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Buck shot shotgun

D

danielgraves

New Member
Joined
Jul 31, 2020
Messages
3
Location
New York
Hi all. This year thinking of getting my shotgun permit for deer season. That being said I’d rather shoot buckshot out of a 12 gauge that I could use for other activities too (I don’t want rifled barrel slug gun). What have people had luck with brand and model wise for buck shot. I’d like to stay under $600. Thanks!!
 
Remington 870 is a very versatile 12 gauge. Get one with a smooth barrel and you can use it to hunt deer, turkey, and small game. Get a few different chokes. That being said, I'd still use slugs (even in a smooth bore, just get rifled slugs) to hunt deer vs. buckshot.
 
I run an 870 3.5" Mag (MULE) and a Weatherby 3" Mag and both are smooth bore 28" barrels, shoot mint! Actually the 10 point in my thumbnail photo I killed with the 3" at 40 yards! (00 Buck)
 
Maverick 88 is a Mossberg 500 with cheaper furniture. Nice way to get into one at a low cost. The rails are a bit different, and it's not tapped for a scope, but most other mossberg add-ons work.
 
I'd much rather shoot a fosters slug down a smooth barrel at a deer than a load of buckshot, if i was going the smooth bore route.

Also, $600 is a pretty good budget for a shotgun. I got a mossberg 500 with a rifled slug barrel, a 28" vent rib, and an 18" home defense for less than that. I'd get the field/deer combo that's available for the 870 or the Mossberg. I personally am a fan of Mossy over Remmy if we're talking new guns.

Here's a rambling video on my combo


A rifled slug barrel performs circles around buckshot and fosters slugs. Takes all of 5 seconds to swap barrels if you wanna go shoot clays or bird hunt. I kinda want a rifled barrel with irons on it, and maybe a 26" barrel to round out the collection.
 
My vote is for the Remington 870. Look into choke tubes for buckshot. An extra full choke used for turkey loads is not always the best for large diameter buckshot pellets. Pattern a few different loads and shoot a few groups with some slugs. You may find a certain slug that works well in your gun. Good luck and be safe this season!
 
Regardless what you choose make sure you pattern your gun with the ammo you're gonna use. Buckshot can be very effective when used properly. Make sure you're shooting a decent pattern, limit yourself to about 40 yards max (that's what I do) and don't try to shoot through a bunch of brush.
 
You are limiting your range greatly. It has its place but I’d keep it within 40 yards to be ethical. You’ll also spend a good bit of time and money patterning and buying chokes to get the best combo. I use the federal flight control and they are best out of a more open choke. Not much blood on buck shot either. Just some things to consider. I’ve killed a bunch with it but gotta keep your range tight


Spencer
 
We're not allowed to use BS on deer here in NY but I've hunted many years with shotguns before they allowed rifle hunting. If you don't want to add a slug specific barrel my advice is to go with the cheap "foster style" rifled slugs with your smoothbore. Depending on the slug diameter and the choke, and secondarily your sighting system, you can get some decent sized groups out of this setup up to 75 years. Some will throw decent groups out to 100 yards but then your sighting system becomes more critical. My best smoothbore slug throwers are a Rem. 870 with an inexpensive but quality red dot (mine's a truglo) . Love that you can just put that red, green, or blue dot on moving deer (if needed) and it pretty much shoots where it points. Each gun and more specifically barrel is different but the best foster style slugs I've found are Winchester 2 3/4" Super X which fit nicely in an Improved Cylinder choke They seem to always group the best out my slug throwers, I think they have higher tolerances and the slugs are a bit larger diameter to fit nicely in the IC choke. I also have an A5 with a buckmark barrel that throws the purple federal slugs very nicely. The 26" bead sight barrel also likes these and Remingtons. One of my personal best shotgun bucks was taken open sighted with a Rem. 1187 with winchester fosters at 99 paces.
 
Yes, you should make certain buck shot is legal for deer in your state. Only slugs are allowed in Illinois. I don't mind as 125 yard is very doable with my 870 and Remington Copper Solids.
 
I love my Lightfield slugs out of my Mossberg 695. However my barrel is rifled. Lightfield slugs can be shot out of either a smoothbore or rifled barrel due to the makeup of the slug and casing around the slug.
 
woodsdog2 said:
We're not allowed to use BS on deer here in NY but I've hunted many years with shotguns before they allowed rifle hunting. If you don't want to add a slug specific barrel my advice is to go with the cheap "foster style" rifled slugs with your smoothbore. Depending on the slug diameter and the choke, and secondarily your sighting system, you can get some decent sized groups out of this setup up to 75 years. Some will throw decent groups out to 100 yards but then your sighting system becomes more critical. My best smoothbore slug throwers are a Rem. 870 with an inexpensive but quality red dot (mine's a truglo) . Love that you can just put that red, green, or blue dot on moving deer (if needed) and it pretty much shoots where it points. Each gun and more specifically barrel is different but the best foster style slugs I've found are Winchester 2 3/4" Super X which fit nicely in an Improved Cylinder choke They seem to always group the best out my slug throwers, I think they have higher tolerances and the slugs are a bit larger diameter to fit nicely in the IC choke. I also have an A5 with a buckmark barrel that throws the purple federal slugs very nicely. The 26" bead sight barrel also likes these and Remingtons. One of my personal best shotgun bucks was taken open sighted with a Rem. 1187 with winchester fosters at 99 paces.
Click to expand...

There are also rifled chokes too - a lot less expensive than buying a slug barrel (mine was over $300). I put one in my friend's Stoeger, and it had some pretty good accuracy. It was like $10.
 
I have a lot of experience with buckshot, not for deer but coyotes, we patterned and tried many different choke combinations and brands of buckshot, I watched a guy blow a choke right out of his barrel one day shooting at a coyote, it was obviously way to tight lol, anyways Remington 870 supermag 3.5” gets the vote around here amongst us 20 or 30 coyote hunters, winchester brand 00 buckshot, 18 pellets per shell, and our best tested choke was remingtons factory super full turkey choke, it sticks out of the barrel about an inch, I could take a picture if you need one, I have one of the first 870 supermags made, I live 30
minutes from where they used to make them, I spent a lot of time and money testing stuff and this was far the best I could come up with, I have zero experience for deer and buckshot.
 
One more thing, if I went the Remmy 870 route I would highly recommend finding an older used one off gunbroker or something, the new stuff is nothing quality wise to the older stuff in my opinion and I know employees where there made, handle a couple you will understand, good luck!
 
I probably killed my first 40+ deer with 3” no. 1 buck. I shot winchester super x and it patterned great. I used a Remington 1100.

I far prefer an older 870 to a Mossburg.
 
As far as pump shotgun of choice... I'm gonna be a bit different than the guys here and say Ithaca 37. Well made, smooth loading (no spring loaded shell lifter unlike the 870), smooth pumping, bottom ejecting, barrel securely attached by interrupted thread as opposed to slip fit. New ones probably aren't going to be in your budget. But there's plenty of used ones.

Only downside is older models will be a mix of capabilities. Really old ones (pre 855000 serial) won't interchange with new style barrels. Most will be 2.75" chamber unless you get a Magnum marked one or one made after 1987 (either an Ithaca 87 or a later model 37). Older ones tend to be fixed choke as well.
 
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