Ballistics Help

[BryanOney]

Proposed hunting rifles that can possibly be used in Ohio next year in gun season which has previously been slug only are the following calibers: .357 Magnum, .357 Maximum, .38 Special, .375 Super Magnum, .375 Winchester, .38-55, .41 Long Colt, .41 Magnum, .44 Special, .44 Magnum, .444 Marlin, .45 ACP, .45 Colt, .45 Long Colt, .45 Winchester Magnum, .45 Smith & Wesson, .454 Casull, .460 Smith & Wesson, .45-70, .45-90, .45-110, .475 Linebaugh, .50-70, .50-90, .50-100, .50-110 and .500 Smith & Wesson. Does anyone know if any of these calibers are ballistically superior to 12 or 20 gauge slugs. Thanks

[Kegbelly]

Most of those look like pistol cartridges or big, relatively slow-moving rifle cartridges, what I'd think of as short range loads. Some of them i've never heard of. There can be considerable differences within each cartridge also, depending on bullet weight and type, charge, etc. If there are certain calibers you have in mind, most manufacturers list ballistic data for their factory ammo. Not much help but that's a pretty big list to try to compare and there are so many variations and ammo choices within each caliber. I know a few guys use a 45-70 for their brush guns, it lobs a big hunk of lead downrange but IMO it's a 100 yard gun, it starts dropping pretty fast when you get out past 100 yds. Most of the ones you listed will. The benefit is it lobs a big hunk of lead downrange , if you hit a deer good odds are its going down. I'm not suggesting that one BTW, I just mentioned it because I'm more familiar with it than the others. Good luck with whatever you choose.

edited to add you might gain an edge in accuracy with some of the rifle cartridges, but some of the slug guns out there now, even modern muzzle loaders, they shoot as accurately as a good rifle out to certain distances.

[wabi]

Buddy of mine is looking for a Ruger #1 in .460 S&W.
He's researched plenty and tells me it should have a "point blank" range (no correction needed for trajectory to keep shots in the kill zone) of 250 yards for whitetails when zeroed at 200 yards.

[James Hutchison]

Bryan the best choice of calibers listed for me would be the 45-70. That said a modern rifled 12 ga slug gun with good optics and practice would be hard to beat out to 200yds by any of those cartridges. If you are comparing shotgun vs those calibers for a one time "do all" purchase, extra barrels for the slug gun will give you the option of bird and small game hunting.

[Bullzeye]

Some of those calibers have long disappeared, I like the 45-70 but am biased because I have one, but also because its been around a 100+ years and will never go obsolete like some of the other calibers you mentioned, so if you do not reload your own ammo it is readily available, the Hornady FTX is a great hunting bullet.

If you do reload, the 45-70 is a reloaders dream and is extremely versatile. My shots are always 100 yards and under but I'd say keep shots under 200 and your good to go.

[hillHuntR]

You might also read about some of the wildcat cartridges now in use in Indiana like a .358 Hoosier that fit our legal requirements...maybe not Ohio's? I heard they kick like mules but can reach out there. Lot of good calibers on the list though.

My shots have all been 100yds and less to date.... I have found the 44 magnum makes me very happy... more than adequate, and light on recoil. Wish they had been legal when I was a kid. But max range is 120yds WITH practice from what I have read

[Boo]

Bryan the best choice of calibers listed for me would be the 45-70. That said a modern rifled 12 ga slug gun with good optics and practice would be hard to beat out to 200yds by any of those cartridges. If you are comparing shotgun vs those calibers for a one time "do all" purchase, extra barrels for the slug gun will give you the option of bird and small game hunting.

X2 on this one. Even 20 gauge slugs will do the job to 200 yards.

[yooper_man]

I once had a 12" Thompson Center Encore barrel in 454 Casull, which was an easy 150 yard pistol. The 460 S&W Magnum stretches this distance to 200 yards in the right hands.

Luckily I don't have a state that restricts cartridges. My Thompson Center pistol frame wears a 15" 338 Federal barrel with a Leupold FX-II 2x20mm scope.

If it were me, I would pick a 20" 460 S&W Magnum Katahdin barrel for my Encore.

I also like the 375 Winchester, 38-55 Winchester and 45-70 Government.

Andrew

[Boo]

Here's a couple of quotes from http://www.shootingtimes.com/2010/09/23 ... rt_201007/


As is apparent from the ballistics comparison chart on page 56, top-performing premium 20-gauge sabot slug loads today provide velocity and energy that surpass full-power major-manufacturer .454 Casull handgun ammunition of the same bullet weight and also equal or exceed the velocity and energy of both traditional and modern high-velocity .45-70 Gov’t. rifle loads carrying substantially heavier bullets.

As an example, consider Federal’s current 275-grain Expander Tipped 20-gauge sabot load at 1,900 fps nominal velocity. Sighted-in for maximum point-blank range on an 8-inch-diameter target (the approximate diameter of a whitetail deer’s vital area), the maximum 4-inch rise over line of sight is at 95 yards, dead zero comes at 167 yards, and drop below 4 inches comes at 195 yards. Drop at 200 yards is less than an inch more. Again, this is very similar to the trajectory of a modern high-velocity .45-70 rifle, and again, nobody has ever said the .45-70 was not an effective 200-yard deer-slayer. By comparison, the drop of a 12-gauge sabot slug load is more than twice that

Read more:

http://www.shootingtimes.com/2010/09/23 ... z2skl7gQPo

[RexKay]

I shoot my 1187 DeerSlayer with Honady 20 ga slugs. It's a sniper semi shotgun for Souther Michigan. 2x7 Leupold...dead nuts. I even take it up north in the rifle zone.. The Hornadys perform well.. 200 yard.all 5. On the paper plate.

[Limbs and Sticks]

In the shot gun world 20ga slugs out shoots 12ga and 99% of the cal. mention in this thread, they all get the job done, my personal pick 260gr dead center and 100grs of blackhorn powder in 45cal.


Wes

[Boo]

In the shot gun world 20ga slugs out shoots 12ga and 99% of the cal. mention in this thread, they all get the job done, my personal pick 260gr dead center and 100grs of blackhorn powder in 45cal.


Wes

Yep, I've not had a chance to shoot those past 200 yards but from the accuracy of that at 200 I'm sure it will go well beyond the 200 mark, especially out of my Savge.

[Limbs and Sticks]

In the shot gun world 20ga slugs out shoots 12ga and 99% of the cal. mention in this thread, they all get the job done, my personal pick 260gr dead center and 100grs of blackhorn powder in 45cal.


Wes

Yep, I've not had a chance to shoot those past 200 yards but from the accuracy of that at 200 I'm sure it will go well beyond the 200 mark, especially out of my Savge.

Well over 200 and in the right hands very very accurate

[Boo]

In the shot gun world 20ga slugs out shoots 12ga and 99% of the cal. mention in this thread, they all get the job done, my personal pick 260gr dead center and 100grs of blackhorn powder in 45cal.


Wes

Yep, I've not had a chance to shoot those past 200 yards but from the accuracy of that at 200 I'm sure it will go well beyond the 200 mark, especially out of my Savge.

Well over 200 and in the right hands very very accurate

So you haven't shot past 50 yards?

[Bones]

12ga. bps , cantilevered topped with a leupold ultimate slam, Hornady sst's. Someone had to stickup for the 12ga.