Moose with a 20G sabot?

[NyFirefighter357]

Inside of 100 yards, a 20 gauge slug gun will stomp a 30-06. Extra range might come in handy with a rifle, but calling a slug gun a stunt is taking it too far. Tens of thousands of people still hunt with bows and arrows. Thousands hunt with handguns. Muzzleloader hunting is as popular as ever.

Remember these aren't grand pappies slug guns. They are 260gr ballistic tipped copper jacketed rounds traveling at close to 2,000ftps from a very accurate rifled barrel. I am confident that it would do the job with proper shot placement and a reasonable distance. My biggest issue would be hitting the shoulder/leg and not getting enough penetration.

Remington Premier AccuTip Bonded Sabot Slug Ammunition:
· Power Port™ Tip delivers dramatically superior accuracy

· Spiral nose cuts and proprietary bonding technology control expansion at all ranges from 5 to 200 yards

· Over 95% weight retention – weighs more after impact than all the others start with!

· Slug jacket made from high-strength cartridge brass

2 Whitetails taken at 300yrds cleanly with 20ga Remington sabot shotgun "slugs". https://youtu.be/mD6ZBruKXGI?t=71

This is the "slug"


BTW I still vote to borrow a rifle

[Petander]

A good practise test is to put claybirds at 20-120 yards and shoot them fast in a row.

Most people find it easier with a rifle. My closest moose shot has been ten yards,30-06 Norma oryx,big hole through lungs. The moose went half a mile,full of adrenalin from being chased.

I see many favour shotguns. If it works,fine. Where I live, a shotgun won't meet the 100 m power requirements either so if you shoot a moose with a shotgun you lose your hunting rights,guns and go to jail.

[kenyerian]

http://www.hausofarms.com/SPECIALS_c_2066-2.html You are in luck. Hausofarms has several barrels in calibers suited for moose. I was in Maine for a week last fall hunting hare and we saw moose everyday . Good luck with your hunt.

[dverna]

If you cannot borrow a rifle, buy a cheap one and sell it after the hunt. You will not lose much on it.

If you have never seen a moose, they are huge.

[GooseGestapo]

I too, have a Mossberg M220. I’ve used home cast Lyman 375gr Sabot slugs, and Federal 5/8oz Sabot slugs to kill deer. It works, on 100-200lb deer. However, a 8pt buck stopped a 5/8oz Federal sabot slug from a frontal hit. I recovered the slug, expanded to nearly 1”. It’s currently sighted in with the previously pictured Remington AeroTip slugs. Real tack-driver. In December,I’ll tell you how good they work on deer.

I’ll grant that you can kill a moose with a 20ga Sabot. However, I’m nervous considering penetration on a moose being adequate.

I too vote to borrow, beg or buy a .30/06 and a box of 180 or 200gr Nosler Partition Federal Premium ammo. Sight it in for 3”high at 200yds, go hunting!!!

btw, I’ve bear and moose hunted in nearby New Brunswick, Canada. I took my .30/06...

A moose, is basically a mule, on stilts!!!
But, ohhh, so good eating!!!

[Petander]

I have a nice mauser in 308 I can sell you for 300$ that will stop a moose without worries I have a C&R FFL license so you can get it by Friday
wyates@q.com you can make payments if you like

Let's help the man get a rifle. I will donate $50 for this.

[remy3424]

Almost every gun enthusiast has an extra .30-06 or similar sitting around. If I were your neighbor, I'd loan you one for as long as you needed it to get ready and have a successful hunt. Surely someone you know close would do the same and with a .30-06 or bigger, it would remove any doubt about capability of the weapon.

What he said....not much of a profile...where are you? Fill-out the profile if it isn't a secret. You might have neighbors here! Some of us may have a few firearms that could be lent out. I have a 06 or a 338WM that I would like to say helped harvest a moose.

[NyFirefighter357]

[QUOTE=A shotgun won't meet the 100 m power requirements either so if you shoot a moose with a shotgun you lose your hunting rights,guns and go to jail.[/QUOTE]

I just did the math my 12ga rifled shotgun with Hornady SST's meets the 100m 2000 joules requirement.

If the firearm is used for shooting moose or bear, the cartridge bullet must weigh at least 9 grams, and the bullet scoring energy when measured 100 metres from the muzzle must be at least 2700 joules (E 100 > 2700 J) or, when a bullet weighs at least 10 grams, the scoring energy measured in a similar manner must be at least 2000 joules (E 100 > 2000 J).

[seetrout]

Okay now. I say drop the gimmicks. Gimmicks being all the newfangled crap (aerotip, blah, whatever, blah, made up hype, blah) that is designed to extend the range of of your shotgun on DEER sized game. The old standard 7/8 oz 20 ga slug is about 375gr @ about 1450fps and .615ish diameter. Compare that to the good old .45-70 Springfield load of 405 gr @about 1250fps (ish) That was responsible for the near extinction of the American bison.

If you can't borrow an '06 or similar (8 mauser, etc) I say the 20 ga, especially with full bore slugs, used within an appropriate range will do the job with no regrets. The rifle however will definitely extend your maximum range.

[Tripplebeards]

Here’s a camo Ruger American 30-06 for $319

https://www.cdnnsports.com/rugerr-am...l#.XTTyd8pOmhA

[GooseGestapo]

The problem with most 20ga slugs is that they are soft pure lead and are hollow point or hollow base. There isn’t much sectional density, such as with a .45/70. I don’t have any confidence that a 20 or 12ga slug will penetrate sufficiently on all but ideal shots.

[NyFirefighter357]

The problem with most 20ga slugs is that they are soft pure lead and are hollow point or hollow base. There isn’t much sectional density, such as with a .45/70. I don’t have any confidence that a 20 or 12ga slug will penetrate sufficiently on all but ideal shots.

These are not slugs they are essentially pistol or rifle bullets. My Hornady SST's sabot rounds use the 500 S&W Magnum 300 gr FTX bullets at a velocity of 2,000fps.

[megasupermagnum]

These are not slugs they are essentially pistol or rifle bullets. My Hornady SST's sabot rounds use the 500 S&W Magnum 300 gr FTX bullets at a velocity of 2,000fps.

Exactly. This wouldn't even be a thread if someone was going to go out hunting with a big Smith and Wesson X frame.

[Hamish]

Exactly. This wouldn't even be a thread if someone was going to go out hunting with a big Smith and Wesson X frame.

BINGO!

A lot of folks are unaware of the advances in slug offerings twenty five years or so.

[fatnhappy]

Exactly. This wouldn't even be a thread if someone was going to go out hunting with a big Smith and Wesson X frame.

got that right

[BMW Rider]

Newbie here... first post.

I pulled a moose tag for Maine this Fall!!!

Not sure which season you got picked for but if it is for second season, good luck tomorrow! Let us know how it went.

[Dthunter]

hope your hunt is everything you hope for! Good luck and straight shooting no matter your choice!

[MostlyLeverGuns]

ONCE IN A LIFETIME is the operative phrase. A 35 Whelan or 300 Win Mag barrel would be my choice if I was running a Contender/Encore. I would try to borrow an 06 or 308 at the lower end. Shooting a bunch of deer doesn't make a moose or elk rifle. Shoot what will work when things are not PERFECT, if every hunting scenario was 'PERFECT' we could all use 22's. I've shot about 20 elk, 1 moose, all but 1 cow elk were killed with the first shot, but several were shot multiple times because they DID NOT fall down when hit. Shoot straight and KEEP SHOOTING until the animal falls or is out of sight. Moose or elk can go a long ways after they have been killed.

[CITYREPO61]

I am another one that runs a Savage 220.
I would have no problems using the 220 for deer but would not consider it adequate for mouse. As others have said buy or borrow a rifle. I also wouldn't use a single shot. I'd want to put as many rounds into the Moose as fast as possible to put it down.
Good luck and please let us know what you decided on and how the hunt went.

[mart]

Lots of advice from a lot of folks. Some of whom have seen a moose.

People here would be swooning if you were making this hunt with a handgun or a longbow or a 54 or 58 caliber muzzleloader. With the exception of the longbow the rest are on an even keel with a 20 gauge slug load. A little more, a little less powerful but right in the same ball bark.

I and my family have killed several moose and I've been a party to several more outside my family. In our family they have been with a 45-70, 400 Whelen, 308 Win, 35 Whelen, and 8x56 Mannlicher Schoenauer (essentially a bolt action 30-30). I've seen them killed with a 243, 30-30, 30-06, 375 H&H, 54 caliber ML roundball, 41 magnum, 44 magnum, 500 Linebaugh, 45 Colt, 348 Win, 35 Remington, 12 gauge slug, 45 cal Minnie ball and 38-55. I keep a 62 caliber caplock around should I get drawn for a coveted muzzleloader bull tag on a nearby military base. It will be with a round ball. Essentially a 20 gauge slug.

Moose are not particularly hard to kill. They often stay on their feet a little while even with a perfect heart/lung shot. With the exception of one cow moose, all in our family have been a one shot kill. The one cow was hit a little high in the spine ridge by a nervous new hunter. The moose stood for a second shot which was delivered perfectly and the cow was on the ground within seconds from a lung shot.

The moose kills I've been a party to have not moved much at all after the shot. I've never seen one run off after a solid heart/lung shot. They all have milled around for a few seconds then fell over.

I wrote all this to say your 20 gauge will work fine. Keep your shots under 100 yards, not hard with moose, and be prepared for a follow up shot. You don't need a mini gun or even a belt fed rifle. Hit them in the heart/lung region and adjust your second shot for a high shoulder. If they are hurting from the heart/lung shot and still on their feet, the high shoulder follow up usually puts them on the ground for good.

Best of luck on your hunt.