Hickok's Weekly Shotgun Fix

[kham]

Beneli M2 SBS 12 Guage He does like the shorter barrel stuff

I want this guy on my team for the zombie apocalypse. His shooting still blows my mind.

[Mynock]

With modern primers and powder you have no problem hitting maximum velocity in an 18" barrel. If you're duck hunting with bead sights then yea you want the extra length for accuracy but other than that it's just extra weight.
If video games have taught me anything it's don't take a shotgun to a zombie fight unless you have someone to cover you while you're reloading. Keeping the damn thing fed is a pain in the ass and pretty much negates the knockdown power advantage.

[PM2K]

So.... slugs or shot? Any preference?

[kham]

I havent used a shotgun in a long time, but rule of thumb is that slugs hit harder; and kick harder too, but with Hickok, he tends to like that stuff
he was shooting mostly slugs in the vid, with some 00 buck and some birdshot to round things out

[PM2K]

Years ago, I knew a fellow who ran a bear baiting operation, and he'd always bring along his shotgun loaded with slugs in case the hunter he was bringing in botched the job with his target.

[kham]

A lot of guys I know down on the Island use slugs and their shotgun for moose hunting season, since the engagement range in the thick bush isn't that long. For the guys that go out on their ATVs and get out in the open more though, they tend to use .303's mostly

[PM2K]

A lot of guys I know down on the Island use slugs and their shotgun for moose hunting season, since the engagement range in the thick bush isn't that long. For the guys that go out on their ATVs and get out in the open more though, they tend to use .303's mostly

I've heard enough "pissed off charging moose" stories to be wary of going after them with anything less than heavy armament...

[kham]

Yeah, but you want the meat at least, if not the rack too; not reduced to ground beef

No Disintegrations.....

[nachtjaeger]

At home defense ranges (10-20 yards or so) I like 00 buckshot. Every shell fires eight .33 caliber projectiles. If I empty the Remington semiauto, that puts a LOT of lead downrange in a short amount of time. Plus the target(s) will most likely be confined to a doorway, narrow hallway or stairway.

For deer, since I live in the Southern Zone of NY (barely) the only legal combination is shotgun and slug. I carry my single-shot 12 gauge, rifle sights, chambered for 3" magnum shells. It's light, compact, and realistically your first shot (if it misses) is going to spook the target, and blazing away at a moving target is less than effective. Even if hunting deer with buckshot were legal in NY, I wouldn't use it. Odds are you're only going to wound the poor critter, and tracking a wounded deer is no fun physically or emotionally.

So.... slugs or shot? Any preference?

[Mynock]

IMHO there's really no reason to use buckshot on large game. This isn't the 1700's anymore if you need a shot pattern to hit a deer at 50 yards then you need to go home and practice. Slugs are great for anything inside a hundred yards though.
If somebody came up to me and said they wanted to buy only one gun I'd point them in the direction of the Remington 870 or the Mossberg 500. Hunts anything from squirrels to elephants, shoots the engine block out of a car and turns a home invader into a cleanup on aisle 7.