Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa Shotgun slugs on big game?

This may be an old topic, but I could not find it; Has anyone used any of the modern slugs as a primary means of taking big game? Curious as to how a sabot or all copper slug would due on large plains game or even Cape Buffalo

I took a buck on saturday,80 yds,2 3/4 lightfield,good shot but the slig didn't exit,found it under the skin on the other side.

just one example

If you go back into the Field & Stream archives far enough, Bob Brister, on a bet, used a Brennke slug to take a Cape Buf. using his Pirazze with no special sights. It's doable if you are up to it.

I believe that a lot of the current, saboted, slugs are intended to expand to a large frontal area, which is great for deer, but might not be so desirable for larger game. An exception was the original BRI, which as I remember was sometimes criticized as being "too hard" for deer.

Wouldn't be my cup of tea..I suspect anyone that would do that, or suggest its possible, has probably never seen a buffalo up close or is just showing off his arrogance with a stunt, and putting himself in harms way and thats Ok, he gets whatever he deserves, but its unfair to the PH, who is either totally unfit for his profession, very young, or very hungry. Not to mention the poor trackers and camp staff that happens to be along for the ride. I mean if you want a stunt then kill the damn thing with a spear, or 22 L.R. no different..it can be done if your willing to risk it.

Not looking to pull a stunt, just curious is all.

In one of Capstick's books, he extolls the virtues of shotguns on dangerous game at very close ranges, and says he killed a buff with a shotgun just to see if it could be done.

In which book did Capstick tell of taking a buff with a shotgun? I recall his selling of the scattergun for Leopard follow up, and of using a slightly smaller shot size to better effect, but I don't recall the buff...

IIRC, PHC endorsed using a 12 gauge shotgun and buckshot for following up wounded leopards, I don't remember anything about him killing a cape buffalo with a shotgun, just with a spear made out of the leaf spring from a truck. I got the impression, rightly or wrongly, that using a shotgun and buckshot on wounded leopards is a generally accepted practice because of the very close ranges involved and the light construction of a leopard.

The only shotguns that I saw in Botswana were a couple of old 12 bore SxS Greeners that had seen better days (and which could have used a good cleaning) and a Belgian Browning A-5 with a 30" solid rib full choke barrel.

Jeff

I grew up in a state where buckshot and shotguns were taboo for deer hunting....state STILL DOESN'T ALLOW IT. I also now spend some time in a state hunting WITH buckshot because it's a shotgun only state.....having said that.....I'm still amazed at how it will flat knock the snot out of a running deer at close range (less than 50 yards)....and slugs just more of the same.

Doubt I would use a slug as primary weapon if I could use a rifle but send me into the pucker brush after wounded anything short of a buffalo or possibly a big brownie and I would love a nice shotgun loaded with buckshot AND slugs and would not feel undergunned at all.

I read this article myself, many years ago; I forgot the name of the author though. I do remember that the slug broke up. Part of the slug did penetrate the heart and kill the buff. However, it was a short range, broad side shot under perfect conditions. If I recall correctly, the takeaway was that while possible under ideal conditions, the performance wasn't convincing enough to make the practice sensible.

IIRC, for a while someone made a shotgun slug that was steel, sort of looked like an elongiated 8, and had lead driving bands. They had photos of it penetrating something like 55 Chevy bumpers. That would solve the breakup/penetration problem and with modern powders you could probably push it up to about 1400 fps.

Or just look at the shotgun from hell thread on several forums. They are turning a shotguns into a .729 cal rifle.

I would use a shotgun with buckshot for leopard, but not a slug.

I would bet money that you CANNOT stop a Cape buffalo charge with a shotgun, especially buck shot, but even a slug does not have the penetration for a head on shot..many a local village poacher has bit the dust using shotguns in Africa, and many a PH has paid the price of stumbling on a buff that has been shot with a shotgun, and was in a nasty mood. In fact on my last hunt in Tanzania Richard Lemmer and his hunter walked up on a bedded cow buff that had been shot in the face with a slug and she turned them both upside down before the hunter shot her in the leg and Richard shot her in the head with a solid out of his .458 Ackley..On that same hunt I saw a buff take a chest shot with my 470 N.E. and another with a 458 Ackley by Lemmer. We traked that bull and lost him only to find him the next day about 7 miles from where we shot him, the lions killed him that night, A buff can take more killing than any animal that I know of..

Again those that have not been there are commenting on things they have no clue about IMO...

I believe you....I KNOW how tough domestic cattle are...except for the ones you DON'T want to die....and imagine a pizzed off buff is even tougher. My last encounter left me wishing I was holding 50 cal browning on full auto instead of the piddly CO2 dart gun.....

Anyone ever try the slugs from Dixie? Some real badass stuff there, I think they would penetrate. Not what I would chose,of course, but I bet it would work pretty well. A regular slug,or the sabots I'd put no faith in at all. Dixie also has a Tri-Ball load, three full bore balls each of about 350gr.,if I recall. That might be good for leopards or something,I'd like to try it on a good size back bear and see how it does. Can't get them here in Canada, some one should try them and give us a report!

Not enough umph behind the weight. Trying to drive clean through a strip mall with a semi going 5mph you can't expect to hit that damn hollister in the middle. Point being, big rifles were made for a reason. Slugs only make shotguns slightly more versatile, but a 650 grain slug being pushed by what you can load into a 12 gauge casing is really gonna have trouble making it into big and dangerous games "boiler rooms".

I dont know nothing about nothing in terms of African game, or even big game beyond deer. However, i have fired slugs and buck enough to have formed some opinions.

at very close range, buckshot IMO is devastating to thin skinned game, but, again IMO, with the average set-up, even 50 yards is really pushing the envelope.

While th ebore size of a slug is CRAZY overkill for deer, I think a lot of projectiles have been designed primarily with thin skinned (deer) in mind. The brenekke solids (maybe sabots too, I am not sure) seem to be an exception, among possibly others.

Obviously this post is basically redundant, and you can file it in the "yeah everyone knows that" file. A recent experience this saturday prompted me to post. Below...

I hunt mostly ML now, but when I use shotgun its either brenneke full bore or remington copper solids, since I get good-enough accuracy (relative) and excellent results with them. I witnessed someone shoot a 101 pound deer quartering towards, in the shoulder with a 12g remington copper solid. It hit the front shoulder and exited about 2 or 3" later on the same shoulder. BLew out a baseball sized hole. 70 yards. Deer fell but was most certainly not down and out. Just a huge urface wound. NOT the performance you expect in the least form a big hunk of solid copper. (Though it was the first time I havent had terrific results with one.)

OK, so the point of my post is, IMO (and IME?) I'd think LONG and HARD about which projectile you use when considering a 12g on any game larger and tougher than a deer.

Don't know if it was the same article, but in the one that I read the buff was shot from the hunting vehicle. They then drove away and watched from a safe distance.