New H&R NEF Tracker II 12 gauge

[hoss]

I've had a yen for a single shot rifled 12 gauge... don't ask why, as I couldn't begin to tell you. Suffice to say, someday the zoo may call and say "Hoss, we got a loose rhino thats gone rogue and we heard you're the perfect Walter Mitty fer the task..." or perhaps science will one day clone the dinosaurs in a process which will spiral horribly out of control leaving me to keep my family and friends safe from the rampaging hordes of velociraptors and Tyranno saureans.... I got an email from Cheaper than Dirt that they got the new Tracker in, I bought one, and I am impressed. The wood is decent, the finish is decent, the sights are honest to gosh steel express sights that are honest to gosh welded to the barrel... I am prepared for a slug only deer hunt or zombie apocalypse. Whichever comes first. All I need is a pith helmet and some charging elephant targets...

[kaytod]

And some modern versions of the British Paradox 12 bore load.

Want something with some swat? Get ahold of James Gates in Old Towne Florida. www.dixieslugs.com

He loads a 1 3/4 ounce 12ga 3" at 1250 fps with SAAMI spec pressures for fully rifled barrels. They do chop a hole.
I've got some pictures around here somewhere, of the Dixie slugs on an Angus Bull. I'll post them if you'd like.

todd

[hoss]

Aw, man! Post 'em if ya got em! (the dixie slugs sight keeps freezin up on me... but I like the direction they're goin in.)

[kaytod]

Here is a couple pics.

Mature Angus Bull became lame and couldn't get up. The following photos are for reference with the Savage 210 12 ga.
Dad had already put him down so the following shots were done on a carcass




Entry hole for the broadside shot standing in the loader bucket from about 12 ft. Hoping to intersect both shoulders.



Bullet found from the frontal shot in neck. The blade is about 10" long. Total penetration thru all the bone in the skull and three vertebre was about 19"


"Exit" side was against the soft ground. The bullet path was about 4 inches away from where the bullet was recovered. It passed thru approx 29" of beef shoulders, hit the hide next to the ground with enough force to stretch the hide away from the bullet wound channel and "bounce back" resting about 4" away from the true bullet path. If it had been a live animal and standing, the bullet would have easily passed clean thru. I only intersected one shoulder bone but still performed well marring only the nose of the bullet slightly.

[kaytod]

Recovered bullet from the neck and through all the bone. Bullet was damaged pretty well on the nose but the recovered weight well exceeded my 510 grain scale!



This bullet went through one shoulder and only lost a bit of the front driving band. Notice the "T" stamped on the nose is still intact. That was the Terminator load of 730 grain bullet at 1250 fps

[hoss]

Wow... impressive performance! I was testing my five and a half pound Tracker today with the Remington BuckHamm'r 1.25 ounce slugs and I had quite a few questions run through my head... namely, how much penetration could I expect from the buckhamm'r slugs, is the advertised velocity the real velocity, and, by the third round, what in the hell was I thinking hanging onto a boom stick that generates 47+ ft/lbs of recoil impulse! Next time the session will be slightly longer (with the help of my PAST shield) but only slightly... I plan to sling it up and use a standing bench, make sure my adjustments were valid, then see what she'll do at distance. The thing is vicious... and I like that! The savage bolt slug gun is very cool, and probably my next step. Had good results with yours, I take it?

[kaytod]

Hoss,

The savage is one of the first generation guns being 15+ years old. It shoots really well but still only weighs 8.2 pounds. I think the new ones have a bit softer recoil pad which this one is about as soft as my 10 ply truck tires. This winter the project will be to shorten the barrel and install a set of express sights. Perhaps drop it into a wooden stock with appropriate "whale belly" for the magazine. I think it would give it far more character. The stock project will probably take a bit of whittling to do as I don't think there is anyone that makes a replacement for them.
Browning also made an A-bolt shotgun about this same era. It was typical glossy finish and styling, but wore a nice wood stock and was very slick in the action department and I believe had a detachable magazine. There were two models that I knew of, one with a fully rifled barrel and the second with a rifled choke tube as I recall between 4-6 inches long and threaded internally into the barrel the depth of a standard choke tube but the O.D. butted against the ouside of the barrel and was profiled to match the barrel contour. They dropped them all years ago, but lately I've heard rumors they were thinking of bringing it back. I don't know if it ever happened or not.

I had shot some 2 ounce slugs at 1500 fps from this gun and they will indeed leave a mark in your underwear. They figured up at about 100 pounds of felt recoil.
I've been around one Tracker II 12ga and several of the 20ga. The 12 was a bit exuberant in the recoil department, however they all are quite handy to handle and they all were pretty darn accurate.

If you call Dixie Slugs, You will talk to James or to Sissy, his wife. Tell the Todd Corder sent ya. "Dixie" has taken off the month of November so their employees can get out and hunt the start of the season. So if you want to order something, it will be Dec 1 before they resume production.

[hoss]

Thanks for the info! I was ogling the new generation Savage Slugger with the accutrigger: I want to build a Scout slug gun. As to the wood stock, I know you can't make synthetics feel like wood, but you might look at hydrographing for the look. we have a local fella that does it, and while I haven't tried it I'm considering a faux wood finish on my scout 308. 100 ft lbs almost marks my undies just thinking about it...