Lubricious

Contrary to popular belief, speed isnt everything. Bullet design, weight and shot placementare more critical.

Id choose a rifle over a shotgun.

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Paul L Mohr

Depends on the rifle, but most likely I would pick the rifle. Terminal performance for rifle bullets is MUCH better than anything we currently have for shotguns. And you never really know what shot will be presented to you in the field. I want that extra advantage if I can have it.

The key would be picking the right bullet for the job.

If you think a smooth bore shotgun with rifled slugs is going to do anywhere near the internal damage of a high powered rifle with the proper bullet you have been misled somewhere down the line. Shotguns tend to punch big holes in deer, but really don't transfer that much energy. Where as a rifle bullet might make a smaller hole, but it does much more damage to soft tissue and organs and can transfer more energy because of the increased velocity and bullet design.

And many can do it with much less recoil than a slug gun. If it were legal where I live I would pick a .243 over a slug gun any day of the week. Heck I probably wouldn't even own a slug gun if I didn't have to. Ammo is half the price, it has twice the range, twice the accuracy in most cases and at least half the recoil, probably much less in most cases. Not much of a choice to me.

Heck I would take a lever action 44 magnum over a slug gun.

My opinion anyway, for what it's worth.

Paul

CZ2506

ROGER THAT!

In fact I don't own one. Shotguns are for bird hunting, period. In southern MI, I hunt with a pistol, bow, muzzleloader. And I don't care how qualified a shotgun is for deerhunting, I will NEVER own one. (I did borrow one the other day. Killed a nice 8pt.)

Briman

Nope, wouldn't choose a slug gun over a rifle either unless unless I had a tight budget and could only afford one gun. As it is, I can hunt with a rifle where I hunt, when I hunt in a shotgun zone closer to home I use my muzzleloader. If I hunted closer to home more often, I'd get a TC encore chambered in a rifle cartridge- it has some disavantages towards easy shootability compared to a shotgun, but near my home is mostly open farm country where shots outside of the effective range of a sluggun are very common and likely.

New York Hunter

CZ2506, I absolutely despise slug guns, I hate them.I grew up in the "shotgun/muzzleloader/handgun" area of the state where riflesaren't allowedandhave actually gone a few years at a time without hunting because I hate using them.I shot all my deer in the "rifle/shotgun/muzzleloader/handgun" area of the state. I'd rather drive fartherand be able to use my 308 Win., 280 Rem.or my35 Rem. then hunt close to home with a slug gun.I've shot all my deer with rifles so far.
[/align]The only reason I got back into slug gun huntingis because my friends have a hunting campand wanted me to join it. There are some really gooddeer in the area too. Over the last few seasons the state has expanded the areas that are allowed to use rifles.The county to our south (3 milessouth of our camp as a crow flies)was added to the rifle list two years ago. I really hope theyadd the county whereour hunting camp is as well. If they allow rifles,the slug guns are gone![/align]

millerhunter13

50-75 yards!!!! that is for shotguns i dont care what anybody says if shotguns didnt kill deer then how come my family that lives in ohio (shotgun only) kill huge deer with a shotgun using only SLUGS!!!!!!!! i disagree with alot of people you could use a smoothbore if it shoots good at 50, even more maybe. but why spend 500 dollars on a rifle that you DONT need when you can use a SHOTGUN that you can use for everything else you want to hunt for

my 2 cents

Paul L Mohr

You don't need letters that big to make your point. Why would you spend 2 or 3 hundred on a weapon that is less capable and the shells cost more than twice as much for (sabot loads)?

Are you telling me a rifle like a .243, 270 or 30-06 will not kill a deer at 50 to 75 yards? It most certainly will and will more than likely do it more efficiently than a slug gun will. I would bet the majority of deer killed even in rifle only states are shot at 100 yards and in. Remember a slug gun in most cases is a gun that was meant for one purpose and converted to something else out of necessity. As well as the ammo, the modern sabot ammo are just pistol bullets put in a sabot to fit the larger bore of a shotgun. Nothing real high tech about it to be honest.

Modern inline muzzle loaders in my opinion still have the edge over slug guns, but are still not up to par with a high powered rifle in terminal performance.

Can you use a shotgun at 50 -75 yards, sure you can if it shoots well enough. Plenty of people do it every year, me included. That doesn't mean you should limit yourself to it if you don't have to. I mean if you want to for the challenge feel free, but you certainly shouldn't feel like you have to if better options are available.

A shotgun is considered a close range weapon because that is it's LIMITATION, not because it excels at it.

You are never going to convince anyone that has experience with various weapons that a slug gun, or shotgun with buckshot is more effective than a high powered rifle with a quality hunting bullet. Just because it can get the job done doesn't mean it's the best tool for the job.

I am quite confident I could go out and kill deer with my .410 lever action and slugs. Especially if I keep it's limitations in mind. That doesn't mean I would suggest to everyone else that it is more than enough weapon and if you don't plan on shooting more than 50 yards you simply don't need anything better. That is just ignorant and not the case.

Oh, and the reason your family kills deer with shotguns using slugs is like you said, they live in Ohio and they don't have choice. I bet if you asked most of them if they could use a 30-30 instead they would.

Paul

bigtim6656

i am surprised there is such a big fight about it i think a shotgun wouldbe good for 50 yards maybe 75 in the right condtions

i have no proplem with a rifle you can get a huntin rifle for les then 500 buck a single shot for under 150 s marlin 3030 for 300 or less

if i could use arifle i woud but indiana is shot gun only well muzzelloader to

Will_C

I'm another NewYork hunter who had to use slugs for 25 years. I killed 15-20 deer with slugs. They also caused me to develop a flinch that I still occasionally battle, cost me a fortunate to sight in, can't be reloaded, and don't kill deer as well as a proper rifle bullet. I do live in the county NY Hunter mentioned, and I sometime use a .30-06. That gun kicks much less than my slug gun. I finally wised up the last couple of years we were restricted to slugs, and bought a T/C Encore .50 cal. that is more confortable to shoot, even with 120 grain charges of T7. I will never use another rifled slug!!
Will