Deer Hunting With a 12ga?

[HoggyO]

I recently bought a Mossberg 500 12 ga with the intentions on Hunting Waterfowl, Upland game and possibly some rabbit, I was told you can also hunt Deer with a Shotgun. Being new to Hunting and doing my research I became a bit confused, The Terms rifled barrel, slug gun and interchangeable barrels have my head spinning. My Question is can I hunt deer with my Mossberg, without changing the Barrel? What is a rifled Barrel? Can I shoot Slugs or do I shoot Buckshot? thanks,


~Hoggy

[aubie515]

Does your Mossberg have choke tubes or if you look down the barrel...does it have rifling? If it has choke tubes you can use slugs with your improved cylinder choke tube. If your shotgun has rifling, you can buy slugs designed for rifled barrels.

With shotguns it's pretty simple...look in the barrel..if it's smooth down the barrel...it is a smoothbore...if it had a screw in choke tubes at the muzzle end of the barrel...it's a barrel with choke tubes. If you see a spiral...it's a rifled barrel. You can buy dedicated rifled barrels just to shoot slugs out of for hunting season. Hope that helps. If you go slugs...try the Hornady SST.

[HoggyO]

It has a choke at the end of the Barrel, Does this mean I have to buy a special Choke for deer hunting? The Barrel also looks smooth inside, no spiral.

[Frenchy]

Originally Posted by HoggyO

It has a choke at the end of the Barrel, Does this mean I have to buy a special Choke for deer hunting? The Barrel also looks smooth inside, no spiral.

When you go to a store that carries many barrels for the mossberg, you will see there are 2 that are specifically designed for slugs. One is the combat model, smooth bore and no choke, the other is the rifled "deer slayer" It usually comes with a scope and scope mount. Note you dont want to use fostered slugs in the slayer, but you should use them in a smooth bore. http://www.mossberg.com/products/acc...section=access will give you an idea what barrels are out there for your 500.
http://world.guns.ru/shotgun/sh03-e.htm will show you there is more then one way to "outfit" your mossberg.

When you bought your mossberg if you got it new, you had the option to buy a combo. Meaning a choked tube, and a rifled tube. If not you can purchase a slug rifled barell for around $135 most places that sell them.

[HoggyO]

Cant I just change the Choke without changing the barrel?

I'd like to find the easiest way to shot both upland game and Deer.

[Frenchy]

Originally Posted by HoggyO

Cant I just change the Choke without changing the barrel?

I'd like to find the easiest way to shot both upland game and Deer.

LOL Apart from the fact its a pain to carry 2 barrels, its just as fast to change the barrel then to change a choke

[Buckmark.35]

Originally Posted by HoggyO

I recently bought a Mossberg 500 12 ga with the intentions on Hunting Waterfowl, Upland game and possibly some rabbit, I was told you can also hunt Deer with a Shotgun. Being new to Hunting and doing my research I became a bit confused, The Terms rifled barrel, slug gun and interchangeable barrels have my head spinning. My Question is can I hunt deer with my Mossberg, without changing the Barrel? What is a rifled Barrel? Can I shoot Slugs or do I shoot Buckshot? thanks,

You sure can use your Mossberg for hunting deer. You CAN get a rifled barrel and have interchangable parts, but it is much more simple to shoot slugs using the barrel that you already have. What you sacrifice using the smooth bore as opposed to buying a rifled barrel is accuracy at a distance. You probably wouldn't want to shoot much farther than 50 - 75 yards w/o rifling. I have ventured into the woods with my 12 Ga H&R pardner and slugs, but have not yet had the chance to use that combination.

As far as slugs vs. buckshot... it all depends on where you hunt. Buckshot is illegal in all areas of the state with the exception of the Southeast Special Regulations
Area.

You can read more about what is and isn't legal regarding hunting weapons at:
http://www.pgc.state.pa.us/pgc/lib/p...6/big_game.pdf

My recommendation though, is to buy a good deer rifle. Much more accurate and can reach farther.

[HoggyO]

Originally Posted by Buckmark.35

My recommendation though, is to buy a good deer rifle. Much more accurate and can reach farther.

I was having this same conversation with a guy at work,and he told me he has a Marlin .444 that he would be will to part with for $200. and said this rifle would be much more suitable for hunting deer.

[LittleRedToyota]

Originally Posted by WOLF13

Trouble is...the publish their intent in the neighborhood newspapers...and that brings out the "BAMBI HUGGERS"...who put themselves in harms way to foil the hunt. ( dumb a**es )

yeah, apparently these people think that it is more humane to just let the deer population grow unchecked so that deer can die of starvation, disease, getting run over, etc. all while destroying the local ecology because of their over-population.

the human capacity for idiocricy is truly amazing.

my favorite is vegetarians who claim to be vegetarian so that no animals have to die for them to eat....ummm, didya ever think about how many animals died--and how much habitat was destroyed--to create the farm on which those politically correct vegetables of yours were grown?

killing to eat is a fundamental and inescapable part of nature, ya bunch o' dang idiots.

[Buckmark.35]

Originally Posted by HoggyO

I was having this same conversation with a guy at work,and he told me he has a Marlin .444 that he would be will to part with for $200. and said this rifle would be much more suitable for hunting deer.

Yeah I use a Marlin .35 Remington for deer. The 444 Marlin is a walloper of a cartridge, so it's a good bear cartridge too.