I have been debating lately on what gun to use during the early youth gun hunt here in Ohio. Well, I have a friend back from college who said he would let me shoot his 12 ga.
It is a Winchester 1300, rifled barrel, scoped, and 3 inch magnum deer hunting gun. I shot a total of about 5 times, 3 at 40 yds. It kicks so much you can't be accurate! He shot it and was pretty much using the truck as an anchor and he shot about a 8 inch pattern, I on the other shot the target 1 time at 40 yds., and I can take the kick, but I can't be accurate with something like that!
Everyone thinks you need a 3- 3 1/2 inch slug to take a deer! You don't, because I have used a single-shot 20 ga. with a smooth bore, beaded sight and rifled 2 3/4 in slugs and I have tore through targets (in the circle) at over 50 yds. (plenty far enough for a shotgun).
Basically I'm trying to say you don't have to overkill the deer, I know folks who use decked out .410's and they are just like a rifle, only with a bigger bullet. I think if the gun kicks too much to even hit the target, there is no need to take it hunting. After all, deer are tough, but they aren't abominal robots here...

I have a Remington 870 with a deerslayer barrel that we shoot 3" slugs through, and your right is does kick like a mule, but that doesn't mean you can't be accurate with it. I know it is tough to admit, but you are probably jerking the trigger because of the recoil. Last year my younger step brother was going to be using that gun and he had the same problem. His groups were horrible. So what I did was i put an empty shell in the chamber and handed him the gun. Well, he pulled that trigger so hard you could see why his groups were bad. After that we made him slowly squeeze the trigger and his groups were good again.

You are definitely correct that you don't need 3" slugs to take down a deer, but to say that the gun isn't accurate just because of the recoil isn't really true. By the time the recoil moves the gun any signifigant amount, that slug is already flying down range.

For a good exercise, have someone else load the gun, and put in 2 spent shells and one live round. Do this for a while and it will get you more used to squeezing the trigger instead of pulling it.

Hey, thanks, that's probably what is happening to me. I'll have to try that sometime

I just bought and H and R 20 ga single shot slug gun that I couldn't be any happier with. I am shooting 3 in Federal Saboted Slugs with Barnes Expander bullets. Where I live in VA you can't use rifles and out to about 150 yards, this is the next best thing. Especially since you dont have to clean it like a blackpowder gun. And the gun was only $200.

I think jpm pretty much hit the nail on the head. The bigger slug guns do kick like mules. I have the Rem 870 rifled slug barell shooting 2 3/4" slugs and man does that thing kick, but once she's dialed in....it's purley the shooter being off target because of recoil panic. If you can't overcome the recoil panic...you need to downgrade a bit. But good technique advice though for sure. But that can happen with a rifle too. Just keep telling yourself to squeeze the trigger slowly and then the gun to the rest.

if you want to zero it in , and your not sure if you can be accurate with the jerking habit , buy a shooting vice so you know that the gun is steady while zeroing. Once in the field , if you do get a shot , you'll be jacked up on adrenaline and wont even think about the recoil.

I have a win. 1300 also. I have found that my gun shoots better groups with the 2 3/4 inch slugs. I don't think you gain anything by going up to 3inch slugs. Try a couple 2 3/4 inchers. I'm sure you will like these better.

I use a 1300 with 2 3/4 rifled slugs as well. 3 inch groups at 100 yds from a rest. Rips a hole bigger than any rifle. I don't find much kick compared to the couple times I shot 3 inch 00 buck.

Yes I love the kick my slugger gives. When your shooting a deer I never even feel the kick,But the deer does

that's a good tip about putting empty shells in it , thats what I had to do to get over recoil panic i also agree that there is no reason to use 3 inch slugs i've tried them before and found that my accuracy is much better with 2 3/4