12ga vs 20ga semi auto sabot slug rifled shotgun

[CAESAR]

It's for bear and deer so both have good killing power for that.
I want semi auto. So recoil is important for follow up shots if needed.
The most important difference is trajectory and distance. As far as I understand they both go same distance very accurately right? The difference is trajectory. Anyone has any info on that? I haven't found good charts.
What do you think in general?
Also Dow barrel length matter that much? Say 24 vs 28?

 

[whacko]

It's for bear and deer so both have good killing power for that.
I want semi auto. So recoil is important for follow up shots if needed.
The most important difference is trajectory and distance. As far as I understand they both go same distance very accurately right? The difference is trajectory. Anyone has any info on that? I haven't found good charts.
What do you think in general?
Also Dow barrel length matter that much? Say 24 vs 28?

I'm not really understanding the bolded part. Just my opinion.......you should be so sure of your first shot that a "fast follow up" is not that much of a concern. Most guys I know that hunt deer in mass don't feel "undergunned" with a pump action shotgun. Your not in combat you are hunting deer. Duck and Goose different story as you have the opportunity for multilpe harvests with one flyover. But for deer and bear......semi auto is not "necessary".

On another note......a semi auto will take a little bit of sting out of the recoil of shotgun slugs. As far as trajectory.....you need to read the box of ammo you are buying.....every box has the "math" on the back of the box.......slugs are manufactured with very little "continuity" accross the board with manuracturer and slug weights......so 20 vs 12 on trajectory is a moot point on trajectory as far as I've seen in my research.

That said a 20G is plenty of power to take a deer at 100 yards (for MOST of the land hunted in New England 100 yards is plenty unless you are hunting a farm field).......and it doesn't hurt like a mofo to shoot.

 

[MisterHappy]

If you're going after Smokey in Mass, shotgun is not legal

http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/df...life-watching/hunting/black-bear-hunting.html

 

[Mark from MA]

I have an 11-87 20 ga, 21 inch cantilever scoped rifled barrel.
It averaged 3-4 inch groups at 100 yards with hornady sst. Remington sabots sucked. Federal fusion was a bit better but kicks like crazy and the bullet speed is slower. So i shoot sst. Ive killed a few deer with this setup. Never and issue

Honestly if i was going to get a dedicated slug gun today, it would be a savage 220 bolt gun.

Yeah. Cant use shotgun for bear yet. Must use rifle.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[boilermaker]

Honestly if i was going to get a dedicated slug gun today, it would be a savage 220 bolt gun.

This what I would do too. But then again only for a dedicated slug gun.

 

[teaser452]

I don't know about needing a semi auto for deer in MA. I would echo Whacko here. One shot, one kill. I have done deer pushes where one of the guys needed to pump once or twice to get the kill shot. We all looked at him funny afterwards.

I mean, in MA, if you're going to use an auto loader, and shoot 5 rounds, I hope you're being safe. Those rounds can travel a heck of a long way. Fine I'd say in western MA, but Sudbury, I don't know that I'd do it.


Again, aim small, miss small.

And save the ammo! it's expensive!

Anyway, carry on, but I think a pump is fine for deer hunting in MA.

PS: I like my autoloader for ducks, even if restricted to 3. Just more fun. I mean, shooting is fun, right?

 

[mac1911]

After seeing what my friends kid does with his savage 20g bolt gun vs our rifled pumps..... nice tight -3" groups with those sabot. I forget what his son uses though.
I would go the savage bolt myself

 

[jtcoinflip]

I use the Federal Trophy Copper sabot 3in out of my Savage 20g bolt, It's a better shot than I am.