So I may join the club I visited this past weekend. They do a lot of dog hunting, which for those unfamiliar is a driven hunt where deer are pushed towards folks on “stand”. Weapon of choice is shotguns with buckshot. Shots are close in range and very quick on moving game. This leads me to an excuse to buy a new/used gun. I’m thinking older 870 or Mossberg 500. Something cheap but tough that I don’t mind banging around in back of a Jeep or on a 4wheeler rack. Any suggestions on other models to look at? Not opposed to an auto loader but want to keep cost down.

I grew up hunting deer with hounds and we all carried shotguns as well as rifles in our trucks. If you are stuck with factory ammo, the 3" 12ga 000 buck was hands down the best killer IME. I had great luck with Federal Premium Copper Plated 3" 000 with 9 pellets in a Winchester 1300 with flush modified choke or an 1187 with flush modified. My best patterning shotgun was a Mossberg 835 with 28" bbl, Northwind ext mod choke, and Federal Premium 3.5" #1 buck. That combo would put 18 pellets in the kill zone at a whopping 50yds, but I still liked the terminal effect of the much larger 000 buck.

If you are a hand loader, I would suggest a 20ga loaded with 18g/cc Tungsten #2 or BB size shot. A fast 1oz load will give full penetration on deer past 100yds. Just keep in mind the patterns will be very tight at normal ranges. Those small pellets will penetrate so much better than lead buckshot. Lead buck normally doesn't exit, TSS does.

Regardless of your choice, it is imperative that you pattern the gun on large sheets of paper. Not many shotguns shoot true to bead and you must find what ammo and choke your gun prefers. You may have 10 people tell you a certain load is the best, but your gun may prefer something totally different. Once you find what combo gives you the most dense pattern at 40yds, you can ease back in 5yd increments to see where the pattern falls apart. I personally wouldn't feel very confident in using a load that didn't consistently place 4-5 pellets in a 10" circle with say #1+ lead at a given range. You owe it to the game to find out the true range limitations of your chosen gun/ammo as buckshot will certainly wound at further distance.

Good Luck,

FWIW this buck was killed at 32yds this season with lead #2 buck from a 20ga. The patterns on paper proved it was possible:


loder

I have a REM 1100 with a deer barrel w. rifle sights. It swings very nicely and has always been great on deer at close range. Otherwise, an 870 with the same type of barrel.

Anyone ever try the Tri Ball from Dixie Slugs?

http://www.dixieslugs.com/products.html

Best patterning combo I've tried is an old Rem 870 police magnum, 20 in IC barrel, with 2.75 in Federal flitecontrol 00 buck. 4 inch pattern at 25 yds. I was surprised by how tight it shot. But, I don't hunt deer with shotguns, so can't give you any kill results.

I’ll second that. My 870 police cyl bore puts up extremely tight patterns with Federal Flight Control and Hornady TAP. Can’t comment on capping deer with those loads.

What R7RM said was spot on. Pattern whatever shotgun you decide on with different brands and size buckshot. The best I ever saw was an old Westernfield 12 ga. pump, and it only shot 2 3/4" shells. Super X 00 buckshot was the thing.

One of my shotguns likes Rem 2 3/4 #1's the best. The other likes 3" Federal #4's the best.

You just got to pattern them. I always took full sheets of newspaper, drew me a 1' square in the middle of the sheet with a magic marker, and hung it on a barbwire fence. Stepped off 40 yds and shot at the square. Looking for the brand/size that put the most pellets in the square.

It would hit like the hammer of Thor. My gun shot 4" patterns @ 40 yards with it and 12" patterns @ 90 yards. I quit using it 'cause I kept missing. Acted more like a slug than buckshot.

I have run hounds for deer my whole life and it is my preferred method of hunting. A mossberg or 870 Rem would be a good choice. Nothing wrong with an auto either, if you know it and keep it clean. I'd pick your gun, then start with a full choke tube (this year several of us have been using Kicks Buck Kicker tubes with great results. The good thing about the Kicks tubes is that the company will swap out the tube until you get the kind of patterns you are looking for.) Then get as many sizes and brands of buckshot as you can and spend time (and $) patterning it. You can about guarantee you will have to order buckshot to get a good selection of quality stuff. I personally wouldn't use anything smaller than #1, with the exception maybe of the TSS stuff mentioned above. Keep in mind, with the TSS stuff, you will probably be in it almost $10 a shell.

Don't settle for OK patterns, or believe a lot of what you read on the internet about buckshot and buckshot patterns. I have found several gun/choke combos that will put all or almost all of the pellets in 10-14" @ 40 yards. It just takes time and $. I have had the best luck with a 000 load in 3" guns or Rem 00 in 3.5" through a full choke.

I shoot a Benelli SBE2 with a 24" barrel and a buck kicker full choke. I also hand load a 3.5" 16 pellet 00 load running 1250 fps. This combo will put all the pellets in 12" @ 40 yards, and 20" @ 60 yards.

For a pump gun, I always liked the Ithaca/Browning bottom eject.

As others have said pattern and check POA vs POI. I use a 4x4 piece of paper with a 4" orange dot in the center. Shoot from a bench rest. A good used gun with screw in chokes should work fine. Buy what fits you best.

Remington 870 Supermag Kick's Buckkicker choke and Remington 3 1/2" 00 . Legitimate 65 yd deer gun

Mark this thread

can never go wrong with an Rem 870 or 1100.

Saw a YouTube video a couple years back where the guy whacked a mulie doe with that Fed Flight Control load way past what I would've considered effective range. Open choke IIRC too. Very impressive.

I killed my first deer with my 20 gauge 870 wingmaster.

If you can find an older Browning pump, it will have a magazine cutoff and a tang safety. I quail hunted with them for years and years. Best pump out there in my opinion. Bottom eject is nice, hulls are right at your feet. The magazine cutoff is really handy too.

Mossberg 835
3 1/2” shells or 5 2 3/4” in give and 1 in the chamber.

I have killed 4 deer with buckshot and 3 were with a 12 gauge Browning Citori Lighting Feather - my upland bird gun. It’s what I had available I have a Remington 870 that I took the other with. It’s heavy and clunky but an 870 is a great value.

I have harvested numerous whitetailed deer with 00 buck over the last 20 years with and 1187 3" the most recent have been with a Trulock boarblaster choke. Last fall that combo broke both shoulders on a 130+ pound buck at approx 35yards. Its a pretty lethal combination.it may be particular to certain loads in your shotgun. Mine puts 9 or 10 out of 15 in a 10"circle at 30 yards.

If I had to start over that Benelli Nova pump is pretty special.

Good luck and shoot straight y'all

Old model 870’s are my favorites. Followed closely by the old Ithaca model 37. The 870 is tougher, but the Ithaca is a joy to carry in the field.

I've had very good luck with my Mossberg fitted with a ported rifled barrel. At 75 yards, it is as accurate as a rifle! Recoil is quite stout.

Sherwood

A pump ,semi or lever rifle is a better choice than a shotgun for driven or dogging. I have shot a few deer with buckshot that didn't die where I could find them. They dripped blood and kept living. I found one that I put 6 00 in and it.ran a while. I had to cut it s throat. Never used a shotgun again.

I agree with your choices for the hunts you describe. For similar hunts I have used Ithaca Deerslayers and 870s with rifle sighted barrels and IC or modified chokes. I like )) buck if that is needed though I carry a few WW 1" slugs as well.

I suggest that you check this guy out that teaches loading buckshot for long range, deer drives, shot guns, chokes, etc.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hT12Iz1hSE

My first shotguns were a Winchester M/12 with rifle sights that I added and later an ole Ithaca M/37 that I mounted a receiver sight and later a scope on. My current slug gun is a Winchester M/25 that I had E.R. Shaw install one of their rifled barrels on, I mounted a Weaver V4.5 scope on it. It is the most accurate slug gun that I have ever owned. It has accounted for several bucks over the years shooting Federal saboted Hydra-shok loads, all one shot bang flop kills.

I have used shotguns for deer for years in Virginia, where many areas are shotgun only--some slugs and some buckshot only.
Definitely a fan of Ithaca 37, not only for bottom ejection but also a much stouter receiver and interrupted threads stabilizing barrel connection to receiver. Mounted and recommend a red dot scope for quick target acquisition on running deer in cover for either slug or buckshot, and deerslayer barrel for slug, improved modified choke and 00 shot for buckshot has patterned best in all I've shot (about 6 guns, 3 different makers).

Strongly agree with others' admonition to pattern different loads of either, however.

I've heard good things about a 20 gauge with rifled slugs, but for buck shot I'd certainly opt for more of everything with probably a 3" 12 gauge. I grew up with an 1100 and it sure tamed the recoil of those 4 dram equiv. lead duck loads we shot back in the day, but it was heavy to carry around and more fussy in real cold weather than the 3" parkerized 870 Police Magnum that replaced it. Talk about a weather proof knock around 870 and that would be it if we had to use a shotgun for deer hunting, but we don't. Wisconsin had a number of shotgun only more populated counties years back until the DNR did a study only to find out that shotguns were causing more hunting related accidents than rifles. The entire state went rifles permitted, shotguns optional.

One of my trap shooting buddies got a Mossberg 500 and it fell apart on him over time. I won a 837 at a DU banquet and couldn't wait to pawn it off the next day. In your case, I'd shop for an older 870 synthetic stock. Same feel as an 1100, but lighter to carry. It will hit you pretty hard with those 3" or 3.5" shells, but hit a deer even harder.

I would prefer an auto over a pump. Deer pushed by dogs can either be slipping along or pushed at an extremely fast rate through the woods. The faster you can shoot the better you will likely be. If you are proficient with a pump that is fine too.

Most guns will only shoot a few different buckshot loads well. I had a Remington Versamax that would only shoot Remington buckshot well, but it shot it extremely well. It was amazing how bad the other patters were the other brands while the Remington was perfectly tight and symmetrical. Conversely, I had another Remington that would only shoot Winchester worth a crap. You really have to invest in a lot of buck shot to figure it out, but it's worth it in the long run to have a good tight pattern.

If you are going to use a pump I'd say its hard to beat an 870.

Get a Remington 1100.

I ave used a Remington 870 with slugs for years here in Illinois,Buckshot is not allowed. I prefer older 870s to new ,although both work

Another vote for the 870

I love my 500, it’s been beat all to hell and never failed me. It’s primarily a duck gun but I also have a smooth slug barrel for it. That being said, if I were buying another pump, I’d get an 870.

+1 ithaca is my first choice my backup has always been a rem 870 wingmaster you can pick up the older 2 3/4 guns cheap these days with everyone buying 3" and 3 1/2

My experience with the mossburg 500 is never quite feels right comfortably and they rattle to much.They are reliable though

Funny as hell Ithaca fans raggin on Mossberg for rattling too much. Ithaca 37's are the loosest rattle traps out there. Both Ithaca's and Mossbergs can easily be fixed so as to eliminate the rattle. There was a time when I had a Rem. 870, Ithaca 37 Deerslayer, Win. 1300 and Mossberg 500 slug guns. The 500 was the most accurate of the bunch. I killed 21 bucks and I don't know how many does with the Mossberg. The 870, Ithaca Deerslayer and 1300 are all gone now as I don't hunt the shotgun zone anymore. I still have the old Mossberg just in case that changes in the future.

grew up hunting a shotgun and archery only county. No slugs allowed either. We couldn't swing for multiple super black eagles so we had a couple mossberg 835s. If I remember correctly, the federal 00 3 1/2in we were shooting, held 18 pellets. They were heck on deer and we killed a lot from 10-60yards with that load. I remember dad belly crawling on a big 10 in the foodplot that was there before he was and shot it at 67 yards.

yeah the mossbergs rattle, but good thing was you could leave your rattling horns in the truck.

I have an 3" Remington 870 express that I have used to kill a lot of deer over the years. I purchased it back in the early 90's I think. I also have the cantilever slug barrel scoped with a Nikon. The gun is indestructible and would shoot buckshot really well through the smooth barrel, although I don't hunt with buckshot. I have over-unders and autos, but the 870 is the one I have always preferred due to reliability. When its 0 degrees in South Dakota, I know it will function and not freeze up and holds 5 shells for follow up shots. I've seen autos freeze from frozen moisture too often (snow and gunpowder). It is in my truck close to year round. Now for Turkey, fall for ducks, birds and deer. Does it all.

444Matt, I have used 3" mags since the early 80's, Ducks and coyotes.

Pumps kick your brains out, especially the 37's, which is what I started off with, then went to several 870's and Mossburg 500 for a back up. Then recoil became manageable with an 1100, then 11/87. Then I tried a friends Beretta 391 gas operated with a "Kick OFF System" which is a shock absorb-er located in the stock.

I will never be without this Beretta 391 with the Kick off system. I shoot heavy buckshot loads on coyotes, 1 5/8 oz of buck going 1350, the beretta 391 is a push on the recoil, which helps a LOT on sight recovery for follow up shots.

I would urge you to visit:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=688KkPzDXrU

Mossberg 835,full choke,copper-plated 3.5" 00buck....

Had a few 870 Wingmasters, Special Purpose, Express and Police.
Had a couple 1100 and a bunch of Mossberg 500s (in smoothbore days they tended to shoot better than 870s).

If I had to go slug gunning now?

870 rifled bore w sabots.
D&T receiver.(variable scope w 1 or 1.5x on the low end).
High comb stock.

Had a couple before I gave up slug gunning.
They were hammers.