Slug gun hunting

[D.Carolina]

I have a rifled slug gun needing a new sight for close range hunting. I want some opinions from people who use them often under 100 yards. 1×4 scope, buckhorn, peep, or any other sights i havent thought of. Thanks

 

[Patocazador]

I sometimes use a Rem. 870 slug gun. I put a fixed 4x scope on a cantilevered mount. Killed deer from 15 to 80 yards with it.

My old eyes won't adjust to open sights.

 

[jmr40]

I don't hunt with a slug gun, but do have a smooth bore, rifle sighted barrel for slug/buckshot use for HD. I'll most likely have buckshot in it and the irons work well enough for that.

But on short range rifle or shotguns a low powered scope beats everything including irons or dot sights. A 1-4X would be about ideal, they don't make a 1X4 scope and if they did it would be pretty useless. A fixed power scope of no more than about 4X would work too.

You'll find a lot more 3-9X40 scopes out there, and usually at better prices. That is really more scope than you need, but if left on 3X or 4X wouldn't be a bad choice. I could completely understand someone choosing one just for that reason.

The biggest advantage is being able to SEE the target in poor light. In most places you can legally shoot 30 minutes prior to sunrise until 30 minutes after sunset. In thick woods, especially on overcast days it is impossible to see either the sights or the target right at the edge of legal shooting time with anything other than a decent scope. It isn't just about long range. I'd use a scope even if shots were well inside of 20-30 yards in those light conditions.

 

[mcb]

I spent most of my life hunting in a slug only state (Ohio till 2014) and I only ever used iron sights. I like the clamp on the rib sights for my vent ribbed 12 gauge. I also used a regular slug barrel with rifle sights already intergrated. Later I was using a Winchester 9410 that had what was basically rifle sights too. Kill my fair share of deer with iron sights. My first two deer was killed with just a front bead.

 

[Armored farmer]

I just put a 3x9x 50 vortex on mine. I leave it on 3x or 4x, but can dial it in if the deer is out there at 100+yds

My rings are too high. I wasn't sure what I would want b with my 50mm bell and my hammer/break action.
I had a 1.5x4.75 x 24 Bushnell banner shotgun scope....I didn't like the circle reticle.

 

[SixteenGauge]

If I were hunting under 100 yards with a slug gun, I'd use a red dot scope.

 

[earlthegoat2]

I hunted in a slug only area in MI for 15 years. In that time I used irons, 2.5x fixed, and 4x fixed.

If I did it again it would be 2.5x, 1-4x type, or a red dot. Back then, hunters used red dots but they were not nearly as user friendly as they are now. Being able to leave them on for years being the strongest factor.

I still have a rifled slug gun I used as recently as last year and have a Leupold 1.5-5x20 Vari-X III on it. Works great.

My main criteria for a slug gun scope is eye relief if you are using a 12 ga and a modified bird style shotgun. 12 ga recoils hard enough and if you are using a shotgun which was originally designed for shotgunning, it is usually I’ll fitting for slug shooting with a scope and tends to recoil further back into you. Scope eye is a real consideration with scoped slug guns. I like at least 4” of eye relief. 20 out of 21 scopes out there have close to a 3” eye relief. It pays to find a shotgun (or hard recoiling rifle) specific scope.

If you have a 20 ga or specialized slug gun like a Savage 220/212 or H&R Ultra Slug Hunter or Remington Special Purpose, the need for long eye relief is diminished.

Red dots with unlimited eye relief are also a great option.

 

[Armored farmer]

I just put a 3x9x 50 vortex on mine. I leave it on 3x or 4x, but can dial it in if the deer is out there at 100+yds

My rings are too high. I wasn't sure what I would want b with my 50mm bell and my hammer/break action.
I had a 1.5x4.75 x 24 Bushnell banner shotgun scope....I didn't like the circle reticle.

 

[Kingcreek]

I used an 870 with rifle sights on a smooth slug barrel for years, most shots under 75 yards but as far as 112 (laser range finder). I would go with red dot or a low power scope.

 

[entropy]

I had a 2.75x fixed Bushnell on my Hasting cantilever 20" barrel for my 870. Shot several deer with it between 35 and 50 yards. With Hornady SST sabot slugs, it would have easily taken deer out to 100 yards. My son now has the barrel/scope setup for a backup gun.

A 1-4X would be about ideal, they don't make a 1X4

Well if you are talking scopes made strictly for shotgun, this is close:

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1009553617?pid=170077

But there are many 1-4x scopes made for rifle that are perfectly useable for shotgun:

https://www.midwayusa.com/rifle-scopes/br?cid=11392&Max+Power=4&Min+Power=1

 

[22250Rem]

My 870 12 ga. slug gun has had the same 2.5x 20mm Leupold M8 Compact scope on it since 1989. It gets zeroed at 100 yds. (fully rifled barrel) and 2.5x is plenty even at 100 yards, along with a great field of view up close. Leupold still has a fixed 2.5x compact scope although it's now called the FX-II Ultralight 2.5x 20 and IMHO these are ideal on a slug gun. Never any problems and never lost zero, even after falling out of a tree in the mid 1990's. Actually I have two of these; the other one's been on the 12 ga. Mossberg 500 turkey gun since about 2001 and that's been trouble free also. I've never had a variable scope on a shotgun and I like the idea of the more rugged ( so they say) fixed power option when the gun gets a steady diet of hard recoiling sabot slugs or magnum turkey loads. I have a Leupold 1-4x 20mm variable that's not presently being used and I was tempted to try it on the 870 slug gun but after practicing and checking zero this fall I decided to just stick with the 2.5x after drilling a paper plate offhand at 100 yards. It works so well I'm not gonna change anything. The 870 slug gun : ...... & the Mossberg 500 turkey gun ..: ..

 

[earlthegoat2]

A 1-4X would be about ideal, they don't make a 1X4 scope and if they did it would be pretty useless

Well if you are talking scopes made strictly for shotgun, this is close:

That is just @jmr40 addressing a pet peeve. There isn’t a 1x4 scope. There is a 1-4x scope though. Many folks use an x between the power range numbers incorrectly. It would be hilarious to see a 1x scope with a 4mm objective lens.

 

[earlthegoat2]

What is interesting to note is that the American Slug Shooters Assc (ASSA) record for smallest group at 100yds as of several years ago was shot with a lightly modified Remington 870 with a Hastings barrel and a red dot sight.

This is just an isolated example of how a red dot gives up nothing on accuracy even with no magnification. A sight setup is a highly personal decision though and red dots are nit for everyone.

 

[IALoder]

Not quite a slug gun, but I have a 1-6x (Burris RT6) on my Marlin 45-70 that works great. Most of my shooting is within 100 yds, sometimes at 5 yds... I run it at 1x with the illumination on almost all the time, the illuminated horseshoe dot is VERY quick to pick up, and has worked great for close in stuff. I do dial it up to look at deer, or take a ~100 yd shot, which also works well. A 1-4x or 1-6x is pretty much perfect for the deer hunting we do, which sounds familiar to what you do. I'd recommend one.

 

[Jerry M]

I have a 1.5x5 Leopold on my Hastings barreled (rifled) 870. Killed about 30-35 deer with this setup over the years (decades). Using a scope will give you 20-30 minutes of hunting time both at dawn and dusk you will loose with iron sights.

 

[Orion Jim]

I’ve hunted deer with this Remington 11-87 Special Purpose 12 ga. for over 20 years. I’ve had the Tasco Propoint red dot on it all that time. I’ve taken numerous whitetails with it but I moved from rifled slugs to Federal Premium Trophy Copper sabots. They are very accurate at the distances I hunt, 85 yards is the longest shot I’ve had, all in dense forest. The shotgun has performed flawlessly with an annual cleaning.

 

[black mamba]

My H&R 980 Ultra slug gun wears a 1.5-5x Leupold Vari-X III. My longest kill is a DRT doe at 140 yards, right at dusk. I doubt a red dot would have allowed the shot. The light gathering of the scope really helped.

 

[FL-NC]

All places I hunt/have hunted that don't allow normal centerfire rifles will allow shotgun slugs OR muzzle loaders. I have hunted with slugs, but I'm not a big fan of them. I will always choose my scoped inline muzzle loader, which I can also use during BP season, VS getting a dedicated slug shotgun or modifying an existing shotgun to use slugs. That's just my 2 cents.

 

[nettlle]

I have a 3x9 Luepold Compact on my Ithaca Deerslayer ll with Warne Quick Detach mounts in case I need to use the fiber optic sights.

 

[Axis II]

2-7-33 as low on the receiver as you can go. Make sure its a good brand scope too because slugs and sabot slugs carry a nice punch.

 

[9x56MS]

For 15 years I used a 20 gauge Ithica deerslayer with open sights killed deer most every year but my eyes were young back then. Next I got a 12 gauge deerslayer ( both deerslayer were smooth bores) with a Williams peep sight and went right on filling the freezer out to 100 yards. Next came a moss berg 500 trophy slugster with rifles barrel and cantilever scope mount put a 1.5x 5 Leoupold on it and that outfit increased my range substantially. Killed my best buck with it in 2000 at 168 yards through the woods Buck scored 152. Now the caveat with all these slug guns was practice. All summer I hunted wood chucks with my deer guns for practice. Got some strange looks and comments about must love pain shooting slug guns in a T shirt. After shooting woodchucks hitting a deer was childs play. First gather 4 or 5 different brands of ammo and find out which your gu shoots best. Then stick with that brand and practice.I put deer in the freezer every year but one when I broke 3 ribs for 46 years. They all work if you do your part. If stand hunting go with the scope if still hunting go with the peep. If drive hunting I always preferred open sights for running deer. Hope this helps you in some measure. Good hunting.