Jester896
Senior Clown
if they reliably feed in your gun I might disagree too...the main issue I had with themI read the article, and disagree...
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I need opinions from the gun experts.
- Thread starter Toliver
- Start date
Railroader
Billy’s Security Guard.
Got that adapter thingie for the Mossberg, and they work fine. I've loaded and shucked em all out a bunch of times, and at hallway distance pattern and performance is a-ok.
Shot up some watermelons...
rosewood
Senior Member
I don't think that is going to be legal for gators in GA.
Jester896
Senior Clown
you can get a .44 mag 26" Bang Stick for under $200
Toliver
Senior Member
That's what I told the guy wanting to take it on our trip. Like I said, on the water with a dead gator is not the time to be debating it with the guy holding the hand cuffs.
Toliver
Senior Member
I have a bang stick with .223, .44 mag and another head that was given to me but I can't remember the size and it's not marked. I had to use it in Florida because that's what the law requires...or at least it did then. But I'm more comfortable just shooting them with my pistol.... that I know is a pistol.
But even if this gun I started the thread about is, for the sake of argument, a legal weapon for gators in Georgia, I still would like to know what damage that slug is going to do to the hide and skull.
Personally, I wouldn`t shoot a gator in the head with a slug if I was wanting to save the skull.
Dutch
AMERICAN WARRIOR
I own one, not to bad to shoot. I use it for a boat/truck gun. I only run 2 3/4 in it, not hose mini shells.
7 1/2 shot in it makes for a excellent snake charmer.
7 1/2 shot in it makes for a excellent snake charmer.
rosewood
Senior Member
It will go clean thru the gator and make 2 large holes. May shatter the skull. You will be poking a 3/4" hole in it.
I thought lots of folks (in Louisiana) used 22LRs for the purpose of saving the hide.
Rosewood
Toliver
Senior Member
They do. Or possibly a .22 magnum. I don't watch the show just because of all the drama they mix in.
It doesn't take a large bullet to kill an alligator if you hit him in the soft spot on the back of the head. My buddy just wanted to take his new toy and use it on my gator. I wasn't sure what this smaller one would do. I had never even seen this thing before now. But I guess it's the same diameter so even if it doesn't have the same power and expansion, it's still putting a big, and unnecessary, hole through it. I'll let him wait until he draws his permit to try it out.
Call the DNR office where where you are hunting, and ask an officer the legality. They are happy to answer any question like that. Any one I ever posed a question to has said they would rather answer a question, than write a ticket.
Wyman
You asked for experts, not sure I qualify, because i have never killed a gator with a shotgun. I have in my ten year fishing for halibut either shot or harpooned about 45 halibut between 50-125 pounds. First let me say that we prefer always to used a harpoon / buoy on a halibut. It is safer and almost zero meat loss.
I have used those mini slugs against a halibut. And they will kill. But they are horrible for reliability. The shotgun we use is primarily used for onshore fly fishing - security for bears (slugs). So the idea of keeping those “mini shells” on the boat was stupid, so now we only keep high brass shells. Btw - I carry the shotgun ashore but we have never even come close to using it on a bear. Best just give them space. But it makes fellas feel safe and my wife asks me to take it, otherwise i would leave it aboard.
The point i want to make is about effectiveness and safety of a slug against an animal in the water. Number One Rule: Is watch your angle… be mindful of where everyone on the boat is. You will likely be in close quarters and shooting in water can be dangerous to begin with. Be extra careful. I try to shoot the beast while he is about four to ten inches under the water. You will definitely get wet no matter what, but if the animal is above the water and the slug travels through him and then hits the water pieces of animal go everywhere (+ potential for ricocheting - think of a tin can with a firecracker under it). When you have a thin layer of water between you and the target everything is better, not much damage other than the pass through. No bone flying in the air, it all pretty much stays in the water. I also notice animals underwater seem to absorb the shock (maybe concussion is a better word) of it all. They wont even twitch for about 15 seconds.
In the picture below you will see the bottom side of three halibut. Look closely and you will see two 4.75” harpoon points in the larger two. In the small one you will see the exit wound of a 12ga slug. It was shot at an angle and so the exit wound is like a slice rather than a hole. It does not destroy much meat. We have had lost a few halibut at the boat. After the shot, “BOOM” the angler sometimes will lose focus and let slack in the line, so now i yell “keep your tension - i am about to shoot”. After the shot i yell “Keep your tension”, just as a reminder. When shooting in proximity of others everyone should know before you pull the trigger.
Not sure how this relates to an alligator except in that the 12 ga is a lot more power than you need for either beast. We do not like shooting guns from the boat especially when folks are often holding a fishing rod right next to the shooter, but we have a rather small swim platform to pull the violently thrashing fish on and we prefer everything to be dead when putting them on the stringer. We need a .22 pistol but we already have so much equipment on board so I hesitate to get one. We still use the 12 ga when we run out of harpoon points.
I have used those mini slugs against a halibut. And they will kill. But they are horrible for reliability. The shotgun we use is primarily used for onshore fly fishing - security for bears (slugs). So the idea of keeping those “mini shells” on the boat was stupid, so now we only keep high brass shells. Btw - I carry the shotgun ashore but we have never even come close to using it on a bear. Best just give them space. But it makes fellas feel safe and my wife asks me to take it, otherwise i would leave it aboard.
The point i want to make is about effectiveness and safety of a slug against an animal in the water. Number One Rule: Is watch your angle… be mindful of where everyone on the boat is. You will likely be in close quarters and shooting in water can be dangerous to begin with. Be extra careful. I try to shoot the beast while he is about four to ten inches under the water. You will definitely get wet no matter what, but if the animal is above the water and the slug travels through him and then hits the water pieces of animal go everywhere (+ potential for ricocheting - think of a tin can with a firecracker under it). When you have a thin layer of water between you and the target everything is better, not much damage other than the pass through. No bone flying in the air, it all pretty much stays in the water. I also notice animals underwater seem to absorb the shock (maybe concussion is a better word) of it all. They wont even twitch for about 15 seconds.
In the picture below you will see the bottom side of three halibut. Look closely and you will see two 4.75” harpoon points in the larger two. In the small one you will see the exit wound of a 12ga slug. It was shot at an angle and so the exit wound is like a slice rather than a hole. It does not destroy much meat. We have had lost a few halibut at the boat. After the shot, “BOOM” the angler sometimes will lose focus and let slack in the line, so now i yell “keep your tension - i am about to shoot”. After the shot i yell “Keep your tension”, just as a reminder. When shooting in proximity of others everyone should know before you pull the trigger.
Not sure how this relates to an alligator except in that the 12 ga is a lot more power than you need for either beast. We do not like shooting guns from the boat especially when folks are often holding a fishing rod right next to the shooter, but we have a rather small swim platform to pull the violently thrashing fish on and we prefer everything to be dead when putting them on the stringer. We need a .22 pistol but we already have so much equipment on board so I hesitate to get one. We still use the 12 ga when we run out of harpoon points.
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Jester896
Senior Clown
Nice SPM 870!
ryanh487
Senior Member
It's an "other" weapon, and takes advantage of minimum overall length loopholes that avoid AOW or SBS regulation. You cannot change the grip style if you want to maintain that. The short loads are plenty powerful for self defense and it patterns well. Mine is loaded with short 00 buck and lives on my closet shelf in easy reach.
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