870 setup for deer

fardoche

fardoche

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Just want to say hello to all,
I've been visiting the site for 2-3 years already and have learned alot, but never got to post much...but now I have a question concerning shotgun setup.

I'll be deer hunting for the 1st time next fall in a shotgun only area.
Shots will be under 100 yards, using slugs thru my 870. However I will be buying a rifled barrel soon, but am wondering if I should just get a rifled one w/sights or go one step further and go w/ a cantilever one. I'm used to telescopic sights but have never shot a scoped slug gun (I'm not recoil sensitive). So which setup would be all around best :
1. cantilever w/ good scope/ good eye relief
or
2. rifled barrel w/ regular sights + holosight as an option.

Thanks a bunch
Fardoche
 
I have a 23in cantilever on my 870 I bought in the summer. I topped it with a 1.75-4 trophy, and managed 2 deer in my December hunt. I like that setup since I will also start using this gun for turkey (retired the wingmaster from turkey hunting-waterfowl only) and can easily put the bbl back on and not have to worry about the scope being off. I tried a few different shells and now using Winchester Partition Gold slugs
 
Both are fine choices, if I was gonna hunt season after season in a shotgun zone, for deer, I may want to go with the scope setup, if not the rifled barrel would be best, and has a good re sale value.
Also the smooth barrel will allow foster slugs to be used, where your pretty much limited to sabbot slugs on the rifled barrel. One other thing, the sabbots are pretty advanced now , and give great accuracy.
Frank
 
Like you I hunt in E. Ont. I have my 870 with a fully rifled cantilever slug bbl, with low power variable scope and think it is the cat's ass. I use Federal Barnes HP expander slugs (3") and it works great. Only thing I may change is swap the wood stock, for a pistol grip stock. I prefer that for stocking through the woods.

Rob
 
If ya want to spend the money for the rifled barrel, cool. But if $ is tight try the smooth bore with Brenneke slugs.

My Win 1300 shoots them real well. With the true glo sights I got a 6" grouping to about 80yds...

Don't get me wrong, when I get the cash, I will get a rifled(sp?) barrel, but in the meantime I shoot what I got. (it stopped buddy to the left no prob..)
 
I have a smooth barrel on my 870 and use a good slug...like the new Winchester slug or Brennekes. A set of good sights and you are good to go. The rifled barrel is not necessary as the effective range is only 30-50 yards. Take the money that you would have spent on the rifled barrel and buy lots of slugs and practice.
 
C Broad Arrow said:
I have a smooth barrel on my 870 and use a good slug...like the new Winchester slug or Brennekes. A set of good sights and you are good to go. The rifled barrel is not necessary as the effective range is only 30-50 yards. Take the money that you would have spent on the rifled barrel and buy lots of slugs and practice.
Click to expand...

I beg to differ - I have shot deer at 125 yards (paced) with sabot slugs in a rifled barrel. When sighting in at the range - with 3 slugs (Barnes HP expander) at 100 yds - the slugs are pretty well touching. The range of the sabot slugs in a rifled barrel is well beyond 30-50 yds.
 
When these new slugs - Winchester Partition Gold, Federal Barnes Expanders and the Hornady SST - their range pretty much matches that of a common day muzzleloader, with groupings at 150-200 yards possible to make an ethical and clean kill. I'd like to see my other smoothbore slug bbl do the same with foster slugs.
 
C Broad Arrow said:
I have a smooth barrel on my 870 and use a good slug...like the new Winchester slug or Brennekes. A set of good sights and you are good to go. The rifled barrel is not necessary as the effective range is only 30-50 yards. Take the money that you would have spent on the rifled barrel and buy lots of slugs and practice.
Click to expand...

30-50 yards! Man you're limiting yourself. I can shoot quite accurately at 100 yards with slugs out of my short 870, smooth bore, no prob. 100 yards would be what I'd call my 'game limit', but can still hit paper plates well beyond that too.

With saboted slugs and a rifled barrel, accurate 200 yard shots aren't unreasonable.
 
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