Deer Slug Gun

[Mickey]

Hey all,

I am in the market for a slug gun for deer as I am in a no rifle zone at my place.

Does anyone here have one and what are the reviews on them?

I will also be trying to do some research online, but I figure you fine folks are some of the best to ask.

Please let me know.

Depends what you are looking to spend but if budget isn't a huge issue, the Benelli Super Black Eagle is the way to go.


If budget is a concern, then the Super Nova would be my choice. I've shot out to 200 yards with both guns.....incredible accuracy from a slug gun.

[Alberta Bigbore]

I had great success with a Savage 210F bolt action slug gun. Super accurate. But there are many out there.

[duffy4]

(Mind you this was several years back)
I picked up a used Rem. Model 1100 semi-auto for around $150.00 and then sent away to the states for a "Hastings"rifled slug barrel (a couple hundred). I got a side mount and put a 2.5 power scope on it. Shoots Federal sabot slugs into 2.75 inch group at 100 yards.

[Redneck Renagade]

Mossberg deer/turkey combo. Decent groups out to 185yrds. I've taken 2 deer and one bear with mine

[Bundo1980]

For the money, my Rem 870 express Slug with the rifled barrel, i had it tapped and have a 3200 Elite with the Firefly reticle (1.5-4.5x) shooting sabot slugs produce in that 2" range of groups out to 150yrds. I have shot is further but i found things got a little hairy much past 150yds IMO anyways.

[mad fisher]

H&R Slugster is a nice one.

Single shot though but very accurate.

It is about $300. The barrell is rifled and with good slugs it is good on deer out to 250yds. It shoots tight groups (1.5")

[Springer]

How accurate is a regular shotgun with slugs?? both in 20 and 12 gauge.Out to what distance as well.

Originally Posted by Springer

How accurate is a regular shotgun with slugs?? both in 20 and 12 gauge.Out to what distance as well.

Not very...maybe 50-75 yards. Sights are the biggest limiting factor on regular shotguns.

[duffy4]

When they first started the Strathcona deer season I took my pump 12 bird gun and stuffed some regulal lead "rifled" slugs in it. I took a .22 magnum spent cartridge and drilled a hole in the base and taped it onto the receiver of the shotgun to use as a rear sight. Using the front bead I did some shooting with it and could nat group better than about 7 inches at 50 yards.

I had a Savage 24 in .222 over 20 gage with rifle type sights on it. I got some 20 ga slugs and could get about a 4 inch group at 80 yards with it. So I hunted one trip to strathcona with it.

Then I got the rifled slug barrel and sabot slugs mentioned above.

[walking buffalo]

Originally Posted by Springer

How accurate is a regular shotgun with slugs?? both in 20 and 12 gauge.Out to what distance as well.

Originally Posted by sheephunter

Not very...maybe 50-75 yards. Sights are the biggest limiting factor on regular shotguns.

Try your shotty and find out. Each one will be unique.

Bead sights are the limiting factor. It's pretty tough to confidently line up at 100 yards and be sure your shot placement isn't due to a bit of luck.

I often shoot slugs out of a smoothbore with a single bead sight, consistent 4-5 inch 100 yards groups, but the sights do not make it feel easy.

[Snowdog]

photo.jpg


This is my Strathcona gun, mossberg 535 ATP 3.5" with the 4.5 trophy scope. 1.5in at 100yd with the remington acutip or the federal.

[Stinky Coyote]

Savage 220f, great bang for buck, the h & r single shot would be good one too, 20 gauge is way to go for high performance slugging FYI, I have 220f but next choice would be h & r, both have great accuracy reputation

[Mickey]

Originally Posted by Stinky Coyote

Savage 220f, great bang for buck, the h & r single shot would be good one too, 20 gauge is way to go for high performance slugging FYI, I have 220f but next choice would be h & r, both have great accuracy reputation

Would the 20 gauge be more accurate than the 12 gauge in your opinion?

[Springer]

Originally Posted by walking buffalo

Try your shotty and find out. Each one will be unique.

Bead sights are the limiting factor. It's pretty tough to confidently line up at 100 yards and be sure your shot placement isn't due to a bit of luck.

I often shoot slugs out of a smoothbore with a single bead sight, consistent 4-5 inch 100 yards groups, but the sights do not make it feel easy.

I am going to have to try it out Fellas and just see what i find out for accuracy. I have had a bunch of 20 gauge slugs kicking around the gun locker for years , this will be a good excuse to use them up.

[Stinky Coyote]

Originally Posted by Mickey

Would the 20 gauge be more accurate than the 12 gauge in your opinion?

can't comment on accuracy difference but you get 45 and 50 cal sabot'd bullets in the 20 gauge hull and i believe launch out of say the 22" barrel of 220f is in the 1775 fps relm....ammo's are rated for something like 28" barrels so they are not going to do the 1900 fps they say on the box, premium ammos like the barnes tipped and rem accutip are actually recommended as the most accurate from savage right in the box for the 220f

in 12 gauge the bullets have to be so much bigger, fatter, heavier and slower, you won't get as good a performance over as good a distances as the 20 gauge...your firing the same premium sabot slugs from the 20 gauge that get loaded into the front of muzzle loaders

the 220f has been tested a few times, i'm sure i posted links in my write ups of mine on here, very accurate for a slug gun and honest 200 yrd capability on deer size targets etc.

if i wanted a solid 200 yrd slugger with a scope etc. i'd go savage 220f if i wanted a repeater (necessary? not likely) and reality is to do over i might waffle a bit more between the 220f and the h&r single but have a feeling the savage would win out....i like my little savage alot, feels like a regular rifle, recoils alot like a strong 308, handles great, accurate, love the oversize bolt knob and smooth action, trigger etc. its likely the only slugger out there that will look like, feel, and handle like a regular sporting rifle

i still have to get around to doing my ammo comparo, i've got a bunch of different slug in the safe and was going to do a head to head at 100 to see what grouped tightest etc. and already killed a late season elk with mine with the barnes and its proven plenty accurate enough to 150 in my testing so far

[7mm08]

I dont mean to de-rail your thread, but is it a strict "shotgun only" zone...or can you use muzzle loaders as well? A muzzle loader may give you other options.

Barrel length plays little role in velocity in shotguns after about 20"

[Stinky Coyote]

Originally Posted by 7mm08

I dont mean to de-rail your thread, but is it a strict "shotgun only" zone...or can you use muzzle loaders as well? A muzzle loader may give you other options.

agree, another 50 yrds more useable range due to a bit more velocity and more importantly accuracy, from memory just say comparing savage product the savage muzzle loader can do 1" groups at 200 yrds and the 220f was just under 3" groups...comments from the same tester who owned the muzzle loader already and was testing the 220f when it first came out, again, articles that would be dug up from my previous posts/reviews on my 220f, less range with 220f but you get a repeater and maybe less/easier maintenance....but the ultimate performance for that one shot for special season where allowed would be the muzzle loader, note: the 1775 fps i mentioned for the barnes load was from a test/review/chrony data

not to derail the thread any further

[Okotokian]

I'd go for the ML...

If you were really stuck on the slug gun, I'd go for a gas operated semi to tame a little of that recoil.

[jim-bo]

I have a Mossberg 500 Slugster, 2.75-3" chamber, 24" barrel, and iron sights although I put a 3-9x40 leupold on it.

All in all, pretty good for the money ($350 for the Slugster), but it took some tinkering to get it to preform. Economy shotguns aren't known for their tight tolerances, and given the short shank on the Mossberg barrel I decided to do a beer can shim, which significantly helped with the accuracy.

Due to the comb, mounting scopes can be tricky, and I found that saddle mounts didn't give me repeated accuracy, so I went with a Weaver base and Rings (luckily mine was drilled and tapped from the factory), and with the shimmed barrel I found accuracy in and around 2" at 100 yards.

Ammo is another consideration, some shot very well, others not so hot. I found good accuracy with Hornady SST slugs @ an advertised velocity of 2000 fps, but I found that Slugs with lower advertised velocities shot better groups, and if I shot two similar slugs, one in a 2.75" and one 3" that the 3" would shoot tighter groups 9/10. I simply attribute that to the jump to the rifling and the twist rate.

Cheap Winchester Sabots did about an 1" at 1400 fps, but drop like a stone past 150 yards, and the Platinum partition winchesters did 1-1.5" and were a 200+yarder choice but still had quite a bit of drop.

Another tip would be to by a 12g boresnake, the plastic fouling from the sabots can effect accuracy, and it only takes 1-2 shots to get plastic fouling, I found a couple passes with a boresnake to be the simplest method.

For what it is, I like it, but having said that if i were to do it again I would go with a 20g and not a 12g. There are more slug choices for 12g's, and more guns availible in 12g, but your preformace:recoil ratio is substancial. Yes, it is a bigger price of lead, yes it has more energy, blah blah blah... I bought into that when I bought the bloody thing and now I am saying that if I were to do it again I wouldn't

I think a Savage 220f would be pretty kickass, I've played with them and I like them, especially for the price.

If you had money to burn, I believe Thompson Center had a 26" 20g rifled slug barrel for their pro hunter's and a 12g 28" as well.