Slug Gun

[Johnny B]

The rifle will have to stay in the gun cabinet this fall:

I will hunting in a slug-zone this year for the first time, so I will be looking at purchasing a rifled shotgun and am interested in opinions:

1. What do you shoot / what manufacturer should I consider?

2. What loads work well in your gun?

3. Do you have a scope or just the iron sights?

4. Where I should buy it?

[fisher98]

JohnnyB-

I use a Mossberg 500 with a rifled barrel, and I have a scope mounted on the gun. I have had tremendous success with this gun. I have found that my shotgun has had better knock-down power than my rifles, and the deer have not run as far off compared to my rifle kills.

As far as types of loads, it depends on you getting a rifled barrel or not because they make special slugs for rifled barrels, or non-rifled barrels. I have shot many manufacturer brands and I have found Winchester Sabot Slugs to be the truest flying load, but that is just my preference I guess, but there are a lot of brands that are out there to try. I shot about 4 or 5 different brands before I settled on Winchester.

If you plan on getting a scope make sure you still can drop beneath the scope and use your iron sights. I have had to use both and it all depended on the cover you are hunting, distance, and sunlight or lack of sunlight.

Now where to get it. I would shop around for a combo, you get the regular shotgun barrel plus a rifled barrel.I have found that a rifled barrel may cost you an extra $100-$150 down the line.

Fleetfarm, Gander, Dick's, and Joe's sporting goods are all good places to check.

Good Luck!!!

fisher98

[lawdog]

I have two slug guns, both Remington 870's. One has a fully rifled barrel and a cantilever scope mount with a Nikon 2x7x32 shotgun scope on it (make sure you buy a scope made for a shotgun as the recoil is different). Sabot slugs are designed to be shot from the rifled barrels (or at least rifled choke tubes which are OK but not as good as a fully rifled barrel). This gun is nasty out to 100 yards. I shoot Remington Copper Solid Sabots by the way, but that's really just a matter of shooting different types and seeing which ones work best in your gun. I shot the buck in my avator last year at 73 yards with this gun and the slug took out both lungs and tore the top of his heart out too. He didn't go far...

The other gun is the one I use while walking/driving deer. It just has open sights and a smooth bore. The smooth bores are not Sabot shooters, stick with the cheap Foster style slugs in these. The range is limited due to the smooth bore and open sights, but they pack a huge punch at limited range.

You will find that out to about 75 yards, a shotgun is the premier weapon for deer, they hit like a ton of bricks with all that lead in the slug. No rifle can match their close range knock down power. The trade off is, they have no long range use.

GOOD LUCK!

[Mr Special]

I second the Mossberg 500. I like the top tang safety, and you can get them with rifled & bird barrel for about $350. You can get them now with a raised comb stock to help while using scopes. If you get the rifled barrel with cantilever mount, you would never have to dismount the scope. Go from bird gun to deer gun within seconds.

I had a 870 Express but didn't like the weight. Although the extra weight does help soften the recoil.

As to slugs each gun will be different. Not sure why that is. My uncle has a 870 that likes Federal sabots and my buds 870 (my old one)likes the Remi full copper Sabots. Kid you not my buds setup shoots 1.5" groups at 100yrds. Those guns were bought same store, same day, batch# were off by 14 I think.

I shoot smoothbore, rifled sights. At 50yrds I average 2" groups. Where I hunt most of the time I can't see past 75yrds anyhow.

Hope this helps and good luck

[Johnny B]

Thanks for the info guys. It sounds like no matter what I end up with, I will still have to experiment with different loads for any consistency. Thought that maybe I would hear something like: Remington sabots would work best in the 870’s, the Federals in the Mossberg’s or Winchesters in the Nova.

[CodyDawg]

I have a Beretta 390 with a Hastings fully rifled barrel, cantilevered, and a Burris Signature Series Scope. My dad has the same setup. Both of us shoot 2" or under at 100 yds with Federal Barnes Xpander slugs whistling along at 1900 fps. Note that in sabots, the "standard" slugs travel around that 1400 fps and some of the new ones go 1900-2000 fps. WInchester makes some good ones too, but they didnt pattern as well as the Feds in my gun. the interesting thing here is that the faster slugs have as much energy at 125 yards as the 1400 fps slugs have at 50.

[KidWalleye]

Lawdog I have a question about your 870's if you have a minute.

[jake125]

i am goin slug hunting this year(1st time) and would using my remington 870 wingmaster be okay, it just has the regular barrel not rifled.

[lunker651]

Jake, just remember to site in your gun before you go hunting. So you will know where it's hitting, some barrels don't alway hit where you aim at. I still got to sight in mine too, just to see if it's hiting the same as last year.

[alaskadreamin]

If your looking for slug gun, I shoot a remington 870, fan of open sites, either for woods or prairie, shot Winchesters, big things get the rifled barrel, worth the money....another note,,personnally this year switching to my Thompson muzzleloader for both regular zone 4a and 4b plus muzzleloaer season.....add a little something more to the mix....just a thought for you....

[Walleye Guy]

I also have a Mossberg 500 and it has been an excellent gun. I have the cantilever rifled barrel and shoot Winchester abot slugs. I get 2 inch groups at 100 yards with a scope.

The only drawback to rifled barrel slug guns is the barrels are heavy which makes the gun muzzle heavy. Buy a pair of shooting sticks of have a rest in your stand.

[lawdog]

Quote:

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Lawdog I have a question about your 870's if you have a minute.

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Fire away.

Or you can email me directly at [email protected]

[Mr Special]

Does your bird barrel offer interchangable chokes?

Most Foster type slug "a.k.a Rifled slugs" are recommended to be used with a Imp.Cycl choke or Cycl choke. Some people say Mod. choke works better for their guns. But when I did use my bird barrel with Mod. choke I could barely hit a pie plate at 25yds.

[Rost]

I shoot a Rem 870 Wingmaster, Remington fully rifled barrel with a cantelever scope mount, straight 2x scope.

No offense to the Mossberg guys, but I just can't see spending any money on one. I have had several friends who bought them and they jam up. Did they redesign them lately or something? Maybe they are better now.

The 870 is no doubt the most dependable pump gun on the market. It is reasonably priced and has been around for decades. I got mine (used) 18 yrs ago and haven't had a problem with it yet. The gun is probably 30 years old.

[lawdog]

Quote:

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It is reasonably priced and has been around for decades. I got mine (used) 18 yrs ago and haven't had a problem with it yet. The gun is probably 30 years old.

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I can top that one Rost... My one 870 with the open sighted smooth bore slug barrel was my dad's. He bought it used right after he came back from Korea...IN ABOUT 1952

I put synthetic stocks on it a few years ago but it didn't really need them and the mechanical part of the gun is orignal equipment. I still have the original straight full choke no vent rib barrel too...

[snowman678]

If you don't want to offend the Mossberg guys, maybe you should have kept the "wouldn't pay anything for one" comment to yourself (no offense). I've got a Mossberg 20 gauge that was my dad's 1st gun 40+ years ago, then passed along to 2 of my older cousins, then to me, it then went to 2 of my younger cousins and back to me without ever having a problem. I've also had a Mossberg 12 gauge for over 10 years, same thing, never a problem, I would say that's pretty good reliability myself. I will agree that the 870 has been a great gun for many years, but I have seen a couple of of my buddies have problems with them too, not necessarily the guns fault, it was the owners who didn't clean or maintain them. Buy a gun that fits your budget and feels comfortable in your hands and you can't go wrong IMHO.

[Rost]

Hey, no problem. I am sure there are plenty of guys out there that have absolutely no problems with their Mossberg.

These message boards are here for people to share their opinions. So one should expect to get 100 different views on what gun is the best.

The Remington 870 was introduced in 1950 and they have not (to my Knowledge) made a change to it yet. It's been America's #1 selling pump shot gun for many years. There really is no argument for that.

[snowman678]

I really wasn't arguing that; "the 870 has been a great gun for many years". Just offering my opinion that the Mossberg was not bad gun either, & trying to make the point that any gun that is not properly cared for can jam (not saying that was the case w/ your buddies guns, but I've seen it many times w/ some of the guys I hunt with).

[Johnny B]

Remington vs. Mossberg, must be like Ford vs. Chevy. From whatever side of the fence you are on, it is always rather interesting to hear peoples take on their favorites.

Another question:

What are the pros and cons on the cantilever scope mounts compared to those that mount directly to the barrel?

[lawdog]

If you have one directly on the barrel you will need an extended eye relief scope. You also still need one that is built for shotgun type recoil so get ready to shell out some serious cash. You also have the added issue of drilling/tapping mounts into the barrel which I don't know that most shotgun barrels are built for, but you'd have to ask a gunsmith about that.

[WaveWacker]

I've shot 3" slugs through my 870 when I hunted in "slug country" and I will have to say that I dread sighting the thing in due to the kick. Years ago picked up a rig for my mom to use at home and what a night and day difference. Got her a Browning Gold with a fully rifled slug barrel and a Bushnell Holo sight on it. Granted I was using rifled slugs in the 870 and Sabot's in the Browning but the recoil has to be easily cut in 1/2. I've patterned groups within 4" at 200yds (not that I condone shooting that far but just wanted to see what it would do).

I personally haven't shot any deer with this gun as I go up north, but in my opinion this is the sweetest set up that I have ever shot in a slug gun.

[Mr Special]

I've never seen a scope mounted directly to the barrel for slug guns.

The cantilever scopes are the best in my mind. It's your rifled barrel and scope rail in one. The scope attaches to the railing/barrel. So once you have it sighted in, you can easily go from bird gun to deer gun within seconds. But they cost more cash.

You can get a Scope mount rail. They attach to the gun itself. Most shotguns these day are drilled/tap ready for a scope rail. If your gun isn't predrilled, you can get a rail mount system from B-Square that doesn't require any drilling/tapping. They incase the outside of the gun and usually mounts through your trigger pins. With the B-Square mounts it allows you to dismount your scope, but leave the rail system attach. There's a square slot through the whole rail mount that allows you to see your bead on the bird barrel.

Hope this helps

[Ski from FF]

Quote:

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The rifle will have to stay in the gun cabinet this fall:

I will hunting in a slug-zone this year for the first time, so I will be looking at purchasing a rifled shotgun and am interested in opinions:

1. What do you shoot / what manufacturer should I consider?

2. What loads work well in your gun?

3. Do you have a scope or just the iron sights?

4. Where I should buy it?

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Here are questions you will need to ask your self. Where are you going to hunt. Wood or open area's? How far do you plan on shooting? How much do you want to spend. I just so happens that where I hunt all my shooting is done at fairly close (range 25 yards max). So smooth bore rifled sited gun is all I need. I would not buy a full rifled barrel if it was not scoped.

1 I shoot a Remington 870 Express. It is a 20" smooth bore

with rifle sites. I purchased as a combo with a 28"

barrel also. Buy a Remington 870 you will not be sorry.

2 I use Federal 2 3/4" foster style slugs. I shot a box of

3" magnums once and it was painful. I have no need for the 3" shell because every deer I have shot

with the 2 3/4" slug has dropped on the spot it was shot.

3 I shoot Iron sites.

[Kodiak]

Quote:

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The rifle will have to stay in the gun cabinet this fall:

I will hunting in a slug-zone this year for the first time, so I will be looking at purchasing a rifled shotgun and am interested in opinions:

1. What do you shoot / what manufacturer should I consider?

2. What loads work well in your gun?

3. Do you have a scope or just the iron sights?

4. Where I should buy it?

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1. I shoot a m-2000 stoeger semi-auto synthetic w/rifled barrel.

2. Winchester parition gold, or Remington core lokt ultra sabot's.

3. Bushnell 1x red/green multireticle scope.

4. were it is cheapest, gunbrokerDOTcom

[jltimm]

Have ya shot your Stoeger with slugs yet?If so what are the results?