Quinte Fishing

Hey just got my new PAL. Looking to get new Shotgun for Deer hunting next fall. Any ideas ??
Just want to hear some feedback on what is good or Not.

Do not know what to buy. Asking my Quinte friends.

What do you use. Are you happy with it ???

Where should I go to purchase ???

I have Benelli love it, i have owned remington 1187 before the benilli ,and no comparison in my eyes

dido!

Depends on what you want out of it. Generally speaking...

Do you want it for the sole purpose of deer hunting, or also be using it for turkey and waterfowl etc. If you are looking for deer only, are you considering sabot slugs and a scope on it or use it as a brush gun with buckshot?
I have 2 deer set-ups for different situations. I have a scoped Mossberg 12 gauge with a cantilevered rifled barrel for times I set-up with long shots (fields and open areas) and an old iron sight 16 gauge bolt action smoothbore for times I set-up for 20-60 yards (swamps and thick woods). For birds, I use my Browning Silver. I love all of them, but each have a different purpose.

There are dedicated slug guns out there with unmatched slug accuracy and there are combo's out there with a slug barrel and bird barrel- good at both world's There are smoothbores for cheaper rifled slugs good for 75 yards and rifled barrels with expensive sabot slugs for +100 yards.

And depends on your budget. No doubt the three B's (Benelli, Berretta and Browning) are all top guns, but come with a top price ($1200-$2000). But you will also find guys out there who swear by their Mossberg 500 or Remmy 870's (350-500). Generally speaking.

For the where part, check out the thread "Sail Superstore" in the fishing section. Four pages worth of opinions there. If you are looking more locally, it boils down to Quinte Outdoors, Chesher's and Belleville's C. Tire. Accuracy plus in Peterborough is pretty good as well. I'm not sure about Napanee area or down in the county. Other than that, it's a trip to the big smoke to the west.

Curious, what did you use on the big guy you got last year?

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HUNT, FISH and RIDE

I was looking at a bolt action slug gun a while ago at canadian tire it was a savage 220 it was a 20 guage which would be good for deer at a distance im pretty sure it was $625. There is also a browning bolt action in 12 guage but its over $1000. there both at the cabelas site (the link brings you to those models)

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Really its personal preference. U need to evaluate what it is that suits your needs. Pick up several diff makes and models and if you have the opportunity try as many as u can and choose what feels best to you and that it suits your needs. That said I know your looking for personal opinions for food for thought so...., personally my recommendation for what its worth goes to the Beretta Xtrema 2 with kickoff. Incredible recoil reduction tames the most punishing loads. Extremely well built and an absolute joy to handle and shoot. Will cycle any load u feed it no problem no worries. Just my opinion from my experience. Only gun I own I would not consider selling, by far my most favorite gun I've ever owned I cannot praise it enough. I could not decide between it and Benelli then fortunately I was able to try both guns thanks to friends who own both. Both guns are well built but the Beretta felt best for me by far and far less felt recoil no comparison with magnum loads. I've had no regrets with my choice I love the gun absolutely love it.

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Family, Friends, Fish'n & Hunt'n! ;)

My suggestion is to consider what you will do with it. You said deer above, but will you also the same gun for turkey or waterfowl. This is the difference between choosing a smooth bore rib vent or a riffled cantaliever.

If you have the gun scoped, how it pulls up to your cheek is far less important.

Pump vs semi vs bolt...I have a semi, Bought it for waterfowl, use it for turkey as well and planned to use it for deer this year but didn't hunt.

Recoil-maybe if you were going to be shooting it a bunch, but I can honestly say that while hunting I have never once felt recoil. Even with the heaviest of loads my excitment masks it. I do feel it target shooting and sighting in the gun each spring.

Everyone has their brand preference. I like my Beretta. It never fails me. If I were buying a deer shotgun now it would probably be an 870. It's probably the most versitile gun out there. You can get barrels and they don't cost a fortune, you can find aftermarket stocks and you can hunt all day with it then use it to paddle home...

I would shoulder as many as you can and find one that fits your budget. Matching the right ammo and practice is more important that the name on the stock.

Go Gangons in Oshawa ge has a USED slightly a 12 ga Browning BPS in camo complete with scope and sling for $600 tax in...... its a great gun hope its still around. Iwas there on Thursday.

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Fish,Hunt or die!

Sorry for the missed letters and words I got a new Blackberry...... small buttons with big fingers not a good mix.

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Fish,Hunt or die!

Thanks for the help gang. Have lots of time to research what I want. Just looking for Deer gun. Have good shotgun. Its smooth barrel. Looking for something a can reach out and touch them with. 100 yards plus.Anymore info will be great.

As you only plan to use it for Deer I would consider getting a rifled slug barrel for your current shotgun, if possible, since you are happy with it and it fits you well.

If you want a new slug gun setup consider a Remington 870 pump with a cantilever rifled barrel and a Bushnell XLT 2-7x 40 scope. They are reliable, accurate out past 100 yards (with quality sabot slugs) and won't break the bank. My brother has one and is very happy with it.

I hunt deer with a .308, but am looking into a slug barrel for my Winchester SX3. I've had it two years and am VERY pleased with it.

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Bruce Ogilvie

"Fish Hard, Hunt Hard, Live Hard"

http://www.muskiescanada.ca/

Good point on getting the slug barrel for your current gun.

Only problem I've seen so far with a slug setup for long distance is the cost of the slugs you need to buy to do it. At $5 a shot for a quality sabot slug, target practice gets real expensive, real fast. And different slugs can have a big difference in POI at that distance. Switching back and forth usually ends up just costing a lot of money sighting in different slugs. Best to find a slug that groups well out of the gun, then stick with that one.

Rifled slugs are half the cost of sabots, part of the reason I like my smoothbore, bolt action 16 gauge. I'm going to play some more with it this year, add a scope to see how good I can get it at 100 yards.

But I think if I was to consider getting a new slug gun to drive tacks at +100 yds, I'd be looking at the Savage bolt action.

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HUNT, FISH and RIDE

intresting topic its nice to see all the different views I have to admit i know very little about rifles because i grew up in a shot gun only area of NY so thats what me and all my fiends and everyone i know uses or used up until just a few years ago when they opened up rifle to a few areas and they did that basically because of the use of contenders or a single shot rifle cartrage.
Bottom line you go to any pie plate shoot before season and you will see every shot gun known to man kind being shot and honistly some guys cant hit the side of a barn with a slug and others just dont miss lol . so really its all about learning what you are using and how to use it........even just as importiant WHERE to use it......... i have shot over 100 deer in my life and none but a few have been over 50 yards the long shots all came with a smoke pole......... put yourself on a run in your comfort range and kill deer sit on the edge of a field you may never see a deer or miss alot of them wound a few or just send hail marys down range hoping you hit what yer shooting at .
as a rule a 20 guage is much more accurate at longer ranges less knock down yes but a well places shot dead is dead you just learn to track ............ myself i use a mossburg 500 i bought 30 yeras ago $169.95 brand new in the box with two barrles its beat all to hell got 34 buck knotched on the stock and looks like hell but its a killing machine thats done it all from turkeys ducks geese coyoties rabbits and deer.......... it makes noise in the forarm seems loose in the action but its never given me one problem in 30 years ....... I do own a browning an ithaca (I was born and raised in Ithaca) and a remington but i love that mossburg and my hand goes right for it when i open the case to go hunting. still shoot the old remington slugs but i also know im not going to shoot 100 yards to much kentucky windage for my liking lol i use open sights and hunt the bush where half the times a cant even see 100 yards let alone snake a slug that far down range to actualy hit something . i do my homework find the runs or picnhes your past experiance in knowing where pressured deer pinch out and put myself in possition , to me this is the true meaning to the word HUNTING ,,,,,, so bottom line really is know your limitations learn your wepon well and enjoy the hunt after all killing is just the icing on the cake so to speak. but i will admit thats easy to say when ive hunted my whole life in an area with a high deer population , i think when i start hunting here next year i could have a huge eye opening experiance to hunting lol ill let you know how i make out next season lol and will say right here and right now the bow and arrows is my true weapon of choice when it comes to hunting deer ,I have bow hunter over 30 years now and last year is one of two years that i did not kill at least one deer with the bow and thats only because i never made it out huntin because of my move to canada and a new job that just didnt give me the time to hunt .

I agree Grizz. Most of my deer have been under 40 yards. Most have been with the bow though. That and I like to hunt the thick swamps. But my longest shotgun shot was dang all but 100 yds with a rifled barrel and sabot slugs. It also happens to be the biggest rack I got. Although there was this one girl...oops, off topic there:) That was from my old beat up Mossberg 835 that has never failed me as well. I bought it as a combo shortly after they came out with the 3.5" (1991 maybe?). Still using it.

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HUNT, FISH and RIDE

Too true Grizz. 20 ga is balistically superior to a 12 ga as far as throwing slugs goes. Most of my deer have been under 40 yards as well, and only a handfull over 75 yards. Especially in the Canadian Shield bush where I've hunted the last dozen years. Very few spots you can see 100 yards.

Totally agree that the best gun to use is one you are familiar with and have confidence shooting within a predetermined range. I've often said the firearm only has to be more accurate than the shooter. Smooth bores will certainly do the job within their effective range, used to carry one (old winchester model 50)every Dec in New Jersey, back in the early 80's when you were lucky to see a deer in season up here. Took a few deer with it, and no problem putting one in the boilermaker within 60 yards.

I hear what adventure is saying about the cost of sabots to, the reason I recommended the rifled barrel, sabots and scope is that Sknkmn specified a 100yrd tack driver. All in all, your firearm of choice is just a tool, and no substitute for practice, woodsmanship and passion. I've just got into bow hunting the last few years, love the challenge, and get a huge kick out of having deer under your stand at less than 40 yards, but they have no idea you are there.

Sknkmn, let us know what you get. Always interesting to get the feedback of others. That's why I enjoy this board so much.

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Bruce Ogilvie

"Fish Hard, Hunt Hard, Live Hard"

http://www.muskiescanada.ca/