Anyone Using a Shotgun?

[Deleted Account]

Coming from Illinois, our gun deer season did not include rifles. We could use muzzleloader, pistol, but most everyone used a shotgun with slugs. As I look to start hunting in New York next year, I'm planning on taking my trusty old 12 ga. Browning A5. Does anyone else use a slug gun for deer hunting?

[turkeyfeathers]

My brother used to deer hunt with that exact gun.  It loosens fillings in your teeth shooting slugs. I eventually got him to switch over to a muzzleloader during regular season like myself. Federal Truball rifled slugs grouped and performed very well out of his A5 with smooth barrel 

[Deleted Account]

Just now, turkeyfeathers said:

My brother used to deer hunt with that exact gun.  It loosens fillings in your teeth shooting slugs. I eventually got him to switch over to a muzzleloader during regular season like myself. Federal Truball rifled slugs grouped and performed very well out of his A5 with smooth barrel 

See, the secret is adjusting the recoil spring. Most people don't realize what a genius gun design this was. It's a mechanical recoil operated action, and the recoil spring can be adjusted for light loads and heavy. If you shoot light loads with the spring wrong, it won't cycle reliably, and if you leave it for light loads and shoot slugs, it will knock the crap out of you.

[moog5050]

I think many of us hunt areas that are shotgun only.  Mine is a savage 220.  I like the browning.  Good luck.

[monahmat]

One of the properties I hunt has a landowner imposed "shotgun only" rule.  I've hunted with Browning BPS and Mossberg 500 there.  In reality I could do all my hunting with a slug gun since it's all hard wood forest and I seldom get a shot over 75 yards.

[doebuck1234]

Im in a rifle zone but use shotgun as my shots arent very far(may change after putting food plot in)i go with trusty ole mossberg 500a 12ga that got handed down to me.put remington copper solids through her

[rob-c]

I killed a pile of deer with my 870, before I switched to revolvers. I have thought about taking it out a few times again though . 
 I will say ny going to rifles definitely helped get kids and woman more involved with hunting. I know my wife did not like a 20 gauge, but can send 40 -50 rounds of her 7-08 down range no problem. 

[crappyice]

I too hunt with a 12 gauge Browning for the few (2 or 3 ) gun hunts of my season. I Much prefer the bow


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[ApexerER]

When I first started Deer hunting much of NY was shotgun only. I hunted with Remington 870 12ga that my dad got me for Christmas the Christmas before I was turning 16 and would be able to deer hunt. I still hate that gun. I was probably 5'4" or 5'5" and weighed less than 150 lbs when I turned 16. I developed a terrible flinch that I still fight to this day. One of the guys in camp had that same Browning shotgun and I wanted one so bad. I now hunt with my Browning BAR .308 and I love that rifle. I could shoot it all day if I could afford to put that much ammo through it. I am not sure what I would do if I had to switch back to toting a shotgun....Maybe buy a 20ga or switch over to ML. Lots of deer have fallen to slugs in NY for sure.....

[Engraver99]

Live in rifle zone but use a browning a-bolt 12 guage shotgun with lightfield slugs.

[First-light]

I have a 1187 autoloader. I love it. It's about 30 years old and very heavy! Only sighted in once dead on!

[grampy]

I toted a shotgun for over 40 years in the deer woods. Killed a pile of deer with em too. Most successfully, with an Ithaca Deerslayer 2, in 12g. using Remington Copper Sabots. That gun would shoot two inch groups at 100 yards. And I'm sure even tighter, from a better marksman than myself. Still have it. May even kill one more deer with it???

But after WMU 4H went to rifle a few years back, so did I. And I am hooked on rifles now!! I enjoy the longer range, though this years buck at 175 is by far the longest shot taken. Most are from 60 yards or less. And the mild recoil from my 270 and 7mm-08, is so much better than the teeth chattering recoil of a 12 g. slug gun!

[Moho81]

I stuck with my 1100 12ga for many years after our area went to rifles. I even had it out opening weekend this year. I did switch it up the following weekend to a 30-.06 and ended up taking 2 deer with it. One shot at 150 yards and another at 60 yards. I’d like to say I’ll take the 12ga out again next year but I just don’t know because that 30-.06 was so smooth


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[Deleted Account]

4 minutes ago, Moho81 said:

I stuck with my 1100 12ga for many years after our area went to rifles. I even had it out opening weekend this year. I did switch it up the following weekend to a 30-.06 and ended up taking 2 deer with it. One shot at 150 yards and another at 60 yards. I’d like to say I’ll take the 12ga out again next year but I just don’t know because that 30-.06 was so smooth


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I killed my first deer with an 1100 with a slug barrel. I loved that gun, but unfortunately our house was robbed a few years ago, and that one was taken with several others....

[The_Real_TCIII]

Ive used several shotguns for deer including a Browning Double Automatic, Browning A5 16ga (couldnt hit ANYTHING with that gun and sold it) and a Remington 11-87 with cantilevered rifled slug barrel which I sold last year. The last one I have is an 11-87 with a smooth slug barrel. I may also explore a rifled choke for my Winchester SX3

[Nytracker]

Killed alot of deer with Ithaca  deer slayer 12 guage . Mine was a Christmas present.  When I was 14. Modified,full and slugs barrels.  I use to shoot brennecki  1 1/8 through the smooth bore. Now she gets oiled twice a year and back in the safe. That's one of the guns I will be buried  with.

[The_Real_TCIII]

12 minutes ago, Nytracker said:

Killed alot of deer with Ithaca  deer slayer 12 guage . Mine was a Christmas present.  When I was 14. Modified,full and slugs barrels.  I use to shoot brennecki  1 1/8 through the smooth bore. Now she gets oiled twice a year and back in the safe. That's one of the guns I will be buried  with.

Those grouped well? Id like to try something with the smoothbore

[Pygmy]

I killed a bunch of deer with shotguns and slugs from 1966 until rifles became legal down here in Dogpatch....

For years I shot a Rem 1100 smoothbore 20 gauge skeet gun with a Weaver K 1.5 scope..With Brenneke slugs it would reliably keep the slugs on a 9" paper plate out about 80 yards or so..Killed a  bunch of deer with it, since most of my shots were at 40 to 60 yards..

Then rifled barrels came on the scene and I got a rifled cantilever barrel for my 12 gauge Rem 1100...Shot 4 inch groups at 100 yards with Win BRI standard velocity sabots...Killed a bunch of deer with that one too,

Once rifles became legal,  I sold my slug guns....Still,  I will say that an accurate shotgun is a very effective weapon for deer, within it's limited range..

 

[Lawdwaz]

BRI........a blast from the past.   Don’t tempt me to dig out some slugs!!

[Nomad]

Same as Grampy, 40 years of shooting 12ga slugs, a Remington Mod. 11, bird barrel .... then a Browning BPS,  killed many many deer with them. Once Ontario County went rifle ,like 6 years ago ,I happily did to, 7mm08 .

[Paula]

I have my 20g rem 1100 that I used for years.  I used and like my Ruger 270 last 2 yrs

[wolc123]

I live in a NY WMU that is and probably always will be "shotgun-only" (ML's and center-fire pistols of any caliber are also allowed).   This old Ithaca 16 ga model 37 "deerslayer - 1" smoothbore has accounted for the vast majority of my deer over the past 38 seasons, including this doe this year.   In recent years, I use rifled-bore Marlin M-512 bolt-action 12 ga a little more, but it has a long way to go to catch up to the Ithaca on number of kills.   I have also used a 50 cal ML a little bit, and have taken a few deer lately, up in the Adirondacks (where rifles are legal), with My Ruger M77 30/06.

Other than the price of ammo and the kick, I don't notice any significant handicap with the shotguns.   The Marlin (using Hornady SST 12 ga sabots) has an effective range of 200 yards and the Ithaca (using Remington 16 ga sluggers) about 100 yards.           

[NonTypical]

I’ve been using my 1187 for 28 years now with a rifled barrel. It’s  been flawless and deadly. I shoot Federal copper and I can’t say enough good things about them. 

[Lawdwaz]

Gawd I killed truck loads of deer with the shotgun and hopefully never will again.

That said, I'm hesitate to sell the Ithaca Model 87 DSII (I think that's the name?) in case I'm ever relegated to hunting Erie County full time.  Part time my ML'r shines........

I don't recall but could check the last time I used the shotgun.  Seems I looked it up recently, 2003 or 2004?I still have to pinch myself each year when I realize I'm carrying a GD centerfire rifle in Ontario and Livingston Counties!!!!

 

[Pygmy]

2 hours ago, Nytracker said:

Killed alot of deer with Ithaca  deer slayer 12 guage . Mine was a Christmas present.  When I was 14. Modified,full and slugs barrels.  I use to shoot brennecki  1 1/8 through the smooth bore. Now she gets oiled twice a year and back in the safe. That's one of the guns I will be buried  with.

I don't suppose you want to let me know where your PLOT is  ??