I own a Mossberg 500 12 ga and a Remington 870 20 ga. I am thinking about converting one to a slug gun as the public land i hunt only allows shotguns and muzzleloaders.
I know there are more bullet selections in the 12 ga, but if i put a slug barrel and scope on that gun I have no duck, turkey, dove and rabbit gun. Truthfully i only need it for Turkey.
My question is which gun should i convert. I want to be able to shoot to 100 yds accurately enough to kill a deer and I am wondering if the 20 has that power. I was told yes, but want some opinions from the shotgun guys.
convert your 20ga., get a rifled/cantilever barrel with a decent scope, and try differnt sabot slugs. Lightfields seem to work 99% of time in most guns.
The 20ga will drop deer just as good as a 12ga without the recoil
Tar-Hunt does a modification to 870's that makes them a dedicated slug gun. They pin the barrel and do a few other things for around $500. Don't know if you want to spend that much, but the get all the accuracy possible out of the 870.
Today's premium 20 Ga slugs are every bit as good on deer as the best 12 Ga ammo.
use the 20 for deer. i have a mossberg 500 20 ga and with the hornady sst 250 grain balistic tips it knocks the lungs out and i meen out. i have run them through 6 deer in the last 2 years including a 160 inch 9 point that weighed around 260 (at 15 feet running)and a 130 inch 10 point that weighed around 200 (at 90 - 100 yards running)and the 10 point went the farthest at fifty to seventy yards with a hole through the heart and both lungs and the ones who made it from where they were standing left blood trails that ray charles could follow. all of my friends are now beleivers while i cant get them to switch to 20 gauges they are all now shooting the hornadys. the 20 will kill deer and dont let them tell you otherwise i got the horns on the wall to prove it
Last edited by redneckmike87; 12-01-2009 at 06:06 PM.
I have a couple 870's. One has a 26" impr. and the other is a 30" full choke. The Improved cylinder can put a slug in a pie plate up to a 100 yrds and thats with open sights and a smooth bore barrel. Its a great bird gun too for pheasants and ducks. The full choke is my turkey gun though.
I am sold on the 870's. Good Luck.
While I have no quarrel with using a 20ga for deer and think its very appropiate tool for deer killing under 100 yards, I for the life of me can't understand how someone can make the statement that it will do it as well as a 12ga with all else being equal. How can a smaller diameter projectile with less energy at impact work the same as a larger diameter, heavier projectile? I kill with both, just boggles my mind when I hear guys say "switch to a 20ga".
If all other factors are equal, the larger diameter and heavier projectile will retain more energy downrange and will impart more energy to the deer due to the larger frontal area.
But the point is, what do you need to kill a deer? If the newer 20 ga ammo has enough juice to get the job done at the range you intend to shoot, then it can be a BETTER choice. That's because all other factors aren't equal, like the size/weight of the gun for one, and recoil for another. I think it was a Federal ad that I saw, their 20 Ga ammo had plenty of energy out to 200 for deer. If a guy can shoot that far accurately, there's no reason not to shoot deer at that distance. The new 20 Ga ammo is much better than the old 20 ga Foster style slug.
I have a Moss 835 Combo 12ga, Moss 500 Combo 12ga, Rem 870 Combo 12ga and a BRN-A5 12ga with a Hastings rifled barrel that I bought for it........
You can buy a barrel for the 500 or the 870, your choice..........
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I owned a 500c 20ga. great gun. Had a slug barrel for it, and had a smooth barrel for it. Unless you do something to modify the receiver, you won't lose your turkey gun if you decide to buy a slug barrel for the 12 ga.
Slug barrel Question
