12-Gauge Slug

Millions of deer hunters live in shotgun-only zones, and the 12-gauge slug is their big-game cartridge - a 1-ounce projectile carrying more frontal area than any rifle round discussed here. The modern split: smooth-bore Foster slugs for classic 75-yard woods work, or rifled-barrel sabots that turned slug guns into honest 150-yard deer rifles.

What it is

Two systems sharing a hull: full-bore Foster/rifled slugs for smoothbores (~1,600 fps), and saboted sub-caliber slugs for rifled barrels (2,000+ fps) - VERY different capabilities; know which your gun is.

What it hunts best

Whitetails and black bear in shotgun-mandated zones and dense-settlement country where rifle rounds are restricted - check your zone's current rules.

Trajectory & energy

Foster: zero at 50, ~5" low at 100 - a woods tool. Sabot from rifled bore: zero at 100, ~7-10" low at 150 - a different sport. Energy 2,300-3,000 ft-lb; frontal diameter does the rest.

Recoil & shootability

~30-45 ft-lb depending on load and gun weight - genuinely stout; reduced-recoil slugs exist and kill deer just as dead inside their range.

Rifles & ammo on the shelf

Every shotgun becomes a candidate; dedicated rifled slug guns (and rifled choke tubes) widely sold; slugs on every shelf in shotgun-zone states.

Bottom line

If regulations put you here, modern sabot systems mean you're barely handicapped inside 150. Match slug type to barrel type - the single thing slug accuracy depends on.