Low cost scoped slug shotgun for wife

Fox

Fox

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Any opinions on shotguns for a small and recoil sensitive shooter?

The background, I got her a 20ga Win 1300 many moons ago, she hunted a few times with it but really got in to things this year. She does not like iron sights, I get that but will also work with her to shoot more and learn them.

She was asking about a scoped gun but ones with shorter lengths of pull are few and far between.

My thought at the moment would be a Maverick 88 Bantam and a cantilever Mossberg 500 barrel for it then drop a low power scope on top, should be just over 6lbs, can this even be found?
 
Butcherbill said:
What type of hunting does she do with her current shotgun? A receiver mounted rail and a red dot might be more appropriate depending on what she hunts with it.
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Controlled hunt for deer is the reason for the scope, using challenger slugs now but would go to a rifled barrel.

She also used to get in to waterfowl and I want to keep that as a possibility. So either find another 20ga and set it up as a fixed shotgun for deer (rifled barrel and receiver mounted scope) or a cantilever barrel. I do remember rib mounted cantilever scope mount, so I guess that would be possible on this existing shotgun but will remove her options for waterfowl, etc.
 
sillymike said:
You hunt in a shotgun only area?
- If not, why not get a rifle... something in 70-08 or 6.5x55 ?
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That is exactly it, if they allowed rifles things would be different, on I wish they would allow straight wall cartridges but SW Ontario is ML or shotgun only and we push the bush so a single shot ML is not ideal.

She shoots her 3030 fine, I got a 7.62x39 bolt gun, she loves it, setting up a 243 for her for deer in another zone but this one is specifically shotgun only.

She does not like recoil, so the 12ga is out, and she is small, so an 8lb 12ga semi is not ideal either, she does not like my 870 12ga, heck I don't like lugging it around, ha ha.
 
A-Bolt shotgun?

w8824_tar-0486.jpg


And try some reduce recoil sabot slugs?
 
This kinda screams Savage 220 to me..? Current ones have the accufit stock with spacers for LOP and interchangeable cheek risers too.
 
I think most missed the first 2 words of the post, we cannot dump a grand or more on a shotgun, looking at low cost options.

Time4t, I was thinking about this too, even a second ribbed barrel with a cantilever on the rib for a scope, but permanently mounting something on the receiver means I would need to get another shotgun for all other use as shooting through a scope at ducks is a pain.
 
Fox said:
I think most missed the first 2 words of the post, we cannot dump a grand or more on a shotgun, looking at low cost options.

Time4t, I was thinking about this too, even a second ribbed barrel with a cantilever on the rib for a scope, but permanently mounting something on the receiver means I would need to get another shotgun for all other use as shooting through a scope at ducks is a pain.
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Or mount and sight the scope for the deer hunt and then take it off again?

(Also technically the first two words of the post is "Any opinions" lol)

Canadasgunstore has a 20ga Mossy 500 two barrel set for under $600. Keep the rifled barrel, sell the other and your down to like $400-450. It might even be the Super Bantam and have a LOP spacer, it doesn't say as much on CGS's website but that's the only model I can see on Mossbergs site that matches the two barrel set without being a FLEX model, and the LOP in the picture looks awfully short to me.
 
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I would stay away from a receiver mounted scope setup with a pump or semi auto with removable barrels.

The reason is that the point of impact might shift after you take the barrel off for cleaning. And some guns are worse than others.

I had an 870 12ga set up with a receiver mounted scope. And I was able to shoot nice clover leaves at 50 meters. After the first cleaning it still shot to point of aim. However, after the second cleaning ... those clover leaves impacted around 4 inches to the left at 50 meters. That would be around 8 inches at 100 meters. Enough to have missed the vitals of a deer ...

If you want accuracy, go with a cantilever barrel ... or you would need to pin that barrel to the receiver.
 
For low cost ... I would go with something like this:

Mossberg® 500 Field/Deer Pump Shotgun Combo 20ga

https://www. cabelas.ca/product/122913/mossberg-500-fielddeer-pump-shotgun-combo

And as Suther said ... sell the barrel that you don't need .... and put a shorter stock on that gun if needed.
 
Fox said:
Controlled hunt for deer is the reason for the scope, using challenger slugs now but would go to a rifled barrel.

She also used to get in to waterfowl and I want to keep that as a possibility. So either find another 20ga and set it up as a fixed shotgun for deer (rifled barrel and receiver mounted scope) or a cantilever barrel. I do remember rib mounted cantilever scope mount, so I guess that would be possible on this existing shotgun but will remove her options for waterfowl, etc.
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Gotcha, makes complete sense. The 88 and a separate cantilever smooth or rifled barrel is the way to go, you won’t have to worry about removing a receiver mounted optic when swapping barrels with a cantilever mount on the barrel. Have a Rem 870 3 barrel combo with a cantilever mount on the slug barrel, I never use the slug barrel as I’m not in a slug/shot only area for anything but it would solve things if I was.

Smooth slug barrel would probably be best I’d think, last time I bought 12g sabots it was around $5 a shot. Not cheap, I’m sure it’s more now and 20g is probably no different. Foster slugs are much cheaper and more than accurate out to 80-100m.
 
I know that you can get a reduced LOP stock for both the Winchester 1300 and the Remington 870 and, given the ability to swap parts out, the 870 would be my first choice. Get a cantilever barrel for it and you'd be off to the races.

Or, move out of Ontario.

They're both good options.
 
BigUglyMan said:
I know that you can get a reduced LOP stock for both the Winchester 1300 and the Remington 870 and, given the ability to swap parts out, the 870 would be my first choice. Get a cantilever barrel for it and you'd be off to the races.

Or, move out of Ontario.

They're both good options.
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Not likely going to move, we have some deep roots here and can rifle hunt in many areas, just not where my dad lives.

The length of pull on the 1300 is what I already chopped, but the irons are harder for her to use, she is not well versed in them, I told her the cheapest thing would be for her to practise with irons with the 22 and go from there, I think I am faster with irons than a scope.
 
0faustus0 said:
For low cost ... I would go with something like this:

Mossberg® 500 Field/Deer Pump Shotgun Combo 20ga

https://www. cabelas.ca/product/122913/mossberg-500-fielddeer-pump-shotgun-combo

And as Suther said ... sell the barrel that you don't need .... and put a shorter stock on that gun if needed.
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I was looking at this one exactly, curious though as to the length of pull. The combos for standard length of pulls have cantilever barrels but the youth or compact models all have irons, which is annoying. Maybe have to buy this kit and then chop it down or find a youth stock, but the cheek riser is gone then :(
 
Fox said:
I was looking at this one exactly, curious though as to the length of pull. The combos for standard length of pulls have cantilever barrels but the youth or compact models all have irons, which is annoying. Maybe have to buy this kit and then chop it down or find a youth stock, but the cheek riser is gone then :(
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Could always chop a bit off the plastic stock too. I'm a smaller guy and find LOP on most pump shotguns a bit much, I took either 3/4" or 1" (can't remember) off my Mossberg stock and just reinstalled the factory recoil pad. I was able to reuse the factory screw holes for the pad, just drilled them a bit deeper first. It has some overhang on the toe now so it isn't going to win any awards for prettiest gun, but it's functional and I haven't had any issues. I was originally planning to get a grind to fit pad but haven't had any issues with the factory one and I could care less about the looks.
 
Suther said:
Could always chop a bit off the plastic stock too. I'm a smaller guy and find LOP on most pump shotguns a bit much, I took either 3/4" or 1" (can't remember) off my Mossberg stock and just reinstalled the factory recoil pad. I was able to reuse the factory screw holes for the pad, just drilled them a bit deeper first. It has some overhang on the toe now so it isn't going to win any awards for prettiest gun, but it's functional and I haven't had any issues. I was originally planning to get a grind to fit pad but haven't had any issues with the factory one and I could care less about the looks.
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You did that with a synthetic stock? I could see it with a wood stock but unsure if the synthetic stock can be cut down like that.
 
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