slug hunting
 

A friend gave me his Mossberg 500 last year, so I decided I would take up shotgun hunting deer. I've done bowhunting for the past 10 years, but never got into slug hunting. I'm trying to decide if I should use a scope or not? What type of scope...red dot or reticle? Also what type of slugs?

I don't think I am into shooting far, our hunting ground is fairly small with a few open fields, but I do hunt in a lot of woods too. I have an anterless and an either sex tag, so I will be looking for a good buck. We practice QDM on our farm, so we try to make sure bucks are P&Y minimum before taking them, so I do want to comfortably be able to reach out too.

Suggestions? Thanks

RE: slug hunting
 

The choice of slugs will probably be dependant on what type of a barrel you have (rifled, smoothbore).
Pretty much any reputable scope maker (Nikon, Leupold, etc, etc) with a low power and a long eye relief will work for you. Personally I do not like red dots, but I have quite a few friends who swear by them. Eotech has been really popular lately.

RE: slug hunting
 

oh yeah, I have the rifled barrel and the smoothbore. I was planning on using the rifled.

RE: slug hunting
 

I'd use the rifled barrel. If it is the cantilver scope mount, go with a scope. If it has iron sights, try those and see if you shoot well enough at the ranges you'll hunt. You can try to mount a scope on the receiver of a pump gun. Some guys have luck and others don't. Be sure to tighten the barrel mounting nut as much as you can.

For ammo, go with a sabot slug in the rifled barrel.

RE: slug hunting
 

I'm a red-dot/holosight fan for my slug guns given the ranges I'm typically shooting those. If you have the rifled barrel with rifle sights and no cantilever, you will need a saddle mount for the shotgun, I don't believe the Mossbergs are drilled and tapped.

RE: slug hunting
 

You definately want to use the rifled slug barrel... and you may have to shoot a couple diff. type of slugs to see what fits your gun... i shoot a Remington 870 Express and i swear by Lightfeld slugs

RE: slug hunting
 

If it's a cantilever I would get a decent scope, if not I would just use the rifle sights, maybe replace them with some fiber optics so they are easier to see or something. I'm not a big fan of receiver mounted scopes on removable barrel shotguns.

Paul

RE: slug hunting
 

My Mossberg 500 is drilled and tapped for a scope. However I haven't even shot it yet and I put fiber optic adjustable sights on it just because they are easier to see.

RE: slug hunting
 

I have a 870 remington 12 with a full chock and a rifle barrel i use the rifle barrel myself as for as shels i use whinchter hollow points i realy like shooting them with my gun.

RE: slug hunting
 

I would recommend a scope on the slug gun. Even if you are going to be shooting at close range a scope helps gather light at dawn and dusk when deer are the most active, just keep the scope on a low setting. Also make sure that your scope is made for a shotgun use. Even the most expensive rifle scope wont hold up to the type of abuse they will get riding on top of a slug gun.