Slug gun
Contributors to this thread:Massachusetts
From: bigwoodsbucks22
01-Dec-21
Dont hate on the gun topic here but I trust a lot of you for gun advice though. Yesterday sealed the deal for me, I need a slug gun. I had the biggest buck I've ever seen in the woods at 30 yards for about 10 mins and didnt get a shot off. 2 reasons... 1) being that muzzleloaders deflect like crazy and my only shot would have been through brush and 2) I couldnt have made a follow up shot in this situation. This is the 2nd year in a row I would have touched a shot off at a buck but didnt because I had a muzzleloader during a rifle/shotgun season. So Im sold, I will have one next year. Need some reccomendations though. The Savage 220 seems like the undisputed king of slug guns with a 200+ yard range and accuracy but I would really prefer a semi-auto for follow up shot speed. Are there any semi autos you can get a decent 200 yard range out of? Maybe an 11-87? Thoughts and opinions appreciated.
From: MA-PAdeerslayer
01-Dec-21
220 and practice. I can get a damn quick second shot on a deer with all my rifles and my fathers 220 and that’s a right handed gun and I’m a lefty.
From: Will
01-Dec-21
Dan I've pondered this for a while, and have gotten some great advice from guys here and others. The 220 is the bomb. If you and the misses have littles at some point, you can also get a turkey barrel for it and could then use it as a turkey gun when the kiddo is old enough.
I've filed it away as the gun to get that will likely wrap up my lifetime gun collection, at least for the foreseeable future. Definitely seems to be the cats meow of slug guns.
From: BAT
01-Dec-21
I like my TC Encore, but if I were in the market the 220 would be on my list.
From: EwadeZ7X
01-Dec-21
What muzzleloader are u currently shooting?
From: bigwoodsbucks22
01-Dec-21
I have a woodman arms 45 cal muzzleloader right now.
From: Wilgabeast
01-Dec-21
I love my remington 870 with a rifled barrel and cantilever scope
From: Wilgabeast
01-Dec-21
I love my remington 870 with a rifled barrel and cantilever scope
From: Sosso
01-Dec-21
I have a mossberg 500. It does The job. However I would recommend the Remington 870. That gun is a Truck!! It will outlive you!
From: Sosso
01-Dec-21
Oh and not to hijack, but we can use muzzleloaders now? I thought we had to wait until after Shotgun?
From: Sosso
01-Dec-21
Oop! I just saw the ask for Auto-loader slug guns, not pump. My bad.
Benelli Super Black Eagle 2. It’s an excellent gun with one large quirk and you’re going to pay through the nose! ($1800)
Both Benelli and Barretta auto-loaders DO NOT like cold weather and tend to fail to cycle when it gets below 40 deg. F. They prefer 3” high velocity, think Remington Accu-tip, and I STRONGLY RECOMMEND that as soon as you get this gun, you tear it down and clean it if any internal oil, dry it thoroughly, and then use (and only ever use) dry lubricant. Otherwise you WILL run into cycle failures.
Anyhow, happy shopping!
From: MA-PAdeerslayer
01-Dec-21
Sold my brother my mossberg 930. Loved that gun. Rifled barrel rifle sights
From: ARLOW
01-Dec-21
Don't discount a pump. Very efficient in the deer woods. And used with a proper pump technique it brings you right back on target naturally. Love my mossberg 500 trophy slugster, adjustable comb, cantilivered and ported rifled barrel. Has the thumb safety which I have come to prefer a great deal over the trigger guard safety. 2 inch groups at 125 yards with lightfield commander slugs which I cannot find any more. Once slugs come back into decent supply I need to find a new slug it likes.
From: MA_Bowhunter
01-Dec-21
Dan, I don't understand the comment that "being that muzzleloaders deflect like crazy...". Many of us use a saboted slug in either a shotgun or an mz. Depending on the bullet and load, you are probably shooting a very similar slug, with a very similar speed, whether you are using a muzzle loader or a shotgun. It's a myth that shotgun slugs "bust brush". Either will go through small stuff with out much deflection, but any branch of size will knock it off course. If you had a reasonable shot with a shotgun, you should have had a reasonable shot with a muzzleloader - they just aren't that much different.
From: EwadeZ7X
01-Dec-21
I wouldn’t be shooting thru brush in either case
From: ARLOW
01-Dec-21
MaBow, big difference between most slugs and a muzzleloader bullet. Muzzy bullets are typically around 250 grains. The sabots I use are 600 grains which is 1 3/8 oz of lead at 1800 feet per second.
From: bigwoodsbucks22
01-Dec-21
MA, im just regurgitating what ive been told. Maybe its more in regards to rifles because I have only ever shot 1 deer with a shotgun. I do know that muzzleloaders will deflect. I have a number of bad experiences with that and it doesnt take much. I was under the impression that shotguns could go through more without deflecting but maybe that is wrong to assume then. I actually will be testing all of this this summer and im very excited. We have a great place to test all sorts of guns and rounds now through brush in a safe manner.
From: Big Dog
01-Dec-21
I wouldn't buy a semi auto action. Can be a problem in freezing precipitation that you don't need, especially if you're a tracker. Learned my lesson the hard way. Savage 220 or pump in 20 ga. The second shot will be fast enough for most situations and the action won't be weather sensitive.
From: Fran
01-Dec-21
I have a REM-1187 SP.and love it. I pared it with a Sightron Big Sky shotgun scope and it’s a deadly combo. I also bought a turkey barrel for it. I’ve killed a ton of deer with it through the years and have never had a problem. Being that it is a semiautomatic I have a gunsmith break it down every few years for a complete cleaning. I highly recommend it. Good luck with whatever you decide.
From: MA_Bowhunter
01-Dec-21
Dan, can't wait to see those testing results! One tip - the farther the brush is from the target, the more the deflection will be. So, if you place the brush immediately in front of the target, the results may not be clear. Good luck, and please post those results!
From: Big Dog
01-Dec-21
Nothing penetrates brush accurately.
From: Arrownoob
01-Dec-21
The barrels on the 220 are not easily changeable. You might as well get 2 guns- one with a scope for deer, one with a red dot for turkey. I wouldn’t recommend the 220 turkey after 35 yards it’s not that good. My 12 gauge dominates out to 50 or more. I would have absolutely shot through brush with a gun for a nice buck- I shot through a chain link fence to hit a spike.
From: arch2112
01-Dec-21
200 yard semi slug gun? Tall order to be honest. You can buy one but $$. Unless the barrel is mated to the reciever permanently it will never be accurate at that range. You will spend a lot of time and money. 30 - 70 yards. No problem. Buy any semi you want. Pumps are nice too. Can a slug gun shoot farther accurately? yes but that's usually done on a bench not off hand in the woods. SIngle shot or bolt slug guns will always do better unless the barrel is mated for semi's and pumps. I'd go 20 gauge if you could.
I have the Savage 220. Love it. I've shot accurate groups off the bench out to 100 yards no problem but in the woods I'm getting 30-50 yards opportunities, which is doable off hand for me.
That's a nice muzzleloader you have. I'll trade you a remington 870 12 gauge with a rifled barrel and vent ribbed barrel for it :).
From: Cp550022
01-Dec-21
I have an 1100(12 gauge), and 2 1187's (20 and 12 gauge) all with cantilever rifled slug barrels and scopes. My personal favorite is the 1100. It is heavier, and I like that for follow up shots, the scope never comes off of the target. Initially I really liked the 20 gauge, but after lots of hunting experience, and some hard tracks (lack of 2 holes) and plenty of deer needing follow up shots. I've settled on the 12 gauge. I've had great results. I think it is hard to go wrong with an 1100 or 1187. I had a mossberg 930 which was a nightmare, plenty of problems with that gun which resulted in missed opportunities. As far as 200 yards goes, I think that is wishful thinking. I've seen deer dropped out to an honest 125 yards. My skills are not good enough to shoot that far. Maybe the 220 with 3" accutips is capable of that, but in a hunting situation, I doubt I would be trying to test that out. I have shot a few 220's at the range and hunting, and my biggest complaint is how slow the follow up shot is.... if you can make one. I love the fast follow up of the autoloader. Good luck.
From: spike78
01-Dec-21
I have to disagree with you Dan a slug is a slug. I could use my shotgun for deer but I leave it as a dedicated turkey gun due to the red dot turkey scope and just use my muzzleloader. I get one shot and if I miss so be it. The probability of getting two shots off in thick cover is slim anyway. I feel perfectly confident with my one shot and that thing is a tack driver. You have been very successful with the bow and that is only half of what a muzzleloader can do.
From: Proline
01-Dec-21
I wouldnt trade my remington 870 ,cantilever rifled barrel for anything. You can literally break the gun down in under a minute and reassemble in 2 min. Never a jam issue and simple to clean.
From: Proline
01-Dec-21
The only negative on the 870 is to unload you have cycle the rounds thru which is noisy. I walk in with one in the chamber. When at stand I pop that one round out and reload with 5 when in tree
From: DanaC
01-Dec-21
I've seen so few deer -ever- at 200 yards that it's a non-issue for me. Yeah, I like accuracy, and the more the better, but anything that will hold 4 inches at 100 yards will kill just about any deer in New England. (My slug setup is an aftermarket cantilever barrel on my BPS. Shooting SST's.)
From: GED
01-Dec-21
Where to start. A lot of good information already posted.
The savage 220 is very accurate and reliable. You have the capability for follow up shots reasonably quickly. I have the old 220 and the 220T and forget about changing barrels. Better as dedicated guns in my opinion.
I have 3 Benelli’s. I have never had an issue with cycling anything. I have the M2 in 20 gauge. Very light for a semi-auto.
My 20G and 50cal us .451 bullets. The SG produce higher velocities.
As Chris pointed out, and my experience supports shooting the 20G will not consistently leave 2 holes similar to my 50cal. This will lead to some challenging track jobs.
The 20G does have a better ballistic coefficient than the 12G out at distance, like the 200y you mentions.
Everything is a compromise.
From: MA-PAdeerslayer
01-Dec-21
Dana I’m looking into a barrel for my BPS….worth it?
From: MA-PAdeerslayer
01-Dec-21
Dana I’m looking into a barrel for my BPS….worth it?
From: Doc
01-Dec-21
I've shot a Remington 1187 auto with a 2.5 scope, cantilever rib forever with traditional winchester slugs. It shoots very accurately out to 80 yards and is ok at 100 yards. Never had a problem and have killed a lot of deer with it. I put a separate barrel on for duck and upland birds. Also takes 3" loads.
From: MA-PAdeerslayer
01-Dec-21
Miss typed. My mossberg was a 935. 31/2” chamber. Don’t shoot 31/2” loads…not fun ha.
From: MA_Bowhunter
01-Dec-21
3 1/2" loads gets you a few more pellets and a fat lip...
From: MA-PAdeerslayer
01-Dec-21
And a yellow shoulder
From: MA-PAdeerslayer
01-Dec-21
I was young and dumb then. Now I’m just young
From: arch2112
01-Dec-21
arch2112's Link
These guys have some serious slug guns but $$. You can get your 870 converted for less. I think for the average MA woods hunting, the Savage bolt slug gun is a great deal and deadly.
From: Big Dog
02-Dec-21
Ma-Pa, I was young and dumb ; now I'm just dumb.
From: Big Dog
02-Dec-21
I think BWB may do some tracking where gun weight and carry are big issues in a slug gun.
From: bigwoodsbucks22
02-Dec-21
I do as much tracking as I can but the snow in southern NH and MA is unreliable enough to say I would do a lot of it with a slug gun. Thatd be mostly with a rifle up north. That being said, I do want the lightest gun possible but its not a big deciding factor when considering other things. My 30.06 is a beast of a gun. Not sure how much it weighs but it has got to be a few pounds heavier than most of the other guns in camp. I feel it too. Been considering something lighter and smaller on the rifle side of things but I want to get a dedicated shotgun before I start thinking about that. I really like hearing how much people love the 220's. Im really leaning that way. I would definitely prefer a semi auto but the reliability does concern me because ive heard of issues before. I just like how fast the follow up shot is. I guess with practice you can get a quick second shot with a bolt action too though, especially in 20 gauge. And especially compared to a muzzleloader.
From: Will
02-Dec-21
Noob - thanks for that info. May have saved me some $. I had heard it was not to challenging to swap em out, so good to know that's not necessarily the case.
From: Big Dog
02-Dec-21
I've had a semi auto Browning 30-06 fail to eject after first shot in N.Maine while tracking in freezing rain/snow ; had a Rem. 1100 do the same in Ma. on stand . The guys in Maine told me not to bring the semi auto but I didn't listen. When tracking your hand holding the gun melts snow and the water runs into the mechanism and/or gas ports and freezes especially when you've been tracking for a few hours. Can be a heart breaker.
From: Josh22
02-Dec-21
I love my 220, taken 2 deer in the past 3 years with it. One of them was a big doe, double lung, dropped in her tracks. Other was a big buck, I did shoot through a little bit of brush, ended up having to track it down but did recover it a few hours later. 2 of my friends love theirs as well. One of them used to use an 1187 and said he would never go back. Since he got the 220 a few years ago he's dropped a couple deer each year all 1 shot. Monday he got a 6pt that he ranged at 160 yds! All 3 of us use the accutips and have had great success. Plus they are fun to shoot and don't beat you up. I do have an 870 as well, no scope, that I use if the weather is bad or hunting in really thick stuff.
From: Big Dog
02-Dec-21
From: MA-PAdeerslayer
02-Dec-21
Meanest slugs I’ve ever touched off… hopefully let one rip in PA!
From: Big Dog
03-Dec-21
Great that the Pa. trip is on.They were my go-to slugs.
From: Starvingpilgrim
03-Dec-21
Tc pro hunter 20 ga ! Tac driver with hornady sst , single shot , but very lite
From: MA-PAdeerslayer
03-Dec-21
Big dog they lay the hammer down. Never had one move much after hitting em with that
From: MA-PAdeerslayer
03-Dec-21
Big dog they lay the hammer down. Never had one move much after hitting em with that
From: fisherick
03-Dec-21
Make your first shot count! No need to be slinging extra lead hoping to hit the deer. Practice patience.
I have used a 12 gage New England Firearms rifled barrel single shot shotgun with a 2 1/2 power scope and SST slugs. I have taken several deer and only one required a second shot.
From: Will
03-Dec-21
Fisher - they used to be H and R, correct? I won a 20ga single shot from them from my high school fish and game club's annual banquet, it was my first gun. Fun little thing. Shot my first animal while hunting with it, a squirrel. Then some pheasants and grouse. With a slug though, that gun couldn't have hit a pizza box with the barrel touching it! ha ha ha!
I've often pondered going the route you have. Light, affordable, and you can just dial in that scope and have a super sweet deer gun right there (or any critter really).
From: fisherick
03-Dec-21
Will, my first project NEF shotgun was a single shot ($75) 20 gage smoothbore shotgun that I mounted a 2 1/2 power scope on. That gun would shoot 4-5"groups at 100 yards with Brenneke slugs and 8" with Win rifle slugs all day. I considered it a 80 yard gun. I gave that gun to my son. After that I made up that NEF Tracker with the 12 gage rifled barrel. That shoots 3-4" 100 yard groups and is a dream to carry. My 870 became a safe queen. I wish I could find a 20 gage NEF Tracker. Yes NEF was part of H&R and made in Gardner, Ma.
From: DanaC
03-Dec-21
DanaC's Link
fisherick, here ya go
From: spike78
03-Dec-21
Will I’m still pissed at myself for not buying a clearance H&R 20 gauge slug gun at Dicks for $200 years ago!
From: fisherick
03-Dec-21
Thanks Dana but that is the Partner model which is a bird barrel with bead sight. The Tracker model has rifled sights and maybe be smoothbore or rifled barrel. My latest project is a Savage 301 20 gage single shot with smoothbore barrel with rifled chock and red dot sight. Red dot sight not holding zero, ran out of slugs, project on hold.
From: DanaC
03-Dec-21
DanaC's Link
Maybe this H&R?
From: arch2112
03-Dec-21
arch2112's Link
MA Fish and Game should get with the times. Shot guns trying to be rifles is costly and not as effective as using rifles with pistol or straight cased cartridges. Other states/counties that were once shotgun only have seen the light. I have a 1960’s Ruger semi rifle and a Marlin lever action in .44 mag that are much better for woods hunting than my savage 220 any day. And cheaper to shoot. I wish I could use them in MA.
From: Big Dog
04-Dec-21
Where I hunt if you miss your first shot ,you're screwed.
From: DanaC
05-Dec-21
I haven't seen too many deer giving second chances, but when it happened I usually rush the second shot too ;-)
From: fisherick
05-Dec-21
Dana that H&R is too expensive for my blood, the NEF were sold for $150-200 range and an economy finish and are shooters. I haven't seen many deer give second chances either, that's why make your first shot count, have patience, stop them with a MERP or whistle. I've seen too many guys see a deer, don't stop them and lay down 3 shot bursts missing or wounding the deer. I believe in one shot, one kill.
From: arch2112
10-Dec-21
arch2112's Link
From: Moons222
10-Dec-21
I wouldn’t think twice about it. If you want the best slug gun for Massachusetts get a 220 and put a leuopold on it and call it a day
From: Jimbo
10-Dec-21
I've killed MANY deer with my Remington 1187. I'll never buy another shotgun.
