Why do people use shotgun slugs?
February 18th, 2010 by eranio
What exactly is the purpose of using a slug? Wouldn’t it be better to just use a rifle with a bullet? I thought the whole purpose of shotguns was their spread. Is it just to make shotguns multi-functional?
Posted in used shotguns
February 18th, 2010 at 3:02 am
Some hunting areas are small enough to make using a rifle dangerous, so the short ranged, but powerful slug is the solution many states enacted. There is also the thought that forcing the hunter to use a short ranged weapon gives the animal a better sporting chance.
February 18th, 2010 at 3:02 am
Short range in populated areas. With lots of Knock down power. Good were a rifle might cary into a populated area. For hunting. Or there are lots of other hunters.
February 18th, 2010 at 3:02 am
A hunter may be in an area (wooded) after rabbits / birds while he/she may in the off chance see a moose/caribou/etc.-big game and be the holder of a big game licence .
So with the slug/slugs will be able to fill the licence requirement .Hence the need for one gun.
Its often that rabbit/bird hunters while setting traps/slips will quietly encounter large game ,so many of them hunt that way on a regular basis. lol -No grass growing under their feet.
February 18th, 2010 at 3:02 am
one other reason is to give the shotgun extended range so you would not need 2 guns
February 18th, 2010 at 3:02 am
Slugs generally only have a range of a 100yrds while a high powered rifle can reach out for miles. So their safer to use in areas that is close to homes.
February 18th, 2010 at 3:02 am
some states dont allow the use of rifles because they are so flat, so they let people use slugs instead… other than that i would use a rifle 10 out of 10 times
February 18th, 2010 at 3:02 am
First economics. Some folks just use what that they have.
Second, a slug is plenty fire power for close range hunting in thick woods where shots are under 100 yards.
Third in populated areas some thing that doesn’t go 4miles is a good idea.
Forth, some states and areas don’t let folks hunt with rifles.
Dave
February 18th, 2010 at 3:02 am
Daniel,
The answer is really very simple. You cannot view this from a modern concept. The early settlers and frontiersmen needed one weapon that could do it all. They could not afford, nor could they carry two long guns. They hunted for food and not by legal seasons, so they needed to just choose the proper shell for the game encountered. Besides the .69 caliber slug out of a 12 Gauge at close range will get a Brown Bears attention, so you can just imagine what it does to two legged varmints.
February 18th, 2010 at 3:02 am
the purpose of a slug is to give a shotgun the ability to shoot a single, large projectile for big game hunting, givving more precision and power then shot.
there’s two reasons for using a shotgun to hunt with:
one is that they’re hunting two different game animals at once like game birds and deer but don’t want to carry a second gun(a shotgun and a rifle) and don’t want to spend to have a rifle/shotgun combo, or they can’t afford to have two firearms, so they take slugs with their shotguns, also, most slugs are bigger and harder hitting at close range(brush hunting) then most rifle cartridges and bullets, so they’re good for brush bucking(shooting through brush without the bullet deflecting, this phenomenon is actually fact, check the box o’ truth link below).
the other reason is state and county laws, some places don’t allow rifles for hunting or at least for only a limited time, then they have a shotgun season(shotgun shot and slugs travel to shorter distances then a bullet, so they make shotguns the only useable gun for hunting deer, etc), this is why the rifled shotgun has because as popular as it is, since a rifled shotgun is still considered a shotgun and it legal to hunt with a rifled barrel and sabot slugs, these shotguns can have ranges of around 200 yards, compared to 80 to 100 at most with regular rifled slug through a smoothbore barrel.
February 18th, 2010 at 3:02 am
Some counties in many states are shotgun only…. Here in upstate New York there are several counties that require shotgun only during deer season….
Yes a rifle would seem to make more sense but in populated states with lots of hunters in the woods a shotgun really isn’t a bad idea…..
February 18th, 2010 at 3:02 am
here in jersey there is no rifle hunting just muzzle load and shotgun but u need a rifle permit to use a muzzle load go figure so i use a sabot slug for my 1100 can still drop em at 150 yards
February 18th, 2010 at 3:02 am
Short range hunting where alot of knockdown power is needed.
February 18th, 2010 at 3:02 am
The state I live in laws say its mandatory to hunt deer with shotgun slugs or sabots.
Other reasons… They are cheap, they are powerful, they are versatile, and you can afford to only have one gun to hunt many types of game if you choose.
February 18th, 2010 at 3:02 am
If u have a shotgun and don’t want 2 own a rifle than wala!!! U have the slug.