20g slug for bear?

[bankwalker]

what are your oppinions on using a 20g with a slug for bear? im looking at hunting the west side of highway 18 which is firearm restricted.

[ICEMAN]

For close in I bet it is more than enough....

[Kain]

I dont know, I think it will be plenty inside 50 yards.  Out to 100 if you have a slug barrel.  I saw a youth size 20 gauge REM 870 and I thought how nice it would be to carry that light weight gun around while hiking for bears.  See a grouse or rabbit and just pop in some number 6.  That sounds pretty good to me.  

[robescc]

Hornady saboted slugs for sure out to 100 yards.  Rifled slugs to 100 yards but you need to know you gun.  Spend some time at the range.

[bankwalker]

shots would be well under 100 yards forsure.

[lokidog]

Hornady saboted slugs for sure out to 100 yards.  Rifled slugs to 100 yards but you need to know you gun.  Spend some time at the range.

Definitely, if you have a rifled barrel.  Kick they're arse with one of those sabots!

[runamuk]

I dont know, I think it will be plenty inside 50 yards.  Out to 100 if you have a slug barrel.  I saw a youth size 20 gauge REM 870 and I thought how nice it would be to carry that light weight gun around while hiking for bears.  See a grouse or rabbit and just pop in some number 6.  That sounds pretty good to me.  

  great idea....why the heck didn't I think of that...this would be even better than my other idea for this stupid dense jungle I am in

princess needs a new gun ....

you people are a horrible influence 

[Bob33]

I've killed quite a few deer with one.  It would work fine on bears.  If you can get a rifled barrel you're good to 100+ yards if you get the right slug and practice.  Slug guns can be more finicky than rifles with respect to ammo preferences.

[Pathfinder101]

Back when I was a teenager I always used to carry a couple of slugs with me when I was grouse hunting.  One day a bear ran in front of my buddy and I, stopped about 20 yards away and stood on it's hind legs.  I held the dog, handed my buddy the slugs and that bear stood there and watched him unload his Browning auto, reload with slugs and shoot him in the throat.  Dog barking like crazy the whole time.

[edmondshunter]

I say go for it. That's a thick brushy area. Shots gonna be less than 50 yards anyhow. Get some!

[Bscman]

I use a 12ga slug when I'm hunting low in the blackberry brush.

You don't need a rifled barrel if you're going to keep it inside 50-75yds (depending on gun/ammo).

My only recommendation is do NOT use cheap foster (rifled) slugs. They're made of SOFT lead and will NOT do well against bone. Looks for hardened lead slugs. Best bet around here are some of the Brenneke's made for big game.

Cheap winchesters/federals are too soft and won't stop a bear if you hit a shoulder.

[bankwalker]

I use a 12ga slug when I'm hunting low in the blackberry brush.

You don't need a rifled barrel if you're going to keep it inside 50-75yds (depending on gun/ammo).

My only recommendation is do NOT use cheap foster (rifled) slugs. They're made of SOFT lead and will NOT do well against bone. Looks for hardened lead slugs. Best bet around here are some of the Brenneke's made for big game.

Cheap winchesters/federals are too soft and won't stop a bear if you hit a shoulder.

thats funny. my buddie just baught some of the cheap winchester slugs and i took one look at them and laughed.

[the1rod]

I dont know, I think it will be plenty inside 50 yards.  Out to 100 if you have a slug barrel.   I saw a youth size 20 gauge REM 870 and I thought how nice it would be to carry that light weight gun around while hiking for bears.  See a grouse or rabbit and just pop in some number 6.  That sounds pretty good to me.   

  great idea....why the heck didn't I think of that...this would be even better than my other idea for this stupid dense jungle I am in

princess needs a new gun ....

you people are a horrible influence 

hey Run dident you jsut get some pink mossyoak binos?... you know they make a matching 870.

[runamuk]

I dont know, I think it will be plenty inside 50 yards.  Out to 100 if you have a slug barrel.   I saw a youth size 20 gauge REM 870 and I thought how nice it would be to carry that light weight gun around while hiking for bears.  See a grouse or rabbit and just pop in some number 6.  That sounds pretty good to me.   

  great idea....why the heck didn't I think of that...this would be even better than my other idea for this stupid dense jungle I am in

princess needs a new gun ....

you people are a horrible influence 

hey Run dident you jsut get some pink mossyoak binos?... you know they make a matching 870.

ummm yes you rather observant person I did  and I have been eying the pink 870 for about a year 

I have a question how does one use one gun with slugs and pellets?  the whole chokes and what not dont you use different chokes for each?  I know nothing about shotguns so sorry if this is a really dumb question...

[lokidog]

Run, if you shoot rifled slugs, a full choke is probably not a good idea.  I think they recommend a more open choke.  I really like Weathergirl's Mossberg Youth 500 in 20g.  It came with a choke tube barrel and a rifled slug barrel for about $350.  The rifled slug barrel has the cantilevered scope mount which will be more accurate than a sight mounted to the action.  Unfortunately, if you are using the rifled barrel and sabots, I think pellets will scatter too much out of it.  Though for swatting a grouse might be good enough.

[bobcat]

I have a question how does one use one gun with slugs and pellets?  the whole chokes and what not dont you use different chokes for each?  I know nothing about shotguns so sorry if this is a really dumb question...

I would just use it with an improved cylinder choke tube installed. It's good for shooting grouse with bird shot, and still good for shooting slugs, up to about 50-75 yards.

[adam.WI]

Slugs are all we could use in southern WI for a while and the H&R is a pretty solid choice. Accurate, light and cheap. I always used the Winchester partition golds and with a fully rifled barrel and scope 150 is pretty easy.  As far as enough power i believe they are 260 grains and moving a little under 2000fps. That is a whole lot of kinetic energy

[runamuk]

thanks Loki, bobcat and adam......I was getting really puzzled by this and the last thing I want is one more gun for only one thing....grouse and bear combo would sure be nice since I am usually more likely to see grouse...shooting them is a whole other issue  but my 410 really doesn't make me feel real confident when presented with bears

[lokidog]

thanks Loki, bobcat and adam......I was getting really puzzled by this and the last thing I want is one more gun for only one thing....grouse and bear combo would sure be nice since I am usually more likely to see grouse...shooting them is a whole other issue  but my 410 really doesn't make me feel real confident when presented with bears

Just hide that little thing behind your back, hold out that jelly donut and when he leans in to take it out of your hand, BAM! right behind the ear.   

[runamuk]

ok so after some more thinking and research I could get a barrel for my current shotgun which I love in 20g it comes in either full or modified  this would be a reasonably cheap alternative to buying another gun right now...and I like this shotgun would however need to add a recoil pad because I am a big weenie..

so question is full or modified barrel  for slugs and grouse its a single shot no choke tubes

[lokidog]

Modified for slugs, would work on grouse as well, unless you are trying to shoot their heads off....

[runamuk]

Modified for slugs, would work on grouse as well, unless you are trying to shoot their heads off....

perfect thanks....and no just shoot them is good for now 

[adam.WI]

modified is a little tight for grouse. I wouldn't say it will mess something up but certainly could.

[bobcat]

Yes, I would agree, modified can be a little tight for grouse, but it depends on where you are hunting. You can also adjust for it by using lighter loads. So, instead of using 1 ounce of shot, use 7/8 ounce. Modified is great if the shots are about 30 yards and farther. Which for me is generally what I get when I'm hunting blue grouse. So for me a modified choke has always worked really well in my 20 gauge.

[runamuk]

  this has become so frustrating for me.....yes you can do this no you cant .....I am so frustrated with it I am really close to just giving up because the idea was it was supposed to be fun not miserable and causing myself pain, hell if I wanted pain and misery I'd still have horses 

so I cant use a modified choke and shoot grouse  of course so far it wont make a difference any way seeing as i cant seem to shoot anything or find anything to shoot

how did pioneers with only one gun manage to actually kill anything if you need a different gun for everything 

[bobcat]

A modified is fine for grouse. But if you've got a grouse sitting in a tree at 30 feet, don't center it in your pattern. Aim a little high, so you only hit the head. My main grouse gun has always been a Remington model 1100 20 gauge with a modified choke. I have had it since I was 11, and I'm 42 now and still, it is the shotgun I grab when I'm going grouse hunting (and I have several others to choose from, all of which have interchangeable choke tubes.)

As I said in the previous post, you can adjust your patterns by changing loads. With a modified choke, if you're expecting close shots, simply use lighter loads, such as a 7/8 ounce load of 7 1/2 shot. I normally only hunt blue grouse, and with them being bigger and the shots usually being longer, I will use #5 or #6 shot in either a 1 or a 1 1/8 ounce load.

For me, the modified choke is perfect for a grouse gun.

[adam.WI]

modified is a little tight for grouse. I wouldn't say it will mess something up but certainly could.

I'm sorry, That was suppose to be a little tight for slugs. All I have ever seen people use with slugs is improved cylinder. A slug doesn't give much going down the barrel. Modified for grouse could work but there too I would use an improved.