shotgun for deer

[dkhtr]

I am going to pass on my 1972 Remington 870 to my son.  He is in Michigan and will be using it for deer.  My question is what type of barrel would be best for hunting deer with a slug.  I've heard of the full rifled being good for sabots only and the smoothbore with rifled tube a little better for other type slugs.  As I know nothing about slug guns any info would be appreciated.

Thanks

[Magnum_Willys]

You need a rifled barrel with saboted slugs and a scope.  The Remington Premier Accutips usually shoot well out of Remington shotguns.   With this combo you are good out to 200 yards.  I used the Cabelas Pine Ridge shotgun scope ( was on sale for $39 !!! ) and it worked fine. 

Scope is very important if allowed. 

[Galpster]

I have been looking to trade a rem 700 adl 30.06 for a rifled shotgun. No one wants to do it.

The rifled barrels are about $180 bucks. You already have the shotgun so you are in good shape for a bird/deer gun.

Make sure you put on a scope, makes all the difference. Get a barrel with the scope mount on it. I think they call them a canty lever or something like that. I have heard that people drill on a scope and they do not work so well.

[steeleywhopper]

I found a write up on another forum and someone suggested this set up for a pretty minimal price.
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=4956493#ShortReviewTitleBar

I don't know much about the scope, might try and sell it and find a more high end and lower power scope. Just my opinion.

[Magnum_Willys]

My son and I had Bennelli and Berretta shotguns and the rifled barrels for those are over $600 !  We skipped that and got the full camo Mossberg 535 3.5" 12 ga. ATS ( All terrain) shotguns from Cabelas that came with both the smoothbore and rifled barrels - with cantilever scope mount.   Lucky you have a Rem. I think those barrels are only about $125.

[hillbilli]

if you want to use the sabot type slugs, then yes get a rifled barrel or rifled choke tube. of the rifled barrels probably the hastings are best, but not cheap. the advantage to the sabot rounds is the trajectory and accuracy beyond 75 yds is a big improvement over traditional slugs. if you are going to put on a rifled barrel then yes, put a scope on it- the cantilever barrels have the scope mount attached to the barrel, so when you swap barrels the scope is still attached and (hopefully) zeroed. sabot slugs can also be 2$ a shell, but the advantages in aiming and low light capabilities are still worthwhile even if you run regular slugs through it.
   If you woods hunt where you rarely shoot past 75 or 80 yards-then traditional slugs do fine. they shoot good usually out of a rifled barrel or a smoothbore, individual guns vary greatly. i would encourage you to try the factory barrel. normal foster slugs (win, federal, remington) can be shot through any choke from imp cyl to full, but not extra full or 'turkey' chokes. i have killed deer out to 75 yards the just a bead sighted smoothbore. hope this helps. 

[FISHBOY]

"You need a rifled barrel with saboted slugs and a scope"

You dont "need" a rifled barrel and sabated slugs.  I grew up slug hunting in MN and used an 870 with a regular smooth bore barrel, that I had shot mallards and pheasants with a few days before deer season, and the cheap remington slugger slugs.  A rifled barrel and saboted slugs are definitely a benefit, but you dont need them to shoot deer, especially if your hunting the brush, thick swamps or thick woods like you would back in the upper midwest.

[robb92]

I have 2 mossberg 500's one is a smooth bore and the other is the sluggun with the rifled slug barrell. I shoot hornady sst out of the rigled as well ar hand loadd slugs. Out of the smooth bore I shoot brenneke (sp) rifled slugs, both are good and will work.  I would ask your son whta type of land he is hunting, if it is swamps with shots under 100 yards go with a smooth bore, over 100 I would go with the rifled barrell.

I would also look at the mossberg 500 combo comes with both barrells and the rifled barrell is already tapped for scope bases.