Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting 20 Gauge

We have an area here in Wisconsin where we are required to use shotguns or pistols. We have used 20 ga. Trackers by H&R. Our have rifled barrels and shoot well with 3" Federal Barnes Expanders or 3" Winchester Supreme Partition Gold.
Here is buck that pretty much expired on the spot.

I'm thinking about getting a tracker but my USH shoots so good for me. I have two 20 gauge slug guns, one being a Remington 870 smoothbore which shoots pretty good also. I guess I could just get a rifled barrel for it. Heck I could get a rifled tracker barrel for the USH.

I suspect you'll need to try several kinds, which will involve considerable expense and recoil. A friend and I have identical 20 gauge T/C Encores. His prefers the Remington Copper Solid, so that's what I started with. In my gun it was mediocre at best, with about 5-6" groups at 100 yards.

I had to try several other brands and configurations before I ran across the best load for my barrel: the 2 3/4" Remington Accu-Tip. It will plunk them inside of 2" all day, and I've taken a couple deer out past 150 yards with ease.

For my money, the 20 gauge Encore is the best slug "rifle" available.

Rod

Where legal, the 260-grain Partition Gold load from Winchester usually shoots very well and works great on deer.

I once helped another hunter track down a wounded buck in Iowa, and managed to hit the buck again (unfortunately not fatally) at around 225 yards. But the shot did put the buck on the ground within 100 yards, and when he tried to rise another shot from about 40 yards went through both shoulders and ended it right there.

From the rifled barrel of my T/C Contender carbine it groups about 2" at 100.

I finally got out with the TC today.I am using the factory open sights.
I ran 4 different slugs through it all were 2 3/4.The Rackmasters were the most accurate at 50 yd.putting 2 shots in the bull.Hornady SST and Remington Copper Solids grouped well but high.
The 4th were Challenger Magnums that are made here in Quebec.They are definitely magnum, noticeably more recoil than the others .They grouped 6 " high and left of the bull.They also grouped the tightest with 3 shots touching.They were also the cheapest.

I noticed that I was having trouble centering the front sight which would account for hitting to the left.The gun definitely prefers the Challengers followed by the Rack Masters.These are also the hardest to find and I have to pick one or the other because they have such different trajectory.
But it's all fun.

Glenn

I've used the 12ga 3" Federal Barnes Expanders for years without complaint. Accurate and very deadly. However, this year I'll be using the Remington Accu-tips 'cause they shoot even better!

As for on-game performance, I'll letcha know later.

WN