Home Defense Deer Gun

S

SteelChickenShooter

New member
I like to tinker with assorted guns, hardware, and ammo brands. I'm curious to see how a short, black, "home defense" style 12 gauge would work for close range deer hunting in the woods. It has fixed sights and a rifled barrel. The plan is to spend a little time with dad at the range and fire off about 10 different brands of slugs. I'll put up a large piece of cardboard at 40 yards and aim consistently on center. Then label each hit. Just something I enjoy doing with handguns, rifles, and now a rifled shotgun for the first time. If I never buy the 44Mag or 45-70 I'm interested in, it will be nice to know just what this shotgun can do as it is, with assorted factory loads. I'll followup after Friday morning at the range.
 
exactly, you do what you gotta do. People tell me since I'm in NJ and we have to use shotguns to hunt deer, and Im a shotgun enthusiast , Ishould have a rifled slug gun , longer barrel, rifled, maybe a shotgun scope. etc? I don't have any interest in deer hunting tho so what would I do with it? If I have extra free money, then sure...

But anyway, if I had a 28" rifled slug gun, and bad guys were invading, I wouldnt think twice about busting slugs or even shotshells with it if necessary1
 
fine

I willing to bet that a very high percentage of whitetails are killed on this side of 100 yds and not the other. Many areas are in fact, slugs only. No mistake, a 12 ga slug, applied appropriately, is a heck of a deer slayer.

You describe your shotgun as "fully rifled" but w/ "fixed sights". As in non-adjustable????? Or do you mean iron sights or rifle type bead and blade sights. As long as you can get your slug groups (which should be good with a fully rifled slug bbl) to coincide w/ point of aim at say, 75 yds or so, you should be good to go.

I made a district supervisor eat crow and look pretty foolish a good many years ago by hammering a 9 " paper plates at will off of improvised rests at 75-80 yds with a "smooth bored" rifle sighted 20" 870 and traditional Forster (?) slugs. Old Geezer said it couldn't be done. But his only experience was shooting slugs from short bead sighted guns. Your rifled barrel (with sights?) and the new saboted slugs should do even better, much better. Think of it as a .69 cal rifle.
 
One of a couple of targets I shot using rifled slugs from my short, black, "home defense" style 12 gauge. I would have no hesitation to take it deer hunting (although I can use a rifle on my property).

slpmk1-11.jpg
 
My results were not what I hoped for. Nothing at all like that posted target sample. I took the gun back to the dealer to sell on consignment to someone that wants a good deal on a 12 gauge that works well across a room or in a hallway. I wonder why Mossberg bothers to put sights on a shotgun. It must be for marketing. There's just gotta be good people that work there that slap their foreheads at some decisions of sales or marketing.
 
Better Choice

After finding the Mossberg 590A1 with three dot sights is no good for deer, I checked out Remington and found the gun I need for this particular case: it's the 870 Express Synthetic Deer. The big difference is the rear sight will put the slug hits where I want them. I already have experience and confidence in the same sighting arrangement on a 20 gauge. My first shots were low with the adjustable rear sight fully rifled barrel, and adjusting the rear sight a few marks placed the hits dead nuts on to mark. I expect equal or better for the 12 gauge. Mossberg 590A1 good for home defense, but didn't cut it for deer in the woods.
 
The above target was shot with my FNH SLP Mk1. It really likes those Federal Truball slugs and as long as Cabela's keeps putting them on sale at the same time they mail me a coupon, it's hard to say no. :D

The regular velocity Trubals produce a 1/2" larger group. I use the reduced recoils a lot during practice. Shooting a hundred slugs during a training weekend (mixed in with 00 buck and bird shot) makes me really appreciate the reduced Truballs. ;)

To the OP, sorry your first attempt with the Mossberg didn't work out. It happens. I hope your new acquisition meets your expectations. If it doesn't, grab a SLP and give one a try.
 
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