Seif5034

i have a problem. for my first gun ever my dad went out and bought me a mossberg 385-T it's a 20ga. bolt action with a 2+1 detatchable magazine chambered for 2 3/4" and 3" it is a smoothbore with a fixed full choke. my dad intended me to fire slugs from it and so i did for a while. i've recently been missin 20yd broadside shots and everyone i talk to says not to shoot slugs from that gun. I have noticed some scarring in the choke tube.so i bought some buckshot. the only size that seems available for a 20ga in my area is 3BK.

for the poll lets say the max range is 30yds

Paul L Mohr

You should not be firing slugs from a full choked barrel. I don't know for sure if it will hurt the barrel or not, but it will really deform the slugs and hurt the performance. Usually you want the most open choke you can get to fire slugs from.

And a 20 ga with foster/rifled slugs will kill a deer, but it wouldn't be my first choice. They are great with a rifled barrel and modern sabot slugs though.

The only advice I can give you with that gun if it is the only thing you have would be to try several different brands and types of slugs to see if it will shoot one better than the other. At best though you are looking at a 50 yard weapon, providing you can shoot it well enough. Does it have sights on it?

Buckshot is effective at close ranges, I don't much care for it but it will kill deer. If it's your only option go ahead and try it. Remember, there really isn't a distinct power difference between different gauges with shotguns. The biggest difference is the amount of shot they will hold. The only difference between the buckshot you want to use in your 20 ga and the same buckshot in a 12 ga is that the 12 ga will most likely hold a few more pellets. If they both use the same size pellets fired at the same velocity then the performance will be pretty much the same, you just have less pellets in the 20 ga is all.

Paul

Seif5034

more than likely i'll use the shotgun my gf and I bought it's just a stevens 20ga break bbl smoothbore but it seems to shoot slugs fairly well. i even have some 3" slugs for it so i can push my range a little bit. They both have sights the mossberg has an elevated rear cradle and a front bead and the stevens has a shallow cradle in the reciever and a bead at the muzzle. I've temporarily deemed the mossberg unfit for deer unless i am completely positive it'll take a deer at 20-30 yards with the 3BK 20pellet load. the shells i have are Remington-made. i want to know if it's huntable in case my gf want go out with dad and I

This is what i get for allowing my dad to buy me a gun[:@]The funny thing is, he's been hunting deer with a 12ga and a 30-30 his whole life..you'd think he would've known better

timbercruiser

Get his 30-30 and leave him the 20.

Seif5034

well, we mostly hunt in shotgun-only territory. i have a Norinco sks with a 6x32 compact scope for when we go further north