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Are slugs viable for HD in an S-12?


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well with a smoothbore, slug performance will vary. stay away from slugs designed for a rifled barrel. performance will likely be poor. try looking into the DDuplex rounds. expanding shotgun ammo. less likely to overpenetrate your walls and leave the house. i havent shot any through my mossberg, but my buddies 870 shot them very well. a tad pricey though.

Edited by Captain Hero
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I don't use slugs for HD.

Not because I've three kids in the house and fear over penetration of interior walls, which I do.

But because slugs stand a good chance of exiting the house completely, and I don't want/need that liability.

Of course buck does have that chance, but its a damned sight slimmer.

 

For HD, I keep a 5rd mag of Fioochi Nickel Plated High Velocity #4 Buck in the gun, bolt back... Slap the BC handle, tap the safety down and ready to go.

Have a 10rd mag of 00, ready to grab next to it. Plus I keep my XD9 ready with a TLR-2, and my wife keeps'er Bersa on her side of the bed.

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Plus I keep my XD9 ready with a TLR-2.

I keep my Ruger SR9 (full of GoldDots) with a TLR-2 right at bed side. I thought about having the S-12 as my first line of defense, but even though I keep the factory 5 loaded with 3" 00 in it with the bolt open really close, I don't believe I'd ever grab it first and go. It's just too easy to move with the Ruger and all I have to do is put the red dot where I want it and squeeze..

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Slugs at 20? I have no problem putting a good grouping in a target at 50 yards with my S12. Next time I go to the range I intend to stretch it out to 100 yards and see what happens.

 

BTW, I use the Winchester Super X slugs off the shelf at Wal Mart....

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Thanks for the input guys. I like the sound of the DDuplex rounds that expand. No kids in the house, so that's not a concern. One buddy suggestedI choke it a bit so it patterns right for "hallway sweeping". My Win 1897 is full choke and it patterns tight at 20 yds, so I think I'll see what I can try between full choke and no choke. I've had others suggest #4 shot so I think I'll load a few and go try that also. Appreciate the help.

Edited by dharmabum
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HD is going to be very close range most of the time. Probably difficult to justify long range self defense in most cases.

IMHO there is no need to tighten the pattern for buck, it won't really spread out much with Cyl-bore close range anyway.

It should spread out a little bit to most effective.

 

I don't see a slug as shooting a "pattern" since it's a single projectile.

With slugs you are back to consistency and groups as with a rifle.

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I wouldnt keep a mag loaded with slugs unless I lived somewhere where bears were an issue. But I tell you what, I wouldnt want to get shot in the face or chest (or anywhere for that matter) with bird shot from across any room in my house. At that close range it hardly has time to spread. So a 3" #6 would sure do some damage if thats all you had or were seriously worried about over penetration. All that being said, I keep 2 mags loaded with Hornady Critical Defence 2 3/4" 00 buck. No kids here and I live in a house with redwood plank walls and about 100 years of paint and wallpaper layered up.

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I've got a magazine full of copper-matrix frangible slugs that look like they'd be pretty darn effective without being able to shoot through 2.5 houses.

 

Though granted this is mostly because I'm too lazy to go out and buy some good buck.

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these are the slugs i was talking about. they actually fragment. for those concerned about slugs leaving the house, this may dramatically reduce that chance. for those interested, this is where i get my ammo.

 

http://www.ammunitiontogo.com/product_info.php/pName/5rds-12-gauge-ddupleks-2-34-1-18oz-expanding-shotgun-ammo/cName/12-gauge-slug

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Slugs are probably the Most powerful load you can put in your 12ga. I have shot slugs at a vehicle and they reliably go through both sides of the vehicle, regardless of hitting seats or other interior items. They Will exit your house!! Possibly even after going through the bad guy! If you are out in the Sticks that is no problem, but in any other situations, there is no intruder that 00 buck won't stop. Check one of the HUNDREDS of threads on HD rounds that have been posted here and you will find lots of info.

P.S. never use birdshot for anything but BIRDS!!

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Slugs are probably the Most powerful load you can put in your 12ga. I have shot slugs at a vehicle and they reliably go through both sides of the vehicle, regardless of hitting seats or other interior items. They Will exit your house!! Possibly even after going through the bad guy! If you are out in the Sticks that is no problem, but in any other situations, there is no intruder that 00 buck won't stop. Check one of the HUNDREDS of threads on HD rounds that have been posted here and you will find lots of info.

P.S. never use birdshot for anything but BIRDS!!

 

i agree rob, slugs are brutal. and 00 buck is a force to be reckoned with. i actually keep my 500 loaded with the hornady critical defense loads or the superformance. the only difference in the two are the hull color. CD is black and the SF is red. same loads. full power.

 

it would take one hell of a man to live through a single shot, center of mass from a 12ga. 00 buck inside of 10yds. might as well be a direct muzzle blast.

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Here's a couple pics of my HD setup:

 

win13005ver2.jpg

 

win130011.jpg

 

With 7 in the tube, 1 in the pipe, a full shell-carrier on the stock, and the SideSaddle on the receiver, that's 19 shells total, and the Win 1300's still plenty light enough to be handy.

 

In the above pics, it's all 00 buck except for 2 Federal slugs in the rear shell-carrier; brass-up, (the forwardmost 00 buck shell in the SideSaddle is brass-up as well, ready for emergency reload), to make a quick slug change-over easier, (load through the ejection port).

 

As reliable as my S-12 is, the pump is that much moreso, and if I lost it for some reason, (e.g. seized as "evidence"), it wouldn't sting as much.

 

ymmv.

Edited by post-apocalyptic
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