I have a Mossberg 500 with the standard 28" vented barrel as well as the 18.5" security barrel. I am wanting to start deer hunting with it and was wondering if I need to purchase the slug barrel. If I do not need to purchase, what shells can I use with my standard barrel for effective deer hunting?? Thanks!!
Do I Need a Slug Barrel??
- Thread starter Snyperx
- Start date
Depends a lot on range, inside 100 rifled foster slugs work great and hit hard, good Brenneke design stretch you out a little further and hit a little harder.....both shot from a smooth bore. Beyond 150-200 I would start looking at rifled barrel and sabot slugs......probably an optic to go with it
Thanks so much. What about going with a rifled choke from Carlson? Would that allow me to get the most out of my smooth bore versus having to buy a rifled barrel for longer shots?
I can't see myself taking anything out past 200 yards being I am new to hunting in general.
May I make a suggestion?
Do some realistic shooting at 50/75/100 yards before attempting that 200-yard shot on a game animal. Most hunters won't admit it but their typical shots are normally much closer than that 200 yard shot they imagine.
oli700 is correct that longer ranges absolutely require sabot slugs in a dedicated rifled barrel. I would even say "longer ranges" as beyond 100 yards and definitely with a shotgun-rated optic.
Do some realistic shooting at 50/75/100 yards before attempting that 200-yard shot on a game animal. Most hunters won't admit it but their typical shots are normally much closer than that 200 yard shot they imagine.
oli700 is correct that longer ranges absolutely require sabot slugs in a dedicated rifled barrel. I would even say "longer ranges" as beyond 100 yards and definitely with a shotgun-rated optic.
I've used tried a couple rifled chokes. I've tried a Carlson's out of my 500C and I've tried two different chokes out of my 12g 870.
With foster slugs I noticed what I guess could be a very slight tightening of groups. It definitely didn't hut my groups but not anything substantial.
With any and all sabot slugs I tried it failed to impart much spin. Most keyholed at 50 yards. I admit I have not tried every combination but I have tried a mix of different brands and velocities. The lower the velocity the slug the better it worked but still nothing I would ethically trust to hunt with.
Money would be much better spend on applying that towards a fully filed barrel. I picked up a used one and the difference is night and day. No problem holding groups out to 100 yards. Probably further but I rarely need to shoot any further so I have not gone out of my way to test it at longer distances. I've only ever shot one deer that was further than 25 yards from where I sat and that was at about 100 with a muzzleloader.
Unless you are a very proficient shooter a 200 yard shot on game is really pushing it with a slug gun. It takes a lot of work to dial a shotgun in for that type of range. If you are new to hunting a lot can happen in the time it takes you to pull the trigger that can make an "ok" shot a disastrous one or a complete miss. If you miss the bullseye on a target the paper has no feeling, make a bad shot on an animal and it suffers.
With foster slugs I noticed what I guess could be a very slight tightening of groups. It definitely didn't hut my groups but not anything substantial.
With any and all sabot slugs I tried it failed to impart much spin. Most keyholed at 50 yards. I admit I have not tried every combination but I have tried a mix of different brands and velocities. The lower the velocity the slug the better it worked but still nothing I would ethically trust to hunt with.
Money would be much better spend on applying that towards a fully filed barrel. I picked up a used one and the difference is night and day. No problem holding groups out to 100 yards. Probably further but I rarely need to shoot any further so I have not gone out of my way to test it at longer distances. I've only ever shot one deer that was further than 25 yards from where I sat and that was at about 100 with a muzzleloader.
Unless you are a very proficient shooter a 200 yard shot on game is really pushing it with a slug gun. It takes a lot of work to dial a shotgun in for that type of range. If you are new to hunting a lot can happen in the time it takes you to pull the trigger that can make an "ok" shot a disastrous one or a complete miss. If you miss the bullseye on a target the paper has no feeling, make a bad shot on an animal and it suffers.
cmon, 200 yards is perfectly acceptable with a rifled barrel and a sabot.
In 200 I have shot rifled slug barrels, as accurate as a rifle and plenty of energy for a kill on deer.
If you have doubts or lack of experience then maybe you shouldn't but the equipment is perfectly capable
In 200 I have shot rifled slug barrels, as accurate as a rifle and plenty of energy for a kill on deer.
If you have doubts or lack of experience then maybe you shouldn't but the equipment is perfectly capable
I am well within 100 yards when I am hunting.
Actually, I am within 50 most of the time. Ask @LAZY EYED SNIPER what kind of range to expect if hunting in the terrain I am used to. He recently went on a long hiking/camping trip and he can tell you what to expect here.
I know this isn't part of the topic, but the saying rings true in a lot of ways nonetheless.
A good sniper can make an 800 yard shot.
A great sniper can do it in 100.
Take it for what it's worth.
Actually, I am within 50 most of the time. Ask @LAZY EYED SNIPER what kind of range to expect if hunting in the terrain I am used to. He recently went on a long hiking/camping trip and he can tell you what to expect here.
I know this isn't part of the topic, but the saying rings true in a lot of ways nonetheless.
A good sniper can make an 800 yard shot.
A great sniper can do it in 100.
Take it for what it's worth.
^ Brother, 50yd would be a stretch in your neck of the woods. I was lucky if I had a clear line of sight out to half that distance and it was at a 45° upward slope...
I'm not that good.
I was just trying to haul my @$$ in and outta there without dying. Every critter in the area heard me sucking wind from a mile and a half away. They didn't even bother hiding, they just sat there waiting for me to pass out so they could scavenge my peanut butter Clif bars..
I was just trying to haul my @$$ in and outta there without dying. Every critter in the area heard me sucking wind from a mile and a half away. They didn't even bother hiding, they just sat there waiting for me to pass out so they could scavenge my peanut butter Clif bars..
Screw that, you can both keep your terrain.
I grew up in Texas where the highest elevation around was at the top of a fire ant mound...
I grew up in Texas where the highest elevation around was at the top of a fire ant mound...
