Duckboat status and Hunting with Slugs

ZHalsey

ZHalsey

New member
Figured I would drop an update as to the status of my marsh hawk duck boat and ask for your opinions on rifled slugs for deer hunting. The boat is all painted and ready for a good coat of grass..last step before the season opens at the end of the month. I had to add a tiller extension, and now I have no trouble getting on plane and moving ~20 mph by myself. Still drags with a second person and gear, but it should work for this season.

A good friend of mine just got his hunting license, and I am planning a trip with him upstate New York to show him the ins and outs of deer hunting (scent, wind, positioning, hopefully field dressing if he has beginners luck). Problem is that his county is shotgun/pistol/muzzleloader only for deer season. I plan on bringing my handgun just in case a deer wanders real close, but I have only hunted deer with a bow or rifle in the past.

I plan on using my 12 gauge auto with an improved cylinder choke...any suggestions for rifled slugs? I'm planning to purchase some extra and head to the range to sight myself into where the gun sends the slugs, but with the price of ammo, any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

-Zach

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First of all double check the regs, more counties were opened to rifle this year

But for shotgun, if you have screw in chokes, see if a rifled one is available in that thread.

Buy a couple different name brand sabot type slugs and see which works best in that gun.
 
If you are not going to get yourself a rifled choke the best case would be the largest choke restriction you have. Let me preface this when I say largest, IC or Open choke would be the the most favorable. It has been a long time since I slug hunted but the best slug you will find it one that is already rifled so the slug can stablize with open chokes. If you were to shoot a rifled choke I would recommend a sabot style slug because the rifling of the choke actually induces the spin of the wadding which is tranfered to the slug as it passes through the choke. I would not shoot a rifled slug through a rifled choke because it might interfere causing the rifle slug to be smeared through the choke removing the rifled flutes of the slug. Damaging the flutes (land and grooves) within the slug may causing tumbling and stablization.

A recommendation is to purchase the Slugger or Slugger High Velocity from Remington. If possible purchase multiple velocities of this load. It will react differently because of lack of stablization produced from a rifled choke. The funny part is that if you pay attention to each shot the slug will actually travel along a cork screw pattern for the first 20 yards or further before stablizing. Thus tightening the grouping as it does stablize. Similar to a arrow out of a bow. If you shoot a 20 yard distance you may notice wider center to center measurements that will be smaller as further distances are acquired as it stablizes. I also highly recommend buying a rifled choke if you plan to shoot at distances above 75 yards. Your pattern will improve substantially but you should consider sabot rounds instead of rifled slugs if you plan to shoot with rifled choke.

In heavy cover I would rather shoot a slug over a rifle. Once you find your proper load per choke they can be just as accurate as a 30 30 in the woods.

Regards,
Kristan
 
Basics (many already covered)

Slugs out of a smooth bore. Roughly good for 75 yrds before you get a pattern instead of a group. Don't shoot sabots because you need to spin them to separate properly. Try shooting multiple brands they will shoot differently.

Slugs out of a rifled choke (my 870 set up) stabilizes a foster style (hollow base/shuttlecock) slug out to 100 yards. My shotgun W/ 1 oz Winchester 2.75" slugs shoot 4" groups at 100 yards. Trajectory limits this combo to 125 yards. This is good enough for my hunting and I've taken approaching 2 dozen deer with it.

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I have not yet seen the need for sabot slugs due to their cost and the limited visibility in my CT woods. If I were hunting open fields I'd mess with them. I also like the rifled choke over the rifled barrel because I can screw in a smooth bore choke for turkey, and the rifle choke is so much easier to clean the plastic and lead fowling out of the lands. Simply drop it into a bottle of solvent for a soak and get at it with a bronze brush.

Scott
 
Boat looks good Zach. I am cutting grass for mine on Sunday and will have it grassed by next weekend. Shoot me a text this week and I will tell you a few tricks I have found to make grassing it easy.
 
Winchester 1 oz slugs in 3" or 2 3/4" work great, used them for as long as I can remember, they are inexpensive work just as good as the pricey ones do!
 
2-3/4" 1oz. rifled slugs. I took a stupid shot many moons ago with a benelli black eagle and a Cyl. choke and dropped my first buck in it's tracks at 167yds offhand. dropped about a ft. and hit him in the spine.

Good luck and shoot straight. Stick to 75yds and you'll do fine.

-D
 
If you dont have a rifled barrel dont bother with the sabots. I have a rifled choke tube in a 24" smooth bore 870 and shooting remington sluggers 2.75 or 3 inch Im comfortable out to 130 or so with iron sights.
 
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