Hi all. Wondering if anyone can give me a recommendation on a good, affordable shotgun for hunting small (birds, rabbits) and large (deer) game? I want to buy one for my dad who been a small game hunter for most of his life, but wants to try out deer hunting next season. I've seen shotguns that come with two barrels... one for regular shot shells and then another for slugs, and I'm thinking that this is the kind of shotgun that would work best. Pump is fine but would prefer Semi-Auto and want to stay in an affordable price range, maybe under $600 or $700?

Your best bet is a pump since that is normally what comes with the barrel combos. They are also easier to maintain and are just as quick in the right hands. Practice

 

870 FTW

 

If you wanna try mine out sometime we can shoot it at clinton

Remington 870, hands down. You can buy one with a 30" barrel and the Remchoke system, to get interchangable chokes for birdshot and buckshot. Also, pick up a rifled slug barrel and within seconds, you can switch to incredibly deadly sabot slugs for long-range deer work.

Mossberg 500 12Ga Field/Deer combo

28" Vent Rib barrel

24" rifled slug barrel

Comes with a scope too.

 

About $450 MSRP.

Remington 1100 in 12gauge or 20gauge. Great gun. I liked the 12 gauge so much I bought the 20gauge for bird hunting. I got the 20gauge lightweight magnum (not made any more, but tons for sale on GunBroker.com). It's light enough to carry around for hours, and the recoil is really nice because it's a 20gauge autoloader. But you can use magnum shells to reach out for longer shots. And they made slug barrels for it.

Best of all worlds. The 12 gauge only gets taken out now for clays.

Thanks guys. I'm probably going to buy one for myself too, as my shotgun although it's a great gun, is stictly a small game shotgun. It's an old Ithaca semi-auto that I picked up for next to nothing about 20 years ago. It's an Ithaca 300XL, manufactured by SKB. Bought it used, but in awesome condition for $80! I just checked online recently and have seen them going for $250 used.

Remington 870, hands down. You can buy one with a 30" barrel and the Remchoke system, to get interchangable chokes for birdshot and buckshot. Also, pick up a rifled slug barrel and within seconds, you can switch to incredibly deadly sabot slugs for long-range deer work.

 

Looks like Remington doesn't make the 870 with a 30" barrel any longer. Their website says that model is discontinued... but they do still make them with 28" and 26" barrels. I'll have to check with my FFL to see what kind of price he can get for me on one.

Mossberg 500 12Ga Field/Deer combo

28" Vent Rib barrel

24" rifled slug barrel

Comes with a scope too.

 

About $450 MSRP.

 

I don't know much at all about Mossies... but the reviews I'm reading online seem to be pretty mixed. Do you own one of these? If so, how do you like it?

Remington 1100 in 12gauge or 20gauge. Great gun. I liked the 12 gauge so much I bought the 20gauge for bird hunting. I got the 20gauge lightweight magnum (not made any more, but tons for sale on GunBroker.com). It's light enough to carry around for hours, and the recoil is really nice because it's a 20gauge autoloader. But you can use magnum shells to reach out for longer shots. And they made slug barrels for it.

Best of all worlds. The 12 gauge only gets taken out now for clays.

 

Thanks Chris... I'll have to check that out!

I have a mossberg 500, but not that model. I like it but some people have issues with the safety being on the top (Tang safety).

870 is what I'll be using this deer season

I have a mossberg 500, but not that model. I like it but some people have issues with the safety being on the top (Tang safety).

 

I dont mind the safety being on top... I have owned guns like that before and never bothered me. I think I'm kind of leaning towards the Remmy though...

I dont mind the safety being on top... I have owned guns like that before and never bothered me. I think I'm kind of leaning towards the Remmy though...

The Mossberg is the more ergonomic shotgun (better safety and slide release placement, better shell lifter position etc.) but the Remington is more robust and has a higher build quality.

 

It's tough to find one gun that will do both types of hunting well. The 500 and 870 are good pumps in general, but the 12ga models can get heavy for upland/small game and don't have the best actions for accuracy with a slug. I spent about the same money you have budgeted for one gun and bought two: for small game, a vintage Stevens 20ga double barrel which is light, points beautifully and has a different choke pattern on each barrel. For deer, I bought an H&R Ultra Slug Hunter in 20ga with a decent scope. It's heavy and drives tacks. Big, slug-shaped, lead tacks.

 

I don't mean to turn you off of the idea of getting one gun. Lots of game has been taken by the humble 12ga pump or semi over the years. I just wanted to present some other options.

I actually find the slide release better on the remington. I reach foward with my trigger finger and can hit the release from there. It is easy to hit without looking, too

I actually find the slide release better on the remington. I reach foward with my trigger finger and can hit the release from there. It is easy to hit without looking, too

You must have a pretty long trigger finger to reach up and around the trigger guard to the left side like that. You aren't talking about the bolt release button from a semi-auto remmy, are you?

Pfft - it's easy as heck on a mossberg... but then again I have one with a pistol grip... Just slide my thumb up.

You must have a pretty long trigger finger to reach up and around the trigger guard to the left side like that. You aren't talking about the bolt release button from a semi-auto remmy, are you?

 

Nope. Maybe I shift my hand up a bit while doing it, but I know its super easy and I dont even have to look or think about it.

Nope. Maybe I shift my hand up a bit while doing it, but I know its super easy and I dont even have to look or think about it.

Everybody's built differently, I suppose. Not that it matters on a hunting shotgun, but I absolutely can't reach the release without breaking my shooting grip. The Mossberg's release is nicely nestled between the pistol grip and the trigger guard and I can easily depress it with my middle finger without shifting. I'm not a Mossberg fanboy, by any means (those wobbly action bars and foregrip don't exactly inspire confidence) but I do think they got a few things right.

Remington 870! I would go with a 12, but 20 would suffice.

If buying a pump, go with the 870, definitely a better gun. The first gun I ever bought was an 870 express combo, I still have it and shot a lot of game with it. As for the Mossberg, I have one of them too and would have to say the Remy is better.

I know everone loves their pumps, but keep an autoloader clean and it is just as reliable with everything but light target loads.

All you mossy and remmy fan-boys... ITHACA, for the win.

All you mossy and remmy fan-boys... ITHACA, for the win.

 

I'm with ya on that one, Dan. My 12 gauge Ithaca 300XL semi-auto is about 42 yrs old, and shoots like a new gun! I love that shotgun and won't ever get rid of it. Only problem is that I can't shoot slugs with it, so it's mainly a small game gun. That's why I'll need to get something new for deer hunting.

I'm with ya on that one, Dan. My 12 gauge Ithaca 300XL semi-auto is about 42 yrs old, and shoots like a new gun! I love that shotgun and won't ever get rid of it. Only problem is that I can't shoot slugs with it, so it's mainly a small game gun. That's why I'll need to get something new for deer hunting.

You can't shoot slugs that need a rifled barrel, but you could shoot Foster slugs (the actual slug is rifled, so the barrel doesn't need to be). Or is it something about an old shotgun that prevents it?

You can't shoot slugs that need a rifled barrel, but you could shoot Foster slugs (the actual slug is rifled, so the barrel doesn't need to be). Or is it something about an old shotgun that prevents it?

 

Probably a choke.

You can't shoot slugs that need a rifled barrel, but you could shoot Foster slugs (the actual slug is rifled, so the barrel doesn't need to be). Or is it something about an old shotgun that prevents it?

 

Hmmm... Don't know. I always thought my old Ithaca was a bird/small game gun. The barrel seems light, so I don't know if it's OK to shoot slugs... and probably wouldn't do it unless I knew for sure it was safe.

Probably a choke.

 

The barrel doesn't have a choke. It's a plain barrel.

The barrel doesn't have a choke. It's a plain barrel.

 

You can shoot foster(rifled) slugs through any shotgun barrel up to modified choke(best results are with an open choke though). LEGALLLY, you won't be able to hunt with it though, because NJ State Law requires deer hunters using slugs to have some form of adjustable sights on their shotgun. Nothing wrong with buckshot though... Buy several different brands/shot sizes and take them to the range. You should be able to get a good hunting pattern for up to 50 yards, which should be sufficient for most of NJ.

Should have made this thread a polling question.

 

I vote for the 870...