Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Pump Slug Guns

It looks like there could be some shotgun only hunting in my future, so trying to educate myself on the options. Ive always been a rifle kinda guy but did take my first ever deer with a Remington slugger out of a Wingmaster.

It seems there are a couple routes to take, A-Dedicated slug gun, B-rifled barrel, C-just put some decent sights on a smoothbore and have at it. I currently own a couple of 870's, but new barrels seem expensive. So looking at a new gun, either a Ithaca Deerslayer or Browning BPS slughunter. I like the idea of the Ithaca, as I grew up around them and they seem like solid gun. Is the Deerslayer II much more accurate than the original smoothbore deerslayer? Anybody using the Browning BPS? What can I expect from a new rifled rem barrel? Looking to see what others are using, trials, etc. Thanks.

seems my ithaca 37 with hastings works best but slugs r slugs. have a remy 1100 does good with win slugs. have soothbore 37 that shoots fosters ok but slugs r slugs. have ithaca 10 guage that throws a piece of lead but sometimes i dont know where cause it took lng time to stand back up. but slugs r slugs. just shoot and then shoot more

for several years I ran a NEF fully rifled 12 gauge with Winchester sabot slugs. With a wee bit of practise it was quick to reload. Groups were 1.5-3 inches, with most in the 2 inch range at 100 yards. The fully rifled barrels are much better accuracy wise in my experience. GRF

I ran a smoothbore slug barrel on my Mossberg 500 to go to NY a couple of times. It would hold less than 6 inches @ 100 yds with Winchester Foster style slugs. That was in the late 80's.

If I was getting a new slug gun today, I would look hard at the Savage bolt actions, especially the 20 gauge.

Dale

Remington 870 fully rifled cantilever with a Leupold 1 3/4x6....nuff said.

What kind of groups are you getting with the 870 fully rifled? What Ammo are you using?

Anyone running the Federal True-ball stuff?

Dale, I checked out the savage guns. Definitely affordable with a reputation for accuracy. Have you seen any of these is action?

I got a group of guys here in Indiana that use the above package I recommended and using Copper Solids, Winchester Supreme Platinum tips and I think the other is Winchester Supreme Gold they are getting 1 - 1 1/2" groups at 100.

Never tried the Federal True-ball.

Winchester Supreme Gold Partitions is what I'm thinking of.

Thanks.

Yep

My slug barrel rarely gets used anymore, but it shoots so well that I can't sell it...It mine isn't a pump gun - it is an 1187 with cantilever scope mount barrel. Shoots the federal 2.75" tipped barnes slugs inside 1.5" at 100 yards.

IMO if you are a rifle hunter and used to an accurate rifle, you won't be satisfied with a smoothbore and foster style slugs...

No action report, just some serious looking when I lived in the non rifle part of Pa.

Dale

I gave up pumps a long time ago, I used a H&R ultra slugger single shot 20ga. and used Remington Copper Solids which seemed quite the deadly combination out in the field.

Here is a link to one: H&R Slugger 20

I also used a H&R pardner 20ga fully rifled barrel In which I cherished 11 shots 11 kills until someone decided that they wanted my stuff more than I did.... I sure miss them...

If a pump is still what you want 870's always worked good for me.

Might want to check out a used Mossberg 695 bolt action slug gun. Not the best looking gun but hard to beat for the money. I have two and they both shoot cloverleafs at 100 yards with Federal Barnes expanders. Gets the job done.
The new Savage bolt guns look nice too but haven't shot one yet.

Thanks for all the input fellas. Think Im gonna put some "screw on" sights on my 870 that has a vent rib barrel. I'll see how it shoots. If I need more accuracy, I look at a rifled barrel or dedicated slug gun (Ithaca or Savage). The sabots are 3X the price of rifled slugs . I saw a Mossberg barrel w/ a cheap bushnell for $200 today, tempting. Im hearing that hastings barrels are top-notch. Anyone know where you can order one from? Anyone use the mossberg barrel on their 870?

Sabots are 3 times the price but 4 to 5 times more accurate in a rifled barrel. You get what you pay for. GRF

That depends. I've owned at least a dozen different slug guns over the past 30 years. About half rifled and half smoothbore. I ended up going back to my old smoothbore Ithaca deerslayer eventually because the little bit of extra accuracy I got out of my rifled, Rem 870, Moss 500, Browning BPS and Win 1300 rifled guns wasn't worth the extra expense. The old Ithaca will still group Win. foster slugs into 4-5" at 100 yards and has proven itself extemely deadly out to that range many times. Most of my rifled guns wouldn't do better than 3" at 100 with their favorite sabot loads and Since I VERY rarely get a shot beyond that distance where I hunt, it just wasn't worth it to me to pay 3 times more for the sabots.

I don't use a slug gun but I have read a couple of very good reviews on this one. If I needed a slug gun I think I would give this one a try. Perhaps someone else has had actual experience with this shotgun.

A shotgun made just for hunters living in a "Slug State," the Savage 220F 20 Gauge w/22'' Rifled Barrel Slug Shotgun is all the gun you need to put down that trophy on your next whitetail hunt. This highly specialized bolt action shotgun features a highly accurate blued 22'' carbon steel rifled barrel that makes the performance of a traditional shotgun obsolete. Built like a Savage rifle, the 220F features Savage's proven AccuTrigger system for even greater accuracy. Chambered for 3'' slug shells, this gun holds two shells in its detachable box magazine. Checkered synthetic stock for sure handling in all conditions. Drilled and tapped for scope mounts. Capacity: 2+1.

On the other side of the pond shotguns are always used by traditionalist in driven hunt, where game is taken at short range. As pumps are no more allowed in France for hunting (dumb, yes i know!!) i use sometimes my Winchester SX3 fully rifled barrel. Here are some idea of what i get at 75m with some good cartridges. I think the best quality price performance accuracy ratio in my shotgun are the Rem Copper Solid and the Winchester Rackmaster. The latter are as effective in rifled barrel than in a smooth one.
Here some pictures. SX3 Winchester shotgun (combo model), Aimpoint 9000 all shots at 75m around 82 yards. 12 bullets in the wild boar target 4 copper solid, 4 XP3, 4 Rackmaster

TarHunt makes a pump slug gun. Probably the best there is anywhere.
http://www.tarhunt.com

Mines a Mossberg 500 with a 20" smoothbore and remington sluggers.It goes along on hunting trips as a back up. Reasonably accurate at 77 yds(about as far as i can see without a scope)I'm searching the adds for a Weaver K1 or 1.5

Blackhart, I am glad the pumpkin ball slugs worked so well for you. Not my experience, but that said I have experience with only one rifled and one smoothbore shotgun; therefore your opinion seems more valid. GRF

No experince here but I have always heard that the Ithaca pumps are awesome slug guns. I know some guys down here from N.Y. and they swear by them.

Having grown up and still live in a mostly slug state I have tried many different slug guns. Enough to know that each one is as unigue as the makers that produce them. One 870 will group well, the next with the same set up will not. Most shotguns have God awful triggers that do not help with accuracy a bit (although Timney makes a kit for 870's now).
I have been through the cycle of Beretta AL-2, Berstta 303, three 870's, 1100, 11/87, Browning Gold, NEF Pardner 12, and NEF laminated 20. I have shot a couple of Ithaca Deerslayers, they were neither better nor worse than most of the others. They were the first ones to pin their barrels for a dedicated slug gun with a scope mount so that accounted for some of the hype when groups under 10 inches at 100 yards were really something to talk about.
If I had to chose a slug gun now the new Savage 220 would be high on my list. (So would the Tar Hunter but it costs more than my standard rifles). IN GENERAL the rifled barrels shot better than the smoothbores. They do allow you to shoot less expensive slugs, but how many slugs do you need per year. Most of us check the zero of the gun with a couple of shots then go hunt. Most of us also do not shoot slug guns for fun. They are just too much of a good thing when it comes to recoil, especially in the 12 mag loads. So rounds that shoot flatter and perform better are only $2-4 per round. You spend more in gas right now just to go hunting.
Another epiphany for me was the increased developement of the 20ga. slug load. Inside 100 yards they are just as effective on game AND do not beat the H**l out of you in the process. So for short range the 20 would be my choice. Also, the 20ga. guns are a joy to carry compared especially to the 10+#'s of the 12 gauge Pardner. Especially in a good auto, but the pump is not bad with a good recoil pad.
I believe that Hastings is out of business now. They made great barrels, but for your parameters you could just go with a Mossberg or Remington barrel and be just as happy. I have seen them as low a 99.00 a piece. You can find them frequently at $140-160 for rifled in either cantilever or rifle sights if you look for them for the 870. The cantilever with a good red dot or low powered scope would be a good option for your close range parameters.
Having said all that, check your local DNR and see if they allow you to use your muzzleloader during shotgun season, most do. My T.C. Omega will outshoot any of the slug guns I have owned, with less expensive projectiles AND less recoil. It is all I have used for the last couple of years and has made my life simpler and still full of venison in the freezer.
Last, check out the Remington Buckhammers for a less expensive rifled bore option. They shoot tight groups and hit really hard. You could also load your own with a mold from Lee , Lyman, or others. That way your could shoot to your hearts content for even less that your fosters.

Sorry to get long winded, hope some of this was helpful

I found there were some cheaper loads that shot well in my rifled barrels too. The best performers in a couple of my rifled guns were the Brenneke KO sabots, which are relatively inexpensive { 7.00 a box} and very effective killers. The Brenneke MP's {multi purpose} also shot quite well, often outperforming some of the more expensive sabot loads and are cheaper yet {3.99 a box}. The MP's are a non-saboted slug and will lead up your barrel relatively quickly but that can be removed easily with a mixture of white vinegar and hydrogen peroxide. Some of us actually like to do a bit of pre-season target shooting with our slug guns and don't have a money tree growing in the back yard so economical, yet accurate and effective loads are appreciated.

If I was getting a new slug gun today, I would get the Savage bolt action,but Id be using the 12 ga and mount a decent 2.5x scope

Did it for many decades in upstate NY. Last rig was a 12 bore Turkey Special (camo) 870, 24" hasting barrel w/scope rail, Leupold 1-4 Shotgun model using Federal Barnes X sabot slugs. Would put 5 on a playing card @100 and killed everything with one shot.

Today, these new super 20 bore slug guns have changed things a lot. 200 yards is no longer a dream, velocity and bullet design have created a big bore rifle that slips under the "shotgun" rules.

http://www.americanrifleman.org/articles/twenty-gauge-super-slugs/

If I was to get a slug gun and only wanted to spend a couple of bills I would get a H&R 12 Ga single shot.

If you want a pump go for a Remington 870 and buy a slug barrel.

Thanks all for the responses. Waiting for tru-point sight to mount on the vent rib of a newer 870. I bought a couple boxes of rifled slugs to try in the smoothbore, if I dont get acceptable accuracy, I'll either try a rifled barrel or spring for the Savage bolt gun. Might consider the muzzleloader also, as I plan to get into that to extend my season anyway. Thanks all for the first hand reports and experience. Appreciate all the input.

TomM1, just a suggestion. Buy as many different 5 paks of slugs, as you can find. Shotgun slug guns can be as finicky as red headed wimmins when it comes to their likes/dislikes. When I got my first dedicated slug gun, back in about 1990, I probably tried at least 8-9 different makes/brands of ammo, before settling on one for the gun.


maddog

Good point well stated. Also changed to a 20 Ga. 870 for knocking around the lease, forsaking the old .38 I used to carry. A bit heavier but seems to me potentially more effective on the threats I'd be most likely to encounter. I've also considered getting a slug barrel and using it for deer season. 20 Ga. slug rounds have come a long way in the past several years.

Best Regards

got an Ithaca 87 featherlight Deerslayer Fully rifle fixed barrel 3" mag slug gun for sale 25" barrel + engraving. 1st year it came out, late 80's model if anyone interested.

Yeah, I've got that setup, too. Amazingly accurate with 3" Winchester Supreme Gold Partitions. A 385 gr .50 cal bullet at 2000 fps has a lot of thump.

Over the years of deer hunting in Mass. I've put together 2 Rem. 1100 and 3 Rem. 870 slug guns with smooth bore barrels and scopes. They've all shot reasonably well (less than 4 in. at 100 yds.) using Rem. and Win. foster type slugs. And all of them were sold having been hardly used. I did buy a police trade in with iron sights that I've kept to use when doing pushes with a group. I used a muzzleloader until I bought an H&R Ultra 20 ga. They feel like you're using a rifle instead of a shotgun. Accuracy is good to outstanding. I would be willing to take up to a 200 yd. shot with it. As other posters have noted there is no way of getting around the cost of shells. You will just have to try them and find what your choice of gun prefers. I've found that Rem. copper solids and Win. Platinum tips have generally been good. Remington buckhammers have been very surprising. They have been very accurate, frequently out shooting sabots and cost little more than foster type slugs. I've shot groups with them that were one big hole at 100 yds. in both 12 and 20 ga. If your expected range is no more than about 125 yds. they would be an excellent option to try.