New deer gun.

[chemonkey86]

I have this problem when it comes to shotguns, I am a huge fan of the Remington 870, that being said yesterday I picked up a 870 12ga, fully rifled 24 inch barrel. What's everyone else's thought on these guns. Mind you where I'm hunting it is fairly thick with no long shots over 75 yards max, the other question I have is slug choice. With a full rifled barrel do I have to use sabbot slugs or can I use regular slugs. Personally never had a rifled barrel so I'm not sure, what do you guys use or recommend

Sent from my SM-T230NU using Tapatalk

[ants]

Rifled sights or cantilever ??

[chrisw]

You'll definitely want to use sabots out of a fully rifled barrel.

Sent from my XT907 using Tapatalk

[turkeyfeathers]

I have a cantilevered black matte finish 870 with a scope on it. Dang thing gets rusty quick (yes I wipe down all the time ) so I take the wood and stainless Winchester 1300 out on the wet days. My 870 loves 3" Lightfield slugs  Deer.....not so much.

[chemonkey86]

Rifled sights no scope

Sent from my SM-T230NU using Tapatalk

[philoshop]

Sabot rounds only. The soft lead of a Foster slug will be a nightmare to remove from a rifled barrel, and your accuracy will likely be short of a smooth-bore because they're not cast very well to begin with.

The plastic from the sabot is bad enough to scrub out of the bore, but the lead build-up can actually become dangerous pretty quickly.

[chas0218]

My grandfather used rifled slugs and they shot fine out of the rifled barrel but you will get your best accuracy out of the sabots. I am using my rifle more and more because the price of sabots are outrageous.

 

I should add his gun was a newer 870 express magnum in 20 gauge and hastings barrel.

Edited October 23, 2015 by chas0218

[Buckmaster7600]

If your in a shotgun only area that's a great choice if not then I see no reason to use a shot there are many downsides to shotgun, recoil, ammo cost, limited range. The list can go on and on. When I hunted shotgun only I loved my 870 cantaliever however since it changes to rifle it hasn't been shot.

[chemonkey86]

It's a rifle area, but my area for hunting has thick cover and no long range shots I would need the distance of a rifle. Any advise on what sabbots generally shoot best or is it best to find what the gun itself likes best

Sent from my HTC Desire Eye using Tapatalk

[turkeyfeathers]

It's a rifle area, but my area for hunting has thick cover and no long range shots I would need the distance of a rifle. Any advise on what sabbots generally shoot best or is it best to find what the gun itself likes best

Sent from my HTC Desire Eye using Tapatalk

I'm in the same boat: can use rifle but never a shot over 100 yards so slug gun or ML for me.

Yes, each gun may like something different than say the same exact model.  Buy a few boxes of assorted and put them on paper to see what your gun likes.  I had great success with the Lightfields out of both my slug guns. They ain't cheap but they pattern well and intense energy dump. Never had a thru and thru yet.

[clayshooter25]

I bought a Savage 220 to use in Putnam County. It's basically a rifle, remarkably accurate at distance! It's semantics, but Putnam is shotgun only. Now I am selling my Rem 1100 rifled 12ga barrel.

Edited October 23, 2015 by clayshooter25

[jim335]

I have a 870 Wingmaster 12 ga. cantilever barrel with scope. I used the Rem. Copper Solids and the Rem. Accu-tips.   Both are very accurate out of my gun, but I prefere the Accu-tips, I believe it has more shock and punches a bigger hole, knocks them right down. The only down side is they are expensive. Since all my hunting areas are rifle now, I haven't used it. Plus that gun loaded up is heavy. It's a joy now to carry my Rem. 760 pump 30-06, and the recoil is much better.   Good luck!!

[Buckmaster7600]

As far as sabots I have always had luck with the accutip remingtons but at around 4$ a round they are pricey.

[Hock3y24]

I hunt with a 870 special field 20 inch Hastings rifled barrel, USE SABOTS. lead is a pain to get out of them. I have rifled sights on it and a scope mount with quick detach rings. Confident to 100 yards with it. Also just bought a used 870 wingmaster for $300 with a 20 inch smoothbore rifled sights. I've shot that to 50 and it'll be my thick woods gun this year. I hate the new ones and only buy used ones.

[Larry]

I would try the slower velocity slugs first 1700fps or less that barrel has a 1:35 or 1:33 twist rate. That twist rate has a harder time stabilizing the faster slugs. The 1800 to 2000 fps slugs like a 1:28 twist rate that’s not to say that the slower twist won’t stabilize the faster slugs. My gun likes copper solids but there not cheap it will also shoot federals fusion there cheaper.