left to right:
1. Sellier & Bellot Sport Slug: 1oz; 1345 FPS
2. Challenger Target Slug: 1oz; 1450 fps
3. Score Competition Slug: 1oz; 1300 fps
( link )
Observations
The Challenger and the Score are the exact same slug and which Ballistic Products sells as the "Thug Slug 12ga 1oz". The only real difference is that the Challenger is loaded to a slightly higher velocity. All three slugs are hollow Foster type slugs with an attached tail-wad that is supposed to stay with the slug during flight.
Penetration Test
Setup was the same as described in my first test (see the first post in this thread), however, from past testing I knew that those slugs would not penetrate 4 boards. So, I set up with 4 boards instead of 8. Shots were fired from around 9 meters and with my 870 Police.
Penetration Result
No real surprises here. All three slugs penetrated 3 boards and I recovered all three slugs from the back of the third board. All three are “Low Recoil” slugs. The Challenger seems to have a little bit more “umpfffff”. It left a larger/deeper dent in the 4th board.
( link )
(Link to high resolution image)
Recovered Projectiles
From left to right: Sellier & Bellot, Challenger, Score
( link )
Accuracy
I tested all three slugs today for accuracy at 50 meters and from a bench rest … and here are the results. The gun was my trusted 870 Police with Ghost Rings and a fixed Improved Cylinder choke (link to image). The circle is a pie plate, 10 inches in diameter. 4 shot groups!
The group today confirmed what accuracy I normally get from the Sellier & Bellot.
( link )
( link )
( link )
Conclusion
With respect to penetration there were no surprises. All three slugs are low recoil slugs with the same weight, 1oz … and between 1300 fps and 1450 fps velocity. So, we are talking Brown Bess territory. All three slugs penetrated 4.5 inches of solid spruce wood.
And with respect to grouping …well, I was surprised by the group that I got with the Score slug. Honestly, I did not expect that. I think I will test the Score slugs once more in the future … and I might switch to Score slugs for my target practice ….
Last edited:
steamy teabag
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Inside Carneys Reich
Excellent post, thanks 0f
I have tried the S&B and Score slugs through my Ithaca Deerslayer (smoothbore) and the Scores give me much better groups at 50 yards than the S&B. The Scores are good to the point that I would use them for deer hunting (the Ithaca is my back-up gun - currently using a Mossberg 835 with rifled barrel and Hornady SST Sabots for hunting).
I've never seen the Score Slugs or the S&B for sale locally. But the Challenger's are available.
I was just shooting the Challenger in a Browning Auto 5 that has had the barrel shortened (I assume to remove a bulged choke). The Low Recoil slugs won't cycle with the Heavy Load ring configuration but cycle perfectly with the Light Load setup.
Accuracy is 5", 5 shot goup at 50 yards, using the bead and the groove on the receiver and firing quickly. I believe with finer sights this could be improved. But a 5" group for a magazine full at 50 yards covers anything I'll do with it.
I was just shooting the Challenger in a Browning Auto 5 that has had the barrel shortened (I assume to remove a bulged choke). The Low Recoil slugs won't cycle with the Heavy Load ring configuration but cycle perfectly with the Light Load setup.
Accuracy is 5", 5 shot goup at 50 yards, using the bead and the groove on the receiver and firing quickly. I believe with finer sights this could be improved. But a 5" group for a magazine full at 50 yards covers anything I'll do with it.
Brassman66
CGN frequent flyer
Penetration Test the 4th
Competition / Sport / Target Slugs
Ok, I was able to get out today and test 2 more slugs.
I have been shooting the Sellier & Bellot Sport Slug for the last couple of years and for my plinking and target practice. Accuracy, according to my tests, is mehhhhh … but I am accepting this because the price is ok. The slug is accurate enough for target practice and I am not intending to hunt with it.
But recently, I got a hold of some Challenger Target slugs and some Score Competition slugs … and I wanted to see if there is a difference. Hey, maybe I am missing out on something …. Right? So, I tested all three slugs today with respect to penetration and accuracy out of my 870 Police.
From left to right:
1. Sellier & Bellot Sport Slug: 1oz; 1345 FPS
2. Challenger Target Slug: 1oz; 1450 fps
3. Score Competition Slug: 1oz; 1300 fps
( link )
Observations
The Challenger and the Score are the exact same slug and which Ballistic Products sells as the "Thug Slug 12ga 1oz". The only real difference is that the Challenger is loaded to a slightly higher velocity. All three slugs are hollow Foster type slugs with an attached tail-wad that is supposed to stay with the slug during flight.
Penetration Test
Setup was the same as described in my first test (see the first post in this thread), however, from past testing I knew that those slugs would not penetrate 4 boards. So, I set up with 4 boards instead of 8. Shots were fired from around 9 meters and with my 870 Police.
Penetration Result
No real surprises here. All three slugs penetrated 3 boards and I recovered all three slugs from the back of the third board. All three are “Low Recoil” slugs. The Challenger seems to have a little bit more “umpfffff”. It left a larger/deeper dent in the 4th board.
( link )
(Link to high resolution image)
Recovered Projectiles
From left to right: Sellier & Bellot, Challenger, Score
( link )
Accuracy
I tested all three slugs today for accuracy at 50 meters and from a bench rest … and here are the results. The gun was my trusted 870 Police with Ghost Rings and a fixed Improved Cylinder choke (link to image). The circle is a pie plate, 10 inches in diameter. 4 shot groups!
The group today confirmed what accuracy I normally get from the Sellier & Bellot.
( link )
( link )
( link )
Conclusion
With respect to penetration there were no surprises. All three slugs are low recoil slugs with the same weight, 1oz … and between 1300 fps and 1450 fps velocity. So, we are talking Brown Bess territory. All three slugs penetrated 4.5 inches of solid spruce wood.
And with respect to grouping …well, I was surprised by the group that I got with the Score slug. Honestly, I did not expect that. I think I will test the Score slugs once more in the future … and I might switch to Score slugs for my target practice ….
Thank you for sharing your observations.
Cheers
Very interesting results and great information on your part 0fautus0. Back before I retired as a Conservation Officer (I retired 12 years ago) I was in charge of our firearms training program. Most of our shotgun needs were for problem bear removal. After a bunch of testing we recommended going completely away from SSG and only using slugs. With that testing we also found Challenger Slugs to be the most accurate (but going back 20 years plus). So that’s what we recommended.
Today I use slugs mainly for 3 Gun and am very pleased with the Score low recoil slugs. I also play around with my own cast.
I guess depending on what a person is using slugs for it would be interesting to see how much velocity is actually needed to hunt with (if that’s what most people are doing). Personally I think the low recoil slugs would be more than adequate ( but not based on present day experience). What I can say for certain is that shooting a qualifying course of fire with 3” slugs was not fun.
Thanks for your informative post.
Today I use slugs mainly for 3 Gun and am very pleased with the Score low recoil slugs. I also play around with my own cast.
I guess depending on what a person is using slugs for it would be interesting to see how much velocity is actually needed to hunt with (if that’s what most people are doing). Personally I think the low recoil slugs would be more than adequate ( but not based on present day experience). What I can say for certain is that shooting a qualifying course of fire with 3” slugs was not fun.
Thanks for your informative post.
I shoot a .69 ball (no buck) over 30 grains of Herco. The recoil is noticeably less than any commercial slugs that I tried. Still experimenting with different wad combinations but my best accuracy so far is 3 inches at 100 yards out of a scoped rifled barrel.
