As the suburbs continue to encroach on deer habitat, game departments have become more restrictive about which bang sticks hunters may use when hunting in the deer woods. Whether you are looking to extend your season beyond archery and muzzleloader, or if sticks and strings and front stuffers are simply not what you are looking for, buying a slug gun does not have to break the bank.
Delaware, Iowa, Illinois, parts of Virginia and other areas all restrict their gun hunters to shorter-range firearms, and while muzzleloaders can offer more reach, they limit hunters to a single shot. Muzzleloaders have other drawbacks when it comes to unloading or when hunting in inclement weather. Meanwhile, due to recent advancements with slug barrels and load technology, shotgunners are no longer restricted to the imprecise 75-yard flight of a punkin’ ball. In fact, with today’s sabots and rifled barrels you can punch deadly groups at the range—and if you can control your nerves on a big buck—out to 150 yards.
Escort Semi Automatic Slug Cantilever Shotgun
The Escort slug shotgun features a built-in cantilever for scope or red dot sight mounting.
The Escort Slug Gun features a weather-beating polymer stock intended for sabot slugs only. Every Escort comes with sling swivel studs and stock adjustments shims. Standard features include a magazine cut off for loading single rounds and an easy to reach adjustment screw for changing from normal to magnum loads. Barrels are made of nickel chromium molybdenum steel. The Escort slug shotgun also features a built-in cantilever for scope or red dot sight mounting.
The cantilever also features a fiber optic rear sight in concert with a rifle-style fiber optic front sight. Escort Slug shotguns incorporate fast-twist rifled barrels made by Badger Defense. The Badger Defense cut rifling process assures the best uniformity of the barrel’s interior dimensions and is stress-free to the barrel metallurgy.
Price: $335
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Harrington & Richardson Tracker II Slug Gun
Harrington & Richardson Tracker II is available in both 12 and 20 gauge models and is one of the most affordable slug guns in its class.
The H&R Tracker II is a slightly slimmed down version of H&R’s Ultra Slug Gun—a lightweight (5 ¼ pounds) with a 24-inch fully rifled Ultragon barrel, walnut-finished hardwood stock, sling swivel studs and recoil pad. It’s available in both 12 and 20 gauge models and is one of the most affordable slug guns in its class.
Price: $230
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Harrington & Richardson Ultra Slug Hunter
Harrington & Richardson is known for its single-shot slug gun accuracy, and the Ultra Slug Hunter sits at the pinnacle of the performance and value.
Harrington & Richardson is known for its single-shot slug gun accuracy, and the Ultra Slug Hunter sits at the pinnacle of the performance and value. The Ultra Slug Hunter is unfailingly dependable, easy to carry and exceptionally accurate out to the farthest reaches of shotgun range. The Ultra Slug Hunter’s single-shot action offers a strong lockup and stout build to create an inherently precise platform.
Another major contributor to its ultra-tight grouping capability is the Ultragon Rifling. It uses six oval lands and grooves without the sharp corners of traditional rifling. This system imparts stabilizing spin on your slug without distorting the sabot jacket or exterior of your slug, leading to a better gas seal, higher velocities and more consistent flight characteristics.
The walnut-stained American hardwood stock has a Monte Carlo comb that allows better cheek weld and eye alignment with optics attached to the included scope mounts. Available in 12-gauge and 20-gauge (24-inch heavy barrel) models.
Price: $330
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Mossberg Maverick 88 Slug
Maverick 88 barrels are compatible with Mossberg 500 model barrels within gauge and capacity.
The Maverick 88 Slug Pump Action is manufactured under Mossberg’s watchful eye, and delivers solid pump-action performance. Available in 12- and 20-gauge with 24-inch barrels, the matte finished slugger boasts a grooved fore-end, synthetic stock and comes with adjustable rifle sights.
Maverick 88 barrels are compatible with Mossberg 500 model barrels within gauge and capacity and include a cross-bolt safety in front of the trigger for speed and convenience.
The choke tubes on the Maverick 88 are fully interchangeable with Mossberg Accu-Choke tubes. 88 model barrels are equipped with 3-inch chambers and handle factory 2¾- and 3″-inch loads and are capable of firing lead, steel or other non-toxic loads.
Price: $230
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Mossberg 500 Slugster
To deliver the accuracy potential of modern sabot slugs, the 500 Slugster models feature fully rifled, ported barrels with a variety of sighting options that include an integral cantilever scope mount base.
Mossberg is certainly at the head of the pack when it comes to bargain-priced slug guns that ooze quality. The Model 500 Slugster is available in both 12- and 20-gauge models. To deliver the accuracy potential of modern sabot slugs, the 500 Slugster models feature fully rifled, ported barrels with a variety of sighting options that include an integral cantilever scope mount base. The dual comb combos add the advantage of quickly and easily changing stock dimensions between a high comb for scope sighting and the low comb for iron sights.
Price: $330
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Mossberg 535 ATS Slugster
The 535 ATS is the ultimate, all-around pump gun, loaded with features usually found on shotguns costing much more.
Rugged and reliable, the 535 ATS is the ultimate, all-around pump gun, loaded with features usually found on shotguns costing much more—all built into a lightweight design that’s easy to carry into the field. The Model 500 Slugster, which is available in both 12 and 20 gauge accommodates three-inch shells, holds six rounds (magazine plus chamber), boasts a fully rifled 24-inch barrel.
The 535′s “All Terrain” flexibility is best appreciated in the field. It’s chambered to handle 12 gauge, 2 ¾-, 3-, and even 3 ½-inch magnum loads, for maximum stopping power. The Uni-line receiver design assists in fast target acquisition. With the Trophy Slugster cantilevered scope mount system, barrels can be swapped without disturbing a well-sighted scope. The sleek barrel profile, coupled with a shortened magazine tube, provides a comfortable balance and swing.
Price: $300
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Remington Model 870 Express Synthetic Deer
The 870 Express Synthetic Deer handles quickly in cover and is ideal for youth and smaller-statured hunters.
With a 20-inch barrel and weatherproof matte black synthetic stock, the 870 Express Synthetic Deer handles quickly in cover and is ideal for youth and smaller-statured hunters—thanks to the one-inch reduction to the Monte Carlo-combed stock length compared to the wood version. The Model 870 Express Synthetic Deer features adjustable, rifle-style open sights.
Price: $420
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Rossi Trifecta Single Shot Rifle and Shotgun Matched Set
Why buy one gun when you can get three for the price of one?
Why buy one gun when you can get three for the price of one? The Rossi Youth Trifecta Single Shot Rifle and Shotgun Matched Set has everything you need to get a youngster up to speed and shooting. Start with the .22 Long Rifle for cheap training and small game. Then swap barrels for either the .243 Win. or 20-gauge rifled barrel. The Trifecta features a black synthetic adjustable stock with removable cheek piece.
Each barrel has a custom front sight. The .243 Win. or .44 Mag. (different combos) barrel includes a scope mount base that accepts any standard Weaver-style rings. With the cheek pad in place, the stock is perfect for using the .22 LR barrel’s fiber optic sights or for the .243 Win. or .44 Mag. barrel with a scope. Drop the cheek piece and you are ready to use the shotgun barrel with the bead sight.
Price: $319
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Stevens 320 Pump
The Stevens 320 Pump Security model with rifled sights can claim deer out to 90 to 100 yards using quality Foster-type slugs through its cylinder bore carbon steel barrel.
Double duty is great, but what about triple duty? We are talking about the Stevens 320 Combo, which provides both flexibility and economy by including two barrels in one reliable package. Incorporating an 18.5-inch barrel and 28-inch barrel utilizing bead sights, dual slide action bars and synthetic furniture.
The Stevens 320 Pump Security model with rifled sights can still claim deer out to 90 to 100 yards using quality Foster-type slugs through its cylinder bore carbon steel barrel. The 12-gauge is all matte, holds a total of five rounds, weighs in at just less than seven pounds and is as good a value as you’ll ever find.
Price: $230
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Weatherby PA-08 Slug Gun Combo
The PA-08 combo includes a 28-inch field barrel and a 24-inch rifled barrel with cantilever scope mount base with a lightweight, durable injection-molded synthetic stock.
The Weatherby PA-08 Slug Gun features a ventilated top rib and brass-bead front sight to aid in target acquisition. The vent rib works to dissipate heat in the barrel, promotes a smoother swing-through and gives the shooter an excellent sight line for acquiring fast-moving targets. The PA-08 comes with three application-specific, screw-in choke tubes. The combo includes a 28-inch field barrel and a 24-inch rifled barrel with cantilever scope mount base and a lightweight, durable injection-molded synthetic stock.
Price: $380
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The mission of Cheaper Than Dirt!’s blog, “The Shooter’s Log,” is to provide information—not opinions—to our customers and the shooting community. We want you, our readers, to be able to make informed decisions. The information provided here does not represent the views of Cheaper Than Dirt!
