Shotgun Slug vs Muzzleloader

[careybirdwell]

I was drawn for a Deer / Nilgai hunt down in LRGV NWR - East Lake in November, it is for only shotgun or muzzleloader. I know absolutley nothing about a muzzleloader and I never have shot a rifled barreled shotgun. After researching yesterday, I came to the conclusion that they would be very close to the same under 200 yards as far as FPS, Energy, accuracy, and Bullet Drop. That being said, does anyone have any personal experience with hunting with either. Would one be better than the other?

[RedBear78]

I hunt with both according to season.Your way ahead of the game if you have a good slug shooting gun.Faster follow up shots if need be,you don’t have to wait for smoke to clear to see what’s going on,don’t have to worry about misfiring as much.Just my take

[Tony Pic]

I would rather hunt with a muzzleloader than a slug gun. I have killed with both and feel the smokepole is the more accurate gun. You do only get one shot,opposed to the shotgun. I shoot 295gr powerbelts in front of 100grs of 777 powder.
If you are not set up for muzzleloading and have a shotgun, then go with the shotgun. Take a look at Brenneke slugs if your shotgun is a smooth bore and Winchester Platinum Sabots if you have a rifled barrel.

[bulltx50]

Go with the shotgun.

[Johnny44]

Are you sure you need to shoot 200 yards?

I’ve hunted extensively with all four. Four you might wonder? Rifled and smooth bore of each. If you have the choice of shotgun I recommend a 20 gauge Savage 220 Turkey smoothbore with a modified choke tube, Scope, and Remington Slugger High velocity.

I went to a Moss 500 with 2.5x and Savage 220 Turkey with 4x, both modified and they shoot one hole at 100 yards. My rifled slug guns were just too expensive to shoot as much as I do.

I am interested in the NitroFire Federal Firestick setup but Covid squashed that for this year. I can’t find the stuff.

I gotta tell you though, I always admire those coots that do the cap-n-ball with leather jacket and coon skin hat.

[Texas Grown]

Been hunting with slug guns since the late 1970s. If you practice, and learn to over come the recoil, and understand the ballistics of the load your shooting, those nilgai won't stand a chance with a well placed shot.

[Leverhunter]

Slug gun. If you can, use a rifled barrel and sabot. I've been using 20ga. Federal Copper premium 3" and they work great. One caution, use a solid gun with them, I tried 2 11-87s and broke both. Benelli likes them and I think the bolt action guns would too. If you use a smooth bore mount a scope or red dot, much easier than trying to use bead. The sabot are good to about 200yds, the smooth bore maybe 100.

[RifleBowPistol]

I would go with a shotgun with slugs any day over a muzzle loader. You can get off a second shot much quicker, much more reliable. It's definitely the better way to go. The only time you want to use a muzzle loader, is if that is your only choice.

[Buff]

I love my muzzle loaders more than any other guns I own.

[careybirdwell]

Thanks everyone, I have neither. My brother has a muzzle loader and several people reached out on TBH and offer to let me use theirs (thanks a bunch). I have never taken a 200 yd shot on anything, I was just comparing what I read and everything talked about out to 200 yards. When I hunted Laguna Atascosa a lot of people were telling they shot their Nilgai out to 400-500 yards, but I know shot people have shot them with their bows. I'm just trying to compare the 2. I like the idea of the shotgun being able to get off a 2nd shot, but there is something cool about the muzzle loader

[careybirdwell]

I love my muzzle loaders more than any other guns I own.

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Now that is a hole!!!

[SabineHunter]

Shotgun all the way. I've killed deer with both, never needed the second shot. I don't have a rifled barrell scattergun, just smoothbore. Never used a scope on it either. Good luck and let us know how it goes.

[Randell]

Some of those inline muzzle loaders are sick...shoot just like a rifle, shoot a couple hundred yards.

[careybirdwell]

Some of those inline muzzle loaders are sick...shoot just like a rifle, shoot a couple hundred yards.

I saw CVA has one and they were target shooting out 700 yards

[BigRed323]

I hunted East lake a couple of years ago and I didn’t want to invest in a rifled barrel or a muzzle loader, so I just took my dove semi auto 12 gauge and bought some Remington slugs. We hauled out a couple of deer and I’m confident it would’ve knocked down some nilgai if I had had the chance.