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These were an advance over the "pumpkin ball", which is just a near bore diameter ball seated in a shotgun hull. Both are for using smooth bore shotguns to hunt deer. Both propel thier "bullets" at about typical shotgun velocity. I'm not old enough at 47 to have experience with pumpkin balls, but I do have experience with so called rifled slugs, They are effective as hell at short ranges. Some regular shotguns shot them well some didn't. But I'd say that most were plenty good shooting enough for 30yds.

Then came smooth bore shotguns equipped with rifle sights. Again some shot better than others and some rifled slug loads shot better as well - ussually the largest diameter slugs, no suprise. Range was extended to maybe 50-75yds. Very effective terminal performance, ranging from bore diameter holes through and through to 2" flattened disks inside the offside hide. Either way, decent shot = dead deer.

Then came rifled slug barrels. Early results with the rifled slugs equalled more consistent performance but not a heck of a lot of range improvement, call it 75yds, but reliably so. Then slug development lead to first full diameter slugs designed to take the engraving, now 100yds, then sabots and sub bore hard lead "bullets", maybe 110yds but poor terminal performance compared to the full diameter slugs, and no expansion due to their hardness. On to more advanced expanding sabot "bullets". And here we are today, "bullets still evolving, but incrementally, at about 125-150yds capability and good, reliable terminal performance.

In my area, the 20ga is the hot ticket because of its flatter trajectory, and guys are pushing past 150-175yds with very specialized 20ga "rifles" shooting tipped semi streamlined sabot bullets.

As an alternative to shotguns, muzzleloaders have always been a legal choice for both their own season and for the firearms season. The evolution with the muzzleloaders has been similar to that of deer hunting shotguns. Few cap locks, fewer flintlocks, almost gone from the woods, along with lead round balls and to a lesser extent, lead conicals. Many more inlines and many more sabotted bullets, some pistol bullets, some special designs for the purpose. Velocities are through the roof compared to old round ball or conical shooting, ranges are extended, but not so much as the change in shotgun ranges. Terminal performance is reliable and as good as the round balls or conicals but even at the longer ranges.

We have a deer population problem, and the state game dept has gone along with all of the "advances" (some will argue that term) because they improve efficiency, now just as earlier firearms development did, and allow more hunters to kill deer.

Now I'll tell you that I prefer hunting in a rifle area, but that is entirely because, up to now, just about every slug gun option was a truly utilitarian, soul less weapon, where as my rifles have souls and beauty and worksmanship beyond mere utility (at least most of them) and I am hunting for the whole experience and not just to kill a deer. Other options have existed, for example the paradox type guns, but they were just not practical. But, in hind sight, it was only amatter of time until some more than utilitarian options were brought to the market. This is not the first fully rifled shotgun/slug gun to hit the market, but other have had there problems. Hopefully this one won't!

As far as effectiveness, in the thick areas, there is no loss slug gun to rifle. And less and less in more open areas. The advance of the slug guns and their projectiles has all but doomed any hope that we might see a reversal of the creep of slug gun only regulation. That hope might have rested in the need to kill more deer. Advances in slug guns and muzzleloaders make rifles only marginally more effective for a lot of hunting, so there is no need for the game depts to fight the legislators and publics perceptions of very limited range with shotguns and muzzleloaders. At the same time, we won't be seeing the game depts advocating to limit advancements, which would prove counterproductive to their goal of killing deer.

My thoughts,

JPK

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Interesting take on round balls, JPK. It only addresses the use of the much undersized round ball loads of the 40's and early 50's which weren't accurate - yes before yours and my time as well. Today, we know how to load round balls in smoothbore shotguns such as having a good deer range of 60 to 80 yards - however it is probably too late for not using such & rifled slugs wiht limited range will result in the loss of shotgun-only fields of fire, as has the proliferation of undersized sabot slugs in fully rifled barrels in some parts of the States. Sooner or later, game branches will find out many of the loads currently being used in pump and autoloaders possess most of the down-range attributes of the varous black powder buffalo rounds in .50 cal. Initially making the seasons for buck shot, round balls and even Foster-type slugs was to deliver some protection to down-range livestock and farms. When the idiots finally recognise they are allowing people to sling 440gr., .50 cal bullets at 1,400fps throughout the bush and farmland, another 'season' will go by the board. Afterall, the longest shot taken with a rifle by a US citizen on another man prior to perhaps the Korean or even VietNam war, was made by Billy Dixon at Adobe Walls trading post, with the same ballistics I noted above; 440gr. bullet, about 1,400fps muzzlevelocity, range 1,538 yards.

The sabot slinging modern 'muzzleloaders', bolt actions, most, have aready resulted in the cancelling of special 'primitve' weapons hunts here. What's primitive about a bolt action, scoped rifle, that can be loaded from the muzzle - and now, an add I saw about a 'convertable', muzzleloading/breech loading rifle for ALL seasons. I guess if people who are looking for an easy way to fill freezers will buy it, some outfit will make it and advertize it as a cure-all. They'll even get 'emplyees' to say nothing else will kill game.
With luck, your shotgun only season may be replaced with REAL muzzleloading seasons for patched round ball and side locks. We find most people who will hunt with these weapons are true hunters, are 90% successful in game plentiful areas and are ones who respect game laws for not only what they are but for what they were intended to be.

Those are my thoughts.

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Daryl


"a gun without hammers is like a Spaniel without ears" King George V

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