Smoothbore slugs

sharpshooter

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Oct 1, 2000
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Clinton, TN
Any smoothbore slug hunters here? I'm in the process of buying a Mossberg 590A1, fixed cylinder bore, for a second home defense gun and the thought crossed my mind of hunting with it here at my place. This place is mostly briar thickets, longest shot might be 75 yards and that's pushing it.
What slug would you recommend for me to try out for a 50-75 yard maximum shot?
 

Ski

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Nov 18, 2019
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Coffee County
Any smoothbore slug hunters here? I'm in the process of buying a Mossberg 590A1, fixed cylinder bore, for a second home defense gun and the thought crossed my mind of hunting with it here at my place. This place is mostly briar thickets, longest shot might be 75 yards and that's pushing it.
What slug would you recommend for me to try out for a 50-75 yard maximum shot?

I grew up hunting with slugs because Ohio wasn't a rifle state until just the last couple years. For smooth bore guns the cheap rifled slugs from Remington or Winchester XXX shot the best. For rifled barrels the sabot slugs shot best. With a smooth bore rifle any slug should be plenty accurate within 100yds. I wouldn't waste money on the expensive sabots.
 

Lost Lake

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Middle Tn
I mainly bowhunted Ft. Campbell back in the mid 80's-early 90's, but occasionally I'd hunt the shotgun areas at crunch time.

In smoothbore Remington 870's and Winchester pump guns, the cheaper
"pumpkin roller" slugs would group about 3" at 75 yards with only a brass bead front sight.

Heck, that'd be good for 99.99% of my hunting today.
 

mike243

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Sep 6, 2006
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east tn
Killed my first deer with a shotgun slug, left handed setting in a tree that was iced over, just grabbed a limb and went up. About fell out trying to get down. 30y or so in the chest. Perfect mushroom , they work quickly
 

Bone Collector

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Sep 9, 2009
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Murfreesboro, TN
Back in the day in VA all we could use was buckshot and slugs. these were my first 2 hunting years. Slugs back then weren't too accurate past 50 yds due to bullet drop, but now the newer ones don't have as much drop and in a 12 ga. I think you could kill out to 75 yds. On the box there is usually a chart that shows drop at 25 yd intervals.

I'd just get a box of sluggers or the Winchesters. If you like punishment they do come in a 3" shell and I believe those have less drop.
 

Madbowh

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Sep 30, 2020
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762
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Cumberland County
I'm not big on shotguns I have an old Kmart 20ga single shot smooth bore. I seen in a gun shop for$75 figured I'll take a look it just looked very different and out of place. As soon as it got in my hands I seen Kmart stamped on it, I bought it. went to Walmart picked up some Remington copper solid rifled slugs and was pretty surprised at my groups out to 100. I've killed a wide variety of animal big and small with it.
 

rifle02

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Dec 12, 2018
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Sale Creek
Long ago and far away I lived in an area where I had to hunt deer with shotgun slugs. The sabot slugs were a waste of money in a smooth bore. They actually did not shoot as well as the forster type rifled slugs. I did manage to down a few using a pump shotgun with a modified choke. Makes a big hole.
 

mike243

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Sep 6, 2006
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18,776
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east tn
Here is the slug from my first deer, 30y front chest shot stopped at the sack before the guts. Kept it and wont mean anything to anybody when I'm gone lol
 

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Tnshooter15

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Apr 27, 2020
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Here is the slug from my first deer, 30y front chest shot stopped at the sack before the guts. Kept it and wont mean anything to anybody when I'm gone lol
I have one that looks very similar to that one and yes when I'm gone no one will have any idea what that thing is or what it means
 

rifle02

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Dec 12, 2018
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Location
Sale Creek
Here is the slug from my first deer, 30y front chest shot stopped at the sack before the guts. Kept it and wont mean anything to anybody when I'm gone lol
I used to have one that looked just like that too. I kept it for a while but I couldn't tell you whatever happened to it. Haven't seen it in years probably just as well.
 

TheLBLman

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Jun 12, 2002
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Location
Knoxville-Dover-Union City, TN
Rottweil Brenneke . . . . . . .
Used theses in some places in KY, and northern Indiana back over 40 years ago with good success. Came in a box of 10.
I have some of those in 16 ga that are over 50 yrs old.
Killed several deer with Rottweil Brenneke slugs in my Browning Sweet 16.
Killed my first deer at Age 12 with the same shotgun used for everything else.
 

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