629 For Daily Carry

Getting ammo shipped up here can be a bit of a hassle. It was impossible for a long time, but there is a forwarding company now that will do hazmat.

I’ve got a couple 12ga and have never put much faith in the slugs since they don’t penetrate very deep, and prefer a lever gun. 45/70 is my go to, but 44 magnum is also fantastic. The older marlins would not stabilize 300 grain bullets, but the newer Ruger ones have a much faster 1/20” twist, as do the Rossi and other 92s out there.

My current pet levergun is a new production rossi 454 casull. The 454 was designed to equal original 45/70 trapdoor loads from a revolver. You put that in a lightweight handy lever gun that holds 10 rounds in the tube and it is a force to be reckoned with.

I'm surprised to hear the 12 gauge slug doesn't penetrate that well. Maybe that's because factory slugs are soft?

It has more to do with sectional density. Think about how large diameter the slug is, vs the velocity compared to something like an original 45/70 load. Roughly the same weight and velocity, but the 45/70 with penetrate 5x or more deeper than the 12ga will. Most heavy hitting handguns, like 44 mag will out penetrate a 12 guage slug. They have a high energy transfer, but are not great at breaking heavy bones.