Shotgun Hunting

[upstaterifle]

Looking to hunt in some WMU's this season that do not allow me to use my rifle. I have a Mossberg 535 12ga, with a smooth bore. I know you can shoot rifled slugs out of this, but should I really be looking into a different barrel with a scope or at least the front and rear iron sights if I am going to be using this for deer? What I have now is just a bead. I know I will need to get some shooting time in before I use it so I'm trying to figure this out.

[nyantler]

I would get at least front and rear sights to start with... beads are good for birds but not for deer...I'm guessing that you have the bird barrel on that Mossberg,, get a smaller slug barrel for deer... I never thought a scope was necessary for a shotgun in NY unless you have a vision problem.. most of your shots at deer will be well in range for iron sights

[upstaterifle]

when you change barrels, do you have to re sight things in like with the irons or a scope? I wasnt sure since everything is attached to the barrel when you take them off.

[Dinsdale]

If you have a cantilever scope mount; they stay sighted in well in general. But if the scope is on a receiver mount; you lose zero.

Here is a sights barrel for the 535 at a cheap price;

http://www.cheaperth...om/18375-1.html

Edited September 27, 2011 by Dinsdale

[Paulie]

Where are you hunting and how long do you anticipate the shots.....? My father and I share two 12g guns....a Rem 1100 with a scope and a browning "something" that is a bird gun with just the front bead. Depending on where we are sitting we switch guns...in all honesty, neither of us have missed a shot with the bird gun out to 40 yards...so depending on the shots you are looking at.....?? you could be fine.

[Dinsdale]

Starting out, shot a bunch of deer at 40 and under with just an 870 bird barrel with a bead.....

[Enigma]

Yep, when you change barrels you're best off sighting in again. Iron sights are OK as nyantler attests. Mossberg lists two slug barrels for the 535, both rifled, one iron sights one cantilever scope mount. The deciding factor is how far do you want your effective range to be??? Less than 50y, stick with your bird barrel and bead. Not sure if a 500 smoothbore barrel with iron sights will fit your 535 but if it does, you might find one used. Still good to 50+y but you've upgraded your sights. Either of the rifled barrels and some sabot slugs will pound them at 100y. Your choice of barrels depending on your wallet. Shoot straight!

Edited September 27, 2011 by Enigma

[growalot]

Ya know it's all on how confident you are in your shooting and the shell you choose....I've been downing deer with clean shots for 30+ years with a 20ga 28in smooth bore using 3in. Breneke rifled slugs and a single tiny orange painted bead at the end...most of the kills were between 60 and 110 yrds and shoulder dropping shots....so IMO your best bet is to shoot a few different slugs with the barrel you have and if your not comfortable then consider switching things up.....matching gun ...ammo and ability is the only way to go...good luck

[132 eight pointer]

I put fiber optic rifle sights that mount on the vent rib of my shotgun last year.Sighted it in at about 50 yds with Remington 1 oz. sluggers and a cylander choke.Shot a big doe about 40 yds away as she stood in some cedars looking at me while I raised my shotgun from behind a tree.I rarely get a shot past 50 yds. so I went back to shooting rifled slugs at $3.50 a box instead of $6.00 - $7.00 sabots.(And those were the cheap ones).My father killed deer with his modified choke smoothbore using only a bead sight and that gun was accurate at 100 yds.

Edited September 27, 2011 by 132 eight pointer

[upstaterifle]

Probably no more than 50 yards. Thinking that I can probably stick with the smoothbore. I don't need any sort of choke with the rifled slugs on that right?

[BizCT]

I prefer a scope but thats just my opinion. I hunt in Putnam County (shotgun only). I use a Browning BPS Pump Shotgun with a scope and have taken deer up to 80 yards without a problem.

[upstaterifle]

Is it necessary to use a rifled choke when I'm shooting rifled slugs out of the smooth bore?

[WNYBuckHunter]

No. I used to use a modified choke barrel and it worked great.

[Paulie]

Upstate, keep asking questions.......you'll get a lot of good answers. ( just realized ur a newbie to hunting ) good luck this year.

[upstaterifle]

Thanks Paulie. I appreciate all the info that this site offers and all the answers everyone has given so far.Good luck to you to.

[Elmo]

Don't use rifled slugs on a rifled barrel. The rifling doesn't match up, it'll tear up the barrel. Use sabot slugs if you have a rifled barrel.

[Larry]

just to let you know you can use rifled slugs in a rifled barrel. you have

Soft lead in a steel barrel the worst that can happen is the rifling will get full of lead and make it a bitch to clean.Buck hammer and most brenneke’s are lead

[WNYBuckHunter]

Yep, rifled slugs are fine in a rifled barrel. What you cant do is use sabots in a smooth barrel.

[Elmo]

I was told differently but then again, I never actually tried it. I only have smooth barrels so it was never an issue for me. I just buy rifled slugs. I always figured, why risk it?

[WNYBuckHunter]

I shot lead rifled slugs out of my old Mossberg 500 rifled barrel with absolutely no issues. It was more of a pain to clean, as has been said, which was part of the reason I went to sabots.

[BUCKrub91]

Atleast have front and rear iron sights. If you have good eye sight that should be enough, if not you may want to throw a scope or dot sight on it.

[Gizmo285]

I have killed over 30 deer with my rifled bbl and 2/3/4 slugs. (5% were 1 shot kills where the deer just dropped. Some shots were out to 100 yrds. I used to use a 1.5 x scope and missed many deer because I couldn't pick them up while running through the trees. Iron sights and and rifled BBL do the trick for me.

[Dom]

iron sights only for me i like to be able to shoot when the time comes dont always have very long shots to make most times under 75 yrds very thick on the land that i hunt and cannot cut the the shooting lanes i would like to no cotting of trees on stateland

[Elmo]

I have no experience I don't really know but logically, if a rifled slug goes through a rifled barrel and the rifling doesn't match, the iron barrel will bend the lead slug but wouldn't that slow down the bullet tremedously? I mean isn't it basically ripping the bullet as it's travelling down the barrel? Just asking.

[Dom]

That agood ? i only shoot remington pumpkin balls that what i call them the only thing the box says is 16 guage slugs nothing about rifling been useing for as long as i can rember i would say if the box say rifled its for rifled bores