Thinking about getting a new hunting shotgun

[LarryD1130]

Rifle season is right around the corner and I'm thinking about getting a new shotgun to take out with me. Currently I use my dads old Mossberg bolt action 16ga. It's a good gun but I want something in 12ga. It will be used mainly for deer in 2B but I will also use it for small game and maybe pheasant or something.

The main ones I was looking at were the Mossberg 500 and Remington 870 of course but I up for opinions. I was going to get the combo package and maybe a scope. I was also considering getting some sort of semi-auto instead.

What should I get and why?

[A-5]

Rifle season is right around the corner and I'm thinking about getting a new shotgun to take out with me. Currently I use my dads old Mossberg bolt action 16ga. It's a good gun but I want something in 12ga. It will be used mainly for deer in 2B but I will also use it for small game and maybe pheasant or something.

The main ones I was looking at were the Mossberg 500 and Remington 870 of course but I up for opinions. I was going to get the combo package and maybe a scope. I was also considering getting some sort of semi-auto instead.

What should I get and why?

Question do you take your scope off of your rifles after the season? Then why would you do it to your shotgun. There is no reason in the world ever to buy a new pump shotgun ever. They last forever and you can pay $100-200 less for a perfectly good hunting gun. Take the $100-200 and put it down on a good slug gun and now you have two guns not one and you will be zeroed in forever unless your scope goes goofy. Even with a cantilever a slug gun needs to be shot after you take the bbl off every time. Even if you have had good luck in the past with accuracy after taking the bbl off, the responsible thing to do is to shoot the gun, you have different tension on the bbl lug every time so it needs to be shot. At $15-26 a box thats expensive to just shoot. Remington is the best shotgun for the money as far as accuracy goes, Mossberg will have good accuracy also but they are subject to the the bbl overheating and when it does accuracy is given up. I shoot the Ultra slug hunter in 20 gauge, and a 870 in 20 both deer killers. I have shot a deer with the 12 and many with 20, a lot of my friends shoot the 20 and I think the 20 kills them quicker. The 20 is shooting a 260 grain bullet or so and has less felt recoil, which is good for accuracy.

[bigandy1966]

Remington 870 express, combo. I have rarely shot deer out past 40 yards, iron sights do not fog up or break or need to be rezeroed. wears like iron. Takes a little practice but if you hunt thick brush or small plots then its just fine.
http://www.google.com/products/catal...ed=0CDgQ8wIwAQ
If you want a dedicated slug gun then I would look into an old Ithaca deerslayer

[LarryD1130]

Alright. You guys are saying skip the scope. I can shoot irons well and most of my shots won't be too far.

[partsman]

go with the 870 you wont regret it i switched over a couple years ago and dont regret it

[bac0nfat]

I was in the market for a slug gun a few weeks ago, and was looking into getting a rifled barrel for one of my 870's. As it turns out, the barrel would be just as expensive as a new single shot 12 gauge. So I got an H&R Ultra Slug Hunter instead for $250, brand new.

If you do decide to get a pump gun with a rifled barrel, get a barrel with a cantilever scope mount, NOT a mount on the receiver. That way the scope stays with the barrel, and you can switch to barrel out to do other things with the shotgun such as sporting clays.

[A-5]

Alright. You guys are saying skip the scope. I can shoot irons well and most of my shots won't be too far.

I would never tell you to skip a scope. 85%-95% of all deer guns have scopes. I have both iron sights and a scope, they both have there place in the woods. I'm with bac0nfat I have the H&R ultra slug hunter mine in 20 man it is awesome. One thing though do not get the regular bbl, you have to get the heavy bbl it shoots so much better.

[chalmitch]

For the semi, get a 20 gauge mainly for the reduced recoil.

The H&R set-up is a great idea, friends with them are happy with the accuracy and reliability.


Best regards,
chalmitch

[BIGSHOVEL]

If it does not have a stamp on it that says Beretta, it clearly is not a shotgun.
Buy once, cry once.

[A-5]

If it does not have a stamp on it that says Beretta, it clearly is not a shotgun.
Buy once, cry once.

Cry again when paying for it. There is no reason for buying a slug gun that expensive it gives you nothing extra in the field. Trap yes slug hunting no.