# Which shotgun?



## yakfish (Mar 13, 2005)

I'm wanting to buy my first shotgun that I could use for squirel, rabbits and deer. also maybe someong could schoolme on the advantages or dissadvantages of .410, 20 gauge and 12 gauge. what would be the best gun for what I'll be doing with it? I'm looking to spend $400 or less. 
Thanks


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## M.Magis (Apr 5, 2004)

I don't think there's a best brand or guage. That said, a 20 or 12 guage is much more appropriate for deer, so I'd rule out the .410. Try the feel/fit of a gun before purchasing. Mossberg has attractive prices, but I never liked the way they felt. A Remington 870 will fit into your price range.


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## wave warrior (Oct 2, 2005)

i think an 870 combo(slug barrel & vent. rib barrel) would fit the budget and do all you want...although i no longer use one...went to a charles daily semi-auto for small game/birds and a CVA firebolt mag w/scope for deer...just my choice...


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## Pike (Apr 7, 2004)

Lots to choose from out there, I am not a deer hunter but I would have to think that you will be happier with a 12 guage for all around use. I have shot Remingtons, Mossbergs and a Benneli. It comes down to a matter of personal preference. I really like the Benneli that I shoot now.

Pike


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## Smallmouth Crazy (Apr 4, 2006)

wave warrior said:


> i think an 870 combo(slug barrel & vent. rib barrel) would fit the budget and do all you want...although i no longer use one...went to a charles daily semi-auto for small game/birds and a CVA firebolt mag w/scope for deer...just my choice...


I agree..870 combo would probably run you around $400, Dicks Sports is running alot of specials right now, I just bought a Remington O/U from them and got a $20 free giftcard with a Remington purchase over $250 and then got another gift certificate in the mail for all the points I accumulated on my score card(most from the gunsale) myself Im partial to the 20 gauge but thats just me.


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## Shortdrift (Apr 5, 2004)

12 gauge 870. Nuff said


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## stumpsitter (Jul 3, 2004)

All of the deer, turkeys, rabbits, squirrels, pheasants, grouse....that I shot with my 12 GA Winchester 1300 combo THINK that they are dead.


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## ezbite (May 25, 2006)

mossberg 9200 combo. im an autoloader man....i have slain much game with this combo. broke lots of clay birds too..


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## wave warrior (Oct 2, 2005)

i bet we could hunt BUFFALO with that EZ!!!!


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## misfit (Apr 5, 2004)

in a pump gun,there are a few good ones,three of which have been mentioned.the rem. 870 is an old reliable.the mossberg is a good bargain and good shooter.win. 1300 is also a good choice.i have owned/hunted with the mossburg and winchester,and was very happy with both.though the mossburg slide is a little "sloppy",it really doesn't effect performance.maybe that's been remedied since i bought mine about 20 years ago.
never owned a remington,but have shot several,having many friends who owned them.
any one of those would be suitable for your purposes and really would boil down to personal preference.as magis said,fit/feel is important when choosing any gun.
12 vs. 20 is a long debated subject,but i feel it also comes down to preference,based on your intended use.the .410 is out for a combo gun,period.
i've shot 20's but never owned one.always shot 12's and .410(basically rabbit/quail gun).
with the innovations in ammo these days,i personally would go with a 20 if i wre buying now.it will perform just about as well as a 12 in any situation you mentioned.a good combo 28 inch vent rib w/screw in choke tubes,along with a 24-26 inch rifled slug barrel would be my choice.
i haven't/wouldn't take shots on deer over 100-125 yards.a 20 should be effective to those ranges with some of the modern sabot loads being pushed at close to 2000 fps.and they're about the same size as a 12 gauge sabot.
a 20 will also do less damage to small game due to having lighter loads with lower pellet counts.
in the end,the choice is yours,but just do some research,look at different models/gauges and go with what "feels good".


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## ODNR3723 (Apr 12, 2007)

You cant go wrong with an Rem 870 in 12 or 20. I have a 12 now and it is one of the best all around guns you can have. Ease of use and it is easy to break down and fix when things do go wrong.


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## jason454ci (Dec 27, 2005)

Whatever you decide make sure you get a combo package. If you don't, expect to pay around the $200 price range for the slug barrel. I have owned a Mossberg 500 combo, a Winchester 1300, and a Remington 870 express magnum combo. The Mossberg found itself a new home shortly after buying it. I just did not like it. It shot fine and everything but just didn't care for it. I really like the Winchester. The Mrs. bought it for me when we were first married and knowing nothing about guns got it with just the shot barrel. Well that barrel just won't put two slugs in the same place for nothing. Works great for shot shells though. So I went to price a slug barrel for it and at over $200 decided to buy the Remington for a little over $300. In my opinion for the price range you are looking at it would be awfully hard to beat an 870. They are proven to be a great reliable shooter. But as stated before it all boils down to the best fit and feel to you. And please do us all a favor do not buy a .410 and go deer hunting. What ever you decided I hope you have many great years pursuing after game.


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## chazman321 (Dec 7, 2007)

I use a .410 for small game and took my first deer with a .410 using slugs. I like the 20 ga. also. And 12 ga. works as well. It's all in how you feel. I like the .410 and sold my 12 ga. because I hardly ever took it out. I wouldn't hunt turkey with the .410, but everything else, sure...


Chaz60yardshotsman321


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## wader (Dec 9, 2004)

I have taken game with all three, but i would never carry a .410 these days for anything other than quail or squirrels. I feel like a 12 gauge gives you a little bit more range when firing shot, it also creates a larger pattern, giving more killing potential. However, I had the opportunity to shoot my buddy's 20 gauge 870 on a dove hunt this summer, and I have to admit that it is one sweet little shotgun. Slim receiver and comb, feather light, and pointed pretty darn good. I have also seen him kill a groundhog with a saboted slug from 96 paces with that darn thing, without a scope.....


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## stumpsitter (Jul 3, 2004)

Do any of you Remington 870 guys have trouble with slugs jamming?


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## jeffmo (Apr 7, 2004)

i had an 870 wingmaster for almost 25 years and never had the 1st problem with it.i passed it along to my nephew as a college graduation present this last spring so it would stay in the family.
buy one,take care of it and it will last you a life time!


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## ezbite (May 25, 2006)

wave warrior said:


> i bet we could hunt BUFFALO with that EZ!!!!



sure, just not this sunday.lol..


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## yakfish (Mar 13, 2005)

Hey thanks for all the comments. I have been looking at the 870 and thought that it might be a good choice. I looked at one at a couple places and have read up on it a little bit. I was wondering what the difference was between between a slug barrel and regular barrel. are you able to shoot a regular shot shell through a slug barrel without dammaging it? It looks like 12 or 20 gauge is going to be the better choice.
Thanks for all the replys.


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## ezbite (May 25, 2006)

yakfish said:


> I was wondering what the difference was between between a slug barrel and regular barrel. are you able to shoot a regular shot shell through a slug barrel without dammaging it? It looks like 12 or 20 gauge is going to be the better choice.
> Thanks for all the replys.


the difference between a slug barrel and a regular barrel is the bore (and/or choke), sights and how long it is. you can shoot shot thru a slug barrel, some have iron sights and some have an extending arm to mount a sight too(cantilever), but your pattern would be very poor. most slug barrels are cylinder bore and around 24". your regular barrel is usually 28" w/screw in choke tubes. they do make rifled screw in chokes (for slugs) for regular barrels. i have no experience with them. i like the fully rifled cantilever barrel. with that set up when you change barrels the scope comes off with the barrel and doesn't need resighted in when you put it back on. it never leaves the barrel. i feel it is also much more accurate than the saddle type mounts. theres many options out there. good luck with your choice.


one more thing you will need to concider when choosing a slug barrel is what do you plan on shooting out of it. smooth bore will shoot both rifled slugs(cheapest) and sabot slugs(most accurate from a rifled barrel). your better off not shooting rifled slugs thru a rifled barrel, for a rifled barrel shoot sabots.


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## chazman321 (Dec 7, 2007)

yakfish said:


> Hey thanks for all the comments. I have been looking at the 870 and thought that it might be a good choice. I looked at one at a couple places and have read up on it a little bit. I was wondering what the difference was between between a slug barrel and regular barrel. are you able to shoot a regular shot shell through a slug barrel without dammaging it? It looks like 12 or 20 gauge is going to be the better choice.
> Thanks for all the replys.


You sure can, however, the rifeling will spin the shot as well, which can really spin the shot, causing a very large shot pattern. Think sawed-off shotgun pattern.

I know a couple buddies that use a screw-in rifled choke in their smooth bores, and the accuracy is just about the same as a fully rifled barrel. Try looking for the combo packages that include a slug barrel. If you can't find one, just buy the rifled choke, it's cheaper than buying another barrel...

On my Mossberg, I used the rifled choke and I had a red dot scope mounted tot he gun itself. It worked very well up until I sold it...

Chazwhateverworksman321


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## M.Magis (Apr 5, 2004)

The slug barrel included in a combo is typically not rifled. I think it was already mentioned, but the only difference is it's shorter, with an improved cylinder choke, and rifle sights. A rifled choke is not equal to a rifled barrel, but that's another discussion.


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## yakfish (Mar 13, 2005)

M.Magis said:


> The slug barrel included in a combo is typically not rifled. I think it was already mentioned, but the only difference is it's shorter, with an improved cylinder choke, and rifle sights. A rifled choke is not equal to a rifled barrel, but that's another discussion.


are the slug barrels sold with the combo very accurate even though they are not rifled?


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## Toxic (May 13, 2006)

stumpsitter said:


> Do any of you Remington 870 guys have trouble with slugs jamming?



None what so ever. I own 2 12's and 2 20'sg 870's and have never had any problems with any of them jamming. I went with a 870 for my primary deer gun because of it being a pump. I learned a long time ago from waterfowling, and from being in the military a lot can go wrong with auto-loaders in cold weather. They require a lot of TLC in cold climates.


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