Barnes VOR-TX 20ga 2 3/4 250gr Slug – Superb Expander Sabot

Description

The Barnes VOR-TX 20ga 2 3/4 250gr Slug is a polymer tipped all copper expanding slug in a 2 3/4 inch 20 gauge shell. It leaves the muzzle at roughly 1800 fps, which works out to approximately 1798 ft-lbs of energy. Read the barrel note before you buy: this is a sabot slug and it needs a rifled barrel to shoot accurately. Each box holds 5 rounds.

• Barnes VOR-TX 20ga 2 3/4 250gr Slug Overview
• 250 Grain Expander Tipped Slug Performance
• Why Hunters Choose 20 Gauge Sabot Slug Ammo
• Specifications
• Range Notes For This All Copper Expanding Slug

Barnes VOR-TX 20ga 2 3/4 250gr Slug Overview

The projectile is machined from solid copper with a polymer tip, and it rides inside a plastic sabot sleeve that falls away at the muzzle. The sabot is what lets a sub calibre projectile engage the rifling in a rifled shotgun barrel and leave spinning.

On impact the polymer tip drives rearward into the hollow nose and the bullet opens into copper petals at roughly double diameter, retaining close to all of its weight. That is a very different result from a traditional lead Foster slug, which deforms unpredictably and sheds mass.

250 Grain Expander Tipped Slug Performance

Here is the part most people get backwards. The 20 gauge version of this load is faster than the 12 gauge, not slower. A 250 grain slug at 1800 fps against a 438 grain slug at 1450 fps means the smaller gauge shoots noticeably flatter and is easier to hit with at 150 yards.

The 12 gauge still carries more energy, roughly 2042 ft-lbs against 1798 here. On a whitetail at slug ranges that gap matters far less than being able to place the shot, which is why a great many experienced slug hunters have moved to 20 gauge.

Why Hunters Choose 20 Gauge Sabot Slug Ammo

Recoil is the honest answer. A 20 gauge gun is lighter to carry all morning and far easier to shoot well, and a 250 grain projectile simply pushes back less than a 438 grain one. Shooters who flinch through a box of 12 gauge slugs often shoot noticeably tighter groups with 20 gauge sabot slug ammo, and a tighter group beats a bigger number on paper every time.

The second reason is legal rather than ballistic. Many counties and wildlife management areas restrict deer hunting to shotguns, and a growing number of public lands and condor range units require non toxic projectiles. A solid copper slug satisfies both at once without giving up terminal performance.

The third reason is what copper does after impact. Because the bullet holds together instead of fragmenting, it tends to punch all the way through and leave two holes rather than one. On a wet November evening, two holes is what turns a short blood trail into a findable one.

It also suits younger and smaller framed hunters well. If you are setting up a first deer gun, a rifled barrel 20 gauge loaded with lead free low recoil slug ammunition is about as approachable as a legitimate deer rig gets, and the Barnes VOR-TX 20ga 2 3/4 250gr Slug gives that gun real terminal performance rather than a compromise load.

Specifications

Range Notes For This All Copper Expanding Slug

Sight it in from a rest at 100 yards and do not assume it will land where your old Foster loads did. A sabot and a Foster slug leave the barrel differently enough that they almost never share a zero, so plan on burning a couple of boxes to get honest.

That 100 yard zero is the useful one. From there the load stays inside a few inches out to about 125 yards, which covers the overwhelming majority of real shot opportunities in shotgun country. Past 150 yards the drop curve gets steep in a hurry and it stops being a reasonable poke.

Optics matter more than people expect. A low power scope or a red dot on a cantilever mount will do more for your groups with a 250 grain expander tipped slug than any change in ammunition, because the limiting factor at these distances is almost always the sighting system.

One last note worth repeating: a smoothbore barrel will not stabilize a 250 grain expander tipped slug. If your gun has a smooth bore and a bead, buy Foster slugs instead and you will be happier with the results.

Lead Free Low Recoil Slug Ammunition Availability

This lead free low recoil slug ammunition is in stock and ready to ship from MAG5 Firearms, a family owned FFL dealer in Collegeville, Pennsylvania. Ammunition orders ship to most states, and local customers are welcome to pick up in the shop. If you need a case quantity or a load we do not show online, give us a call and we will check what our distributors have on hand.

Manufacturer details are available on the Barnes Bullets site. If you shoot a 12 gauge instead, compare the VOR-TX 12 gauge 2 3/4 inch 438 grain slug and the VOR-TX 12 gauge 3 inch load, or browse our full ammunition selection.