Why are shotguns often so reviled for big game hunting?

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Jason_W

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I was never really a deer hunter when I lived back in the northeast. All the endless sitting and waiting bored me to tears during my precious limited time off.

For that reason, a shotgun was a good choice for me. I could wander around “deer hunting” for a bit, and when I got bored with that, toss in some bird shot and probably actually go home with some meat. The multi-tool was the best choice for my type of hunting.

I note the above to explain my affinity for and bias toward shotguns. However, I’ve never really understood why shotguns are quite as reviled as they are for deer and other larger game. Shotgun Slugs (and to an extent buckshot) are potent at close to moderate range. Are 1oz or heavier, .725” diameter chunks of lead really leaving deer regularly wounded and escaping?

Granted, a shotgun wouldn’t be a great choice for hunting Pronghorn on a plain or deer over a bean field, but in most places, if a hunter is in the woods, 50 yards is likely a typical visibility limit rendering moot a rifle’s flat trajectory.

I can’t help but wonder why in states and locations that were historically shotgun only, the second straight walled metallic cartridges were allowed, deer hunters were tossing aside their shotguns with the same disdain they would have when dumping a girlfriend with borderline personality disorder.

we’re shotguns failing so regularly all those years?
 
Accuracy, recoil, capacity, trajectory, limited firearm style/weight options and ammo option limitations are the biggest reasons I’ve seen/heard people say.

It’s obvious that one has more options with rifles than shotguns for big game hunting. Shotguns certainly have their place, but they’re not as widely versatile for that application.

Plus, people gravitate to what’s new. That’s another big factor in the .350 Legend introduction and .450 Bushmaster revival.

Stay safe.
 
I'd give up my slug gun in an instant if my state made straight wall cartridges legal. 44 mag, same range, more accuracy, one fourth the recoil. My 75 year old shoulder and back don't enjoy it any more. My 94 Marlin or 94 Win, both in 44 would come out of hiding. Nothing wrong with shotguns. Been using them for deer since 1960.
 
Because JMR posts about it a lot (or maybe it is just pertaining to foster slugs) along with some other things that I generally don’t agree with but I digress.

I grew up shotgun hunting. They are very capable WITHIN THEIR RANGE LIMITATIONS which some find unacceptable. I have had more DRTs on hogs and deer with shotguns than all other weapons combined. I like that feature so much that I don’t care about much else of what I am giving up to use a shotgun. I’ve used sabots and fosters. Fosters knock them down faster but at shorter range. The sabots double the range of the shotgun. So from 75 out to 150.

Yes, these are not for open land prairie hunting. They are woods guns and for places that legislate shotguns only. My slug gun is still used in rifle areas where shots might be fast because that is what I am fastest with.

I like pumps but semis are good too. I’m not fond of the bolt actions. They tend to kick harder yet and don’t play well with my style of hunting.

I could go on and on singing my praises of shotguns and slugs for hunting.

HOWEVER, having said that, I am primarily a 44 mag lever action guy now that I am not mandated to use shotguns all the time. My Marlin 1894SS is lighter, balances better, has more rounds (if that matters) recoils far less, and the ammo costs 30 cents on the dollar of sabot slugs.

I may find a nicer 450 BM next year and those rounds only cost marginally more than 44 mag and it still recoils less.
 
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Many hunters are stationary, hunting from stands. They have a clear view over 200-300 yards or more, in multiple directions. Walking through the woods is
fine recreation, and, arguably, may net you a deer, upon rare occasion, but by and large most guys hauling home the meat, at least around here, are nailing them at over 100 yards, from a stand. Deer, especially downwind, are very sensitive, and can usually easily detect you, long before you see them. Optics on rifles, at 80+ yards, help reduce that advantage.
 
I don't think so much reviled as much as Dibbs points out that they are not as versatile or far-reaching as rifles in skilled hands. That said, and again in skilled hands, I have seen rifled sabot slug firing shotguns hit and kill deer over 200 yards. but for Joe Duck Hunter who takes his 28" barrel and puts an IC choke in it and shoots (Pick one: Foster, Forster, punkinball, etc) slugs while on a deer drive has about 50 yards he can rely on to accurately hit a deer in. But in a State or area of a State that mandates Shotgun only, they can still do the job. I have shot a couple with sabot slugs in the past, but after WI went to rifle statewide, I gave my Hastings rifled barrel to my son so his 870 could be a back-up or loaner for his hunting group.
 
Many hunters are stationary, hunting from stands. They have a clear view over 200-300 yards or more, in multiple directions. Walking through the woods is
fine recreation, and, arguably, may net you a deer, upon rare occasion, but by and large most guys hauling home the meat, at least around here, are nailing them at over 100 yards, from a stand. Deer, especially downwind, are very sensitive, and can usually easily detect you, long before you see them. Optics on rifles, at 80+ yards, help reduce that advantage.

I disagree with most of this. Not because I think you are out and out wrong but because I think you are not keeping an open enough mind about how people hunt in their given geographic area or individual situations.

For instance, I will argue that more deer are taken at less than 75 yds around here. Probably predominantly from a stationary stand. There are lots of woods here and long shots are not common.

I have shot more than half my deer from non-stationary positions while still hunting...or just tromping through the woods. I think more people than you give credit for are mobile woods hunters and shoot more than just the rare occasional deer
 
Most deer are shot at less than 50 yards in the NE, where the woods are as thick as jungles till the leaves come off the trees.
 
All my deer taken within 25 yards while romping through the woods with a pump gun. Very effective with rifled slugs. M500, Nova, M37.

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I'm a die hard pump gunner. Started with an 870 Express, then M500, then Benelli Nova. Dabbled with the M12 and M37 and those are now my favourites. Have a Wingmaster but it's kind of cheap compared to the 12 and 37 :)

Trialed an Auto 5 this year for waterfowl and I like it, but something about manually shucking rounds and easily swapping slugs, 00, and birdshot appeals to me in a pump.

Also have a Silver Pigeon which I haven't taken out yet, but it might be great loaded with bird and slug in each barrel.
 
I only use shotguns for birds since theres no small runny things here. I have a friend who really likes them tho, and shoots a fair number of pigs with his.
For my use they dont offer any advantages to my rifles, and have some drawbacks. @Riomouse911 covered most if not all of the reasons I dont care for them in his post.
Primarily tho I just dont find them interesting, or BETTER for anything besides bird hunting, and honestly I could take as many if not more birds with an accurate .22 or Airgun.

Equally, I dont think anyone with an accurate shotgun is handicapped in many, if not most, general hunting situations, and i certainly dont think anyone needs to agree with my opinions.

Now gauged rifles interest me, and i was looking at a 12ga abolt on gunbroker a few mins ago. Wont do anything my caliber rifles cant do better, but still interests me.
 
Because JMR posts about it a lot (or maybe it is just pertaining to foster slugs) along with some other things that I generally don’t agree with but I digress.

I hunted with a shotgun the 1st 2 years that I big game hunted, simply because it was the only gun I owned, so I do have some experience. Yes, a shotgun will kill stuff and I understand that in many places they are the only option by law. But just because something can be effective doesn't make it the best choice.

HOWEVER, having said that, I am primarily a 44 mag lever action guy now that I am not mandated to use shotguns all the time. My Marlin 1894SS is lighter, balances better, has more rounds (if that matters) recoils far less, and the ammo costs 30 cents on the dollar of sabot slugs.

This is exactly my point. I know guys who have sold their modern hunting rifles and chosen to hunt with nothing but long bows. I know some who only hunt with handguns. Some with nothing but muzzle loaders. They choose to handicap themselves for a variety of reasons. Sometimes it is nostalgia, sometimes just for the challenge. But given the option of using a rifle over a shotgun, I've never met anyone that chose a shotgun.
 
But given the option of using a rifle over a shotgun, I've never met anyone that chose a shotgun.

I fall into that category. But my reasons as stated above are due to my odd form of hunting which is really more of a kind of armed foraging.

That said, if terrain is such that shots will likely be limited to 50 yards or less, I don’t see the huge advantage rifles offer over properly loaded shotguns.

Yes, some rifles recoil less than shotguns (though I had an old savage 110E in .270 for a while as a teenager that felt exponentially more miserable to shot than any 12 gauge slug I’ve ever fired) but beyond that, I can’t really think of any advantages of a rifle over a shotgun when ranges are close and brush is thick.
 
All my deer taken within 25 yards while romping through the woods with a pump gun. Very effective with rifled slugs. M500, Nova, M37.

View attachment 885194

Interesting. Judging by the background of your photos, you’re not hunting in an area that’s particularly thick with brush (at least not compared to the cedar swamps and new growth forests I grew up hunting).

you seem to do all right with Bead sight only shotguns.
 
They are reviled because of a lot of the people who use them. The buzzards just polished off a deer that was wounded down the road and made it close to me before it expired. Happens every year at least once. Many years ago I lost a deer hit with both buckshot and a slug. We trailed him for 2 miles and found where someone else had picked him up. After that I was a LOT more selective with my shots. A lot of people don't care.
 
A lot of folks aren't as dedicated to firearms and hunting as we are. They don't spend the time discussing things like this thread. Each year, they just go out with buddies and blast away at game without sighting in or understanding the limitations of their equipment. In the educated hunter and firearms enthusiast that knows the applications of a shotgun, it's deadly for it's role. And I might have to argue that the Ithaca Model 37's handling characteristics lend it to being light, fast, and accurate package. I spent this past season using it, and compared to a Nova, M500, and 870, it's a magic wand, so effortless to take game.
 
A lot of folks aren't as dedicated to firearms and hunting as we are. They don't spend the time discussing things like this thread. Each year, they just go out with buddies and blast away at game without sighting in or understanding the limitations of their equipment. In the educated hunter and firearms enthusiast that knows the applications of a shotgun, it's deadly for it's role. And I might have to argue that the Ithaca Model 37's handling characteristics lend it to being light, fast, and accurate package. I spent this past season using it, and compared to a Nova, M500, and 870, it's a magic wand, so effortless to take game.

I’ve long wanted an Ithaca. If the Wingmaster is the Cadillac Of pump guns, the 37 is the rolls Royce. I’ve just never seen one in a shop to pick up.
 
Mine is a 1978 Ithaca, which is not the peak of their quality control. 1940-50s guns command the higher prices and have the classic corn-cob fore-end. Mine is still great however!

The Wingmaster with the old plain barrels without VR are really nice handling guns, but once you get the Rem-Choke barrels on them, the balance and swing is not as sweet. My Wingmaster is 1967, and is the original AP model with the short fore-end. Really well balanced and smooth. However, the Ithaca receiver for being 2 3/4" is shorter than the 870's and the pump stroke is much shorter and hence quicker. Model 12s are nice too, I need to re-add one to my collection.
 
The big thing I see as a problem for shotguns is accuracy at range. Only recently have shotguns started being sold standard d/t for scope mount, and a smoothbore bird barrel with bead sight is not super conducive for accuracy.
 
I like Wingmasters too. I have a Lefty in 12 gauge. I've put 1000's of rounds through it.
 
If they hadn't had to wait for Remington's patents to expire it could have been the Ithaca 35. I don't care for them; love a Wingmaster. Nothing especially bad about them, just fifferent feel. Like Beretta O/Us versus Brownings.
 
If they hadn't had to wait for Remington's patents to expire it could have been the Ithaca 35. I don't care for them; love a Wingmaster. Nothing especially bad about them, just fifferent feel. Like Beretta O/Us versus Brownings.
I love 870's also; I traded my last one in on my 1100 Competition Synthetic last spring, but had at least one from shortly after I turned 18 until then. I'm sure I will own more, probably an 870 TB in my future. I do have an Ithaca 37 as my HD shotgun; I also love them, have owned several. As for O/U's, the only one I've owned was a Win. 101 I picked up for next to nothing because it needed some work; Great field gun, a bit painful for Trap, though. Was offered over double what I had into it, so made the sale. I have shot many O/U's from Stoegers to Perazzis, and I love Berettas for field guns, and Brownings for Trap and Skeet.
 
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