this shortage of buckshot......

hillbille

 got me remembering what my grampa told me years ago. when he was growing up slugs cost a lot more than shotshells and they used to ring the shot shells  to shoot deer. any of you all ever try it???   I did once in an old 870, sliced a number six shot, slid it in the chamber and shot a target about 40 yards away, one single hole in it, don't think I would try more than one, doubt they would feed or eject properly, but  should do fine one at time, or in a double barrell........

Tcatt

My cousin and I were hunting and he asked if I knew what a "hillbille Slug" was, he scored circumference of the plastic case of a 12 ga high brass bird shot round and shot it through an old car door at about 30 yards; looked like a slug, never seen game shot with one but it made a believer out of me.. 

chme

Tcatt- that is commonly called a "cut shell".  It is NOT a wise practice.
When a shell is fired normally, the shell opens out in the space ahead of the chamber that was provided for it to open.  The bore then tapers down to the normal bore size (called the forcing cone) for the shot and the shot cup.  However, when you score around the shell and fire, the front part of the shell is driven into the forcing cone, which is not sized to receive the added thickness of the hull.  Best case circumstances- you just jumped pressures WAY up, and are adding wear and tear to your gun at a pretty high rate.  Worst case- the separate hull opens in the bore, cup and shot leave bore, the cut off hull is stuck in the bore- waiting for your next shell to blow the barrel.


For everybody that says "I know so and so that has done that for years."  Yep, people do it.  Still does not make it safe or smart.  Just- if you're gonna do that- would you mind moving over THERE so I don't get splashed with your body fluids?  Seeing the stains on my shirt always makes me sad....

Ditch-Runner

 as a kid I remember my southern kinfolk telling me they would drop a marble on top the shell ( down the barrel ) when deer hunting  more than a few told me they did it . I do not know the true results but seemed like a common "slug" to use for the group   
 JMHO in a shotgun it seems to me that was not a good idea and I will never do it , but I never heard one say the blew up there gun doing it 

jimdeere

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meUmkpFIGIw&feature=share

chiefr

Reloading 101 problem solved

SCOUT5

I've shot them through single shots.   Old Paper hulls were easier to ring than that plastic ones.  Effective, but limited in range  due to accuracy, but foster style slugs have limited range anyway.   They will take deer and I'm sure could be used on larger critters but the shot cup and hull will come apart and they will not penetrate like a slug.  If you cut the plastic hulls enough to make sure the shot leaves as one unit you will not be able to run these out of a magazine in a pump or semi-auto gun.  They need to be loaded single shot in to the chamber.

A handy thing to know if you need it but that's the extent of it.

SCOUT5

KenK/84Bravo said:

I've got plenty of 00 Buck, and even more #4 Buck.

Pretty sure all the #4 Heavy Field loads I have would be adequate as well.

Some time back a forum member (shootuadeal)  offered ammo cans containing 175 rounds (five 25 round boxes)  of federal 00 buck at a good price.  I still have 125 rounds of those and probably another 75 rounds of other 00 and #4 buck.   Then there is 225 rounds of 12ga remington copper solids and about 100 rounds of foster style slugs.  That doesn't count the 20ga stuff.   I'm good on heavy shotgun loads.   If I get down to needing to ring shells things have really went to hell.

Butchdog2

I have a nice SP-10 and plenty of 3 1/2 00 buckshot to go along with it, slugs to. If the wrong people show I will be glad to share.