New Hampshire Hunter Education Course

Slugs

To increase the accuracy of slugs3 in a shotgun, purchase shotgun barrels or chokes that are rifled - these are becoming increasingly popular and do an excellent job in harvesting game at reasonable ranges.

A saboted slugSlug designed to be fired from a rifled barrel shotgun or shotgun with a rifled choke tube. is designed to be fired from rifled barreled shotguns or shotguns with a rifled choke tubeTube of different constrictions that are found in shotguns. The degree of constriction helps control the spread of the shot at different distances.. As the saboted slug exits the shotgun muzzleThe opening in a barrel where ammunition exits after being fired., the sabot is separated from the slug and falls away, allowing the slug to continue down range unimpeded. This type of shotgun ammunition is very accurate and provides plenty of knockdown power for most big gameLarge animals that are legal to hunt (example - deer, bear, moose, etc.) at ranges up to 150 yards.

The foster slugAlso called rifled slugs, they are designed to be fired from a smooth barrel shotgun. is used for hunting targets at shorter distances. The hollow rear on this slug pushes its center of gravity toward the front, which in turn gives it greater stability, up to a distance of 75 yards. Most will feature small fins toward the rear, called "rifling".

Shotgun slugs are generally required to be used when hunting in built-up or semi-rural areas. In these areas, it would be unsafe to discharge center fire high power rifle cartridges that are capable of firing bullets that can travel distances greater than 2.5 miles.

The chart below shows how far shot and slugs from a shotgun can potentially travel.