I had an argument with a guy I work with yesterday about the effectiveness of a 12 gauge shotgun. I think given the right ammo for the job I could kill just about anything walking the earth with a 12 gauge shotgun. My co-worker is of the mind set that I couldn't kill a large bear or even an alligator with a 12 gauge shotgun. He is a hunter, I am not. What do you guys think? What can't I kill with a 12 gauge shotgun?

Toughest skin – The whale shark

The skin on the back of a whale shark is the thickest and toughest in the world and can be up to 6 inches (15cm) in thickness. The outer layer is covered in tiny tooth-like denticles. These denticles combined with ridges that run along its back make its skin pretty much harpoon and bullet proof. However it is still vulnerable to injury from passing boats.

 

It's plenty powerful but its the proximity you'd have to get to some animals that I'd rather not experience. 

 My co-worker is of the mind set that I couldn't kill a alligator with a 12 gauge shotgun.

 

 

Dont they hunt and kill alligators with 22s?

Okay checker, you got me on that one but I did say walking the earth not swimming.

Dont they hunt and kill alligators with 22s?

That's what I said.

12ga with slugs are carried all the time in Alaska for brown bear and polar bear protection.

Alaska's DNR seems to think a 12 ga. is enough to stop a brown bear.

http://dnr.alaska.gov/parks/safety/bears.htm

 

Has your "hunter" friend ever shot anything with a 12 ga. slug? He would think otherwise if he has.

 

 

I personally think a 12 gauge shotgun 3" mag will take anything.

 

If not one shot the follow up shot will do it.

So, with the exception of the Whale Shark can anyone else think of something a 12 gauge shotgun couldn't stop?  I can't.

Maybe an Elephant...

Velociraptors, apparently...

 

Not being a hunter, I wouldn't really know...but I'd wonder about some of the big game species in Africa...I suppose a slug would likely put the hurt on just about anything...but what would worry me is the animal I hit and don't put down with one...

Rhino?

Assuming we are talking about standard ammo types (shot and slugs):

 

A human in body armor

A human at 300 yards

A human in a car (if you are shooting from outside the car)

The two bank robbers that were involved in the north Hollywood shoot out.

 

I have seen more than a few people shot with a 12 gauge, Most of them lived including a self inflicted GSW to the head and a center mass hit with 00B.

 

I have seen more than a few people shot with a 12 gauge, Most of them lived including a self inflicted GSW to the head

Ugh. That's gotta suck pretty hard.

i am no hunter, but i would imagine there are very few species *walking* on earth that couldn't be brought down with a 12ga and proper shot placement.

 

the questionable ones have been mentioned for the most part already, elephant, rhino, etc. the thing is a lot of these animals may just take a LOT longer to actually die from it. think about how much more blood an elephant has in relation to a human. then take the relative size of the slug compared to both the human and elephant. 6 liters drains out pretty quick but 90 gallons (yeah i looked it up) will take a lot longer.

 

all this being said, i'm pretty sure a 12ga used properly with slugs would make short work of any bear.

If the rudimentary bow & arrow has successfully taken critters up to the size of elephant, it would be assumed that a well-placed round from a 12 ga. would be sufficient to take most game under ideal circumstances. There are a lot of four and two-legged critters still roaming the face of the Earth to the surprise of others despite having been shot with some serious hardware. Killing as opposed to wounding is the difference between a well-placed round versus a poorly placed one.

One example of a gun built for "lark to elephant":
http://www.newsystemarms.com/new-system-arms_news.php?language=2&Id_news=62

More reading:
Google "12 ga. from Hell." (Can be found in the Slug Shooter's forum on ShotgunWorld)
 

as with all involved in hunting its ALL about SHOT PLACEMENT.  inside 50 yards i'd hunt any north American game animal with the proper 12ga slug. some are designed for max penetration some are designed for quick expansion.

 

your friend the hunter doesn't know what he's talking about. 

 

go google some energy stats on 12ga slugs vs some of the high powered rifle calibers. don't worry about velocity. look at energy.

 

Nick

Beyond 150 yards, the shotgun is not the right tool.

 

Under 100 yards, I can't think of a more versatile tool for all sorts of game.

A guy in High School blew the front of his face off with 12 gauge buck shot. He literally gave himself a frontal lobotomy and was a very scary sight after he "healed" looked like a horrible burn victim.

 

Now here's the sad part. The next year he tried to hang himself from a local bridge and freaking lived again. Pour soul...

Rhino?

Careful now... You're inviting a visit from NJSP.

The real issue I suspect would be penetration and a quick death prior to the critter stomping your butt into a mud hole or eating some critical portion of you.

This is very disconcerting. Is 00B really not as bad ass as I thought ?

 

From 25 yards away if I hit a guy dead on center to the belly is that not an immediate stopper?

 

Is a 223 dead on balls to the belly better? I think I'd better go watch those TNoutdoors ballistic videos again.

This is very disconcerting. Is 00B really not as bad ass as I thought ?

 

From 25 yards away if I hit a guy dead on center to the belly is that not an immediate stopper?

 

Is a 223 dead on balls to the belly better? I think I'd better go watch those TNoutdoors ballistic videos again.

It'll probably stop whatever behavior led them to being shot. But it ain't the movies where you shoot them flying back through your front door.

A dinosaur

A dinosaur

Tell that to this guy

Velociraptors, apparently....

This is very disconcerting. Is 00B really not as bad ass as I thought ?

 

From 25 yards away if I hit a guy dead on center to the belly is that not an immediate stopper?

 

Is a 223 dead on balls to the belly better? I think I'd better go watch those TNoutdoors ballistic videos again.

 

Will it be painful? Yes. But there are only a few things that drop a person instantly or close to it. For a gut shot, your only path to that is to hit the descending aortic artery sufficiently to cause very rapid blood loss and send them into hypovolemic shock. With an anterior hit, you basically have to penetrate almost all of the belly to get there. So a target between 1-1.5" somewhere in the middlish portion of the torso as viewed from the front. 

Harry Whittington (Dick Cheney's Shotgun accident victim)

Wow wow wow. Okay, how about at 15 yards? At 15 yards would a direct hit to belly cause a hole big enough for intestines to fall out?

 

I'm not being sarcastic here, this is for making me rethink HD situations.

 

And I def don't want this thread to drift to HD choices i just would like to realistically know how much of a hole 00B opens up on a human wearing regular clothes from 15 yards

No matter what you use it's all about shot placement wether it's a 22lr or a 50bmg.... Well maybe not a 50cal lol

 

 

Sent from my hidden under ground bunker between Taco Bell and the dry cleaner