Shotgun for deer?

[Ridgerunner]

Has anyone on here used a shotgun for deer? 

[CP]

Yes.  They work fine as long as you respect range limitations.  

[cornfeed]

 yes they do work well. i have taken 3 nice bucks like that.

[hunterbuilder]

I've shot 3 deer with a shotgun, from 10yds to 70yds using a slug out of an 870 Remington. All one shot instant kills.

[PolarBear]

I use to love to hunt deer with my old Stevens double barrel 12 gauge!  It is kinda like bowhunting as far as getting close but louder.   

[Armadillo]

do you have to use a rifled barrel

[CP]

Plain ole Foster slugs fired from a standard bird gun, mod choke or looser, bead site, accurate enough to take deer at 75 yards or less.  Punches a big hole in them, massive internal damage, little meat damage when compared to high velocity rifle damage.

[Ridgerunner]

Can someone give me a quick tutorial on using slugs out of an 870?  That is what I am thinking about doing.  Is there anything special you need to do, I'm clueless but am thinking about hunting some firearm restriction areas and this seems like a good way to go potentially.

[JNB]

Make sure you are familiar with how your gun patterns, if you are using buckshot.  I used to use buckshot once; most of the shot ended up where it should have, but one stray piece of shot ended up in the gut and made life really unpleasant.

Slugs seem to make sense though.  I would be interested to hear what somebody who knows more about it thinks about rifled vs non-rifled barrels.

[bobcat]

I'm planning on using a shotgun this year for elk in a firearm restriction area. I'm using a Browning "Gold" turkey shotgun with a 24 inch barrel and fiber optic sights. I took it out and shot it the other day at 90 yards. After getting the sight adjusted, I put four shots into about a 4 inch group. So I think for elk I should be good out to 100 yards. Boy those slugs sure make big holes in the paper!   

[CP]

Can someone give me a quick tutorial on using slugs out of an 870?  That is what I am thinking about doing.  Is there anything special you need to do, I'm clueless but am thinking about hunting some firearm restriction areas and this seems like a good way to go potentially.

I’d put an IC choke in it, buy a box each of Winchester, Remington & Federal slugs, regular foster type, no sabots.  Go to a 50 yard range and see which one shoots best in your gun.  That’s all there is to it.  Just keep in mind that the big, relatively slow hunk of lead drops quickly after about 75 yards.  Limit your shots to a range that you are comfortable with.

If you want to get into rifled barrels, sabots, scopes etc you can extend that range considerably. 

[Bob33]

I used a scoped 20 gauge 870 with a rifled barrel.  It is plenty accurate and powerful enough to take deer at 100 yards, and probably beyond.

[hoyt5199]

oh yeah, I am from Michigan and that is all we use during firearm season. I used a scoped 870 and with the new slugs they have out now you can reach out to 100yds.

[pods8]

If you're trying to use a regular smooth bore shotgun make sure your choke is open enough usually IC is fine and just see which of the cheap "rifled" slugs work for you.  Note these aren't really rifled they have ridges on them that collapse when passing through the choke restriction so you're gun doesn't explode.  Practice with shooting them and know your limitations!  50-70yds is probably max before the pattern starts opening up too much to be reliable.

Rifled can push it out there.  I've got a 12ga H&R ultra slug that I play around with (heavy 24" barrel single shot gun) with a 3x7 scope that patterns certain saboted slugs at 3-4" @ 100yds.  The cheap "rifled" slug hold 4-6" @ 100yds but the lead fouling is a PITA to deal with. [Edit I should note those were conservative sized groups based on limited factory ammo that I've actually fired.  I know folks with the same gun finding ammo that matched it well dialing the groups in even tighter.  I've done most of my shooting with handloads though.]  I've also been playing around with full bore hard cast lead slugs but I'm still dialing in a good loading that groups consistently, so nothing to report there yet.  I have not hunted with this gun yet, just another part of the arsenal to play around with and have ready if I do hit a shotgun zone.

[Dmanmastertracker]

 Are 2 3/4" slugs worth a try for deer?

[bobcat]

Are 2 3/4" slugs worth a try for deer?

I hope so- that's what I'm using for elk. Balistically they're pretty similar to many muzzleloader loads.

[Dmanmastertracker]

 Thanks.

[bobcat]

I'm not sure I'd want to shoot the 3 inch slugs- I'm afraid of the recoil.   

[pods8]

2-3/4" often shoot better than the 3" slugs actually.

[Dmanmastertracker]

 I have an old Ithaca featherweight I might try.

[Dmanmastertracker]

 One last dumb question and I'll quit hijacking Brian's thread , a standard factory barrel work's fine for slugs?

[Ridgerunner]

no worries, I am learning lots, I don't know anything about shooting slugs out of shotguns so I appreciate all the info. 

[MuleySniper]

I used my shotgun last year. One thing I will recommend is to NOT use buckshot and only use a slug. Trust me on this one I used BS last year and the first shot blew up his shoulder and he dropped. Then he managed to hobble run about 70 yards before he bedded down. I waited and waited what seemed like forever. I finally made the choice to get within distance and shoot him again. Even after the follow up shot, he took some time to expire. I'll never use BS again. 
MS

[pods8]

One last dumb question and I'll quit hijacking Brian's thread , a standard factory barrel work's fine for slugs?

Standard factory barrel in what? 

I'm going to assume you're talking about a normal smooth bore shotgun based on the question for starters.  Is it a fixed choke or changeable?  Either way what is it or currently installed?  Something like a full choke would be BAD, IC which is common works fine.  Improved modified should likely be fine too even though its tighter.

From there "works fine" just means its save to shoot the cheap lead "rifled slugs".  Performance you'll have to see as each gun/ammo combo can be finicky but 50-70yds will likely be your max as mentioned.  Depends if that fits "works fine" in your mind.

[Forrestrover]

Plain ole Foster slugs fired from a standard bird gun, mod choke or looser, bead site, accurate enough to take deer at 75 yards or less.  Punches a big hole in them, massive internal damage, little meat damage when compared to high velocity rifle damage.

I certainly found this to be true last year. Got a blacktail with my 870, used an I/C choke, 2 3/4 Winchester slug, smoothbore, and just my bead sights.
I hit him within 15 yards. He dropped in his tracks, of course.
I usually hunt the muzzleloader season, so it was natural for me to be hunting with the close-range limitations in mind.

[ribka]

Have hunted in Iowa and MD, PA and NJ for wt's and have taken over 20 deer. Good advice here

No rifling stick with a IC choke and no sabot slugs. Effective range about 50-70 yds. Buy a rifled barrel and can shoot to 125 yds. Some guys really like the 20 gauge with rifled barrel.

Buy different brans of slugs. They come in 5 round boxes and try to see what shoots best from your shotgun.

[elksnout]

I've never killed a deer "deader" than with a slug out the end of my 870. There's no trackin.

[PolarBear]

I've never killed a deer "deader" than with a slug out the end of my 870. There's no trackin.

I belly crawled up to a 3 point blacktail, hit him with a slug at 15-20 feet from the old side by side and it was if he had died before he hit the ground.  He literally dropped in his tracks and never moved.

[flashover52]

I grew up back east where rifles were not allowed in the state for deer hunting.

I used to use a 20 gauge Ithaca Featherlight with 2 3/4" shells. We would routinely alternate the shells with slug/buckshot/slug/buckshot so you could eject the slug and use the buckshot if they were real close in the pine trees.

I know many older folks who have taken many deer with a .410 without any problems -- that is provided you can hit your target.

[pods8]

We would routinely alternate the shells with slug/buckshot/slug/buckshot so you could eject the slug and use the buckshot if they were real close in the pine trees.

This statement sorta scares me.  Close in the pines a slug would tear right through, the only thing I could see about buckshot is a more open spread if you didn't quite know where to be aiming... at that is the part that worries me.  Am I over looking something here?