Slug gun for moose hunting - help me choose
- Thread starter ngnrd
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ngnrd,
How far out is your hunt?
Are you leaning toward any specific course yet?
Your situation, as far as I can gather is roughly this. Please correct me.
You would like to have a multi purpose gun. I think for that purpose, you would get a multi barreled combo gun.
Rifle sights, aside from big game or self defense have little other purpose.
Bead sights, while with practice, can be relatively accurate out to the range you need but 100 to 125 as you listed would take quite a bit of practice to hit consistantly.
You could use a bead sighted gun for other hunting needs but I'm not familiar enough with choke needs for this application.
I guess if I was in your position, I would get something like a Mossberg or 870 combo. Then it just comes down to smooth bore or rifled.
If no one in your area is familiar with rifled, you could be the one to start a new trend. Ha. Sorry.
I think if you will have the possibility of a 125 yd shot and want to make a clean kill, having a rifled barrel is important. That's just my opinion.
Switching the barrel for whatever else you may use it for is something you will have to consider in what you need for what you want to shoot.
I still think you can do this in the 500 to 700 $ range and once again, if one barrel or the other isn't what you need or no longer want, you could sell off the barrel and still have the other for more usage.
How far out is your hunt?
Are you leaning toward any specific course yet?
Your situation, as far as I can gather is roughly this. Please correct me.
You would like to have a multi purpose gun. I think for that purpose, you would get a multi barreled combo gun.
Rifle sights, aside from big game or self defense have little other purpose.
Bead sights, while with practice, can be relatively accurate out to the range you need but 100 to 125 as you listed would take quite a bit of practice to hit consistantly.
You could use a bead sighted gun for other hunting needs but I'm not familiar enough with choke needs for this application.
I guess if I was in your position, I would get something like a Mossberg or 870 combo. Then it just comes down to smooth bore or rifled.
If no one in your area is familiar with rifled, you could be the one to start a new trend. Ha. Sorry.
I think if you will have the possibility of a 125 yd shot and want to make a clean kill, having a rifled barrel is important. That's just my opinion.
Switching the barrel for whatever else you may use it for is something you will have to consider in what you need for what you want to shoot.
I still think you can do this in the 500 to 700 $ range and once again, if one barrel or the other isn't what you need or no longer want, you could sell off the barrel and still have the other for more usage.
ngnrd
Member
27hand - There aren't any defined dates for this particular hunt. F&G could call any time between mid-January and ... March? ... or not at all, depending on the number and location of 'nuisance moose' this winter. But, when/if I do get that call, I have to be prepared to accompany a biologist or wildlife Trooper to harvest a particular animal in pretty short order. So, I need to get my gear together now.
At this point, I think I've come to the conclusion that I can probably use just about any ol' shotgun for this hunt, but one with the option to switch to a rifled barrel and better sights would certainly be better.
So... Now I'm in shopping mode, and I'm finding that it's much cheaper to buy a complete combo package instead of buying a shotgun and then adding an extra barrel separately. So I'm trying to decide between a few different combo packages. The Mossberg 500 combo package is certainly the cheapest,and would probably work just fine, but I'm leaning toward a Weatherby PA-08 combo for about $100 more. The Remington 870 is still on the table, but in my opinion, the furniture on the Weatherby is much better looking than the similarly priced 870's. Feel free to offer any other suggestions for combo packages in the $650 or less range.
Other considerations:
I don't think I need a 3-1/2 inch chamber, as I doubt I could even find slugs in that size around here (do they even make 'em?), and shipping specialty ammo isn't an option.
I'm leaning toward a cantilevered scope base for the rifled barrel, since I have a scope or two I could mount up with little hassle. But, I'm not necessarily ruling out irons yet.
I don't think I need the extra expense and complexity of an autoloader for this winter hunt.
The H&R single shot options suggested earlier are still on the table. But, it's been too long since I've spent any time shooting a single shot rifle, and I'm not confident that I could take a quick follow-up shot if i had to. So... I'm leaning away from singles due to my limitations. If I get a chance to take my NEF .410 out in the next week or so, I'll see if I can convince myself one way or the other.
Here's a link to the Weatherby PA-08 combo package.
At this point, I think I've come to the conclusion that I can probably use just about any ol' shotgun for this hunt, but one with the option to switch to a rifled barrel and better sights would certainly be better.
So... Now I'm in shopping mode, and I'm finding that it's much cheaper to buy a complete combo package instead of buying a shotgun and then adding an extra barrel separately. So I'm trying to decide between a few different combo packages. The Mossberg 500 combo package is certainly the cheapest,and would probably work just fine, but I'm leaning toward a Weatherby PA-08 combo for about $100 more. The Remington 870 is still on the table, but in my opinion, the furniture on the Weatherby is much better looking than the similarly priced 870's. Feel free to offer any other suggestions for combo packages in the $650 or less range.
Other considerations:
I don't think I need a 3-1/2 inch chamber, as I doubt I could even find slugs in that size around here (do they even make 'em?), and shipping specialty ammo isn't an option.
I'm leaning toward a cantilevered scope base for the rifled barrel, since I have a scope or two I could mount up with little hassle. But, I'm not necessarily ruling out irons yet.
I don't think I need the extra expense and complexity of an autoloader for this winter hunt.
The H&R single shot options suggested earlier are still on the table. But, it's been too long since I've spent any time shooting a single shot rifle, and I'm not confident that I could take a quick follow-up shot if i had to. So... I'm leaning away from singles due to my limitations. If I get a chance to take my NEF .410 out in the next week or so, I'll see if I can convince myself one way or the other.
Here's a link to the Weatherby PA-08 combo package.
Pete D.
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I thought about this thread yesterday when I was testing slug loads at the range near me here in PA.
I had a number of loads based on the ubiquitous Hubel's work with the "Shotgun From Hell".
Here is the target. Shot with Mossberg 695 12 gauge bolt gun and iron sights/aperture rear, standing. at only 50 yards. The first two shots are the two in the eight ring. A Lightfield IDS slug over 65 grains of SR4759 in a 3" Win. plastic hull. The other four holes are BPI's one ounce Slug Thug loaded into RMC brass hulls over 75 grains of SR 4759 and a CCI 209 primer.
I had a number of loads based on the ubiquitous Hubel's work with the "Shotgun From Hell".
Here is the target. Shot with Mossberg 695 12 gauge bolt gun and iron sights/aperture rear, standing. at only 50 yards. The first two shots are the two in the eight ring. A Lightfield IDS slug over 65 grains of SR4759 in a 3" Win. plastic hull. The other four holes are BPI's one ounce Slug Thug loaded into RMC brass hulls over 75 grains of SR 4759 and a CCI 209 primer.
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I don't have as much shotgun experiance as some on here but I do hunt with them a bit so I will throw in my .02 First of all a rifled barrel won't be that big of an advantage at 75 yards. Second they do make smoothbore barrels with rifle sights on them usually as a turkey hunting set-up.
Since it doesn't sound like you have a lot of use for a shotgun I would look for a good pump action with a turkey barrel. I'd just stick to Remmington, Mossberg, or Winchester you shouldn't have any trouble finding one for under $500. Slug wise just buy five different kinds and go with the most accurate and as stated before tie goes to Brenneke. Unless you for some reason hate your shoulder 2 3/4" should be sufficient. As to chokes try a few different but DON'T use xfull. Your best luck will probably be improved or modified.
Since it doesn't sound like you have a lot of use for a shotgun I would look for a good pump action with a turkey barrel. I'd just stick to Remmington, Mossberg, or Winchester you shouldn't have any trouble finding one for under $500. Slug wise just buy five different kinds and go with the most accurate and as stated before tie goes to Brenneke. Unless you for some reason hate your shoulder 2 3/4" should be sufficient. As to chokes try a few different but DON'T use xfull. Your best luck will probably be improved or modified.
cdb1
Member
I think Weatherby shotguns are better quality than Mossberg 500's.
If it were me I would buy a Savage slug gun because they are the most accurate. My second and third choices would be a Weatherby or a Mossberg 930 combo.
If it were me I would buy a Savage slug gun because they are the most accurate. My second and third choices would be a Weatherby or a Mossberg 930 combo.
I used a 12 gauge pump for deer hunting for probably the first 10 years of my hunting life. Since that point in time I have bought and used rifled slug barrels and having the experience of both, I find that the original smooth bore barrel with your run of the mill Federal 2-3/4" foster slug more than adequate to drop any North American Game animal. I use a Ted Williams pump with a poly choke...my gun likes throwing slug with the poly choke set on Imp. Cyl. The gun is accurate out to 100 yards. It can hold a 5 shot group within a paper plate at 100 yards...which is pretty good for a shot gun. It has two beads on the barrel, which I would recommend for anyone shooting without a scope.
ngnrd
Member
Thanks for all the comments and suggestions guys.
Just to close the loop here... I ended up buying a Mossberg 500 package with a 28-inch smooth bore barrel and a 24-inch rifled barrel with iron sights [LINK]. I ordered it from Bud's, had it shipped to ALaska, paid my FFL for the transfer, and the whole package was still enough under $400 to buy myself lunch with the change.
Now, I just need to go run a bunch of ammo through it to see what it shoots best.
Of course, since it's been 45 degrees and raining off and on all month instead of snowing, all the moose continue to stay safely in the woods instead of being driven out onto the roads. That's certainly a good thing for motorists, but I don't even know if the hunt is going to happen now.:banghead:
Just to close the loop here... I ended up buying a Mossberg 500 package with a 28-inch smooth bore barrel and a 24-inch rifled barrel with iron sights [LINK]. I ordered it from Bud's, had it shipped to ALaska, paid my FFL for the transfer, and the whole package was still enough under $400 to buy myself lunch with the change.
Now, I just need to go run a bunch of ammo through it to see what it shoots best.
Of course, since it's been 45 degrees and raining off and on all month instead of snowing, all the moose continue to stay safely in the woods instead of being driven out onto the roads. That's certainly a good thing for motorists, but I don't even know if the hunt is going to happen now.:banghead:
yzguy87
Member
A friend of mine and brother both have Mossberg 500s with rifled barrels. Both of their guns will shoot Remington Copper Solids well out to 100+ yards. I watched my friend kill a doe at ~125 yards this past year.
Idk how the copper solids would do on moose but they shoot well out of my brother and freimd's guns.
Idk how the copper solids would do on moose but they shoot well out of my brother and freimd's guns.
StrutStopper
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I've got an 835 and two barrels. One is a 20" VRB for turkey hunting and one is a cantilevered rifled slug barrel with a Nikon scope. When I hunt whitetail with a shotgun, it's usually with a Remington 870 with a smooth bore slug barrel with iron rifle sights (although I do use a saddle mount for a scope with this barrel but the irons are sufficient if you don't want optics.) I've got a 28" VRB for it too, It cuts clover leafs out to 50 yards with rifled slugs. If you want accuracy out to 100 yards or so, get a rifled barrel and sabots. If you are not expecting shots further than 50 or 75 yards, you can go this route or you can get a smooth bore slug barrel. Rifled slugs are much cheaper than sabots.Mossberg 835 is not rated for slugs, I know, I got one. The 500 with a Bushnell reddot sight would be my choice for your price range. Buy as many different types of slugs as you can find, take 3 aspirin, and shoot all at 50 yards and at 100. Your gun will tell you which one is best. A tie goes to the Brenneke.
Good luck, moose is good eaten!!
d2wing
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I have a Mossberg 500 pump with both rifled slug barrel and bird barrel and the same in a Remington 11-87. I use red dot sights and both and am happy with that set up. I prefer the Remington as it is softer shooting and I am getting much better accuracy. The best slugs for me are Winchester Sabot slugs. It slugs regular slugs pretty well too but the groups are Best with the sabots. Some guns with group ok at 75 yards, some much further. Maximum range on the Factory charts is 125 yards for all of them. Beyond that the slugs really fall down some guys get more range but don't bet on it. Both my guns have saddle mounts and they work fine. In my experience you might just as well get a dedicated slug gun as I prefer lighter guns for birds. But that is just my choice. Good luck with that moose. Be prepared fr follow up shots because slugs are not as effective as high power center fires.as in anything shot placement is everything.
Armored farmer
Member
I have a H&R Ultra-Lite slug gun, it will put 'em back in the box at 100yds. However, if I were in Alaska, I would want a repeater.
I think Jason W laid it out in post #4, so I'll just +1 that.
I think Jason W laid it out in post #4, so I'll just +1 that.
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