Slug Barrel -- Rifle Sights or Scope?
Planning on getting a slug barrel for my Mossberg 500 for the upcoming season. Haven't ever hunted with slugs before. Is there a great value to going with the integral scope mount (no sights) model, or would rifle sights with the fiber optic front do the trick for the distances slug shots are effective? Thanks.
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all depends on YOUR type of hunting, if your shots are going to be say 75 yards or less all the time then just go with the smooth bore barrel and the rifled sights and use the cheaper foster type slugs ,,, on the other hand if you are hoping to reach out to say 100-150 yards then you need to go with the fully rifled barrel, sabot slugs to go with it and a good scope
smooth bore barrel , rifled sights, plain old slugs should do 4" groups or less out to around 75 yards ,, the fully rifled barrel with good sabot slugs, good scope , should hold that same 4" group out to about 150 yards0 -
Preferences varry, and who's to say one is better than the other. Depends on the individual's circumstances, etc.
My preferences are:
Open country (fields, etc.) scoped, fixed 4x works good.
Limited sight line (heavy woods, brush, etc.)open sights and the fiber optics, to most people, make the sights easier to pickup and hold on target.
Barrel preference, go with rifled barrel, that way you can mount scope for longer shooting situations, or use the open sights in tighter country.
If you only have time to do two things so-so, or one thing well ... do the one thing!0 -
Hello:
I'm in Iowa where slug guns are mandatory. Pistols are the hot thing right now, but if your shooting slugs (I'm assuming your getting a rifled barrel) then in order to get the best accuracy you'll probably want to scope it. You can practically double your shooting distance with the rifled barrel. I'd stay away from the 3" shells, and buy several boxes of the high end sabot slugs in 2 3/4" to test. Most rifled shotguns I've shot do have a favorite shell, and some of the slower shells do shoot better than the heavier &/or faster ones. For some reason the 3" shells don't seem to be as accurate. If your scope hunting heavy timber in the early AM, realize that the last thing you want to do is face east. Several of my hunting partners have made this mistake, and attempted to draw down on a west bound buck, only to have sun glare block out the site picture. Others have complained that it's tough to draw a bead on a running buck with a scope. Personally, I don't know why you would want to be blazing at a running deer through heavy timber, but some do with success, and a scope does make it tougher to make that kind of shot. We set in the early mornings and catch the big deer coming into heavy timber. 100 yard shots are not uncommon, and a good 4 power scope works great. I run a variable and generally set it on 4 power. If you are blocking, and pushing especially in setside fields, and more open country then the expanded site picture from the open sites might give you an edge (quicker acqusition/shot), and should be safer in determining back ground and location of the pushers. Lastly, you really have to determine your limitations. Some guys I know are deadly with open sited rifles & shotguns. I'm not one of them . . . and I've watched others shoot open sited who were marginal at best. If your hunting big bucks, and want one shot kills, and your prepared to set up correctly, then my vote would be for a scoped shotgun.0 -
We have hit silhouettes at 250 yards with open sights and saboted slugs. Not to say that is reasonable for hunting or that it has enough fps left, but that you can do it with open sights without being a precision shooter. Unless you are going to be shooting at 150 yards, I would be inclined to go with rifled barrel and open sights. The scope can be limiting at close range when it is not as easy to pick up the target in brush or forest. You know your hunting conditions better than any of us, and you know your eyesight and shooting abilities. You will get it figured about right. 0 -
Forget the scope on a slug gun and get the fiber optic sights. If the game is farther then 100YDS then its time to brush up on your stalking skills. Thats what hunting is all about anyway...the STALK. Just my opinion. 0 -
I gotta go with gskyhawk.
We have to use slugs in Indiana and most people I know shoot the H&R Single shot with Lightfield slugs. Usually no more than 3.5x7 or so scope. These shotguns shoot extremely good.
You may take the most gallant sailor,the most intrepid airman,or the most audacious soldier,put them together at a table.
What do you get?
The sum of their fears
-Winston Churchhill0 -
Hi,
My 870 set up is a scope mounted with a high rise or see tru mount.This way I have the option of using the rifle sights in tight quarters or using the scope when needed.Has worked great for me for several years.Good luck![^]0 -
I use a fully rifled barrel/cantilever
I have a bushnell Holo sight that I love
Its alot of money about 250 but I use it on
3 differant guns just buy the mounts and switch it around
I use it for turkey,deer and home defence on a pistol0 -
Use whatever your most comfortable and confident with.[;)]I do agree with the thread someone in here said it's all about the stalk and I agree with him. I only Bow hunt now but as iI get older I know eventually I will have to go back to the gun but mty goal will still remain to get as close as I can thats the hunt to me. Just have fun[:D][:D] 0 -
Everyone has their own favorites, but how a gun fits you and how well you can see the sights under your typical hunting conditions is the most important thing. When you get older, sometimes your eyesight becomes a problem (like me). My close focus point has gotten to be many feet out there, so seeing sights clearly in dim light is very difficult.
I have two shotguns set up for deer hunting: a Remington 870 Express 12 ga with rifle bore/rifle sights with fiber optic inserts; and, a Remington 870 Wingmaster 12 ga with rifle bore and Bushnell Trophy 1.75-5x32 shotgun scope. The fiber optics are a big improvement over the factory sights under all conditions, however, in really dim light the rear fiber optic sight is still so fuzzy it inhibits accurate shot placement. For me, the Wingmaster with the scope set at its lowest setting is more comfortable to shoot, faster on target, has a wide field of view, and generally works better under really dim light conditions. Between the two, I would pick the scoped gun every time.0
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