Slug it out with a Whitetail
Modern slug guns are better than ever
by Kevin Lee McIver
Whitetail hunters in many states are
required to use shotguns to take their game. If you're a rifle hunter like
me, you might not be aware of the recent improvements in "slug"
gunning; improvements which enable shotgun hunters to rival their
rifle-toting brethren.
The shear thought of hunting whitetails
with a shotgun congers up horrific notions in the minds of rifle hunters
-- visions of 30-yard maximum ranges, smooth-bore barrels, and wildly
inaccurate shots.
Rifle hunters even go to the extreme of
mocking shotgunners at the range. Rifle hunters will walk over and
politely ask if you're going "rabbit" hunting and will frown
when you boast a "whitetail" is your quarry instead. I'm here to
tell you, those days are over!
Modern slug shooters have at their disposal
some of the most advanced weaponry that has been introduced into the
hunting market within the last few years -- weaponry which rivals that of
the close-range rifle shooter.
Equipment like ported, rifled and varmint
barrels; sabot slugs and improved optics -- all of which give the shotgun
hunter the ability to kill a deer at ranges out to 125 yards.
These improvements are not without a price.
Modern slug guns cost anywhere from $165 to $700, just like high-caliber
centerfire rifles, but for sportsman hunting shotgun only areas, it's
worth it when that big buck is centered in your crosshairs.
Many well-known gun manufacturers have
answered the shotgunner's call for improved accuracy and ballistics.
Browning, Harrington & Richardson, Ithaca, Marlin, Mossberg, Remington
and Winchester have many makes available in single-shot, bolt-action, pump
and semi-automatic models.
At the pinnacle is Browning, who offers a
12-gauge rifled bolt-action shotgun complete with synthetic stock and
optics, and which is already sighted in for one-inch groups at 100 yards.
For about $650, you can head to the woods better equipped than most rifle
hunters.
If this is too big of a strain on your
budget, H&R produces a single-shot, heavy barrel model complete with a
scope base. This one is also capable of one-inch groups at 100 yards, but
costs about $165.
My personal slug gun is a pump-action
Remington 870 "Youth" model in a 20-gauge, complete with a
rifled barrel and a Bushnell shotgun scope. This little rascal is quick to
shoot, highly accurate, and light-enough to carry during an all-day hunt.
Improved technology in guns is not the only
advancement befitting the slug gunner. Improvements in ammunition is equal
of mention.
A while back, shotgun hunters were limited
to buckshot or Foster-type slugs with a maximum, accurate range of about
60 yards. Now slug hunters have available a new line of "sabot"
slugs which, when shot out of a rifled barrel, can attain one-inch groups
past 100 yards.
The sabot slug is composed of a copper
"sabot" core cylinder, encased in a plastic cup. When fired, the
copper slug separates and and heads downrange. Sabots are extremely
accurate, hard-hitting and are what gives slug hunters the ability to
outshoot many a rifle hunter.
Sold in boxes of five shells, sabots cost
around $11 a box; whereas Foster slugs run about $2. The increase in
performance is well worth the additional cost when trying to take a trophy
animal or put meat on the table.
Optics for rifled, slug guns have also been
improved. Burris, Bushnell, Leupold, Redfield, Simmons, Tasco and Weaver
all produce top-quality shotgun scopes. These scopes are
lower-magnification than what rifle shooters are accustomed, and thus less
to fuss about. I find that a fixed scope is simpler to use, and I fidget
less when a big buck comes into range because of this.
If you have never taken a deer with a slug,
don't worry. The 5/8- to 1-ounce slug, traveling at 1,200 to 1,500 feet
per second, has no trouble punching through a whitetail. In fact, I've
found most drop in their tracks with the first round. This isn't always
the case with centerfire rifles, especially big magnums when fired at
close range.
Slug guns have come a long way over the
last few years. Increased performance and accuracy are now available for
hunters using shotguns. Performance which finally rivals that of a
centerfire rifle.
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