I am with "UncleNorby" on this one. I have used buck-shot very little and way back when ... late 1960's. We were running deer with hounds through the swamps of south Louisiana. Thick as all get out. Basically we'd stand pipe lines and transmission line ROW's or logging roads trying to bust a buck as it crossed. Not much luck to tell the truth and certainly I was not going to get a shot past about 50-60 yards anyway. My gun was a Savage Fox SBS with a 30" F/F barrel. Killed 3 deer with it. Missed about 2X that many I guess. None were easy recoveries. Not much of a blood trail because the buck shot seldom passed through. Later I started using rifled slugs out of a JC Higgins 12 ga. pump. Better success. Made a few kills around 75 yards. Missed a few.

I moved to Al. in the early 1970's and have been hunting with a center fire rifle from day one here. I'd not go back to rifled slug or buck shot unless I had to.

Now a rifled barrel and sabot slug? I could do that. A bud of mine has used that combo for many years though he could have easily opted for a center fire rifle. Where we hunted shots were seldom past 150 yards, and he has killed a many with his set-up ... out to about that yardage. In fact, I cannot recall either a miss or a difficult recovery.

Choke tube
 

For 21 years now I have had a turkey shoot super full choke in my Remington 870 and shoot 00buck to 4x6 turkey shot. Never had a issue with barrel or choke. Still shoots super tight pattern to the point when I go to a turkey shoot the check my barrel every round. Barrel looks great and will destroy a deer heart at 50 yards. Good Luck on your hunt