you've got to love ar for being a rifle crank site when the shotgun forum is mostly about slugs.

i've got a rifle sighted rem choke 20" barrel for my 870. it came with a rifled choke tube. i'm going to buy a turkey choke tube and make this gun serve double duty. i may add a red dot sight or scope. i hunt mostly from stands but also drives (i.e. need to snap shoot).

what's the best way to maximize my deerslaying?

shoot buck shot through a turkey choke?

shoot sabot slugs through the rifled choke?

shoot brenneke slugs through the rifled choke?

thanks,
qd

[ 01-10-2003, 07:46: Message edited by: quickdraw ]

Buckshot is a last resort. I would only use it where required by law. I have patterned several hundred rounds and never found one I would trust on deer much past 30 yards. Tended to get my best results with Imp. Mod chokes. Tight Full tends to produce too many fliers.

Sabots are simply too expensive for this poor boy. Folks who use them tell me you can easily spend 100 bucks finding one your gun likes and getting it sighted in.

My best results for the 870 with a rifled choke tube and peep sights have been with a .735 RB . Beats any of the conventional slugs I have tried and make it a hundred yard deer gun although I would be happier at 75.

I have a Rem. 870 SP that I bought 12-13 yrs. ago. It has the cantilevered scope mount on it, and a rifled choke tube. I have hunted deer here in Indiana for over 25 yrs., either with a muzzleloader or this shotgun. My advice to you is try as many different kinds of slugs as you can lay your hands on, then go with the most accurate. When I did this the first year I had the gun, I tried 9-10 different brands. The one I settled on was the old winchester foster slug, which would put 3 shots touching at 50 yds. I have killed over 25 deer with this rig. Slug guns can be very finnicky about what they like, and two guns of the same make may like completely different ammo. The first year of testing may get a little expensive on the ammo, but once you find the right load, you are all set.

Mad Dog

go to nitro ammunitions website get him to sell you a rhino choke for your gun and you will pleased with the performance of your shotgun with buckshot 14-15" patterns with buckshot at 40yds killing deer at 70 yds is no problem with a properly patterned gun he also sells great custom loads, besides buckshot has come along way in the last 5 years

I've had real good luck using Brenneke's through my Ithaca. Mine is a smooth tube. Not sure how they'd perform with a rifled choke. But what Mad Dog says about different guns liking different fodder is true, so why not pick up a box or two and give them a try. If they shoot well in your gun I think you're going to like what they do to deer.