Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Pump Slug Guns

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.