Lightfield vs Hornady

[doug9000]

My son and I both have the H&R Ultra Slug 20 ga with Bushnell 4x12x40 trophy scopes. This is by far the best "tack drivers" we have ever shot.......now comes the problem. We have been using the lightfield slugs which are deadly accurate at 50, 100, and 125 yards but.... we seem to have a problem with finding the exit holes when shooting deer. Most of the time "THERE IS NONE". I have been inquiring about this and have been told to switch over to the Hornady's which will end this problem. Can anyone tell me if there is any truth to this??? Also i just found this site so i hope i'm posting this correctly

[markfromLI]

In my opinion... finding an exit hole is irrelevant. If you hit the deer and can recover it (meaning it died) then there is no need for an exit hole. It's not an arrow that needs full pass through. The energy seems to have discipated and been absorbed by the flesh/vitals(hopefully). Is the shot is accurate and you're a decent shot and haven't lost deer using the slug I wouldn't change a thing personally.

I'm no expert just my 2 cents.

[doug9000]

What i was getting at here was that it's much better to track a deer following a good blood trail... Again this year we have had the same problem...not all the slugs pass thru.... just last nite we spent over 2 hours looking in a swamp for an 8 pointer.....when we finally found him we found out the shot took out both lungs and you could feel the slug touching the skin where it should have passed thru..... this buck only left a few drops of blood. That's why i was wondering if anyone else was running into this...

[Tenpoint]

I've wondered the same thing about my muzzle loader (240 grain) bullet with 100 grains of powder. I don't get good pass through. Many people say, "don't worry because the deer absorbs the energy". But if I shot a pea at at deer by blowing it through a straw, it would absorb the energy too....know what I'm saying. In my opinon, I like to see the pass through. Like you say, it's easier to track also.

Tenpoint

[backstrap]

I shot Lightfeilds for years out of my 11-87 12 gauge which were and still are very accurate and devastating. Pass throughs never seemed to be an issue. Since I bought my H&R 20 gauge I switched over to the Hornadys, which are accurate at 50, 100, 150 yards. I shot a doe last year at 125 yards she ran 50 yards to me with a complete pass through no lungs or heart left. My brother boy shots 20 gauge lightfields and we have noticed he does'nt always get pass through and I have heard the same from others shooting the 12 gauge.

[bambeklr]

I have shot lightfields for years out of my pump gun on deer. I have found that even with no pass through there was never any lack of blood. They are a devistating slug. The deer usually never go to far at all. I have killed deer all the way out to 180 yards with them. I have had some pass through and some that didnt. But if I hit them good they never went far.

[mheath]

I shoot the Hornady sabots in 12 gauge and I have always had a solid pass through. Those things destroy the heart/lung area of a deer.

Maybe you should step up the power from a 20 to a 12 gauge but if you are killing deer I wouldn't change anything.

The Hornady Sabots are very acurate and you can get riffle like groups at 100 yards.

[Brooksy]

I have two slug guns, I own a 12ga. Winchester 1300 which loves the Lightfields, and shoots them well. I also own an H&R 20ga Ultra Slug Hunter and that does not shoot the lightfields well at all. While sighting in the gun I found that the 20ga shoots the Winchester Supremes with the Nosler Partition gold bullet. When I used to use my 12ga I had the same problem with the Lightfileds they break up upon impact and I too have had many deer that the slug did not pass through. However, since I have been using the Winchester supremes I have never had these bullets blow up. They are killers for sure. Every slug gun seems to be different and each likes what it likes. I have also tried the Hornady's but they did not shoot as well out of my gun as the Winchesters do. But the bullet make-up should solve your pass through problem. Good luck and be safe.

[VD]

I used the hornadys on one deer and would not recomend them. I shot a fairly good sized buck behind the shoulder angled up into the oposite shoulder at about 50-70 yards, he reacted by putting on the after burners i was able to put three of the next four shots into him as he ran off and did recover him 40 min later with a finnisher as he was still alert. At the time I believed that my first shot was a partial miss but it was not and also the other hits were not that impresive on the amount of tramatic damage they inflicted but as most know if you normaly hit muscle or bone you get some good KE transfer and as most of the shots after the first were not perfectly positioned I hit alot of meat and bone (It is our responsability to quickly and humainly dispatch game) after skinning and butchering this deer following the wound paths and all I would not ever use them. It could be I had a bad lot or they had recieved a lot of moisture along the way- I foodsaver bag all my slug ammo- I do not know why but I do know that i will not use them. I have had good performance with hastings and federal hydroshocks-vitalshock. I would be carefull with the hastings as these seem to couse a lot of damage to the meat, we have had whole shoulders ruined by being compleatly blood shot, but you will have compleate pass through on all reasonable angles and have good blood trails. Happy huntin VD

[ironhead]

Keep in mind that pass through is not necessarily a GOOD thing. Yes, you are losing SOME blood trail, but when the bullet hits, rapid expansion and shok is a good thing. Without pass through all of the energy (and hopefully fragments) is being transferred into the deers vitals. The ensuing shock should further help put your animal down quicker and more humanely.

[VD]

I agree mostly, what my point is that my experiance, limited as it is with this slug, is that they dont provide anuff penitration or damage- The debate over full pass through or 100 energy transfer will never be setled by you or I but i still would not point any one towards this slug no matter what your line of thougt on the subject is- In my experience they do not acomplish what is required for either side of that discusion and I would not want to have any one have a failure in the woods as I had happen to me. VD