RE: Brenneke slugs
Large heavy solid slugs over penitrate in my opinion. It punched a hole through the deer but really didn't transfer a lot of energy. Compared with one of the XTP type bullets like in the modern sabot bullets or an Inline ML they don't expand very well, if at all. I would just rather have a bullet that expands in the game and does more internal damage is all.
Like I said, they work, and will obviously kill deer. I just think the better designed bullets have an edge is all.
I shot a deer at 20 yards with a 600 grn full diameter bullet. The bullet went right through the deer and a small tree about 10 yards away. And the deer still ran 90 yards. It didn't even flinch, let alone fall down. I have shot deer with both types and the internal damage to the vitals is always greater with a controled exansion bullet vrs a plain lead slug.
I just believe that bullet design is very important is all. A round ball moving at 1100 fps out of a muzzle loader will kill a deer, that doesn't mean it will be my first choice if there are better ones out there.
Ballistics do play a role, but to be honest either rifled slugs or sabots shoot about the same out of my H&R ultra as far as trajectory and accuracy go at 100 yards. My gun is actually very accurate with some rifled slugs until the barrel leads up (about 3 or 4 shots). It's just that after using both I feel the better bullets work better.
What I would really like is an all lead bullet from Precision Bullets with a polymer tip like I shoot in my Muzzle Loader. I may try and reload something like this in the future.
Paul