What should I choose when looking for a rifled slug gun??

What would be the best choice for a fully rifled shotgun for deer??

  • 12 Gauge

    Votes: 29 82.9%

  • 20 Gauge

    Votes: 6 17.1%
  • Total voters
    35
Joe_Singer

Joe_Singer

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Location
Princeton, Ont
Ok this will be my second year for deer and this year I would like to pick up a nice rifled slug gun as the areas I hunt dont allow rifles.
Last year I used my Browning Gold Hunter with a rifled choke tube but I found that when shooting the Hornady sabots they did not shoot as well as the rifled 3" sluggers but I did manage to get my first deer at around 100 yards.
So anyways here is where I could use some help is choosing if i should go with a 12gauge or a 20. So far I have been getting pushed towards a 20 as I have been told 12 is over-kill and the 20 has more then enough power to drop a deer in its tracks.
Also any suggestions on a gun would be great.
Thanks
 
A lot of older folks and younger shoters are going with the 20g , i have shot a few deer with a 16g and droped them cold .the 20g is plenty for deer with the modern ammo .i just like the 12g for a big choice of ammo .find a gun that fits you and do not worry about what others think .if i was looking for a new shot gun i would look at the mossy bantom in 20 g comes with stock spacers nice and light to carry and it is driller fopr a scope DUTCH
 
ammo availabillity................... 12ga, sure its a bit of overkill, but then you dont need another gun if you go for moose or elk
 
dutchhunter said:
A lot of older folks and younger shoters are going with the 20g , i have shot a few deer with a 16g and droped them cold .the 20g is plenty for deer with the modern ammo .i just like the 12g for a big choice of ammo .find a gun that fits you and do not worry about what others think .if i was looking for a new shot gun i would look at the mossy bantom in 20 g comes with stock spacers nice and light to carry and it is driller fopr a scope DUTCH
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Yes I was thinking the same about the larger choice of ammo for the 12 and seems to me I would be better off with the 12.
I did pick up the Mossy Bantom combo for my girlfriend. As this year was her first time shooting and it will be also her first time hunting I figured she would enjoy shooting her 20 gauge rather then a 12. So far it seems to be a good all around gun and cant beat the price but the only thing I dont like too much is how noisy it is with the spring that bounces around in the tube.
 
I have yet to use my 20 gauge M37 Ithaca Featherlight with a spare 20 inch fully rifled barrel.
The Winchester sabots I have stashed away, are the Supreme Gold Partitions loaded with a 260 grain .451 diameter slug @1900 fps.
(and this is just the 2 3/4 inch variant!)
It's very accurate at the range though. Ammunition is costly though, and not as easy to find as 12 gauge is.
But 12 gauge sabots and 20 gauge sabots are pretty close in cost over the counter.
Many 20 gauge guns are slightly flatter in trajectory as well.
 
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20ga is great but the 12 has a greater range of loads. Plus that big hole looks great on paper. You don't have to walk up to the target to see if you hit it the hole is visible from a 100 yards. I haven't shot a deer with a 20ga but when I use muy 12ga I don't need to track em just go pick em up. Some say over kill I say a 3/4" hole straight thro works n dosent destroy near the meat my 25-06 does. Happy huntin
 
Joe_Singer said:
Alright and when it comes to choosing the gun does it make a difference between a semi, pump, or a bolt action or it that more of a preference thing.
Click to expand...

A semi will eat most of the recoil, which is always a bonus. How much $$ are you looking to spend?
 
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