Slugs!

Jay had an article or 3 about cartridge types and I learned something new.

I have a Remington Model 11 12 gauge. It was made in the 40's It isn't being made now. It's patterned after the famouse Browning Auto 5. I like it.

But It has a smooth barrel, and no choke. I figured I'd never find a rifled barrel for hunting deer with slug round with it.

But then I was enlightened by JayG. There are special slug rounds, Fosters, that sorta act like they came out of a rifled barrel. They use a sort of tail fin (well... sorta). I had no idea such a thing existed. I probably looked at the box of them a few times at the hunting outfitter, but had no idea what I was seeing.

Thing is, I live in Maryland. The requrement says "pumpkin balls" for deer hunting. Not fancies, not 00 buckshot, not discarding sabot. Presumably you can use a pumpkin ball (round shot) in a rifled shotgun barrel and get some more ballistic stability. If I have to use a pumpkin ball in my smoothbore barrel... Well, let's hope the deer are less than 50 yards away.

Ooo, double checked! If Maryland was 'pumpkin ball only' they are certainly all types of slug round now. "Deer hunters using shotguns must use a pumpkin ball, rifled slug or sabot. Buckshot may not be used to hunt deer except in Dorchester County"

So not restricted to JUST round ball.

Cool.

And another thing! "Firearms used for deer and bear hunting may not have an ammunition clip loaded with more than 8 cartridges or bullets. If a clip has the capacity to hold more than 8 rounds, the clip does not have to be physically blocked, but no more than 8 cartridges or bullets may be loaded."

That's nice. I can hunt with a 20 round M1A magazine, I just can't fill it up.

And I always knew this: "Firearms used for deer and bear hunting may not have an ammunition clip loaded with more than 8 cartridges or bullets. If a clip has the capacity to hold more than 8 rounds, the clip does not have to be physically blocked, but no more than 8 cartridges or bullets may be loaded."