[reapera5]

Just got myself the Desert Camo Mossberg 500 12GA. Any suggestions on deer hunting with this shotgun? It's a smoothbore, so I am wondering if I can still use slugs or will I have to use a #4 Buckshot shell?

 

[XfrankD]

you can use slugs, just make sure you get rifled slugs and not sabots. When I used buck shot I used 00, now I use 12 ga 3" copper solids. What size is your barrel??

 

[RogueXD]

Slugs are fun to shoot and if you hit a deer with it, the damge is major..

 

[reapera5]

24"

 

[ichy_trigger]

You can buy a rifled choke tube and shoot SABOT's for more accuracy. Is it a rifle sighted barrel or bead sight? I dont think #4 buck is going to drop a deer. In Ohio, we are limited to slugs only anyways, not sure abotu your state. With slugs in an open sighted gun, I would keep shots under 100 yards and with a bead sight, down to 50.

 

[reapera5]

You can buy a rifled choke tube and shoot SABOT's for more accuracy. Is it a rifle sighted barrel or bead sight? I dont think #4 buck is going to drop a deer. In Ohio, we are limited to slugs only anyways, not sure abotu your state. With slugs in an open sighted gun, I would keep shots under 100 yards and with a bead sight, down to 50.

It's a bead sight but I installed a weaver rail and a 30mm red dot scope. Getting older and it's getting harder to see little objects like that bead sight.

 

[Chapie+]

It's a bead sight but I installed a weaver rail and a 30mm red dot scope. Getting older and it's getting harder to see little objects like that bead sight.

Congrats on the new shotgun! Any chance of posting a picture with the red dot, etc?

Chapie+

 

[reapera5]

Congrats on the new shotgun! Any chance of posting a picture with the red dot, etc?

Chapie+

Tonight I will post pics. Here at work they have Nazi's employeed in the IT department and everything is blocked!

 

[Ishpeck]

Pictures!

 

[TMP]

Can't wait for the picks tonight. Congrats on the new shooter!

 

[XfrankD]

here

get your self some federal truball rifled slugs (link)

and a Leupold VX-I shotgun scope (link)

If the scope is to much money look at some Thompson Center shotgun scopes, they are nice and not to expensive.

Spend some time at the range zero your schope, get compfortable with the shotgun then go out and do some work on the deer population.

 

[ichy_trigger]

Red dot on a smoothbore, ok, not a bad idea, a scope on a smoothbore, why?
Slugs will not group well out of smoothbore guns, I have smooth and rifled both, been hunting with slugs all my life and slugs from a smoothbore will tend to be all over the place at any distance you may need the use of a scope at.
I look at a red dot sight as an aiming aid, a scope is more refined IMO.
Maybe im screwed up but I really think on your application, you will be happier with the red dot.

 

[DCSOXD40]

Congrats and welcome to the forum, and the Mossy family. Enjoy that new shotty.

 

[reapera5]

Pictures!

 

[dsmitty]

if you use rifles slugs, after a while of shooting it, it will wear a sorta rifling in the barrel and then using shot out of it will be no good... my grandpa had a shotgun he shot alot of slugs out of it... we tried to shoot a pattern out of it... and there was a huge blank spot in the center.. where in reality, it should have been covered with shot... the rifling was twisting the shot and throwing it everywhere... if you are only going to use the shotgun for slugs i would say go ahead.. if not.. i would say a new barrel.. my .02

 

[jaydee197]

Tha thing is freakin baaaad ass...love the red dot sight

 

[XfrankD]

scope worked okay for me when I had a smoothbore on my deer gun. Slug hit its mark everytime. Now I use a rifled barrel though.

Nice gauge by the way! You gonna be kickin' in doors lookin for the deer!!! lol

 

[reapera5]

scope worked okay for me when I had a smoothbore on my deer gun. Slug hit its mark everytime. Now I use a rifled barrel though.

Nice gauge by the way! You gonna be kickin' in doors lookin for the deer!!! lol

Kickin' down doors and taking names :twisted:

 

[ichy_trigger]

if you use rifles slugs, after a while of shooting it, it will wear a sorta rifling in the barrel and then using shot out of it will be no good... my grandpa had a shotgun he shot alot of slugs out of it... we tried to shoot a pattern out of it... and there was a huge blank spot in the center.. where in reality, it should have been covered with shot... the rifling was twisting the shot and throwing it everywhere... if you are only going to use the shotgun for slugs i would say go ahead.. if not.. i would say a new barrel.. my .02

I would be willing to bet that the problem was excessive leading rather than a slug cutting rifling into the barrel. Slugs are made of VERY soft lead and they are normaly undersized. The ignition of the round makes the skirt of the slug seal against the bore of the barrel.

 

[Hwkeye]

Good pictures!