Slug Gun Vs. Muzzleloader:
REAL VELOCITY VS. IMAGINARY VELOCITY
There is no particularly wonderful place to mention this, but it sure needs to be mentioned. Imaginary velocity is the velocity you see printed on ammo boxes all over the world. For example, Federal Premium P209XT1 3 inch loads with the 5/8 oz. Barnes Expander polymer tipped bullets, my favorite 20 gauge slug load, now discontinued. It is a "1900 fps" load. Except that it isn't. Going with the "standard 30 inch barrel" it might be, but there are no slug guns with 30 inch barrels. So what often you get is what I recorded from a Savage 220F: the 15 foot recorded velocities were 1731, 1755, 1763, 1734, and 1746 fps for an average of 1745.8 feet per second. Yet, the box tells you "1900 fps." Some days, I'm surprised ammo boxes don't tell you that an average family will save $2400 per year in health care costs as well. Period.
In stark contrast to this, consider the reasonably mild 95 grain by weight / 136 grain volume 300 grain Parker Match Hunter (or other 300 grain saboted bullets) out of the Remington Ultimate clocking at 2121 fps. It is a quite real velocity advantage of 375 feet per second. Who would have guessed that muzzleloaders are so extremely far ahead of slug guns? It isn't just velocity, but it is also far better ballistically efficient projectiles, and far greater accuracy potential as well. And, if you've priced premium slug ammo, you'll know it is a lower cost per shot as well. Three or four bucks per shot for slug ammo can get old really quickly, when (or if) you can finally find something that your gun likes. Small wonder folks don't like to practice with their slug guns.
The best of the slug guns and ammo are improved, but still are about 165 yard 6 inch kill Maximum Point Blank Range systems. Even a moderate, comfortable to shoot Remington Ultimate load is a 210 yard M.P.B.R. load: center of the body hold, pull the trigger, and go pick him up. It is a lot more fun, as well, so now you know why most of the animals on my wall (and in my freezer) have been from muzzleloaders.
Copyright 2014 by Randy Wakeman. All Rights Reserved.
