Slug hunting Plains Game and Dangerous Game?

[Zack Young]

Is it feasible/safe to hunt plains game with slugs? would 12ga be appropriate?

 

[BRICKBURN]

No sane person is going to allow you to hunt DG with a slug gun.

Why would you want to use a slug on PG?

 

[Zack Young]

I wouldn't it was just curiosity since people hunt NA game with slug guns. Though since the dark continent seems to demand a different breed of hunting rifle in general it doesn't surprise me that a slug gun wouldn't work.

 

[BRICKBURN]

You could use it on PG. Just have to be sneaky.

 

[Red Leg]

I have used a William Evans 12 bore SxS "Paradox" in Africa. As I have mentioned in another thread, I shot franklin, doves, and two warthog from the same waterhole in Namibia with it. This is a pre WWI gun chambered and proofed for the 2.5 " 1 1/8 ounce load. It's 740 gr solid lead "bullet" at modest velocity will kill darn near anything out to about 125 meters (it shoots a 4 shot 3-inch composite LXR group at 100 meters) . I would not use it on DG, but I also would not feel unarmed nudging that bead into the crease behind a dagga boy's shoulder. A whole bunch of intrepid young British officers slew a ton of game with these combo guns at the turn of the last century. Would I take a modern slug gun as my primary weapon on a modern safari - of course not - but would it work? Absolutely.

 

[Mr. 16 gauge]

I think that the problem you would have with using a slug gun on plains game is that most slug guns with rifled barrels, rifled sights, etc are repeaters, such as pumps and semiautos, which are difficult to import in most instances. The other is that of range: Do you really want to be sitting there with a slug gun when a large kudu bull appears 225 yards away? The slug will have a rainbow trajectory and loose a LOT of it's energy after 100 yards.
Could a slug take plains game within reasonable ranges? Absolutely......but why limit yourself if you don't have to.

Can't speak for DG......I've heard that in the distant past that shotguns with 00 buckshot were used when following up wounded lions and leopards, but I don't know if that is B.S. or not........and I'm sure that there are better options out there.

 

[Jwg223]

No sane person is going to allow you to hunt DG with a slug gun.

Why would you want to use a slug on PG?

Why not? Serious question. When you respond, please understand that the largest thing I've killed is a smallish deer, I've never been to Africa, and the closest I've come to a Lion is at the zoo, but based on what I know of terminal ballistics, what makes a 12ga repeating firearm loaded with Brenneke slugs a bad choice for a hunt where distances won't exceed 100 yards?

I mean, it's a 3/4" projectile that penetrates almost 3 feet...how is this inadequate? Didn't they used to kill those things with sharp sticks "back in the day"?

 

[rookhawk]

Because slugs are usually lead, by design they create trauma for a relatively fast death.

Fast death is insufficient for dangerous game. The buffalo of other DG will thoroughly kill you before it dies. A slug doesn't turn a charge.

You need a soft/solid first shot as appropriate and remaining shots with solids.

 

[BRICKBURN]

Why not? ................

Firearms
MINIMUM 5400 Joule for buffalo,elephant,rhino etc. .

A typical Remington 12 gauge Shotgun slug has 2989 FT Lbs of energy AT THE MUZZLE


The Brenneke MAGNUM slug has 3014 FT LBS at the MUZZLE.

THEY ARE ILLEGAL and Inadequate for DG.

You want to use them on PG. Go for it.
I hunt with slugs at home all the time. Deer and Elk, no problem.

 

[rookhawk]

I was just thinking of this.

An excellent slug Chronys at the muzzle at 1725 (accutip 20g 3", the best there ever was) and its sabotted. Brenneke and the rest are worse. They all correlate really well to a traditional 1880s 450 or 500 black powder express. Similar velocity, similar results with cast lead bullets at about 1400-1550 fps. Obviously much more accurate having a bullet over a slug though.

I direct the readers to Pondoro Taylor's African Game Rifles. He has a nice section describing the demise of many men shooting just such cartridges back in the day. You too can feel what it's like to be killed by DG.

Exception: im not suggesting nitro for black guns with excellent jacketed bullets are the same as BPE with soft cast bullets.

 

[BRICKBURN]

................ You too can feel what it's like to be killed by DG.
....

It will be a Once in a Lifetime Experience though!

 

[Jwg223]

So DG means rhino and cape? I thought it meant much thinner, like lion and the like.

 

[rookhawk]

DG means dangerous game. Most consider that to be the dangerous 7 at minimum: croc, hippo, lion, leopard, elephant, rhino, buffalo.

Some might even include giraffe and bushbuck to that list, the former because they are thick skinned and the latter because they can be quite dangerous if wounded.

 

[Jwg223]

DG means dangerous game. Most consider that to be the dangerous 7 at minimum: croc, hippo, lion, leopard, elephant, rhino, buffalo.

Some might even include giraffe and bushbuck to that list, the former because they are thick skinned and the latter because they can be quite dangerous if wounded.

I'd not take a 12ga after a croc, hippo, elephant, rhino, or buffalo, but against a Bushbuck, Lion, or Leopard, why would it be a poor choice?

 

[Odinsraven]

A South African friend use's 12ga slug for bushpig ..but where he hunts would scare a brave daemon high corn or maze and ranges are measured in feet ....

Yep there are probably a couple of situations where it would work .....but they are limited .

Another friend wanted to take an ostrich with a shotgun one week in a tree and he got his ostrich with bb shot ....

So yes can be done anything is possible just day fees and time .......

 

[BRICKBURN]

I'd not take a 12ga after a croc, hippo, elephant, rhino, or buffalo, but against a Bushbuck, Lion, or Leopard, why would it be a poor choice?

Bushbuck are plains game. Looks like a deer, it's plains game.

There are plenty of folks who follow up Leopard with a shotgun when they are in the thick crap. However, they are likely using BUCKSHOT in the hopes of More pellets more hope on a fast moving target.

Lions and Leopard are thin skinned.
You may also notice that your skin is a little on the thin side. So, is the PH's.

 

[rookhawk]

No disagreement that bushbuck are plains game. The topic was shotguns and use in dangerous situations. Bushbuck and Even duiker are occasionally followed up with buckshot in cover because when wounded, they can become dangerous in manner not encountered with other plains game regularly.

Old leopard medicine was a ten gauge side by side and 0000 buck. (Nine .38 caliber balls I believe?)

 

[billc]

To answer your question and not pretend to know everything about hunting. Yes you could hunt plains game with a slug gun and in some countries maybe dangerous game also but never really looked in those laws.

Now it is not the sexy pick of weapons so many like to bring into the talk of hunting. It would be the same as hunting with a muzzle loader or a bow. Keep the range with in reason and the animal will be as dead as dead can be. If you can kill animals with one shot from a bow or muzzleloader not sure why a slug will not work also. Bow/muzzleloader one shot slug gun more then a few in the gun to follow up right away also.

 

[ArmyGrunt]

Bushbuck are plains game. Looks like a deer, it's plains game.

There are plenty of folks who follow up Leopard with a shotgun when they are in the thick crap. However, they are likely using BUCKSHOT in the hopes of More pellets more hope on a fast moving target.

Lions and Leopard are thin skinned.
You may also notice that your skin is a little on the thin side. So, is the PH's.

That adrenaline dump! Both were probably exhausted for days after

 

[IvW]

Nothing wrong with hunting plains game with slugs.

Ginger van Zyl shot n Cape Buffalo with a Brenneke slug that was harassing locals and eating their crops. He had filled his licence and was close to a village doing some bird hunting, when some locals aproached him and asked if he could sort out a problem buffalo.(They had a permit to shoot it but no rifle). Not wanting to go all the way back to camp he decided to give the slug a go in his shotgun. He got close(actually stalked it from behind one of the hut's) and put the slug just behind the front leg, slightly quartering away. The bull gave a few steps backward and fell over, dead.

Would I recommend it for buffalo, NO. But it has been done.

Brenneke slugs offer the best penetration of all in 12ga.

When I started my hunting career I bought a 375 H&H on a Brno XKK 602 action. I shot everything with it and used it for back-up on many hunts. As things progressed to more dangerous game hunting, I stepped up to a 500 Jeff.
On one leopard hunt we had to follow up as the cat was wounded. The result was one of the follow up party got nailed by the cat and looked like he had been playing with a chainsaw. That day I decided a bolt action is not the thing for following up leopard. There is no time to reload, so with a bolt you mostly have one shot.

I decided a double was needed as you had an instant second shot. Only problem was I could not afford one. I did have a Brno sidelock sxs 12ga shotgun. So I started experimenting with it using slugs. All different kinds I tried. The best performing on game animals and giving the best penetration were the Brenneke slugs. (They actually over penetrate when used on bushpigs and when hunting bushpigs with hounds in maize crops I use cheaper spanish slugs that do not exit on bush pigs-for fear of hitting another hunter or a dog).

These slugs proved to be so effective and after shooting Gemsbuck, Bluewildebeest, quite a few impala, many warthogs and bushpigs. Longest shot was 87 yards on a one horned impala ram.
I took my double project one step further.

I shortened the barrels from 28 inches to 24 inches, fitted a front site and fitted a ghost ring site at the back.

I now had my leopard back up gun and I carried it on a few follow ups and it is a dream to handle. I still use it for hunting bushpigs in the the thick stuff.

The slugs being so effective I bought two combination guns that became available from above mentioned Uncle Ginger. One in 9.3 x 74R/12ga for myself and one in 7 x 65R/12ga for my 12 year old son. We use these all the time on our bushpig/warthog hunts with excellent results.

Forget about buckshot for hunting/back-up on leopard or bushpigs. They lack the penetration needed, only use slugs. For smaller thin skinned game you can use buckshot(bush buck), AAA duiker size, No.1 smaller duiker.

With slugs, I will use them and have in the past, and had no issues using them. No problem on Leopard or lioness, big male lion may be a different story on a charge situation.

When hunting with slugs you need to remember you are limited on distance and in my case to open sights. If you are patient, enjoy the challenge and practice beforehand and you can use slugs with very good effect.

Not the best option for a African safari, but if you have another primary rifle and want to pack a slug gun for fun and some hunting, no problems pack it in and have fun, you may well be surprised.