How vital is a rifled barrel for deer?

[Jahnj0584]

New to this all. Got a 870 wingmaster with a 30" full choke barrel. I was thinking if I got a rifled barrel, I could deer hunt in places that were 182m from dwellings instead of the 400 for rifle, but how accurate is a rifled slug VS a smooth one coming from a rifled barrel? Is the extra price of another barrel worth any accuracy?

My deer have been taken at 0m (car bumper, 120m field and 25y in the bush).

 

[cooey43]

New to this all. Got a 870 wingmaster with a 30" full choke barrel. I was thinking if I got a rifled barrel, I could deer hunt in places that were 182m from dwellings instead of the 400 for rifle, but how accurate is a rifled slug VS a smooth one coming from a rifled barrel? Is the extra price of another barrel worth any accuracy?

My deer have been taken at 0m (car bumper, 120m field and 25y in the bush).

For many years I have used a Hastings Rifled barrel on a Rem 870 , with a Red Dot Scope & using Foster Type Slugs . Every year before season
I shoot @ a 100 yd. target from a good bench rest & always get all 3-4 shoots within a 4" circle. At 50 yds within a 2-3 " circle.
I have tried the newer saboted slugs & had no better accuracy ,,,,,,,,, as Many "So Called Experts" will tell you.

 

[Butcherbill]

Try shooting foster slugs out of your current barrel and see how accurate it is, one of my more accurate shooting barrels is a 14” 870 with a full choke. I wouldn’t think twice shooting a deer with slugs out to 75m with it if I was walking trails for grouse and happened to see something, I’m sure it would be fine out to 100m but I don’t shoot slugs at that distance very much so I’ll stick ranges I’m sighted in for.

 

[Grizzlypeg]

You can get better long range accuracy and performance with saboted bullets in a rifled barrel. With a rifled barrel, 150 yards is a reality if you know your drop. Whether that matters to you depends on your hunting conditions. I can't say exactly where I would abandon slugs in a smooth bore, but certainly if you are shooting at distance of 75 yards or less, the advantage just isn't there with a rifled barrel, unless you value something like optics on a cantilever on the barrel, which might be better for your eyes. If you are shooting at 50 yards, then the only advantage I can see if the optics you can mount on a cantilevered scope mount on a rifled barrel that easily swaps out.

 

[Snider shooter]

New to this all. Got a 870 wingmaster with a 30" full choke barrel. I was thinking if I got a rifled barrel, I could deer hunt in places that were 182m from dwellings instead of the 400 for rifle, but how accurate is a rifled slug VS a smooth one coming from a rifled barrel? Is the extra price of another barrel worth any accuracy?

My deer have been taken at 0m (car bumper, 120m field and 25y in the bush).

You better reread the regulations. That distance only applies to bird shot. As for distance I wouldn’t have any problems shooting out to 200 with my rifled 12 ga with my reloads.

 

[Highwind]

I've shot 3 inch slugs out of 20 gauge smooth bores and downed deer out to 60 yards. I never shot further then that with a 20 gauge smooth bore. I've also shot sabot shells out of a 12 gauge with a rifled bore and found them to shoot a bit more accurately. I'd prefer the 2 3/4 hornady sabots as the recoil is a tad easier on the shoulder in comparision to the 3 inch sabot made by Federal Premium. Once again I've not needed to stretch out the distance more then 60 yards. I feel they could do it easily.

 

[rembolt]

New to this all. Got a 870 wingmaster with a 30" full choke barrel. I was thinking if I got a rifled barrel, I could deer hunt in places that were 182m from dwellings instead of the 400 for rifle, but how accurate is a rifled slug VS a smooth one coming from a rifled barrel? Is the extra price of another barrel worth any accuracy?

My deer have been taken at 0m (car bumper, 120m field and 25y in the bush).

You can not use a single projectile in firearm at less than the prescribed 404 meters from a dewelling in NS . You can only use bird shot or buck shot in side the 404 meter distance .

 

[0faustus0]

A smoothbore shotgun with a good sighting system is a 80m to 100 meter gun.

A shotgun with a rifled barrel is a 100m to 200 meter gun depending on the gun.
(And yes, there are videos out there that document how a deer was harvested at 300 meters with a Savage 220.)

Sabots are expensive and rifled barrels are finicky. Meaning you will have to try a variety of sabot ammo and to try to find the ammo that your rifled barrel likes and to shoot decent groups. That exercise alone can cost you a couple hundred dollars in ammunition ....

On the other hand .... if you buy a smoothbore barrel with rifle sights for your 870 ... you just have to get some Federal Truball Foster slugs .... and you will shoot clover leaves at 50 meters ... and you will have a setup that is good out to 100 meters.

Here an example ... results at 100 meters with Federal TRuball slugs out of a smoothbore barrel with an 870:

The result

The ammo

The gun

 

[Raton57]

Been trying to find a 870 20 gauge barrel for a couple years. Just to cheap to pay for a Hastings or any other out there as they are worth several times what the guns worth .

 

[DVXDUDE]

30"barrel with bead sight? I know a deer standing at 80-100 yards the bead covers the entire deer lol.

Rifle sights are way better, I've shot deer from 70-100 yards with my smoothbore 870 with slug barrel (20in rifle sights)

You have a nice blued wingmaster, good luck finding a blued barrel (most are matte finish)

Sell the wingmaster and buy a savage 220.

 

[cosmic]

As above, decent sights are the first step in getting reasonable accuracy, whatever barrel you choose. And a single bead doesnt cut it....

 

[timandkimandshea]

Hickok 45 has a video, he’s shooting foster slugs way past what I was expecting. Worth a a watch

 

[FLYBYU44]

Shot my first deer at 50 yards with a smooth bore Browning BPS. Just the bead. Hit it just behind the shoulder and it fell over where it stood.

 

[SHELL SHUCKER]

I've used my 870 with Hastings rifled tube with Foster slugs (Federal & Winchester) and she shoots tight inside 80 yds fer me. I bought a few packs of sabot
shells but I'll shoot them through my Savage 212. Sabot loads ain't really up me alley. Fer me, a 12 bore bullet be best in a 12 bore gun.



My smooth bore 12ga Win 1400 is a great little deer plopper as well with rifled slugs. Federal Tru-Ball are tighter shooting than the Win 1oz loads but both loads
shoot fine out 'er inside 80 yds.

 

[Butcherbill]

I've used my 870 with Hastings rifled tube with Foster slugs (Federal & Winchester) and she shoots tight inside 80 yds fer me.

Rifled barrel or rifled choke tube? I’ve heard people say they get good accuracy from foster slugs out of rifled barrels, the challenger’s specifically. Haven’t tried this yet, sabots in my rifled 870 barrel was less than stellar.

 

[Wendell]

New to this all. Got a 870 wingmaster with a 30" full choke barrel. I was thinking if I got a rifled barrel, I could deer hunt in places that were 182m from dwellings instead of the 400 for rifle...

Think again.

Discharge of firearm/bow near buildings

11 (1) No person shall at any time hunt, take or kill or attempt to hunt, take or kill wildlife with a weapon or discharge a weapon within 804 metres of a school.
Subsection 11(1) amended: O.I.C. 96-460, N.S. Reg. 109/96; O.I.C. 2010-244, N.S. Reg. 84/2010.

(2) No person shall at any time hunt, take or kill or attempt to hunt, take or kill wildlife with a firearm loaded with a rifle cartridge, single ball or slug or discharge a firearm loaded with a rifle cartridge, single ball or slug within 402 metres of a dwelling, playground, golf course, athletic field, woods operation, place of business, agricultural building or public building other than a school.
Subsection 11(2) amended: O.I.C. 95-499, N.S. Reg. 96/95; O.I.C. 96-460, N.S. Reg. 109/96; O.I.C. 2015-239, N.S. Reg. 284/2015.

(3) No person shall at any time discharge a shotgun loaded with shot, a crossbow or a bow within 182 metres of a dwelling, playground, golf course, athletic field, woods operation, place of business, agricultural building or public building other than a school.
Subsection 11(3) amended: O.I.C. 90-841, N.S. Reg. 178/90; O.I.C. 96-460, N.S. Reg. 109/96; O.I.C. 2008-458, N.S. Reg. 376/2008; O.I.C. 2015-239, N.S. Reg. 284/2015.

(4) No person shall hunt, take or kill or attempt to hunt, take or kill wildlife that is within 182 metres of a dwelling, playground, golf course, athletic field, woods operation, place of business, agricultural building or public building other than a school.
Subsection 11(4) amended: O.I.C. 96-460, N.S. Reg. 109/96; O.I.C. 2015-239, N.S. Reg. 284/2015.

(5) Notwithstanding subsections (1), (2), (3) or (4), the owner or occupier of a dwelling or person authorized by the owner or occupier who holds a valid licence may discharge a weapon or hunt, take or kill wildlife within the distances stated if the point of discharge is not within the prescribed distances in subsections (1), (2), (3) and (4) from
(a) any other dwelling; or
(b) a school, public building, playground, golf course, athletic field, woods operation, place of business or agricultural building.
Clause 11(5)(b) amended: O.I.C. 2015-239, N.S. Reg. 284/2015.
Subsection 11(5) amended: O.I.C. 2008-458, N.S. Reg. 376/2008.

(6) Notwithstanding subsections (1), (2), (3) and (4), a person who holds a valid licence to hunt or trap and who has wounded any wildlife may discharge a weapon for the purpose of taking wounded wildlife within the prescribed distances in subsections (1), (2), (3) and (4), provided it is done in a safe manner and the consent of the owner or occupier of the land has been obtained.
Subsection 11(6) amended: O.I.C. 2010-244, N.S. Reg. 84/2010.

(7) This Section does not apply to an employee of the Department while discharging the employee’s duties.
Subsection 11(7) replaced: O.I.C. 2010-244, N.S. Reg. 84/2010.

<https://novascotia.ca/just/regulations/regs/wifire.htm>

Wildlife Related Acts and Regulations
<https://novascotia.ca/natr/wildlife/laws/actsregs.asp>

A rifled barrel would make your 870 a rifle, not a shotgun, and a single projectile is not 'shot', so - in Nova Scotia - the 402m restriction would apply to it. On the other hand, if you try buckshot, from your current barrel, you could operate with the 182m restriction.

On YouTube, Brobee223 has posted several very useful videos about deer hunting with buckshot from smoothbore shotguns.

Deer Hunting Performance Test! Federal Flite Control 00 Buckshot
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41wBr7-QQlI>

 

[SHELL SHUCKER]

Rifled barrel or rifled choke tube? I’ve heard people say they get good accuracy from foster slugs out of rifled barrels, the challenger’s specifically. Haven’t tried this yet, sabots in my rifled 870 barrel was less than stellar.

Yes, fully rifled barrel. I only use choke tubes on me smooth bore barrels. ( I tend to call barrels "tubes".) The Hastings barrels are pricey these days but they are very well made.

 

[Jahnj0584]

so, after seeing that my province calls it a rifle with the barrel swap, I won't be looking into this anymore. I will try out commercial slugs and buckshot for patterns over the summer and see what the real range of it is and adapt from there. Any where further then 400m from a dwelling I'll just take my rifle.