Hi guys, just wondering if there are any deer hunters using slug guns.Don't myself but i'm might be thinking on buying one so tell me what make and model you have and the goods and bads about them so i know what to buy.Thanks :smile:
Let me begin by saying that I am 65 years old and have owned numerous designated slug guns during my life. About 5 years ago I joined a hunting club in NJ and noticed that 5 of our members owned and used H&R UltraSlug guns for deer hunting. Every year we would have a sighting-in day at a local range. The targets these 5 guys brought in after shooting were impressive to say the least. I mean we are talking 3-shot groups that ranged from a single jagged hole to wide cloverleafs from a sandbagged benchrest at 100 yds. All 5 guys sight their weapons to hit 3 1/2" high at 50 yds and all 5 use different sabot slugs.
Since the average 3-shot group out of my Mossberg 500 with a rifled barrel and open rifle sights was around 10 inches, I decided right then and there to get a 12 Ga. H&R UltraSlug with a good scope. Back to the range I went and proceeded to sight my new gun in. I followed their advice and bought 8 different sabot slug brands and lengths. While every sabot slug I tried beat the performance I was used to out of my Mossberg 500, my gun seemed to prefer the 3" Federal Barnes Expander. In 4 seasons of hunting with my UltraSlug, I have taken 6 deer. My farthest shot to-date was on a farm in Hunterton County. The 10 pointer dropped when hit at 93 paces from my stand. I have since traded my Mossberg 500 in on a Limbsaver recoil pad and what should be a lifetime supply of 3" Federal Barnes Expander sabot slugs.
Everyone is different and everyone has their own preferences but when you drop 6 out of 6 deer with one shot and none go more than 3 feet after being hit, you develop a fanaticism about the gun you used to do that. I love my H&R UltraSlug and you couldn't buy it from me for $1,000.00. It shoots far better than I can hold. My hat is off to H&R for making a quality gun at a reasonable price.
You guys need to check out the savage 220 bolt shotgun.Its barrel is threaded on the same way Savage makes their rifles.It will outshot all these guns by a long way.Good luck finding one in stock though.
I hunt and live in Washington State. Hunting mostly for Blacktails in the brush. I have taken my last 8 bucks (8 years in a row) with my H&R Ultra Slug gun. Can't beat it. Most of my shots are within 30 yards. Furthest being about 80. love the gun. have a 1-5 power scope on it. It is heavy with the bull barrel but with a sling it is not a problem to carry throughout the day.
Have you put the Benelli Super Black Eagle 2 in your hands yet? Man o man it's awsom. I tried one out last week. It has this mid site on the barrel that puts you dead on. It's rifled auto 24" barrel, and has stock shimmes to get it just right. To expensive for me at 1,500 but I may save up.
For 10 years ive shot a winchester 1300 synthetic stock fully rifled 12ga. Topped with a red dot scope and Brenneke K.O.'s its the deadliest combo ive found for the average hunter after 35 years of hunting with slug guns.
I tried to edit my post but it was a no go. I bought alot of the brennekes out of the same lot and they were $3 or so for 5. More you shoot the better you'll get. Ive killed over 60 deer in the last decade with my setup. Ive shot it enough to know what the slug will do at various ranges. You can clean the rifled barrel just like you can any conventional rifle. Get what you can afford and feels good. Ive got hinters in camp with smooth bores and rifle sights up to the uber guns with custom hasting barrels and $3000 price tags. They all kill deer. My setup will kill deer at mere feet in the thick stuff out to 150+ yards in open fields and ive pushed it too 190 yards BUT ive shot this gun much more then most do. We use to build deer guns from the 70's to the 90's too. We tweaked and customized them, kept a few, sold the rest. Thats back when quail guns with a bead were in 90% of the hunters hands and a 10" group at 40 yards was MOA.
Ive used them all target shooting, experimenting or on a few hunts at one time or another but for a decade now ive used Brennekes exclusively. For the last 8 years ive shot the Brenneke 12 ga KO in 2 3/4 and in the 20guages the kids and others use we shoot tge 2 3/4" Brennke short field magnums. Ive used Brenneke for most of the 36+ years ive dlug hunted deer. It seems all the others have failed at one time or another. In the 80's we had to drive almost 50 miles east to find Brennekes.
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