Shotgun Forums banner

If i were to deer blast with my new shotgun..

3678 Views 19 Replies 7 Participants Last post by  RKB
If I were to go Deer blasting with my new shotgun (Mossberg 500, discussed here) tomorrow, what would you guys suggest for ammo / choke and what would my effective range be most likely?

I know those are really open ended questions but i basically want to confirm what i've read:

- 00 Buckshot - (any suggestions on brand or anything else?)
- Full Choke

^^ The full choke part eludes me though because some say the full choke can actually make your spread/range worse if you have soft pellets.. Think the guys at academy will let me touch their pellets before i purchase? *snicker*

-Flashy
1 - 20 of 20 Posts
I'm assuming the gun has a removable choke and a smooth bore. If so, this is what I'd use.

Federal Premium - Slug Details

Less holes in the deer and decent accuracy to 100 yds.

Here's some more info for you.

http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot46.htm
By all means, use slugs and improved cylinder choke tube. Make sure you zero in by target shooting before going afield.
I agree with the 2 comments above.

00 Buck is for self defense. When you use it on deer you will ruin half the meat due to 9 holes and blood clots. Go to 1 slug and aim for either a chest (heart-lung) shot or neck shot. You'll be glad you did. 100 to 150 yards is max for a slug shot. You will normally pass on a 150 yd shot so keep it short. If you need longer range then go to a rifle. Buckshot ends at 50 yards. IMO
Sounds great. Thanks for all the info as always. Omw to academy sports now.
Wish me luck in the morning!
Good luck. Make sure to post pics if you bag anything.
Weeell.. I saw 3 does but didn't shoot any of them... My buddy said that a buck might be following them so I got greedy and waited. Especially since i saw them 5 minutes after a got there..

Sadly, i never saw anything else lol...

Next time though... them does better watch out!

Thanks again for the info.
-Flashy
I agree with the 2 comments above.

00 Buck is for self defense. When you use it on deer you will ruin half the meat due to 9 holes and blood clots. Go to 1 slug and aim for either a chest (heart-lung) shot or neck shot. You'll be glad you did. 100 to 150 yards is max for a slug shot. You will normally pass on a 150 yd shot so keep it short. If you need longer range then go to a rifle. Buckshot ends at 50 yards. IMO
100-150 for a slug...with a smoothbore and no rifle sites? Way too far.

With just a smoothbore and bead I would limit shots to well within 100 yards. More like 50. There really is no accuracy to those especially without sites. Shoot at a target first to see...

Thanks for the follow up on the hunt.
By all means, use slugs and improved cylinder choke tube. Make sure you zero in by target shooting before going afield.
XD is right on here, I would keep any shots to a maximum of 50-75 yards also, anything farther and although knockdown power does not become a factor, accuracy definitely does without a rifled slug barrel.
By all means, use slugs and improved cylinder choke tube. Make sure you zero in by target shooting before going afield.
+1...solid advice
XD is right on here, I would keep any shots to a maximum of 50-75 yards also, anything farther and although knockdown power does not become a factor, accuracy definitely does without a rifled slug barrel.
Yes, my feelings exactly. I shoot deer with an 870 rifled barrel and a scope...shooting sabots. I can make clean kills at 100+ yards no problem. But i would not even think about it with a bead and smooth bore. If your going to get serious about hunting with a shotgun watch for a rifled barrel, with a cantaliever scope mount.
I've never needed to Blast if you do your part the deer will die quickly longest run I've had was 20 yards 2 inches low broke leg took out heart. 2 inches higher DRT and they drop smoothbore rifled slug.
I'd suggest you stay home until you can shoot a few on a range before going after a live, moving trophy animal.

Use Winchester sabot slugs in a rifled slug barrel that has been sighted in.

Use Winchester rifled slugs in a smooth bore slug barrel with iron rifle type sights THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN SIGHTED IN.

How ever far you can hit a soft ball with every single shot, that is how far you can shoot at living game animals unless you have already wounded it. Then keep shooting until it quits moving.
Over the years I've killed 100's of deer with shotguns and buckshot while dog hunting. Of late I used #1's with an extra full turkey choke. Pattern all sizes. See what your gun likes best. A good patterning gun will easily kill a deer at 50 yards with buckshot.
Congrats on taking your smoothie afield. I had mine out three or four times this year, could not find a single antlered muley, or either sex whitetail to shoot. Had several muley does dead to rights, but no go on those. I draw the line at about 60 yards with rifled slugs and a bead sight, buck shot I don't use but I would never go more than about 20 yards. If ever I get a good legal shot and connect I will be on cloud nine for a week. This post is ten years old after all. Good thing my shotgun isn't time sensitive and my slugs don't expire.
870 with 00 buckshot

SG Pro is right on...without a scope..50-60 yards is pushing it for 870 12ga slugs...the slug is efficient at 100+ yards but the accuracy without a scope is not very dependable! Maybe in the movies...but not in real life.
While I do not hunt deer, on my N TX property I do use my 1971 model 870 w/32" bead sight barrel with 00 buckshot; and have taken multiple feral hogs at 60+ yards...I like the odds of 9 pellets versus one slug any day. Particularly when they run.
The shot pattern from my 870 (full choke) can put all 9 pellets on a poster board at 60 yards. Now I do not care about tearing up the meat...as was also correctly posted...but I only use a grinder for making sausage.:rolleyes:
2
This guy was running in the trees at ~65 yards...dropped him right down
he was hit with 5 of 9 pellets - kill was one in the neck
00 buckshot is hard to find right now but absolutely my favorite load for feral hogs in a daytime hunt

Attachments

See less See more
I agree with the 2 comments above.

00 Buck is for self defense. When you use it on deer you will ruin half the meat due to 9 holes and blood clots. Go to 1 slug and aim for either a chest (heart-lung) shot or neck shot. You'll be glad you did. 100 to 150 yards is max for a slug shot. You will normally pass on a 150 yd shot so keep it short. If you need longer range then go to a rifle. Buckshot ends at 50 yards. IMO
Apparently you have never shot a deer with buckshot. Or cleaned a deer shot with buckshot. What you say about blood clots and ruining meat is not so. Never has been. Been there-done that to several 100 deer.
OK, guys - there is NO Shotgun Pro poster. that was a name created to put on all posts years ago when the software here was changed, so...no reason to reply to a non-existent person on a TEN year old thread!
1 - 20 of 20 Posts
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top