Educate me

[Deleted member 38069]

All of you slug gunners, teach me your ways, please!

Background info, I have several 12 gauge shotguns and I have always used a rifle to hunt deer. What’s my best route to be effective??

Thanks,

a grateful dude

 

[MNElkNut]

Cantilever scoped rifled barrel and sabot slugs that your particular barrel likes. What state are you in again? I want to say MN, and if so, there is movement afoot that they may get rid of the slug only area of the state and go all rifle. If so, you might want to save your money and see if that goes through.

 

[schmalts]

All I can say is Ouch.... those 3" slugs are brutal

 

[cwitherow]

If I didn't want a whole new gun, I would go cantilever scoped barrel. If I wanted a new gun, I would get one of the Savage bolt action slug guns.

That said, I would go muzzleloader over both.

 

[Deleted member 38069]

Cantilever scoped rifled barrel and sabot slugs that your particular barrel likes. What state are you in again? I want to say MN, and if so, there is movement afoot that they may get rid of the slug only area of the state and go all rifle. If so, you might want to save your money and see if that goes through.

Yup, MN! That’s great news, I hope it goes through.

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

If I didn't want a whole new gun, I would go cantilever scoped barrel. If I wanted a new gun, I would get one of the Savage bolt action slug guns.

That said, I would go muzzleloader over both.

I was 100% with you on this, but having hunted with a muzzy in MA for the past week, @BoomerUSAF what's your weather like and when is muzzy season?

The NE weather phenomenon known as "wintery mix" basically makes you want throw your muzzy in a lake.

 

[cwitherow]

I was 100% with you on this, but having hunted with a muzzy in MA for the past week, @BoomerUSAF what's your weather like and when is muzzy season?

The NE weather phenomenon known as "wintery mix" basically makes you want throw your muzzy in a lake.

I admit to not owning any of the above mentioned options, as I hunt in the rifle zone. I imagine there would be new and exciting challenges to hunting with a muzzle loader in a wet environment. Anything you can do other than tape the barrel and say a prayer to mother nature?

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

I admit to not owning any of the above mentioned options, as I hunt in the rifle zone. I imagine there would be new and exciting challenges to hunting with a muzzle loader in a wet environment. Anything you can do other than tape the barrel and say a prayer to mother nature?

Definitely recommend a cerakote or other kind of wrapped barrel, + a muzzy where the ignition system isn't exposed. The knight system sucks compared to say CVA wolf in this particular instance. Snow and water basically drench the primer/breach constantly.

 

[Bambistew]

I'd get a dedicated slug rifle, vs making a shotgun into one, if it was me. Salvage, Browning, NEF, and a few others make slug rifles. Shotguns are sloppy, and are not as accurate as a rigid rifle platform. Also the slug you use makes a lot of difference, some are equal inconsistent as the shotgun its fired from. 6-12 inch groups are not uncommon, and some are very accurate. They have the same range as a modern muzz more or less.

 

[cwitherow]

Definitely recommend a cerakote or other kind of wrapped barrel, + a muzzy where the ignition system isn't exposed. The knight system sucks compared to say CVA wolf in this particular instance. Snow and water basically drench the primer/breach constantly.

The only reason I’ll get one is if I don’t get my deer during rifle season, and the wolf with irons is what I was looking at.

 

[Jbotto]

I’d exploit MN stupid regs. T/C encore pistol in your favorite rifle cartridge. Such as a 7mm-08. Should be manageable recoil. Should be able to make it a 250 yard “pistol” for deer hunting in the southern zones. You’re gonna need ear pro with it anyways so you’re might as well port it for recoil reduction.

If I had to go with a shotgun, I’d look hard at a 20ga Savage 220 with a good scope and the sabot it tells you it likes best. Another 250 yard option right there.

*Edited to make me sound like I understand the English language*

 

[Bob-WY]

If you have a smoothbore barrel you can make it work with rifled slugs.
Add more range with a rifled barrel and sabots
Add more range with a slug gun.

For muzzleloader, check regs before going down that road.

 

[MNElkNut]

Our setups (8) are all cantilevered rifled barrels which get rid of the shotgun "sloppiness". They shoot 2-3" groups at 100 yards and are fine out to 150. Much beyond 150, terminal slug performance starts to suffer and I would recommend researching energy and bullet performance at that distance/velocity on whatever setup you choose no matter how accurate. The savage 220 is very accurate and relatively inexpensive. Not a bad way to go. Some of them have problems feeding I have heard; most do not. We all use 2 3/4" slugs. No need to go to 3" which seem to be just a little more recoil than you really want. Plus, in all of our guns, the 3" did not group nearly as well. Shooting a semi-auto takes a little sting out of the felt recoil.

This year, my 12 year old sons shot really nice bucks in the pouring rain and wind at about 35 degrees. One was 118 yards and the other 120 yards. They both hunt out of enclosed or semi-enclosed stands so a muzzleloader probably would have worked fine for the first shot. But obviously for any follow up shots, shotguns are way better than muzzleloeaders. YMMV

 

[Deleted member 38069]

I was 100% with you on this, but having hunted with a muzzy in MA for the past week, @BoomerUSAF what's your weather like and when is muzzy season?

The NE weather phenomenon known as "wintery mix" basically makes you want throw your muzzy in a lake.

Sunny and crisp, barely above freezing.

 

[Deleted member 38069]

Thanks everyone! I am just going to wait it out for now. Maybe the dumb regs are lifted or I’ll look at that Savage bolt. Either way, I’ll think about it for the off-season and decide.

 

[Jwill]

I drew a shotgun/slug only hunt a few years back and temporarily set up an 870 for slugs. Got a rifled choke tube and dropped a cheap red dot sight on it. Serviceable, but not great. Was good to minute of pie plate at 100yds, but I wouldn't trust that setup beyond that range. Some evidence of tumbling so the rifled tube was not super effective. I switched out the choke tube and now use that set-up for turkeys.

 

[Mallardsx2]

Savage in 20 gauge is my suggestion. I know a guy who has one and he hunts with it even where he doesn't have to because its works so well for him.

 

[Jbotto]

Cantilever scoped rifled barrel and sabot slugs that your particular barrel likes. What state are you in again? I want to say MN, and if so, there is movement afoot that they may get rid of the slug only area of the state and go all rifle. If so, you might want to save your money and see if that goes through.

You have my interest. Where did you hear this from?

 

[tzone]

Cantilever scoped rifled barrel and sabot slugs that your particular barrel likes. What state are you in again? I want to say MN, and if so, there is movement afoot that they may get rid of the slug only area of the state and go all rifle. If so, you might want to save your money and see if that goes through.

Wont happen. MN sucks.

I’d use a muzzleloader in the shotgun zones of it were me.

 

[MNElkNut]

One of the directors of the MDHA told me. Said they were pretty confident they had the support until Covid hit. They are optimistic about this year but that COVID is a wildcard they cannot predict. I believe I also read it somewhere last summer but can’t remember where. Maybe Outdoor News?