setting up my shotgun for deer?

[jason41987]

hey everyone... im looking to use my shotgun for an all-in-one hunting package... waterfowl, deer, ect...

the shotgun currently is a remington 870 express with a 26" smooth bore barrel, 3" chamber

so.. what should i do to this to equipt it for deer?.. leave the 26 inch barrel on and replace the choke with a cylinder choke and used rifled slugs, sabot slugs with a rifled choke, or replace the barrel entirely for a 20" rifled barrel?... i know that last one would probably be the best, but if the other options are close enough without having to spend as much on a new barrel as the shotgun itself costed, then id rather go that route

 

[303tom]

Leave the 26 inch barrel on and replace the choke with a modified choke and used rifled slugs.................

 

[matrem]

Quite a few folks around here have great success with their smooth bores using either cylinder, improved cylinder, or modified chokes.
Some slugs seem to match some bbls better than others, so a bit of experimenting may be in order.
While not likely to be as precise as the rifled bbls/chokes using sabots, you may end up with a great 75 yd deer gun with little extra money invested.
The reason I said 75 yds, is that seems to be about the maximum that those standard front beads are precise enough for most folks eyes holding minute of deer boiler room.

 

[Old Shooter]

As you noted for the price of a new barrel you are darn close to buying a whole new gun.

The lesser way to get going is with the proper chokes for the existing barrel.

But then again...whats the problem with having two shotguns?

 

[jason41987]

im not too worried about the bead sights.. those will be upgraded soon enough... im actually planning to drill and tap the receiver for a top rail mount, so i can either put on a set of rifle sights.. or put a red dot on that rail instead

so.. with upgraded sights on a 26 inch barrel, about what kind of range would i be accurate out to, and what kind of groups should i experience at 100 yards?

 

[jason41987]

i just googled 870 scope mount and got a bunch of results for top rails that mount using the holes in the side of the receiver for the trigger group pins... i wonder, if i pop the screws out to remove the trigger group for cleaning or maintainence, will the rail hold zero or am i really better off drilling and tapping it for a fixed rail (i have the tools for that too)

but i do agree, i will need to upgrade these sights.. id like to get a fiber optic front sight thatll mount to the vent-rib barrel in place of my bead, with a fiber optic rear sight as well... and leave the bead on for waterfowl as well.. also, an inexpensive red dot is not out of the question either

another question refers to the stock... i damaged my right hand a bit a few years ago.. and though it functions perfectly normal, i do feel fatigue in it quicker when holding a typical stock... are there any laws against a vertical grip on a shotgun?

 

[T.R.]

It's been my unpleasant experience that slug guns have a vicious kick. I currently hunt a shotgun-only zone with my 50 caliber muzzle loader rifle. It's perfectly legal for this zone. Yet recoil is less than half for me.

TR

 

[jason41987]

ive fired slugs from my 12 gauge.. and i felt considerably more recoil from a russian mosin nagant that i had been shooting all day prior to doing some shooting with slugs in the shotgun, so the recoil really doesnt bother me... and this was in a t-shirt.. adding a winter coat to that would make me feel it even less.. it does have a decent recoil pad on the stock though

 

[buck460XVR]

This is what I suggest........remington-870-special-purpose-12-gauge-3-24-rifled-with-cantilever-scope-mount-matte


Once you scope it, the scope never comes off and never has to be rezeroed.....unlike the receiver mounted scope that you would take off every season for waterfowl. While it may be half again as much as the gun is worth, one must consider it as an investment in your hunting experience and as a tool. One does much better with the proper tools. This would be a proper tool for hunting deer. Changing the barrels would probably take less time than taking the receiver mount off and on.

 

[One_Jackal]

You won't regret buying a rifled slug barrel. Try to hit a paper plate with a slug using your current barrel at 50 yards. It will be easy with a rifled slug barrel. The confidence will go with you into the field and you will kill more deer.

Other posts have mentioned two guns are better than one...

 

[LeonCarr]

PM Sent

 

[Sav .250]

The "all-in-one" concept sounds good but I don`t believe, one thing can do everything....well. J s/n.

 

[jason41987]

come on now.. a shotgun can be used to hunt everything, whether its a shotgun using a single barrel, or with a variety for different purposes... i dont know of anything in north america, big game or small that cant be taken with a 12 gauge

 

[oneounceload]

come on now.. a shotgun can be used to hunt everything, whether its a shotgun using a single barrel, or with a variety for different purposes... i dont know of anything in north america, big game or small that cant be taken with a 12 gauge

That part is mostly true until you do this:

im actually planning to drill and tap the receiver for a top rail mount, so i can either put on a set of rifle sights.. or put a red dot on that rail instead

If you want to make into a rifle, then fine, but if you want to use it for moving targets like waterfowl and upland birds you need to lose those sights and go back to a bead or nothing at all - assuming your gun actually fits you properly

 

[MCgunner]

Smooth bores will shoot foster slugs (IE Remington Slugger) just fine. They'll kill deer just fine. Me, I use my rifles and handguns, never killed a deer with a shotgun, but I've fired slugs from several of my shotguns for groups just with the bead sight and at 50 yards, I'd have no problem killing a deer. I think out at 100, I'd prefer to buy a set of rifle sights that clamp to the rib or some such sighting device.

If I really wanted to hunt four legged game with a shotgun, I think I'd buy one of those cantilever slug barrels that have the extension over the action from the barrel for scope mounting. I'd mount a low power scope and live happy. The scope comes off with the barrel, gives potentially better accuracy than mounting the scope to the receiver. I don't think there is such a set up for the 870, though. I shoot Mossbergs. Swapping back to my 28" vent rib gives me my duck gun back.

 

[MCgunner]

It's been my unpleasant experience that slug guns have a vicious kick. I currently hunt a shotgun-only zone with my 50 caliber muzzle loader rifle. It's perfectly legal for this zone. Yet recoil is less than half for me.

If I were in such a "no rifles" zone, this is exactly what I'd do, or use a handgun if legal. I like my front loaders, though, and like carrying them afield. I have a CVA Wolf with scope I took my first front stuffer deer with this year and Texas has no "no rifle" laws. Just gets boring using the same ol' rifles every season. I got all off into handgunning them, might go back to that. But, right now, I'm sorta into the BP stuff. I MIGHT decide to try my Ruger Old Army sometime. I've thought of that for a long time, but I have cartridge handguns. BP is fun, though.

I have never been tempted to use a shotgun for other than its original design intent, birds or other moving game. That's what shotguns shine at. Right tool for the right job. Crescent wrenches can be handy, but a box in bests it every time when I need a serious wrench.

 

[Patocazador]

Whatever you do, don't get a rifled choke .. or if you do, buy it from me. They don't work, period!

If you are going to put a sight on the receiver, forget about using it without slugs. If you want a scope or Aimpoint mount it on a cantilever mount on a new rifled barrel and then just change barrels. Otherwise, use an IC choke and 'el cheapo' Winchester slugs and it'll group pretty good at 50 yards+.

 

[matrem]

What I said in post # 3 is true, but..
If there's any way you can swing it, this is what I use, and it's a far better option than dealing with scope take offs, bead/sight changes, and "rezoroing".
I went this route years ago, and very glad I did.

 

[MCgunner]

So they DO make the cantilever mounts for 870s? Cool. I've only seen 'em for Mossbergs.

 

[jjrod78]

Where I live there is NO deer hunting with rifles, shotgun muzzleloader only. I've shot rifled slug from a smooth bore for years out of my 20 gauge. And it works fine.

Personally I would recommend getting a slug barrel (either rifled sights or cantilever). There are a variety of sabots to be able to find what your particular gun likes.

If you are leaving the smooth barrel I would recommend either a saddle mount for scope/red-dot, or "speed bead" (EOTech or whatever brand you like). These wouldn't require any machining. Sometimes the bead isn't really that close for slugs.

 

[matrem]

So they DO make the cantilever mounts for 870s?

Umm. Yea,
I bought that one in the picture in "95".. and it took me several years of looking at em to decide to spend for one.
If you actually look, you'll see that Mossberg even makes slug bbls for 870s..to join the 870 bandwagon.

 

[Eb1]

My Mav 88 with a modified choke shoots basic slugs from Win or Federal good enough to hit a softball at 100 yards out if its stock barrel with beads.

I'd say try some slugs and see how you 26" barrel works. A 3" slug is a deer's worst nightmare. Even a 2 3/4" slug is a great deer killer, as you know, and they shoot really accurate out of a smooth bore with a modified or improved cyl. choke.

When deer season comes my hardest decision is what gun to take, not where I'm gonna hunt.

 

[MCgunner]

Umm. Yea,
I bought that one in the picture in "95".. and it took me several years of looking at em to decide to spend for one.
If you actually look, you'll see that Mossberg even makes slug bbls for 870s..to join the 870 bandwagon.

Well, I don't shoot slugs in shotguns at game, or never have, yet. I don't really look at such things and don't like 870s so don't look at them, ether. I'm a lefty and REALLY like the Mossberg ergos. Mossbergs are my waterfowl guns. I've seen the cantilever barrels listed in the Mossberg catalogs, but never paid much attention. If I move out of Mossberg with pump guns, it'll be to Browning BPS, not to Remington anything.

 

[One_Jackal]

I have been seeing stevens combo's for $250. It has a 18" cylinder barrel with rifle sights and a 26" vent rib that accepts screw in chokes. Funny how when you buy a combo the second barrel is dirt cheap. When you price just a barrel it costs as much as a gun.

 

[Rob0321]

I'm a big fan of different barrels for different jobs, and once you shoot slugs through a rifled barrel you won't want to go back to smoothbore. I use a Hastings slug barrel, but I'm almost certain they aren't in business anymore. Keep your eyes out and there is always a chance that you'll be able to find a used rifled barrel for a decent price.