Looks like i'm going to make a Whitetail hunt in one of those midwestren states where you can't deer hunt with a rifle. So I need to buy a slug gun. Any help here is appreciated. What is the most accurate shotgun and ammo.
Thanks
Dr B

Tar Hunt shutoguns have the reputation for th emost accurate slug gun, BUT they run about $2500.

If you can find a nice Ithaca Deerslayer that would be a great choice. probably about $350.

I am partial to the Ithacas, but love the tried and true 870. Goes Bang every time

I've been hunting in one of those $@#! states for a long, long time now. You're best avenue is to go with an 870 pump, set-up with a cantilever scope mount. http://www.remington.com/products/firearms/shotguns/mod...press_slug_specs.asp

As far as "What is the most accurate shotgun and ammo", there just isn't any such thing. Slug shooting borders on black magic / voodoo. Take for instance two identical model 870 slug guns. One may like brand X, while another may only group with brand Y.

You're best bet? Get a quality scope (these things kick!!), an 870 with cantilever barrel, and about 4-6 different brands of slugs you're interested in. Go to the range and find what your gun likes. Hornady, Federal, Remington, Winchester, Brenneke, and Lightfield all make high quality slugs.

If you already have an 870, here's the best deal going for a cantilever barrel.
http://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/item.asp?sku=000631365H30

Dr B,

Last year I went on one of those hunts as well. If you will be stand hunting, it's hard to beat a MLer as far as range is concerned. I took my Savage smokeless MLer due to it's long range capabilities and the wide open fields there. A good Encore or Omega w/ 3 777 pellets and a slim 250 sst would reach out there as well.

I ended up taking my buck w/ an 11-87 topped w/ a 2-7 Leupie and it had the remington rifled slug barrel. The only reason I used it was because we had no luck stand hunting (below zero temps) and we walked around to jump our deer that we took.

I rescently bought a Hastings rifled Barrel for my 11-87 and topped it w/ a 2-7 Nikon. It shoots the Win Supreme 385 grn Partition golds into about 2-3 inches at 100. The ridiculous thing is paying 15 bucks for 5 rounds. The Remington Copper Solids shot well too but, they drop like a rock compared to the Win PGs. I also reloaded some Lyman 525 cast slugs and they shot really well (around 3" at a MV of 1500-1600).

We didn't draw for Iowa this year but when we do I intend on taking both my MLer and my 11-87. The MLer for stand hunting and the 11-87 for driving if the need arises.

If you have a good trusty shotgun, you could just buy a hastings rifled barrel w/ the cantilever scope rail and have a good shooter, good out to around 125+ at least.

(The remington factory slug barrel is adequate but would not shoot quite as well as the Hastings)

Good Luck

Reloader

I think my 'next' slug gun will be an H&R Ultra slug gun. Thier a basic break action single shot. Every one I've seen is scary accurate, they will shoot rings around any other standard pump/semi auto slug gun, rifled or un rifled. My hunting buddy picked one up about 5 years ago, and since just about everyone I hunt with (6 other guys) have since bought them. They run about $200. A 2" group at a 100 yards is a 'big' group. The down side is you get one shot, but actually its not that hard to slip another one in if you practice a little.

The other one that made my 'short list' is the Savage bolt slugger. can't remember what its called, but ther are pretty nice and shoot very well too.

Good luck on your hunt!

I'll cast another vote for the H&R. I had one for a several years as my only deer/hog gun. It was rediculously accurate. Getting a second shot in is not much slower than any other gun with the exception of a DR. That's one gun I never should have traded.

If you buy one of the Handi-Rifles (about $250+/-) you can add a shotgun barrel (or other rifle barrel) for less than $100. That's 2 guns for around $300!

Mossberg 500 and Rem 870 are the most popular around here. But neither will fill the "most accurate" requirement. H&Rs, Encores, bolt action Savages and the solid frame Ithacas probably are what you should look at. Of course it should be rifled. You'll just have to experiment with slug to find what it likes.

If you really are concerned with accuracy concider a ML. Most shotgun states have liberal rules about MLs.

My best shooting slug gun was a Remington 1100 with Remington 2 3/4 inch copper solids. I sold it last year and got a Browning Gold Deer hunter this year, but it is not as accurate as my Remington 1100 was.

Tar-Hunt
Browning
Savage
H&R

THose are the ones I would look to, the 870 and 1100 are nice for smooth bores but the rifled ones really need to have the barrel fixed in place,,a service Tar-Hunt did offer at one time.

I've been hunting for the last ten years or so with a scoped 870 with rifled barrel and 12 ga barnes slugs (Federal.) I've found the set-up at least as accurate as a blackpowder rifle and have taken many deer at ranges varying from ten feet to 150 yds. It is a good, economical way to hunt, and the shot barrel with screw-in chokes makes it a set-up appropriate for almost any legal game in areas where CF rifles are forbidden.

look for a used ithaca 37 deerslayer in 12gauge.20" slug barrel,had mine for 36 years now it never let me down . just hang on when you squeeze the trigger. ha ha

Most of our Countys in Maryland are slug gun .
I use a cheap Mossburg it works good ,but I am have TarHunt build me an 870 with a nonremoveable barrel will shoot real good at 100 yds.

I grew up in NJ, a Shotgun state.

I have an 870 with one of the early Scope mount Hastings Paradox barrels on it, it's a "scout" scope arraingement, they didn't come out with the "cantilever" mount until several years later..

and I have an aimpoint 2000 on it.

I started out as a clay target shooter so the aimpoint works real well with a "both eyes open" shooting style.
(Reticle with the right eye, target with the left move the gun until the red dot is where you want the hole)

It was primarily intended as a fast engagement tool for heavy cover, basically the norm for hunting whitetail deer
in NJ and eastern PA and for that matter most of their habitat...

BTW, AMMO? the winchester Supreme partition slugs a 385gr partition bullet in a sabot

AllanD

i shoot a browning slug gun with the winchester 385 grain slug groups at 100 yards are in the 1.5-2" range all day long.

Marlin 512. Solid copper, rem or fed. Very accurate, reliable, killed a lot of deer.
Dan Farr

A good old 870 Remington is really hard to beat. Plain, simple, not much to go wrong.

In Oz we are not allowed pumps and auto shotties (most of the population at any rate) but are allowed to have the 1887 lever 12 gauges clones. I have just got mine back from the smiths after putting some rem iron sites on it it points fast and I can't wait to see how it will group, I have some 1 0z winchester slugs to try, but you guys have some cool set ups for your slug guns !!