20 gauge slug vs 12 gauge buckshot?

[Pullstart 62,800]

Last hunting season, I had the Mossberg 500 12 gauge misfire.  I believe there’s an issue with the firing pin, as all the dimples in the shells had been regularly offset.  My father inlaw’s 12 gauge is a short barrel off brand.  The perfect brush gun, if you will.  Can!t bust it, but can’t 100% rely on it’s accuracy.  I have a Mossberg 500 20 gauge that is dialed in just fine at 50 yards, likely as far as I need to shoot.  (Read: I am not confident in my own aim when there’s a deer past 50, I get pretty excited still!). I have 20 gauge slugs, but would 12 gauge buckshot be any more of an advantage with a not so accurate gun?  @Ed Kennell @WHX24 all y’all hunters?  Where I hunt, rifles are not allowed.

[bottjernat1 2,190]

Here is what we used in my wifes 20 gauge.  https://www.dunhamssports.com/product/20_gauge_bonded_sabot_260_grain_slug_ammunition/S0001352335.html

[WHX?? 48,793]

My first deer gun my dad bought me  was a 20 ga. Ithaca pump action deer slayer with a short barrel slug barrel and open rifle sights. 

Alot like this one tho not quite as fancy and nowhere's near expensive. 

https://ithacagun.com/product/deer-slayer-ii/

 

Bet he didn't pay over 150 for it which was a sum in the early 70s.

It doubled as a squirrel and rabbit gun but not much of a pattern as would be expected for a barrel with no choke. 

To my sadness he sold it but replaced it a few years later with a Winchester Model 94  in 30.30. cal. which I have and still use to harvest to this day. I know he paid $80 for the Winnie circa 1974. Imagine that look what they go for now!! 

 I think he figured the 20 would not be enough in heavier deer woods. Back then rifles were not allowed in many counties here and the land we hunted then was much more open than woods up north. 

 

I think with the proper shells and sighting in and practice a 20 would make a fine brush gun or even open land shooting as long as you know the limitations of it's down range knock down power and your own abilities to make a clean kill at a given yardage.  Stay with no more than 260 grain slugs. 

 

Still a 12 with riffled slugs and a dedicated slug barrel would be preferred. Just for that extra bit of down range.

 I often say its not the type of gun but the hands of the shootist it's in.  

 

I've never been a fan of buckshot in any gauge but don't have a ton of experience with it. 

 

If you need ammo best get lookin now Kev lots of shelfs cleared off I been told. 

 

 

Edited November 5, 2020 by WHX24

[Pullstart 62,800]

I am plenty confident with my 20 and some Winchester or Remingtons tossing down range, and as mentioned I just don’t shoot past 50 for personal preference.  A few years back I dropped a doe at about 100 yds and she bled all over, but got up and walked off.  I should have planted her in the head when she was down.  We tracked her 2 miles and lost blood.  We were deep into state land and disrupted 2 hunters’ sit unfortunately and neither would offer help though the blood trail had to have meant they watched her walk by.

1. I can’t stand that she probably died soon after we lost her, but we searched high and low for blood or tracks of any type and she just plain disappeared in the middle of a mossy sand patch.  All sign just gone.

 

2 I don’t NEED the meat to survive.

3 I want to be dang sure of my shot placement and ability to drop the deer.  My stand seems to funnel them quite well and being 20+ feet up, I can watch them for the better of 3/4 mile in any direction.

[WHX?? 48,793]

17 minutes ago, pullstart said:

she just plain disappeared

Been ther done that.

 

17 minutes ago, pullstart said:

sure of my shot placement and ability to drop the deer.

Practice practice and more practice. What's that what sweaty Uncle Teddy says... you hunt with a bow best be practicing a hundred arrows a day from all angles and possible shots. Hence the reason I wield a crossbow these days.. my shoulders would not tolerate that. 

 

 

Many guys I know that are slug enthusiasts are confident out past 100 yards but they have rigs set up to do it. Slugs because of their weight drop quite abit so scopes with elevations are required. It's amazing what they have these days for slugs.... saboted, riffled, magnums.

Back in the day we just grabbed a trusty old Remington wing master stuffed some slugs in it and had go at it. We couldn't afford anything else. 

Edited November 5, 2020 by WHX24

[Achto 27,509]

1 hour ago, pullstart said:

I had the Mossberg 500 12 gauge misfire.

 

If the Mossberg 12ga is yours, I suggest passing it off to some poor sap & pick up a Remington model 870. There is a reason why the 870 has been so popular for so long. As far as slug vs shot, I believe that a slug has better knock down power. Is there any way that you could add a slug barrel to your FIL gun? 

[Darb1964 1,042]

I have taken many deer with buck shot, 12 gage with 000 three inch works well. I took a few with a sixteen gage years back, I think you can only get number one buck shot for sixteen and twenty gage. I don't use it much without snow, blood trail usually not good, very seldom complete pass through, shot in hide on opposite side of hit. In my opinion the deer and track job you describe did not die. Not sure where you hit it, unless gut shot, my experience would lead me two that conclusion. I have taken over eighty deer in my life,that don't make me an expert by any way,every hit and deer is different, you did dew diligence to that deer, why the other hunters it went by didn't finish it not sure unless they were unable to tell it was hit.

[Pullstart 62,800]

8 minutes ago, Achto said:

 

If the Mossberg 12ga is yours, I suggest passing it off to some poor sap & pick up a Remington model 870. There is a reason why the 870 has been so popular for so long. As far as slug vs shot, I believe that a slug has better knock down power. Is there any way that you could add a slug barrel to your FIL gun? 

I’d rather fix the ‘Berg than invest in his... but for now I have my trusty 20 and grabbed some 12 buck shot while in town today, so I might have a go at the steels a bit and decide.

[BOB ELLISON 2,981]

I used a mossberg in my younger days and it was a fine gun. I hunted 🦌 with it and used buck shot . I shot a doe at about 15 yards with 00 buck and she was never seen again. I've never used it again. I never had a slug barrel  for it but at 50 yards I could hit a deer .

[Darb1964 1,042]

The mossberg is a good gun, the fire pin spring is weak or dirty. The 870 is also a fine gun and have the best numbers sold of any pump, I like the model twelve Winchester, that is the sixteen I used for years, unfortunately they have not made them in many years. I bought a Smith and Wesson super twelve twenty something years ago from my brother, and that now is my deer gun.

[bottjernat1 2,190]

30 minutes ago, Achto said:

 

Remington model 870. 

I own 3  870's great gun!

[Darb1964 1,042]

They use buck shot as back up on dangerous game in Africa, its devastating to say the least. Every pellet is travelling at the same speed as a slug, it has very good energy out as far as a slug. I have killed, thinking off hand, three with one pellet, all boiled down to where they hit the animal, regardless of slug, buck shot, arrow,or high power rifle. At fifteen yards buck shot and slug would have very little difference in so called knock down power, knock down power is a term that is without science backing it up. 

[Pullstart 62,800]

31 minutes ago, Darb1964 said:

The mossberg is a good gun, the fire pin spring is weak or dirty. The 870 is also a fine gun and have the best numbers sold of any pump, I like the model twelve Winchester, that is the sixteen I used for years, unfortunately they have not made them in many years. I bought a Smith and Wesson super twelve twenty something years ago from my brother, and that now is my deer gun.

I’ll tear it apart for a good cleaning then before replacing anything!

 

On the same topic, I bought it used from Cabelas or Gander Mtn, not sure.  Not know it’s history, can dry firing damage anything?  I have heard it can, heard it can’t.

[DennisThornton 4,769]

7 minutes ago, pullstart said:

I’ll tear it apart for a good cleaning then before replacing anything!

 

On the same topic, I bought it used from Cabelas or Gander Mtn, not sure.  Not know it’s history, can dry firing damage anything?  I have heard it can, heard it can’t.

I have a Mossberg pump and I don't know if dry firing can hurt it or not but I remember dry firing a breakopen and listened to and watched the end of the firing pin roll down and out of the barrel.

 

Don't give up on your Mossberg!  It and the Rem 870 are the most popular pumps out there!

[Yossarian 208]

10 minutes ago, pullstart said:

I’ll tear it apart for a good cleaning then before replacing anything!

 

On the same topic, I bought it used from Cabelas or Gander Mtn, not sure.  Not know it’s history, can dry firing damage anything?  I have heard it can, heard it can’t.

On most modern guns dry fire won't hurt a thing. The exception being rimfires. Even if you bought the Mossy used, the factory should take care of it if a good cleaning doesn't fix it.

[WHX?? 48,793]

41 minutes ago, Darb1964 said:

knock down power is a term that is without science backing it up. 

I beg to differ.... 

http://www.shooterscalculator.com/bullet-kinetic-energy.php

 

 

Older guns should never be dry fired but yes not so with newer stuff. The school of thought is it can break the firing pin or mess up main spring. 

https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/SearchDisplay?categoryId=&storeId=10651&catalogId=10551&langId=-1&sType=SimpleSearch&resultCatEntryType=2&showResultsPage=true&searchSource=Q&pageView=&beginIndex=0&pageSize=16&searchTerm=snap+caps#facet:&productBeginIndex:0&facetLimit:&orderBy:&pageView:grid&minPrice:&maxPrice:&pageSize:& 

 

Agreed on the Mossy fellas, my turkey gun is a 500 and one of the better pumps I own. Yours might just need a little smithing Kev. 

Edited November 5, 2020 by WHX24

[ACman 7,618]

12  or 20 gauge with slugs Kevin snd save the buckshot for home security.  The Mossberg is a good gun (I’m a Remington fan) but just to rattley for me . As for your barrel why not upgrade to a rifled barrel. You can get them with open sights or with a cantilever scope mount . Sure the saboted slugs cost way more but your accuracy goes way up . With my 870 with a 24” fully rifle with scope (it’s a mossberg made for the 870) I could hold a 5-6” group at 100yrds using 3” Winchester hunter supreme sabot slug . With this setup I shot a buck at 184yrds ( I was holding my crosshairs well above its back) with a witness. You just need practice and know what your bullet climb and fall is . With my slugs 25yrds is the same at 100 but in between the slug acutely rises 3” or so . After 100yrds the bullet drops off pretty quickly. On your slug packaging there should be a ballistic graph to show you what the bullet rise and fall should be at different yardages . 

[Skwerl58 702]

The twenty is fine with a slug for deer. Just know poi at different ranges. If it has a ventilated rib get some of the adjustable sights for the rib and replacement fiber optic front sight and you should  love it,usually less than $30.00 for the set. By the way I have 00 and #4 buck for home defense, they are for short range. I shot a buck at 20 yards a few years back and tracked him and never found him. Have a great season and I am now headed out for a little muzzle loading deer hunting with my T/C Renegade!

[Stormin 9,981]

1 hour ago, WHX24 said:

Older guns should never be dry fired but yes not so with newer stuff. The school of thought is it can break the firing pin or mess up main spring.  

 

Don't know about the spring, but did bend the pin on a single barrel shotgun.

[Darb1964 1,042]

3 hours ago, WHX24 said:

I beg to differ.... 

http://www.shooterscalculator.com/bullet-kinetic-energy.php

 

 

Older guns should never be dry fired but yes not so with newer stuff. The school of thought is it can break the firing pin or mess up main spring. 

https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/SearchDisplay?categoryId=&storeId=10651&catalogId=10551&langId=-1&sType=SimpleSearch&resultCatEntryType=2&showResultsPage=true&searchSource=Q&pageView=&beginIndex=0&pageSize=16&searchTerm=snap+caps#facet:&productBeginIndex:0&facetLimit:&orderBy:&pageView:grid&minPrice:&maxPrice:&pageSize:& 

 

Agreed on the Mossy fellas, my turkey gun is a 500 and one of the better pumps I own. Yours might just need a little smithing Kev. 

Kinetic energy is very science based, if knock down is being substituted for that, yes you are right.

[12Horse Paladin 1,038]

I shoot...alot. Broomstick are are a hobby of mine...

Ive had 12s and 20s, emphasis on had...

At the range you specify, with the right slug (in, not the most modern or powerful slug, but one that hits where you need it to), out to 50yrd...your deer won't know the difference.

Ive owned/used 20ga for yrs now; dont even own a 12. I see no need out to the practical ranges needed for. Thats home or hunting (most all well inside 50yrds; more like 30 to 40).

YMMV; goodluck with whichever you choose.

[WHX?? 48,793]

41 minutes ago, Darb1964 said:

if knock down is being substituted for that, yes you are right.

Yep knock down is hunter slang for down range energy.

 

Edited November 5, 2020 by WHX24

[briankd 817]

9 hours ago, pullstart said:

but would 12 gauge buckshot be any more of an advantage with a not so accurate gun?

i never herd of using buckshot for deer hunting here in ohio it shotguns only or black powder . been 20 yrs since i been out and got my last buck . around here i use a Remington 1100 auto with rifle slug barrel no problem out to 100 yards using sabot slugs.  

[Ed Kennell 38,028]

Three things Kev. 

 Shot placement

Shot placement

Shot placement

 

If you are confident the 20 will fire and put the slug where you aim,  That's the one to use.

Any slug 12, 16, 20 , or .410 in the boiler room will kill a whitetail  

I am not a fan of buckshot for deer.

 

[WHX?? 48,793]

8 minutes ago, briankd said:

 using buckshot for deer hunting here in ohio it shotguns only or black powder  .  i use a Remington 1100 auto   

Is that the whole state or just some counties? 

I had a 1100 once too .... anyone ever notice guns are alot like tractors... wished you would have never sold your favs?!?!