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09-11-2018, 10:35 AM | #13 | ||||||
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I am sure there have been lots of success using a 20 gauge slug. Mind justifies the heart though and when I shot that deer it was with a 20 gauge Ithaca pump. There was something not right with that modified choked barrel. It always patterned about a foot low and to the right with 8 shot and gave up on it for use as a bird gun. Thought okay will use it for deer it dang gun with slugs would hit dead center one foot high at 50 yards, baffling. It was pretty easy all you had to do at 50 yards and in was put the bead underneath deers chest and it would put a 3 shot group near bullseye at 30 yards. First time deer hunting with it and I knew I had hit that deer solid . Was pretty disgusted with that gun at that point and went traded it off the next day, so that was only experience with a 20 gauge slug. I think I still have a box of slugs that are 40 years old somewhere.
BTW Tom agree with you shot placement. That is why I was so perplexed with that 180 grain .30-06 shot at 15 yards. I was 20 feet up in the tree aiming down on a quartering away shot. On inspection I hit exactly were I aimed and it made a mess of the heart and lungs. I guess that load banging so close got her so adrenalized. Somehow it missed both shoulders. I have shot a few deer that were well hit and run 50 yards but never one like that and on flat ground. BTw the only rifle I have now is 270 WSM Browning A bolt. With a 130 grain bullet at 200 yards its like shooting a laser. There are guys that regularly take deer out West at 500+ yards. I have taken a few deer with it tight cover at 100 yards where all I had was window for a chest shot about pie plate wide. I don't take head shots. Last edited by Todd Poer; 09-11-2018 at 10:55 AM.. |
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09-11-2018, 11:03 AM | #14 | ||||||
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Brenneke slugs are the best of all the slugs made. The square front profile cuts a hole vs wedging a hole as the classic pumpkin ball slugs do. I've shot all of my Michigan deer with 12 or 20ga Brennekes and they rarely go more than 3 steps with a lung shot. You collapse the lungs, they can't take a breath and down they go, and right now. I think that Brennekes in either a 28ga or a .410 would be a marvelous shorter range deer round. I had friends in high school that used their Stevens 310 .410's with slugs for deer and did just fine. For close in deer I'd take a Brenneke slug over any rifle that just goes through and through and makes a small hole.
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09-11-2018, 11:36 AM | #15 | ||||||
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Todd....I have found that the best loading for the 30-06 for deer is the 150 grain bullet in my handloads. Many drop in their tracks kills on field deer with the 150 grain bullet. Larger bullets kill quickly also but I've never dropped a deer in its tracks with the 220 grain bullet or the 185 grain handloads I've used. The reason is that the 150 grain bullet is faster and expends all of its energy inside the deer often not going fully through and winds up under the expanding skin on the far side. The larger bullets expend a lot of energy on the outside after going all the way through. Relatively light high velocity bullets are key to drop in the track kills on deer size game as long as the bullets are 100 grains or larger. I've used the 110 grain accelerator bullets that were once loaded for the 30-06 for varmints. They kill quickly but I've never dropped a deer in their tracks with them for some reason. And they don't group that well on paper. However, the 100 grain 243 load results in a deer dropping in its tracks most of the time unlike the 80 grain handload in the 243 which doesn't always drop them in their tracks. I did a lot of experimenting with different loads and calibers on those crop damage deer. The 55 grain 22-250 and 222 doesn't drop them in their tracks either but all drop within 50 yards or so. If I was limited to one caliber for deer, it would be the 243 with 100 grain handloads. Recoil is minimal which helps at the bench and they kill quickly and cleanly. I consider it the perfect deer load. But all is contingent on a thoughtful shooter who picks and chooses his shots and is a competent shot. The reason why the 410 and 28 bore are not legal cartridges is that they can be problematic on marginal hits. In the hands of a buck fever shooter, they can be a problem.
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09-11-2018, 11:50 AM | #16 | ||||||
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Brenneke has been around a long time. The only deer with slugs I have ever taken were with Brenneke and only used slugs because had to where hunted. They do seem to perform a little better than some slugs especially on accuracy.
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09-11-2018, 12:00 PM | #17 | ||||||
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I've only killed one deer with a Brenneke slug so I can't speak to their effectiveness vs. a Foster type slug. I shot the deer in the neck with a 16 bore shell and of course it dropped in its tracks. I can't think of a reason why the Brenneke slug would be a better killer than a Foster slug, but I don't know since my only experience with Brenneke was on that one deer.
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09-11-2018, 12:12 PM | #18 | ||||||
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In your own words Tom, “Shot placement is everything.”
Apples vs. oranges regarding a spine shot vs. a double lung shot. .
__________________
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09-11-2018, 12:19 PM | #19 | ||||||
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Todd, I have found that each slug gun is a world unto itself and some are best with a certain brand of slug and not as good with another. Some shoot Remington best and some shoot other brands best. The only way to tell is to shoot at paper to find out which loading gives the best results for a particular gun. I have a friend whose gun shoots the Brennekes best and another whose gun sprays them. The same is true for rifles. I used to tailor my handloads for specific guns. Some liked Hornady bullets best and some liked other brands. As a rule, I have found that hot loads grouped less effectively than moderate loads. My handloads were always moderate loads as a result. We built a rifle range on the property and I used to spend a lot of time at the bench developing the best loads. IMR powder always worked best in my guns for some reason.
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09-11-2018, 12:31 PM | #20 | ||||||
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Spine shots are usually the result of shooting too high. A deer hit anywhere in the spine will drop in it tracks but may require a follow up shot to kill it depending on where in the spine it was hit. A spine shot along the back to the hindquarters requires a follow up shot. A spine shot above the lungs in the chest area or neck is a kill in its track hit. I have found that a deer hit in the heart with a low shot goes a bit farther than a lung shot deer for some reason. I never aim for the heart since if the shot goes low it will miss the deer. A shot at the lungs will hit the heart if it goes low.
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