My dad has killed at least 100 deer with an 870 Wingmaster 20 gauge (smoothbore with fixed full choke), shooting Remington Slugger rifled slugs. The gun also has just a typical vent rib with a bead. He was an instinctive shooter with it, shooting deer like he was shooting birds, and he was an uncanny shot. Took deer as far as 125 yards with that setup. Now, I'm not suggesting that you try it, but rather that if you can make the shot, the 870 20ga smoothbore will do the job. My dad was, until he got into muzzleloading, a strictly one gun hunter. He had a crappy 22 for squirrels, and the Wingmaster for everything else. He bought it new when he was 16, and he still has it. So he KNEW his gun. He knew exactly where to hold for different distances. I would suggest to you that you get yourself an 870 combo gun with a rifled slug barrel with actual rifle sights. It'll give you much better accuracy, better range, and be much easier to aim accurately.

Mike