Opinions are a dime a dozen but I'm asking anyway. What is your ideal shotgun for deer? I am shopping. So far I have considered Browning Gold Deer Hunter, my preference but it seems they are no longer available from factory so if anyone has one for sale, please speak up. Also like Benelli SBE. I want semi-auto, rifled, in 12 ga. What do you think folks? Thanks.
Best Shotgun for Deer - Canvassing the masses
- Thread starter Brockman
- Start date
Got myself a Remington 870 Express Tactical Magpul Shotgun Rifle last month , Sure it's not a Rifled barrel but it will be. (It will also be used for a fun Gun when not Hunting ,that's why I went for a tactical look)
Since dedicating my deer season to shotgun zones I've been using my Dad's Winchester Model 50 s/a with iron sights. Its really a bird gun. Although it produced a nice 6 point buck last year I want to move toward improving accuracy and range. I get pumped reading the articles about shotguns that perform like rifles. Just need direction on what make and model to go with to achieve this. Thanks.
The most reliable and accurate rifled barrel shotguns are not autoloaders. It is no different than in rifle actions. The most accurate sabot slug guns for sale today are bolt actions. The top 3 by price would be Tarhunt, Browning, and Savage. To decide what YOUR ideal slug gun is, you need to determine what type of deer hunting you will be doing the most. If you are going to be pushing bushes to shooters on point, then your ideal gun will be open sighted and not benefit from a rifled barrell. If you stand hunt or like to cover field edges while hunting alone, then a rifled barrel and optics are more suitable for this task. The only real benefit to sabots over rifled slugs is the extended range beyond 100 yards out to nearly 200. Interchangeable barrels are handy but a dedicated slug gun is just that. Don't overlook the 20g if you decide to get a dedicated sabot gun as the trajectory is the same as a 12g and the recoil is less punishing. Autoloaders are for waterfowl in my opinion. There is no substitiute for a good pump or bolt gun when reliability is critical.
To have what is close to ideal for several scenarios I like to have options. Between my 870 wingmaster with many barrels to choose from and my savage 220 I should be able to have the gun that I need in my hands at all times; but things still don't always work out as planned.
To have what is close to ideal for several scenarios I like to have options. Between my 870 wingmaster with many barrels to choose from and my savage 220 I should be able to have the gun that I need in my hands at all times; but things still don't always work out as planned.
Though a low end gun , I bought a rifled barrel for my Mossberg 935 from a CGNer and after experimenting with different loads ( ouch they're expensive) I settled on Rem 3" Accutips which printed a 2.5" group at 100yds. Autoloaders lessen felt recoil, and with slugs this is noticeable as well they have proven reliable for decades as shown by the various Benelli's, Berettas and Brownings that are in the field and function without problems if well maintained.
I agree with Scam, if i were limited to shotgun only i'd go with a scoped 20ga bolt. There have actually been a few older model savage or mossberg/lakefield bolt shotguns on the EE in the past few weeks for really good prices. The older bolt guns don't seem to be much in style, so low demand. They are smoothbore and maybe not scope friendly, but still decent brush guns, and some have the old adjustible choke if you want to throw in some birdshot.
One of the advantages i find the bolt models have over the pump and auto guns is that i find they are balanced more like a rifle and seem a bit lighter. Even my 20ga pump i find it akward to carry with one hand, but i can grab the bolt shotgun and it carries more naturally.
One of the advantages i find the bolt models have over the pump and auto guns is that i find they are balanced more like a rifle and seem a bit lighter. Even my 20ga pump i find it akward to carry with one hand, but i can grab the bolt shotgun and it carries more naturally.
x2 on autoloaders being for waterfowl. For deer, also x2 on depends what kind of hunting you're doing. Personally, I think I have all my bases covered with these two - a Mossberg 500 with rifled barrel & scope, and my trusty old Mossberg 20ga bolt with iron sights.
- Location
- Somewhere on the Hudson Bay Coast
None of the modern shotguns with barrels that slide into the receivers will produce the repeatable accuracy that a fixed barrel gun will, particularly if a ghost ring is mounted on the receiver. The systems used for indexing the barrel inside the receiver are not held to particularly close tolerances, allowing a front sight to cant. Inside 50 yards this won't matter, but beyond 50 yards, you might find that your rounds dump left or right if your barrel is canted differently then when it was sighted in. The earlier pump shotgun designs that used interrupted threads for disassembly were better in this regard, but I think, the hunter who uses a dedicated shotgun in the role of a big game rifle, is best served by the bolt action.
If you are considering the 20 ga, before making your investment, check your local regs first to ensure that it is legal to hunt big game in your area with a 20.
If you are considering the 20 ga, before making your investment, check your local regs first to ensure that it is legal to hunt big game in your area with a 20.
Thanks for the input folks. To argue with the s/a nay-sayers, it seems to me the obvious advantage to an auto loader is fast follow-up shooting without throwing off your sight picture too drastically. To me, this seems like a clear and significant advantage. Regardless of the type of hunting you are doing, with any manual action every time you reload you are basically starting over with acquiring your target. I know this is pretty novice stuff, but for this reason alone, I don't know why autoloaders would be reserved for fowl. A moving target, is a moving target. A still target 90% of the time will be a moving target as soon as you shoot at it. But there is no substitute for experience so any follow up comments would be appreciated. Thanks.
My slug barrel has a cantilever scope mount as part of the barrel ( can't use irons any more) and my Beretta slug barrel has both sights on the barrel so some difference in the barrel receiver lockup is to some degree negated. I suggest you find a gun that feels good in your hands be it bolt, semi or pump as slug shooting is for the most part a close range game though rifled barrels and the newer sabot slugs at 2000fps stretch it out a bit.
The OP asks what the BEST shotgun for deer is and everybody is suggesting whatever Mossberg, Remington or H&R that they happen to own... And nobody has even mentioned the Ithaca Deerslayer yet? They're expensive but still cheaper than a top semi auto, have a FIXED rifled barrel so should be as accurate as a bolt action but still a pump for faster follow up shots, not that you should need one.
It really comes down to the type of deer hunting you plan on doing to determine which gun is appropriate for you. Auto loaders are ok but I was just stating that bolts are more accurate and reliable. Personally, an automatic is not an asset to me while deer hunting. When you hit a deer properly with a sabot slug follow up shots are rarely necessary. I haven't shot any running deer since I destroyed both hind quarters of a nice buck with a core lokt ultra that ran when I shot his doe standing. I wish I had just let him run instead of wasting him. I also had an occasion where my auto loader jammed when a nice buck I had shot was trying to get back to it's feet. That sh!t that never happens at the range, will happen at the worst time possible. For me it's mostly about reliability. Now if I could just find a box of sabots without a flyer in it, then I'd be impressed.
Brutus
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
M37 Ithaca in 20 gauge, with a 20inch fully rifled M87 barrel set up for sabots.
Recently on our EE, I do believe someone in Onartio is selling a very similar setup with a scope rail already mounted.
Recently on our EE, I do believe someone in Onartio is selling a very similar setup with a scope rail already mounted.
canadian hunter312
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Brant County
Semi auto often results in the "spray and pray" mentality for many new hunters and far too many are concerned about how fast they can get off a second shot. Wait for a good shot to make the first shot count and you won't need to worry about how fast you can send the next slug down the tube. Choosing a semi over a pump or bolt will offer you zero advantage in the real world.
Have you been on a shotgun hunt for deer? Most times deer aren't moving very fast and the majority of the time only one shot is required, unless you're the spray and pray type who is willing to risk low percentage shots.
I just got a nice fat doe this morning using a outlaw loaded with slugs
I forgot to lower the power on my scope and could not find her with the rifle scope
Ran back to the truck grabbed the Outlaw and loaded two slugs BANG I mist the first shot!
I need surgery on my right eye I forgot to shot left handed lol
Switch to southpaw BANG dead doe
It was a good thing she had patents haahaa
It not the the gun that counts its man behind the trigger
Nov I'm deer hunting with a mares leg just to prove it can be dun I'm all balls and no brains haahaa
I forgot to lower the power on my scope and could not find her with the rifle scope
Ran back to the truck grabbed the Outlaw and loaded two slugs BANG I mist the first shot!
I need surgery on my right eye I forgot to shot left handed lol
Switch to southpaw BANG dead doe
It was a good thing she had patents haahaa
It not the the gun that counts its man behind the trigger
Nov I'm deer hunting with a mares leg just to prove it can be dun I'm all balls and no brains haahaa
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