doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Slugs and buck in a double?

Came across about 200 evenly mixed rounds of 16 ga. slugs and #1 buck at a price I couldn't refuse. My only 16 is a post war Sauer bored IC/Mod. Would firing these rounds beat up the gun or cause the stock to develop cracks, etc. I am curious to see how the barrels will group the slugs downrange,but not interested in damaging the gun. Thanks.

Jorge-

If you are looking for a scientific answer, please await the next response. I would not fire slugs or buck shot out of any of my older doubles. But I wouldn't do it in my newer one because I have a new 870 express designed for those applications.

I understand that the post war Sauer are very well built and use very high quality steel, but I have seen a number of the Sauer/Simson/Merkel, particularly those with the scalloped receivers, with cracks in their stocks, repairs and cross bolts. These cracks were most likely due to firing regular loads. Slug and buck loads do tend to kick harder, so for the well stated reservation in your inquiry, concerns over the stock, I would not shoot them in my doubles.

Stocks are typically the first thing to go on these shotguns, after all wood is the softer part of them and shotguns are often stored muzzle up after cleaning and oiling and the stocks can become weak from the soaking.

Doug

Thanks Doug. I almost bought an Ithaca 37 for the slugs and buck (and other sensible reasons) until I discovered it had a LH safety. On another thread I learned that the safety change is not all that difficult, so I probably won't take a chance on the Sauer.

I shot a lot of mooses and boars from my doubles using Brenneke slugs mostly and several wolfs with buck shots and without any problems. Some of my doubles I used for that were really old.
The Law is the same - look at the pressures these loads develope.
At the same time most of German doubles have full chokes, when the best accuracy could be achieved, when double has from C till IC.

Geno, just for sake of language clarity, the english plural for moose is moose. Same thing with deer, sheep and elk. Kind of strange but no one ever said english was a rational language. Maybe the plural for moose should be changed to meese like goose and geese? But if I goose someone multiple times, I still have not geesed him.

Jorge-

You are welcome, if you do decide to spare your fine Sauer from the slugs and buck, you will not be sorry.

I moved from Texas to Illinois a few years ago and the last two deer I harvested were with my classic 12 "bore" Remington 870 Express Combo double gun with phosphate finish, with fine pressed checkering on some kind of wood (OK by "bore" and “double gun” I am just kidding folks, but I couldn't resist, it is in fact a 12 gauge with both a slug and a shot barrel…clearance priced at Wal-Mart for $264).

Even though I own several very fine deer rifles, regrettably , shooting slugs isn't just an experiment in my present situation. Pressures and recoil are not the same, I have never shot 16 gauge slugs or buck, but I have shot both out of the 12 gauge and these loads do “kick.” The “kick” (not chamber or barrel pressures) is what does your stock in.

Assuming you have good reason to want to shoot those shells, for roughly 10% (or less) of the cost of having your Sauer re-stocked you can get good, used, 16 gauge like the Ithaca, more suitable for the loads you purchased.

Doug