Shotgun slugs

[Duckhunter3000]

I’ve been doing more research on hunting in Africa and I’ve wondered about something. I’m not sure if this question has been asked but I’ve been wondering this. Specifically for plains game, would it be okay to use a shotgun for the big game over there? Kind of like how we use shotgun slugs over here in the US? Is that allowed? If I just think that brenneke slug or similar would be good.

 

[Red Leg]

Why would anyone want to do so? In a double a slug might be useful for a follow-up on a leopard (not your job) - but not for the first shot (your job). For plains game it would have every limitation a slug (particularly a Brenneke) has in North America, but with the added challenge that much of the game is larger than most US whitetail or significantly smaller (a slug would be lethal on the tiny ten - but damn). I would guess the average distance I have taken game in Africa was 100 yards - that means half under - but also half over.

 

[Duckhunter3000]

Why?

I was just wondering out of curiosity if it was popular over there. I’ve never hunted in Africa before.

 

[375Fox]

I’m sure it’s been done but don’t know why someone would want to. Most plains game I’ve taken has been between 100 and 200 yards. I’m not sure which states still require slugs over straight wall rifle cartridges but it was done for safety concerns not any kind of tradition.

 

[Duckhunter3000]

I’m sure it’s been done but don’t know why someone would want to. Most plains game I’ve taken has been between 100 and 200 yards. I’m not sure which states still require slugs over straight wall rifle cartridges but it was done for safety concerns not any kind of tradition.

Oh, I didn’t know that. I just remember watching on YouTube of people sneaking up to the animal they want. That’s why I thought it was possible.

 

[375Fox]

Oh, I didn’t know that. I just remember watching on YouTube of people sneaking up to the animal they want. That’s why I thought it was possible.

It’s very possible, I just don’t know why you’d want to or think many outfitters would be excited about idea. Most of my PHs have had 270, 308, 30/06, etc for their own hunting.

 

[Duckhunter3000]

It’s very possible, I just don’t know why you’d want to or think many outfitters would be excited about idea. Most of my PHs have had 270, 308, 30/06, etc for their own hunting.

It’s not that I would want to, I know that they’re are better tools for that like you mentioned. I’m just here to find all the knowledge I can before I try hunting in Africa.

 

[Datchew]

A rifled shotgun barrel can send a thumb sized piece of lead in a pretty accurate manner.
I've used threaded barrels on a remmy 870 on pigs in the swamps of Florida with great effect.

It's easy to relate the recoil of a 12 ga shotgun with that of a rifle cartridge in your head but they're very different.

Rifle cartridges are a whole different animal if you consider ballistic path, energy, and even penetration so for big game, the rifle cartridge is superior.

 

[Duckhunter3000]

A rifled shotgun barrel can send a thumb sized piece of lead in a pretty accurate manner.
I've used threaded barrels on a remmy 870 on pigs in the swamps of Florida with great effect.

It's easy to relate the recoil of a 12 ga shotgun with that of a rifle cartridge in your head but they're very different.

Rifle cartridges are a whole different animal if you consider ballistic path, energy, and even penetration so for big game, the rifle cartridge is superior.

Good to know.

 

[Kevin375]

I don't know if some African countries have included the use of shotguns for big game hunting ?

For sure it can work and it might be an alternative between the rifle and the bow ? There was a post about a South African PH who used a side by side shotgun as a poor's man double rifle, and he was happy about its performance.
I know the french manufacturer Sauvestre gave many boxes of his own ammunitions to french PH's in Tanzania, CAR and Cameroon to test them on African games. Most of them used Benelli shotguns and I read an article about one of them in Tanzania, Pierre Caravati, who killed a buffalo with his Benelli and a Sauvestre 12 GA 3". Only one shot behind the shoulder and the animal didn't go far. They recovered the bullet under the skin on the other side. I also saw the report from an other PH with in CAR who killed two savannah buffalo with this brand. One with the 2"-3/4 and one with the 3".

I have no experience on African games with slug but even if it is not my plan, I would not hesitate to use a Benelli, topped with a red dot or a low power scope, loaded with Sauvestre bullets. In Europe, I noticed they provided a better penetration than the Brenneke on boars but the Brenneke remains of course a great slug.

 

[Dinsdale]

I’ve been doing more research on hunting in Africa and I’ve wondered about something. I’m not sure if this question has been asked but I’ve been wondering this. Specifically for plains game, would it be okay to use a shotgun for the big game over there? Kind of like how we use shotgun slugs over here in the US? Is that allowed? If I just think that brenneke slug or similar would be good.

Only hunt with slugs where I am in NY, Ive shot over 150 whitetail with a 20ga 870, most with a smooth bore bird barrel with foster slugs, add some with a rifled scoped barrel, then add some more with a Savage 220 with sabots. The 220 shoots one ragged hole, its stupid how accurate it is for a shotgun with a cheap plastic stock, it shouldn’t be that good, and I’m not the only one who gets that same result.

Ive shot well into the hundreds in plains game with a rifle and the vast majority were 100yds and under. For me thats the hunt, getting close, and then even closer.

i wont say its legal, maybe laughed at by most Ph’s…..and I’m sure this group on here;

I’d have absolutely no problem with the 220 and 300gr Accutips out to 150 yds on anything Impala sized or smaller….bushbuck,duiker,etc. Caveat always being good shot selection and not getting creative. BUT that’s always my intent, good clean kill.

 

[Duckhunter3000]

Only hunt with slugs where I am in NY, Ive shot over 150 whitetail with a 20ga 870, most with a smooth bore bird barrel with foster slugs, add some with a rifled scoped barrel, then add some more with a Savage 220 with sabots. The 220 shoots one ragged hole, its stupid how accurate it is for a shotgun with a cheap plastic stock, it shouldn’t be that good, and I’m not the only one who gets that same result.

Ive shot well into the hundreds in plains game with a rifle and the vast majority were 100yds and under. For me thats the hunt, getting close, and then even closer.

i wont say its legal, maybe laughed at by most Ph’s…..and I’m sure this group on here;

I’d have absolutely no problem with the 220 and 300gr Accutips out to 150 yds on anything Impala sized or smaller….bushbuck,duiker,etc. Caveat always being good shot selection and not getting creative. BUT that’s always my intent, good clean kill.

I only asked the question out of curiosity, I’m interested in hunting Africa and just wanted to see if that was an option. From what I’ve got seems like it’s not so much unless under certain circumstances. Sounds like a rifle is the way to go over there.

 

[Desperatezulu]

It would very much be a niche hunt - slugs do see some use for bushpig hunting in the thick stuff, so no reason why you couldn't do the same for bushveld species at close range. But you will be much more limited than using a rifle.

You'd need to bring your own rifled shotgun (they're extremely uncommon here) and slug availability is rather limited.

 

[Red Leg]

One thing I did do was to take my 12 bore William Evans Paradox to Namibia. One of the free range animals one typically can take without ethical quibbles at a waterhole is a warthog. It was the last afternoon, and my PH needed a couple of bait animals for an arriving leopard hunter. I was also interested in a sand grouse shoot.

A Paradox is a SxS built at the turn of the last century before WWI that fired both a 750 gr conical bullet or, in the case of my gun, a 1 1/8 ounce shot load. The final six inches of the barrels are lightly rifled. My gun puts four shots LxR/LxR into less than three inches at 100 yards over open sights. It fires a light modified pattern with 1 1/8 ounces of No. 6 shot.

Over three hours, I rolled a pair of young male warthog for bait, and then created a rather large pile of sand grouse - all from the same firearm.

 

[Duckhunter3000]

One thing I did do was to take my 12 bore William Evans Paradox to Namibia. One of the free range animals one typically can take without ethical quibbles at a waterhole is a warthog. It was the last afternoon, and my PH needed a couple of bait animals for an arriving leopard hunter. I was also interested in a sand grouse shoot.

A Paradox is a SxS built at the turn of the last century before WWI that fired both a 750 gr conical bullet or, in the case of my gun, a 1 1/8 ounce shot load. The final six inches of the barrels are lightly rifled. My gun puts four shots LxR/LxR into less than three inches at 100 yards over open sights. It fires a light modified pattern with 1 1/8 ounces of No. 6 shot.

Over three hours, I rolled a pair of young male warthog for bait, and then created a rather large pile of sand grouse - all from the same firearm.

That’s cool, I heard of these type of shotguns before. Cool gun with nice history to go along with them.