20 Gauge Slug Experience?

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lizziedog1

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I have a NEF slug gun in 12 gauge. Call me a sissy, but I really dislike shooting it. It kicks!!!:cuss:

I see that they make a similar firearm in 20 gauge. I also see that they do have some fancy slug configurations for this smaller gauge. For example, I see that Remington has a 260 grain sabot load rated a 1900 feet per second. That is close to 444 Marlin ballistics! It should handle any deer outside of California.


Has anyone here used a 20 gauge slug on deer? How did it work?

What was the gun you used it out of? How do you like the gun?
 
Has anyone here used a 20 gauge slug on deer? How did it work?
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Deer, no. i have killed about 10 wild hogs using my 20 gauge Remington model 870 shotgun. The round i use is the Winchester Partition Gold. The hogs varied in size from about 60 pounds to over 300 pounds. Put that bullet in the right place and you have a first shot kill.
 
I have put nephews and nieces out,..and a few other adult guests over the years with an old H&R 20 gauge breakdown single with slugs. It get's it done. Have seen several deer tagged with that old gun, and they usually drop close by where they are hit if the shooter does their part.
 
I hunted Vandenberg AFB Shotgun zone many years ago, for a few consecutive years, with a fellow who used a 20ga model 1100. He did as well as any of the rest of us using 12ga guns. If you can hit 'em, it will kill 'em. I don't think your felt recoil is going to be that much less though.
 
Look at the new savage 220F...it is amazing!! I've been hunting deer with a shotgun for about 20 years and the 20 is effective. The 12 does kick a little bit more but the amount of carnage it produces is worth it. I shoot a Win 1300 fully rifled but also have a 20 gauge for a brush gun and it has killed it's fair share of deer. My next gun will be a bolt action fully rifled 12...or 20.
 
most of the new 20ga slugs have superior trajectory than the 12ga slugs.
 
I would experiment with 12 gauge ammo a bit before dissing the 12 ga. slug gun. you can get slugs in different lengths/ brands...

2 3/4 inches, 3 inches, 3 1/4 inches, & 3 1/2 inches...

Also, you can get a recoil pad fitted to the gun to help with recoil, or slip a temp. pad on the stock, or wear a vest with a "pad" built into the shoulder to reduce recoil.

If buckshot is legal in your state, or where you plan on hunting, that is another ammo option.

If you already have a 20 ga & the 12 ga, the same goes true for both calibers with ammo & recoil reduction.
 
Wife had a NEF with a 20ga slug barrel that goes on after the deer season is over. ( WMAs here in FL have a rule where hogs can be hunted after the deer season but not with rifles. ) She's has used the Hornady sabot, 260 grain if I remember, on a fair number of them.

As someone said it is potent.....like a hot .44 Mag out of a rifle barrel. It gets the job done.

She weighs all of 115 pounds and it does not seem to bother here in the woods.....but at the range she has me check the sights and then fires a couple just to be sure I did not screw it up.

It kicks not to bad......and is effective.
 
14 of 15 plain ol Win 20 Ga slugs from a smoothbore pump into a clays box at 20 yds. Most in a 6" circle, several as fast as I could pump it, just bead sight. With red dot sight, could be accurate to 50 yds. Put a few logs in the box to keep it in one place. Splinters everywhere. Recoil is less than 30-30. Practicing SD against pigs.
 
FYI 20 gauge was the preferred gun in Canada for taking even moose for more than a century before breech loading guns caught on. And they used round ball which was lighter and had less energy than a rifled slug of today.

LD
 
I can say from experience that firing my NEF single shot with Remington 2 3/4 inch Slugger rifled slugs was one of the most painful ordeals I have ever dealt with so you get my sympathy and I will certainly never call you a sissy for not wanting to repeat the experience.
But before you move to the 20 gauge why dont you try some Winchester Win Lite reduced recoil slugs.
Far milder than those standard 1300-1600 fps slugs by good bit.
Several companies offer them in one form or another.
 
My 20 gauge slug experience is 1 for 1.

I had a T/C Encore. One of its planned uses was as a slug gun. I purchased a 12 gauge barrel, and a friend and I shot it about 5 times. I sold it as soon as I could and bought a 20 gauge barrel. The problem wasn't really pain from recoil. I just felt like I had little control over the rifle when I pulled the trigger. I hated it (although to be fair, the shotgun barrels on the Encore are pretty light).

I loved the 20 gauge barrel I got for my Encore. It recoiled a good bit less and felt much more manageable. Two seasons ago I shot a buck at about 40 yards with it. The slug went through the shoulder, the vitals and exited. He ran about 50 yards before expiring. I know some folks look for that "drop on the spot" shot, but in my experience that doesn't happen as often as some would have you believe.

Anyway, I've had good experience with the 20 gauge slug. I have since sold my Encore, but plan on replacing the slug gun functionality with a single shot H&R.
 
tikka-guy,I have been hunting deer now for over 46 years and have killed in excess of 80 deer and I can say that very few have dropped on the spot with the rare exception of a neck shot.
Most run 20-100 yards,although usually less than 35 yards,even when drilled with high powered centerfire rifles.
Deer are just that way...Flighty.
 
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