need advice on a deer shotgun

6.5x55swm

6.5x55swm

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what do you fellas recommend to a guy with very limited $$$, i have a old mossberg now with the smooth bore but i want a rifled barrel single shot is ok
 
I'd look at the Savage/Steven's packages. You can get a new rifle in a good range of calibers for under $500, complete with sling and scope. Wholesale sports has some on for 429 right now.

I have one - shoots great for a bush/hunting gun. Spend $30 on a glass bedding kit and it shoots awesome.
 
I would try to find a new or used H&R or NEF Ultra Slug Hunter. Low cost single shots but very accurate. I had one and any deer within 175 yds was in trouble. TC
 
H&R is a good choice ...

Why rule out slugs from a smooth bore... Buy yourself a box of slugs like Challengers or a selection and try them out at the range. What kind of sights on the smooth bore? You could always mount a ghost ring set up or something like that...

Also, if your set on a rifled barrel .. look for a used Norinco on the EE with a rifled deer barrel. Should be in your $ range.
 
my shotgun is not that old, the bolt came apart a couple of times and i think it's time for another one, it shots rifled slugs ok 4" groups at 100yds
 
I have been told that sabot slug from a rifled barrel is good out to 250yds. The shotgun I have now is a lakefeild/mossberg L595T the bolt is fells like its goning to fall apart sometimes hard to work
 
from my limited experience using them, IMHO if you need to be asking in a forum then 250 yard shots with sabot slugs is a bit optimistic -- youd be better off looking for a closer shot. thats the type of shot you should attempt if youve already practiced it and know you can make it.

but here is some really good info on long range sabot slug shooting from another forum that i had bookmarked, perhaps this may help you:

art338wm:
I guess I will jump in here with the dissenting opinion. Although I am no expert on sabot slugs or what I like to refer to as specialized by design bolt action fully rifled slug rifles or other types of specialized "dedicated by design" slug guns I have met only one other person who has shot more different types of sabot slugs or dedicated by design, fully rifled slug guns than my self. I at present own the following dedicated slug guns:

<>Marlin 512
<>Browning 12ga A-Bolt
<>NE Arms 920

Combined over the last seven or so years I have shot well over 600 12 gauge sabot slugs including the following types:
<>Winchester Partition Golds
<>Remington Core-Lokt Ultras
<>Lightfield IDS Commanders
<>Lightfield Hybrids.
<>Hornadys SST

The short version is they all perform quite well with 100yrd three shot groups varying in size from under 1.0" to 2.6". They all produced IN MY RIFLES accuracy capable of ethically, consistently and easily killing deer out to 150 yards. Beyond 150 yards two type of slugs I shot performed the best out of MY rifles. Those two were the Winchester P/Golds and the Remington C-L/Ultras. I at present have taken three deer at ranges from 176 to 188 yards and one right at 200yrds and one at 205 yards all with the Winchester P/Golds. All ranges were confirmed with a Bushnell laser RF and all five deer literally dropped in their tracks DRT. All of the 385 grain Partition Gold slugs passed completely through all five deer doing massive damage to what ever tissue or organs they passed through. I should also add that according to information I have received from totally reliable sources both the Win/Part-Golds as well as the Rem/Core-Lokts are usually 100fps below advertised velocities on average or they travel around 1820-1850 fps not the 1900+ as advertised.

Based solidly on what I learned while shooting them at the range, when sighted in at three inches high at 100yrds both the Winchester P/Golds as well as the Remington K-Lokts hit dead on at 150yrds and on average will experience a drop of at least 7 inches but no more than 9 inches at 200 yards. Quite a flat trajectory for what is for all intents and purposes a .50 caliber saboted pistol bullet when compared to any "Foster style, non-sabot slug design. When i shot both my 200yrd deer, all I did was place the horizontal cross hair of my scope on top of the back both deer and fire. Resulting in text book double lung hits.

All these shots were taken while using either a naturally occurring rest like a tree limb or while seated shooting off my stony point shooting sticks as was the case in both my longest shots. After all of my experience with sabot slugs shot out rifles specifically designed for them, as well as shooting them out of less than perfect slug gun designs, I have come to the fallowing conclusions.

#1-Don't bother trying to shoot much past 100yrds with a scoped non-dedicated slug gun design like a 870 , 1100 or similar slug gun design that does not feature a barrel either screwed into the receiver or other wise rigidly attached to same. You will be disappointed in your results. Only with a bolt action, or break open type design like the NE 920 will you be able to do so with consistency. I can not speak to the newer types with the cantilever scope mounts like on the Brownings or Remingtons as I have never shot them, but i here they are capable of quite good 100yrd accuracy. I am basing my opinion of the 870 & 1100s on my experiences I have shooting scoped versions of mine as well as my friends with fully rifled after market barrels.

#2-If you are only planning on shooting at ranges of 100yrds and less, dont bother buying the extremely expensive Winchesters or Remingtons as cheaper sabot slugs like the Lightfield Hybrids, Lightfield Laser sabots or Remington Buck Hammers will kill deer just as dead allot cheaper. If you can still find them an awesome 100yrd and less performer I love is Active Foster slugs made by Lightfield sabot slug company. I liked them so much I bought a life times supply of them. Out of a cylinder choked barrel I averaged 3.5-4.0" for a 3 shot 100yrd group. They may be out of production now, but I am not sure. Thay are a super value at under $4 for five rounds if bought by the case price.

#3-You need to practice ALOT at ranges of 150 and 200yrds if you plan on shooting that far and that my Friends as I have learned is extreeeeeemely costly at (when I buy them on year end sale) around $1.60 to $2.00 per shot.

#4-Under no circumstances whatsoever should you sight in your sabot slug ammunition or bother practicing at long range if the wind in much above 10 to 12mph. Wind plays utter havoc with all types of slug gun ammunition, including even the best sabot ammunition out there. This also applies while hunting. Shots in periods of high cross winds should be limited to under 125yrds or less.

#5-If you want to shoot at ranges at or beyond 150yrds you need to do so using what I have come to refer to as a "dedicated slug gun design". Unfortunately the only ones left that are widely available as well as affordable are the 210 and the NE920. Both of theses guns are faaar more affordable than anything else out there by the likes of Browning, Remington, or anyone else and none will shoot any better and most not as good.

#6-If you find a lot# of either Winchester or Remington Sabot slugs that perform well out of your rifle, go back and buy all you can find of that lot#. The reason for this is I found out the hard way that slugs of varying lot# can experience dramatic changes in POI, although I did not have this happen with slugs with the same lot#.

Bottom line based on my experiences both while hunting and at the range, is if using the proper state of the art firearms paired with equally good ammunition in the hands of a hunter who has spent the time and $$$ necessary to become proficient with both, 200 yards shots are quite possible and ethical, but only if made under ideal or near ideal conditions and no matter what rifle or ammo combo used 200yrd shots with sabot ammo will likely never reach the status of being easily attained. They are still after all sabots and not a 30/06, or .270. Max range Shots of 180 yards and less are well within the capabilities of the rifles I have using the ammo I described and shots much beyond that should only be attempted under perfect or near perfect conditions on utterly still deer standing broad side. Lastly, if you plan on shooting at ranges beyond 150yrds a quality laser range finder becomes a must have item for obvious reasons.

Lastly, I am seriously considering buying a 210F (or two) as both my Marlin 512 and A-Bolt are long out of production and are going to become increasingly difficult to come by and in the case of the A-Bolt 99% near impossible. I also want to have good solid slug rifles available to both my sons when they start to hunt. Despite what some have said, I am a huge fan of the 210F as i have shot several and have been quite impressed.
Click to expand...

the H&R/NEF slug guns people were recommending meet his idea of a 'dedicated rifled slug gun'.
 
6.5x55swm said:
I have been told that sabot slug from a rifled barrel is good out to 250yds. The shotgun I have now is a lakefeild/mossberg L595T the bolt is fells like its goning to fall apart sometimes hard to work
Click to expand...
An accurate (define that please) 250 yard rifled shotgun is pushing it on your budget. Not so much the gun part, but the ammo you'd have to put through that thing to find a load that will do something like that is worth the price of the gun you're looking for let alone the practice to figure it out.

I'm not saying it can't be done as some people on here can shoot 4-5"at 200 yards with their set up. The whole idea of the shotgun laws are to get you up close and personal. Stupid rule I know but it's something we all have to deal with near the cities. There's nothing worse than a gut shot or a hind shot.

Happy hunting!:):)

Edit** I just read Manbearporks quoted post. There's some great info there.^^
 
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