“Bucks, Boars & Bears,” a 73cal Lightfield IDS-sabot slug. A 135yd do it all slug.
The wild boar hunters specifically ask Lightfield to develop a sabot round that would not blow up on the surface of Hogs, that are covered with dried caked on mud. The normal sabots were blowing up on the surface of the mud and offered very little pentation and weight retention. The 360 degree IDS-sabot used on this 73 caliber sabot round; controls the expansion rate and assures ample weight retention for deep pentation. It was designed to bore through hide, tough tissue and bone to penetrate deeper with a full bore size IDS-sabot slug.
It quickly gained a reputation for working on all medium big game, up to and including Black Bears. Thus the name “Bucks, Boars & Bears”. Not recommended for Black Bears above 600 pounds.
History of the Lightfield Slug Line
The 2 3/4″ 12 gauge 546 grain Lightfield HYBRED -EXP was the first (1992). Then the 20 gauge 2 3/4″ 385 grain Hybred Exp and 3″ 385 grain Hybred Exp Mag 20. The 12 gauge 3″ 546 grain Hybred Elite Mag and the 12 gauge 2 3/4″ 546 grain Hybred Lites (reduced recoil) rounded out the Hybred series.
Later the 12 gauge COMMANDER IDS PLUS “heavy game slug” series was added to their sabot slug line. The 12 gauge 3″ 600 grain Commander IDS Plus, and the 3 1/2″ 600 grain Commander IDS Plus was added. The 600gr was designed to bore through hide, tough tissue and bone to penetrate deeper with a full bore size IDS-sabot slug. (An amazing 37″ of pentation in a 2100lb American Bison at 100yds)! Even a 16ga Commander IDS 437 grain sabot was added to the lineup for a while.
The newest addition was the 2 3/4″ Commander IDS-sabot round, a 73 caliber bore size, deep pentation sabot. The 456 grain, lighter & faster: Bucks, Boars & Bears (1600fps) round has taken is place in the sabot world, as the premier 135yd all around slug.
Rounds that followed suite were the Remington Buck-Hammer and the Hastings Lazier round.