Could a shotgun kill a t-rex?

Answer 1

Loaded with a sabot type slug (not buckshot) at very close range, with a shot in just the right spot- it would be possible. However, introducing firearms into the Paleozoic Era is strictly prohibited by the Anachronism Laws, and is vigorously enforced by the Time Police. A conviction is punished by a 5 yr sentence to an era before color TV.

Answer:

In a Gun or Dinosaur" by L. Sprague de Camp, the protagonist, time-traveling hunter Reginald Rivers, states:

"Well, sit there a minute ... Here you are: my own private gun for that work, a Continental .600. Does look like a shotgun, doesn't it? But it's rifled, as you can see by looking through the barrels. Shoots a pair of .600 Nitro Express cartridges the size of bananas; weighs fourteen and a half pounds and has a muzzle energy of over seven thousand foot-pounds."

There is now a .700 Nitro Express cartridge available. However there are only two shots in the gun so aim for something vital and don't miss!

On the other hand a lighter cartridge but higher energy is available . The .557 Tyranosauris by A-Square, Inc. fires a .557 cal. cartridge. The 750 grain Barnes Solid Projectile moves at 2,460 feet/second, generating over 10,180 foot-pounds of energy.

A clip of ten shots (an advantage) costs about $150.