Hey Just starting to deer hunt too poor to muzzleload too clumsy to bowhunt what to use shotgun vs. rifle?

Question

A friend suggests a .270 I have a 12 gauge I've used for bird hunting can you 12 gauge hunt deer with slugs? Does that trash the meat? Any info greatly appreciated.

Everyone was right I went looking for muzzleloaders clearly the way to go....

Answer 1

I gun hunt in Arkansas with my Mossberg 835 Ulti-Mag 12 guage shotgun almost every year. I use a "Modified" choke and Remington 3.5 inch 00 buck shells.

Its a great forest or scrub brush gun. You can use slugs if your inclined too. You don't have to own a expensive rifle and an expensive scope to be a successful hunter.

Miketyson26

Answer 2

Bowhunting is a very different game.
Is it hard to learn how to shoot a bow? No
Is it hard to hunt with? Yes

Muzzleloading too costly?
Aside from a few military surplus rifles, the muzzleloader IS the cheapest way to go for buying a new gun (besides adding a barrel to a shotgun). Probably not the best choice for a beginning rifle hunter. But with prior gun knowledge, I'm sure you can do it. They range from 150-300 for a decent one.

Depending on the shotgun, you might be able to buy a additional barrel that is rifled for deer slugs. It's a 100-150 yard gun (considering 90% of deer are killed about 50 yards)
If you're exploring deer hunting, this may be the best option.

If you think you're going to serouisly get into deer hunting each and every year, I'd personally get a rifle unless you like the looks of the shotgun. It's a "styling thing".
30-30 from marlin is a good choice
Howa, Savage, and Mossburg make good affordable bolt action guns that will do the job in either 270, 308, or 3006. I'd lean towards 30 cal.

I think the type of gun and action is going to come down to where you are hunting and how long shots may be.

EDIT
A 270 isn't always a better choice than a shotgun slug (with a rifled barrel). For shots under 100 yards, a 12ga would probably be prefered because of it's raw foot pounds, it's already large caliber hole, and penetration on odd angles.
I hunt in a rifle state and I use a rifle --- but shotguns are vastly underrated by the rifle crowd.

Answer 3

If you have a choice between a .270 and a 12 ga. shotgun and your statet allows deer hunting with a rifle, go for the rifle. A shotgun with either buck shot or slugs has a much reduced range when compared with that of a rifle. You can get better range from a shotgun if you have a rifled barrel for it but you apparently do not have such a barrel.
A shotgun slug probably does not mess up much more meat than a high velocity rifle bullet. The same is true for buckshot. Of course buckshot will make many more holes in the deer but they will be of a much lower velocity than a rifle bullet so the meat damage will not be as great as if they were moving at the same velocity as a rifle bullet. Bottom line, go for the rifle if it is allowed in your state.

Answer 4

Just an FYI, but muzzleloaders are not any more expensive than shotguns or rifles. The prices vary widely, just like the other two, but there are some pretty cheap ones out there. The ammunition is about the same price as well. Some states also have special seasons for them as well, so you can get some extra hunting in if you have a muzzleloader. They are also a little more fun and challenging to use than a rifle.

Answer 5

Muzzle loading is not for an impatient person. I takes time to learn and time to load. And time to wait for the deer to get close or give you that perfect shot.
Also you mentioned that the shotgun slugs might trash the meat. You are not suppose to be aiming at the meat. Aim at the lung/heart area. But with a shotgun or a muzzle loader you have to be close. And that means practice stalking and watching the wind and being quiet. When you can succeed in all those and you are dragging your big game animal out of the woods you are allowed to hold your head up high, cause you earned that animal and bagged it fairly.

Answer 6

its really not that hard to bow hunt. just takes a little practice and getting the right bow is key. a shotgun or a rifle is fine but i would lean more towards the rifle. mainly because you can take a much longer shot and if you are just starting to deer hunt, i imagine you have no idea of how to use calls or anything to get them close enough to be consistent with a shotgun. so, i would go with a rifle and a nice scope. i wouldnt recommend using iron sights for a beginner.

Answer 7

JD is right. There are places where deer hunting is shotgun-only. And big, slow chunks of lead tend to ruin less meat than smaller ones hurled really fast, so between the shotgun slug and a 270, it's a wash. You can also get a kit to make a front-stuffer for next to nothing, so I don't see how you get the "too poor" part. They're the cheapest option available.

Answer 8

It is all about accuracy, if your state allows the use of rifles, I suggest using one, increased distance is the main advantage to a rifle. A bow is not hard to learn, it just takes practice but I agree that it can get costly. A shotgun is fine with slugs or buck shot, you need the deer to get a lot claser than you do with a rifle but if your shot is properly placed then you do not have to worry about trashing the meat.

Answer 9

Brutus Maxius has been watching too many movies 400 yard shots with minimal practice
Please most people can't hit a target over 200 yards away
shotgun with rifled slugs and smooth bore will kill deer at 50 yards all day long I know killed lots of them at 50 yards with a smooth bore and rifled slugs
but a muzzle loader is probably the cheapest you can get
or another barrel for your shot gun with at least rifle sights if not a rifled barrel

Answer 10

Shotgun is A-OK, but I prefer the 30-06 if your going to hunt with a Rifle because it is more versatile and has a lot of different bullet weights to choose from.* When you have a 30-06 you don't need any other Rifle.*