Shotgun hunting

[bhensley]

OK, my brother came over this evening and was talking about going hunting this weekend and he had to get rid of his guns earlier this year because of money problems and he said he had a friend who would loan him an old .308. I guess this is a really old gun w/ a bayonet on it and all. I didn't know how well it would work for him being the different style of sights these styles of guns have and all so I gave him my Mossberg Maverick 88 field to use and slug hunt. It hold a 2 3/4 - 3 inch shell. Does anyone know how well this gun would be for deer hunting? I bought it for turkey hunting earlier this year so I haven't tried any long range shots through it. Also, what is the limit for a shotgun shot at a deer? I would guess only about 100 yards but not sure. Thanks,
Brandon

[Pickerel]

I'd like to see this old .308 with a bayonet on it. Add five points to your score if you take a deer with the bayonet!

[bhensley]

HAHA, that reminds me. I had an old Polish M44, i believe that is what it was, and my son who was about 3-4yrs old when I got it told everyone that we go deer hunting with it and we "shoot-em and poke-em" with it. That is what i miss the most about that gun, hearing Breyden talking about it! Although I never actually shot anything with it other than a piece of paper once just to see how it shot.

[nys-buckstalker]

Depends on what choke tube you in it.Also does it have a scope or a red dot.If it just has open sights or bead sightI would limit it to 50 yds max.The only way to really tell is head to the range.

[Tom_L]

I have the same gun (bead sight, fixed modified choke). I haven't shot a slug out of it in 10 years. However, my effective range was about 40 yards. Perhaps you can reach out a little further with better ammo that is available these days.

I would buy several boxes of slugs, wear plenty of clothes to pad your shoulder and head to the range. Unfortunately, I don't remember exactly which brand of slug my gun liked, but I do recall it shot 2.75 inch shells better than 3 inch shells.

[Steve F.in MD]

Personally, I would borrow the .308 and see how it shoots. Even with open sights it will probably be more accurate than a smoothbore shotgun with only a front bead for a sight. He needs plenty of range time no matter which gun he uses.

[Paul L Mohr]

I'd go with the .308 if it shoots straight. Much more effective weapon on deer if it's legal where you live. I use a shotgun because it's all that is allowed.

I would suggest removing the blade though, might not be legal in hunting season. I would check on that for sure.

You might get 90-100 yards out of a smooth bore if your lucky, have adjustable sights and are a good shot. I wouldn't count on it though. A more realistic goal would be 50-70 yards on deer sized game. Where the .308 should shoot pretty good well beyond 100 yards if it's in decent shape and using ammo it likes. This is what many long rang target shooters use and they shoot beyond 1,000 meters.

Not to mention the centerfire will have better designed bullets and cause more tissue damage than a simple rifled slug.

Paul

[the bees knees]

shotgun all the way. those new sst slugs are accurate to about 200 yards! Besides, if you use a smooth barrel, in an emergency buck sighting you can slip some 00 buck in the tube. good luck hunting.

[Paul L Mohr]

Have you personally shot these slugs to that distance, or just going by the hype on the box and adds? I belong to quite a few slug gun forums and I know of no one getting that kind of performance out of them. Most average slug guns just will not stabilize a bullet that fast at those ranges.

Paul

[Buck_Slayer]

A couple years ago I shot a doe at 96 steps, with a 3" Remington Slugger with a modified choke. Last year I shot a big buck at about 50 yards with open sights also, same shell.