Deer Hunting with slugs and 00 in the magazine

[dak0ta]

Is there a preferred way to load the chamber and magazine tube while out in the woods looking for deer? Would you say a Foster slug in the chamber, followed by a slug, 00 buck, 00 buck, 00 buck in a Rem 870 would be more versatile? Or is it better to load the magazine completely with all slugs or all 00 buckshot.

 

[JeeperCreeper]

I'd say all slugs. Even up close in archery range, I'd prefer a slug on a deer.

I guess if you're in an area with small deer and will be up close, I could see buckshot. But rarely do deer let me get very close.

 

[Venom007]

All one or the other. Investigate the ranges you'd be hunting in then go from there. Unless you know for sure A) which load you'll for sure need at any given time and B) which load is next in the magazine in the chamber then do not dutch load. B) is tricky, A) is even trickier. Just saying.

For 50 yards and in I'd use Federal Tactical 00 buck with Flite-Control wading on the deer. For further than that I'd use Foster slugs or Brennekes. Know where your gun is hitting and just as important where YOU are hitting in the same condition/position you'd be in the field in.

 

[jmr40]

I wouldn't advise using a shotgun with any load unless required to do so by law. Pick a rifle if possible, any caliber is preferable. If I had to use a shotgun I'd use slugs. Buckshot is not reliable, and not legal in many places. The only guys who still use it are in places where they use dogs to run the deer. Hunters in elevated stands shooting at deer on the run at very close ranges. Around 50 yards would be the absolute limit of practical range with buckshot. And even then most guns and loads will be throwing a 3-4' patterns at that range. Even perfect aim could result in a miss, or only a single pellet hitting in a non-vital zone. Buckshot is most effective at 10-15 yards where you can get multiple pellets in the kill zone.

 

[FL-NC]

You would probably be best off with slugs on a shotgun with iron sights, because buck has such a limited range, and from what you describe the deer will be moving away from you in a hurry. You will see more deer just staying still in one place.

 

[red rick]

In the county that I live and hunt in the law is , no rifles for deer hunting . The hunting club that I belong too the rule is , you must be in a tree stand to use a slug gun . In my club we run dogs and most of us use buckshot .

If you are going to be still hunting with openings in the woods or fields where you will have a shot further than 40 yards I would use a slug gun . If it was rare to have a shot further than 40 yards because it is thick or the deer are run by dogs , I would use buckshot .

Whatever you choose , get several different brands of slugs and buckshot and chokes and pattern your shotgun . I would not recommend doing it all in one day , patterning buckshot is not fun for me after about 6 shots .

 

[dak0ta]

The place I'm hunting is shotgun only. Last time I took a doe with a Mossberg 500 at 15 yards approximately. It's generally a mix of thick forest and some pastures on farmland in between. Hence I was thinking of slugs for the open parts and 00 buckshot in the woods. I'm using a Wingmaster with 18.5" CYL barrel now.

 

[red rick]

A cylinder barrel is usually not good for patterning buckshot past 20 yards . I would try patterning with the Federal Flite Control buckshot and see how it patterns from 20 , 30 and 40 yards and then try to see if you can hit a 6 inch plate with a slug 50 , 75 and 100 yards. Use a large sheet of paper at least 3'x3' so you can see your pattern . Then you will learn your limits and your guns limits .

 

[The Evangelist Cowboy]

I would agree with what others said about one or the other, I hunted hogs and white tail with slugs and 00 buck just depends on the range and environment I'm dealing with . I would recommend you take a couple of field loads with you in a pocket or something , snakes can get pretty mad when you step on them...

 

[WVGunman]

The only people who I've known to use buckshot were hunting exclusively where there was very heavy cover, so thick that no shots of more than 30 or so yards were ever taken. Unless that will be you, go all slugs.

 

[greg_r]

I hunted deer with dogs for years. I used a Remington model 11 with the choke opened to improved cylinder. At 40 yards it would consistently put 9 to 8 of the ,9 00 pellet on a paper plate. My normal load was #4 buck followed by 00. The Model 11 did not do so well with slugs.

My slug gun was a Ithaca M37 Deerslayer. Breneke slugs on a paper plate every time all the way out ton100 yards, but it did not like buckshot.

 

[entropy]

Is there a preferred way to load the chamber and magazine tube while out in the woods looking for deer? Would you say a Foster slug in the chamber, followed by a slug, 00 buck, 00 buck, 00 buck in a Rem 870 would be more versatile? Or is it better to load the magazine completely with all slugs or all 00 buckshot.

Legally. Some states don't allow buck.

 

[Slamfire]

All slugs. If you hit it with slugs, you will hit it very hard.

 

[dak0ta]

Also, in terms of smoothbore field barrels, were the older Wingmasters, Ithacas, and M12's a little smaller in terms of bore diameter compared to modern shotguns? I've read that Ithaca's deerslayers were bored a little smaller to have better gas seal for slugs and hence better accuracy and velocity.

 

[ACES&8S]

Just my opinion based on what I prefer to kill deer with.
I would rather hunt them with a bow more than anything else because the anticipation & skill it takes
is thrilling. But the deer dashing away after it is hit has often led to real hard work & late nights.
But I would prefer shooting them with a 12 gauge 3" magnum slug over anything else because a slug gun is
the nearest thing to a Romulan Disrupter ever made.
I never put buckshot ahead of or behind slugs when I used a shotgun.

 

[mokin]

The place I'm hunting is shotgun only. Last time I took a doe with a Mossberg 500 at 15 yards approximately. It's generally a mix of thick forest and some pastures on farmland in between. Hence I was thinking of slugs for the open parts and 00 buckshot in the woods. I'm using a Wingmaster with 18.5" CYL barrel now.

I would go with all slugs rather that what happened last time. If you can hit a doe at 15 yards with buckshot, you can hit her with a slug.

 

[dak0ta]

I was using Federal Low Recoil Tru-Ball slugs. They are pretty accurate and I do find them more accurate than the regular Tru-Ball. Despite the decreased velocity, it's generally still enough velocity for a 1 oz piece of lead to put a deer down.

 

[CajunBass]

In the county that I live and hunt in the law is , no rifles for deer hunting . The hunting club that I belong too the rule is , you must be in a tree stand to use a slug gun . In my club we run dogs and most of us use buckshot .

If you are going to be still hunting with openings in the woods or fields where you will have a shot further than 40 yards I would use a slug gun . If it was rare to have a shot further than 40 yards because it is thick or the deer are run by dogs , I would use buckshot .

Whatever you choose , get several different brands of slugs and buckshot and chokes and pattern your shotgun . I would not recommend doing it all in one day , patterning buckshot is not fun for me after about 6 shots .

This exactly what I was going to say. I'm another dog hunter. Every deer I've ever killed was killed with buckshot (No.1). Our club didn't allow slugs, but I've seen one so shot. It was just as dead as any other I've seen.

Regardless of rather you use one or the other, use the same for the magazine. I used to play that game when I used a double. No 4 buck in the first barrel, because that's the first shot, followed up by a No 1 because the range would probably be longer. Bah!! I finally said to heck with it and just started loading one and the same.

 

[Sav .250]

Slugs........But that`s just me.

 

[dak0ta]

Would you guys recommend getting the 18" CYL barrel threaded for Rem Chokes?

 

[red rick]

I would go pattern it first with slugs if that is what you are going to use or buckshot . Don't just try one brand of ammo , try at lease 3 different brands and take more than one shot with each . It is not going to be fun after a few shots .

If you don't get good results I would not waste my time and money on that barrel , I would buy a barrel meant for what I am shooting .

I would buy a rifled barrel if I wanted to shoot slugs . You can get one with rifle sights on it for better aiming .

I would get a longer Rem choke barrel if I wanted to shoot buckshot and birdshot , you will have a more versatile shotgun . Barrels are not that expensive and especially after you figure in how much you will spend getting your barrel threaded .

 

[entropy]

I would buy a rifled barrel if I wanted to shoot slugs . You can get one with rifle sights on it for better aiming .

Even better, a cantilever scope mount rifled barrel. My 20" Hastings with it's ancient 2.75x Bushnell Banner still will put Hornady SST's where I need them at 100 yards, after 25 years.

 

[cdb1]

Even better, a cantilever scope mount rifled barrel. My 20" Hastings with it's ancient 2.75x Bushnell Banner still will put Hornady SST's where I need them at 100 yards, after 25 years.

Yep if I were going to hunt deer and/or hogs with slugs I’d mount a scope.