how many people use slug guns

[backwoods07]

I shoot a Mossberg 500 with a rifled barrel, but I have yet to take down a deer with it...Hmmm

[muzzy1]

I have an 1100 and 870 ,i used them for years.But i bought a tc encore muzzleloader and will never shoot a slug again.More consistant and WAY LESS KICK!!!!!!!!!!.Ya i know i dont have a fast second shot..i haven't needed one ...

[OldPhart]

Learn from 40 yrs + experience

Living in a shotgun only area (South Jersey) I have owned 4 designated slug guns over the years and I still own 2 of them. I sold a 12 ga. Mossberg 500 with a cantilevered barrel because it wouldn't group better than 10 inches at 100 yds from a sandbagged benchrest. I also traded a 20 ga. Savage 220 bolt gun that I had less than 2 years because of constant ejection problems. I now own a 12 ga. Ithaca Deerslayer III that I use while stillhunting because it is super accurate (2 1/2 " at 100 yds) and reasonably light. I also own a 12 ga. H&R UltraSlug that is my goto gun for stand hunting. The UltraSlug will shoot cloverleafs at 100 yds almost every time from a sandbagged benchrest. It is a heavy beast though and you wouldn't want to lug it through the deerwoods all day.

Here is what I have learned about deer hunting with a slug gun over 40 years of hunting:

(1) Pick the right weight gun for how you hunt. 11 lbs of gun feels like 100 lbs if you have to lug it around all day but if you are a stand hunter the 11 lbs is great because it steadies the gun and helps reduce recoil.

(2) Spend the time and money to find your guns preferred slug. If you take five identical guns from the dealers rack you may well discover that each of those five guns prefers a different sabot slug. The only way to discover which sabot slug is best for your gun is to group them all from a sandbagged bench rest. This takes time, is hard on the shoulder, and is very expensive but trust me, it is the only reliable way!

(3) Put good glass that was designed for a shotgun on your DSG. A 12 ga. shooting 3 " slugs has considerable recoil and cheaper scopes will cease to function properly as a result of that recoil.

(4) If you are going to shoot slugs at a deer over 100 yds you had better practice shooting at over 100 yds. Learn the drop for the slug you are using at various distances and shoot on windy days as well as calm days because a strong cross-wind has more effect on a slug than you would believe. You would be well advised to get and use a good rangefinder for those longer distance shots. Most people are surprised at how far off their distance estimation skills are when they start using a rangefinder.

(5) Invest in a good recoil pad. It can make a huge difference in felt recoil and consequently the tendency to flinch.

At 50 yds or less, any rifled slug gun will do the job. It is when you stretch the distance out that you begin to understand why that extra bit of accuracy is important.

One more thing: Don't worry too much about a single shot vs. a repeater. Think about it . . . after the first shot, the deer is usually down or gone anyway so make the first shot count. You could be gutting your deer while the guy with the repeater is trying to impress his buddies with how fast he can empty his magazine!

Good luck and remember, practice, practice, practice at the range so you only have to pull the trigger once in the deer woods.

Edited November 13, 2011 by OldPhart
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[MichiganHunter]

They do not make them any more and they kick like a mule but I use a mossber mdl 695. It's a dedicated slug bolt action gun. I have taken deer out to 195 yds and droped them where they stand. It can and does shoot groups around 2" at 100 yds. But since they dont make them it's either buy used or go to the savage, only bolt gun really made any more. I have shot both and will say that for fast target tracking and pulling up on running deer the mossberg wins hands down. For long range shooting both are equil but I still favor the mossber because it lighter and i can be more stedy from a rest.