Im sure of the rifle possibilities for deer hunting.but im interested in the capabilities of a shotgun a 12gauge.is one worth using when hunting for deer ? and what is the best ammunition to use and how far is it the shot effective ?.thanks and the shotgun of intrest is the remington 870 express or the mossberg mavrick.

either of those are good guns i had mossberg 500 that loved 3 in remington copper solids killed 4 deer one year group hunting with it one was close to 100 yards one shot the others were 25-50 yards but they say those new hornaday slugs will go 200 yards so i dont know anymore

I have an 870 express supermag combo with the bird barrel and slug barrel. It has shot the 3" Remington copper solids fairly well. You could likely expected good accuracy, after trying several different brands of slugs to see which one your particular shottie liked. A rifle barrel is going to be more accurate farther out. I would say it is not unrealistic to expect 3-4" group @ 75-100 wards with the right set-up. Farther if using a scope.

Cant go wrong with a Remy 870, the copper slugs aren't bad but I'd try a few others and see what your gun likes best..good luck