Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Best scope for a slug shotgun?

So this year of the 20 deer that we brought home, 14 were shot with shotguns. I am looking to invest in good scopes for my slug shotguns.

What are good shotgun scopes these days?

Would a SWFA 6x work on a slug gun?

Wait a minute....shotguns and slug guns ain't the same thing. You want to put a scope on a shotgun give some thought to a low power piece of simplicity like a Weaver K series (El Paso version) if your OK with artifacts. Or maybe a Leupold Compact of the same horsepower.

Slug Guns look like the pic below and use a different kind of scope. And they are muzzle loaders.



They were popular for target shooting a long time back.



And still are....

1-4,1.5-6, 2-7 or some thing Along those lines.
There was a monarch 2.5-8 on classifieds for cheap.
IMO..The Low power monarch are best bang for buck

There's a lot of 'em that'll work. If I were lookin' I'd put on a Steiner P4Xi 1-4x24.

And Doug has 'em for like $500 bucks.

https://www.steiner-optics.com/riflescopes/p4xi-1-4x24

I put a Weaver Grand slam 3-10x on the 12 gauge Mossberg 500 but I fear I may have broke that scope as it wont hold zero now.

The 20 gauge Handi rifle ultra slug barrel has a 3-9x buckmaster on it that seems to be holding up.

We have 5 12 ga shotguns with rifled barrels using scopes.
4 are Leupolds and none have failed. They are 1@ 2.5X 8
3@ 1X5 and 11X4
typical shots are within 100 yards
All of them were bought new at various times from the mid 1980s through
2005








2

old K3 or K2.5 Weavers work very well


Burris FF2 2x7 not bad

I used a $20 Simmons 2.5X shotgun scope on a Marlin Guide Gun for many years and many hundreds of heavy reloads at the range. I loved it as an aiming device. It had enormous eye relief and was incredibly easy to get behind. It never lost zero. I cut many sub-moa 100 yard groups with that little scope. I couldn't take advantage of the last 5 minutes of legal shooting light with it, but otherwise it was ideal. I have never used a scope that worked so naturally for me. Shooting with both eyes open was very instinctive.

Do I recommend a cheap Simmons? Only if you are guaranteed to get one like I had. The point of my contribution is that you won't need much magnification. You will appreciate generous eye relief and a forgiving eye box.

Most of our shots are between 100 and 200 yards. I think the farthest this year was 160.

I bought a red dot for my deer hunting shotgun but don't yet have it mounted. It will be that or a 1-4 scope for me. For close range I want a very quick one power and 4 is plenty for my practical shotgun range, even with a rifled barrel.

I used a Leupold 1.5x5 and a M8 4X on mine for out to 150 on my old 11-87. Worked well for my slug gun hunting.

A few good options would be:

Steiner P4Xi 1-4x24 - P3TR Illuminated

Athlon Argos BTR 1-4x24

I have the Nikon Prostaff Shotgun Hunter 2-7x32 BDC 200 - 4 Circle on my Savage 220f and I really like it.

These are great scopes. I have one on a AR I shoot in competition and I really like it.

I just bought an older Redfield 1x4---20mm from the classifieds here. It was made in Denver. I plan on putting it on my Remington 870. It's a smooth bore--imp cly. I'm good out to 75 yards maybe a bit farther. Where I hunt in Ohio----75 yards is a long shot.

All personal preference and what works for you, so their is really no right recommendation......
I own 4 scopes
One on a .45 cal Cva kodiak pro mag
One on a mod 70 ot6
One on a Sako customized 98K 8 mm mauser
One on a Savage 220

All the same exact thing.......
Same eye relief , same reticle.
They RTZ , HZ, and adjust per stated value and have good mid level glass.
3 of the 4 have been bought NIB on the classifieds here.
One for 135 , 125 and 165.
I am always looking for this model of scope.

If your stretching a shotgun to 200 yards I'd look at a Burris FF in 2-7 with a BDC ret. those slugs aren't the flattest shooting projectile.

I have that same scope on my Rem 870 slug gun.

Hard to beat the late model Weaver 4x or 6x. Leupold in the same if you just want to spend the money. I think the SWFA would be to big for a slug gun.

Renegade50, are they all sightron SII?

I am looking to stretch the range to 250-300 yards. I am looking at getting a Savage 220 for next year.

My main concern is the scope holding up. I had a UTG 4x on the 20 gauge for about 4 years before it crapped out.