Brenneke Goes: Full Bore - Shot Gunner

Guns Magazine, March, 2002 by Holt Bodinson

There is an interesting dialogue within the slug gunning world over the benefits of various slug diameters. Basically, the discussion breaks down into two camps: those who feel the typical sabot-driven 12-gauge, .50-caliber projectile is as good as it gets; and those who feel that the closer the slug is to full bore-diameter, the more effective it will be on game.

I've used 12-gauge slugs representing both schools of thought on whitetail deer, and I honestly haven't detected any superiority of one over the other.

Brenneke, that grand old company specializing in slug design, is firmly in the full-bore camp and has introduced two news sabot driven slugs to prove it. The first is a high-tech, brass-bodied, aluminum-cored 12-gauge SuperSlug that is a full .63 inch as shot with expansion to 1 inch upon impact. Upon impact, the pointed aluminum core is pushed inward exposing a .63-inch cookie-cutter opening at the forward end of the brass jacket. As loaded in 2 3/4-inch and 3-inch shells, the 490-grain SuperSlug is designed exclusively for rifled shotgun bores. Velocities are right up there at 1,526 fps.

The second new Brenneke slug is a more traditional looking 1-ounce, 12-guage, full-bodied hollowpoint load known as the "K.O.," which is suitable for either rifled or smoothbore barrels.

Brenneke has an enviable name when it comes to slug design. The SuperSlug is a very different radical design that is worth exploring if you hunt in a slug-only zone. Note: the company's headquarters in the United States has new management and a new location