12 Gauge Slug - Bane of Engine Block's, King of Armour-Piercing

Well it's certainly something:

The slug round, while not the most accurate, certainly cuts through steel like it's butter...

The range I'm shooting the Benelli M1 S90.

Often I hear of the .50 cal as the king of engine-destroying rounds.
I'm thinking the slug might just rival it....
The accuracy is poor, but the punch is devastating:



Here it is against an armoured disc of steel.



In SHTF / POST TETOTWAKI it's may be important to consider such ammo, especially due to it's affordability compared to .338 lapua / .50 BMG...

WOW! I'll even go a step up and suggest a 10 guage slug lol.

As far as rifles go, check out some of the Weatherby magnums

reply to post by WatchRider


Ya..12 gauge slug = chuck norris

That was just damned cool to watch.

Forgot to add 10 gauge.. < snip > ouch. I personally am only good for about 3 before I call it quits, those things about bowl my 155 lbs over. And the shoulder complains at me for a couple of days.


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reply to post by WatchRider


Sure the 50 is awesome for serious punch, no doubt it is the king.
Here's the fancy part though, I can get a brand new shotgun for right around 200 bucks, that has awesome punch as well, and a whole boatload of different types of shot and slugs.
How much is a baseline 50 cal again?

Originally posted by g146541
reply to post by WatchRider

 

Sure the 50 is awesome for serious punch, no doubt it is the king.
Here's the fancy part though, I can get a brand new shotgun for right around 200 bucks, that has awesome punch as well, and a whole boatload of different types of shot and slugs.
How much is a baseline 50 cal again?

Uhm, if we have to ask, we can't afford it but yes cost benefit analysis suggests this is by far the better go to weapon if you just have to have stopping power.

A sabot 12 Ga slug, using a sighted in shotgun scope is shockingly accurate at very long distances. Especially if your shoulder can handle a 3" magnum punch. Yet it can never compete with a .50 cal in mass - kinetic energy though. The science is irrefutable.

.460 Weatherby magnum. Lol, it's a little more price wise than a 12 guage, not as versatile but it's less expensive than a .50. Plus, just having a Weatherby is something to write home about.

Any one know if I can use slugs in my remington 870 express? If so what kind do you recommend?

Originally posted by crazyguy2012
Any one know if I can use slugs in my remington 870 express? If so what kind do you recommend?

This here indicates that the 870 express (at least this version) www.cabelas.com... comes with both barrels one for slugs and one for shot.

If you only have one barrel please check the choke - if it’s a full choke you will ruin the barrel. If it’s a removable choke you can take it out.

However the link indicates the 870 express has separate barrels not a removable choke. If you can't tell the difference take to a gun shop they'll be glad to help you out I am sure.

As for what slugs are best; personally I buy what’s on sale and have never had an issue with either slugs or shot in a shotgun.

Yea thats my case as well. Ive shot slugs, shot, and 000 buck in a basic non rifled barrel with no issues.

I also wanted to add that the steel in the video is no way armored. It looks pretty thing. I shoot 3/8 inch ar500 steel plates with all sorts of calibers and can def say a 12 will not go through armor like ar500. That first video is a special ammo from a specific maker. Im pretty sure the actual winchester slug in the 2nd video would not have the same effect.

None the less, the slug rocks. My other personal fav shell is #4 buckshot (remington green and yellow box). It has an excellent pattern at longer distances.

I want some of that........
Thanks for the look

Slug barrels are rifled. This is not required, but helps accuracy. Some slugs are only intrnded for rifled barrels

I have a sears and roebuck jc higgins (made by high standard) 12 gauge 2 3/4" pump action, modified choke. I can accurately shoot slugs into center of body mass at 25 yards. I assume i can do so at 50 yards, but havent tried it.

Dont ever take a choke tube out and shoot the gun that way. Youll ruin the threads.

And a remington 870 express is about as vague as it gets. Many many varieties available. Nice guns and you can change the barrels. My shotgun is atleast 50 years old and parts will never be available for it again..... It only cost 180 and theyre still fairly common by the way. No serial number.

Cant run ballistics on a non rifled barrel can ya?

Oh ya, my gun has no disconnector. Just keep on pumpin with the trigger down, itll keep shooting. A 00 buckshot shell has 9 30 cal pellets. Gun holds 6 rounds. I can shoot the equivalent of 50 handgun rounds in 10 seconds.

I always take the 12 gauge to the range when i take girls there. I try to get them to shoot it

I did notice this is a steel slug, not the typical rifled lead slugs you get at you local sporting goods store.

Several years ago I watched a vid about a 500 gr. ballistic 12 gauge slug which would knock down a brick wall at 50 meters and "drill" through /2" steel plate at 100 meters. Of course you don't shoot it from your shoulder.

My dad had an old rifle which shot 22 hornets and he often did this much damage to an old engine block, but these were cast iron blocks back then.

the 12 ga slug is a fearsome round, devastating to be sure. it will not punch through good body armor, but will still injure the [person wearing the armor because of the heavy weight of the projectile. it will not go through an engine, the first picture is of a valve cover, I can stick a knife through one of those, very thin steel and not tempered at all so it is soft also. maybe at point blank range ( a couple of feet or a yard) it would damage an engine, but only if it tore through the radiator, fans etc... it is not a penetrating round, it is made of soft lead and is made to expand when it hits, therefore devastating to who or what ever it hits, flesh and bone wise. at 50 yards it probably wont even punch through the thin valve cover. by no means is this an armor defeating round at all.

that said, I love a good 12 ga, scary weapon and everyone is afraid of it, so am i. I own 2 12 ga weapons myself. but if I wanted to defeat a vehicle or shoot through body armor it wont be with a shotgun...

Slugs are very versatile I've found. I have put holes the size of quarters through steel targets at 100 yards with 12 gauge slugs. Some people say they aren't accurate but I've had them go right where I aim them when shooting as far as 100 yards.

I was watching the myth busters episode where they tested out the bullets traveling the water myth. Ie... how far does a bullet go when shot into the water.

The 50cal everyone was afraid would wreck an olympic sized pool they were shooting into. The evacuated the gym the pool was in before firing. Turned out the 50 cal like every other rifle round stopped dead within the first 18 inches of water and simply fluttered to the bottom of the pool as shrapnel. Thy measured the speed of the shrapnel. Very unlethal. WOuldn't even hurt anyone.

The pistol rounds because they travel slower were able to make it a few feet into the water before being completely stopped. However the water slowed the bullets to such a degree that they had no lethal speed behind them and also probably wouldn't hurt anybody either.

THEN...they took a 12 gauge deer slug and shot it into the same tank they were testing the pistol rounds in. It blew the bottom of the tank out. Turns out the slug travels just slow enough to prevent it from tearing it's self apart. However, it is also heavy enough to have critical mass when it strikes.

Myth busters figured that the 12 gauge slug at close quarters was much more effective than a 50 cal. which at close range will go through you like a laser. But the deer slug was devastating.

THe only thing about deer slug is that it hurts to shoot. I'm a strong guy but after ten or so shots with slugs I/m ready to go onto another weapon and caliber.

reply to post by WatchRider


A 12 gauge slug vs a .50 cal. You need to take a good hard look again.


I will take a m855 green tipped over anything fired from a 12 gauge. And that is only a .556




:

It looks impressive, but a cast iron engine block is not nearly as difficult to penetrate as some might believe.

You can put the same size hole in one with a good swing on a ball peen hammer. Cast iron is brittle and on an engine block, not too thick.

ETA: Set up an engine just like in the video, shoot it with your favorite deer rifle. you'll put holes in the block. They may not be the same diameter, but the end result is that the oil and coolant runs out onto the ground, not a good thing if you want to continue driving the vehicle.

I agree with the power of this weapon, 12 ga is an impressive weapon all the way around. but the title of the post does not say "steel slugs" I do not think the common lead slug most people shoot in the 12 ga would [penetrate an engine block, even though the cast iron is very brittle. point blank, yeah there is a chance, at a hundred yards, no way and I would not dream of replacing a .50 cal with a 12 ga, there just is no comparison. a .50 cal rifle can shoot through a thick block wall and take out the bad guy behind it, a 12 ga won't do that even at close range, the idea behind the heavy, slow lead slug is expansion an d knock down power, not penetration...

Originally posted by crazyguy2012
Any one know if I can use slugs in my remington 870 express? If so what kind do you recommend?

I own one and yes you can. I have the long, unrifled barrel but with a scope made for the shotgun it's still quite accurate and consistant. I can put slugs in a 1 foot diameter at 100 yards because of a good scope being sighted in. 1 foot diameter is a chest or lower torso. With 3" magnum shells there is less drop and slightly greater accuracy. Not worth the extra expense, cost/benefit ratio is poor.

Sabot slugs are very expensive but up your accuracy so your choosing left eye or right eye. That's what you take hunting when you have only 1 shot you have to make.

Okay, this isn't a regular 12 gauge slug, its a high.ballistics steel slug so your run of the mill 12 gauge slug is no where near what this is. You can have your 12 gauge slugs accurate to 100 meters, Ill take my 7.62x54, accurate to 1000+ meters. When trying to take out an engine block on a vehicle I would much rather destroy the engine block at 500 meters than at 100 meters when the vehicle is doing 60+ MPH.

A 12 gauge is great for CQC but but I'd still rather have a mini14 or M4/AR even for CQC, plus the 5.56 round has more velocity, further range, and better penetration than any 12 gauge slug you can buy, and that's not even addressing the ballistics of the 308 (7/62x54) round which will penetrate any engine block or bulletproof body armor made at much further range.

As far as the discussion regarding the 50 Cal round, the 300 winmag is much cheaper, will do nearly as much damage as the 50 Cal and can be purchased for around $500 for a good used 700 Remington ADL rifle. I shot a L96A1 and A2 while in the servise and the 300 winmag makes short order of engine blocks, body armor, and anything else you want to destroy. I have fired Barrett 50's numerous times and would take the 300 round anyday over the 50, even when uncle Sam is buying the rounds.