First time buyer

[scotmak]

Hello All, I am looking to purchase my first slug gun for deer hunting. I have bow hunted for years but I would like to add a good gun into the mix. I’m looking at the Supernova 12ga. I would greatly appreciate any and all advise of those who hold a greater knowledge of slug gun deer hunting. Please remember I am relatively new to guns so advise on anything from barrel length to scopes helps. Thanks.

[Nikolai552]

You looking for smoothbore shotgun or rifled barrel shotgun? Rifled is sabot slugs only and smoothbore is your standard smooth barrel that can use shot and rifled slugs.

[Novaking]

The Nova is a great gun. If you want a rifled slug barrel it will be hard to find. Smoothbore barrels will get you about 50-60 yards. some less, Very few more.

[Nikolai552]

50-60? i can do 75 with my 18.5".

[ppro]

scotmak

The Nova or Super Nova is a very good choice for deer hunting with slugs.

The interior quality of the Benelli barrel is better and easier to clean up after shooting slugs than most other manufacturers barrels. This is no doubt, due to the industrial hard chrome and smooth finish inside the barrel.

The Nova and Super Nova are very accurate with slugs that the gun likes and I would expect that you should have no trouble taking deer out to ranges of 75 or 80 yards with ammunition that the gun likes. You will have to do some testing and shooting to see what you and the gun like so plan to spend some time at the range both getting used to the gun and to determine the range you are comfortable with regarding shot placement and accuracy.

I have a few of my Nova's set up with scopes, my turkey gun with a red dot and I also use the regular rifle site version but any should work well enough for deer hunting. My eyes are not so good any more so the scopes and red dot help some.

Pick the barrel length of your choice but, I prefer the shorter barrel lengths in general for moving through brush or in general, for other than bird hunting.

good luck

Paul

[Novaking]

Very few more.

as I said Niko

[jrambo80]

The Nova is a great gun. If you want a rifled slug barrel it will be hard to find. Smoothbore barrels will get you about 50-60 yards. some less, Very few more.

I had shot at 150 meters with 28" M2 smooth bore barrel with Modified choke using Brenneke slug and only 8 inch out of dot center of target paper.

[grayghostsafaris]

I struggled with slug guns for years. I finally bought a Benelli slug barrel for my SBE. Best money I ever spent. Tried several loads but when I put the Winchester Supreme through it...bingo. My first slug buck with the new rig was 100 yards away. Dead on. I have no worries out to 150 yards. This combo is very accurate. FYI: I have a Nikon 3x9x40 camo (to match my SBE) mounted on it.

[Butch-M]

I shoot ... an SBEII w/Zeiss 3-9x40mm since 2004 for deer. I've taken deer out to 147 yards flawlessly. Probably killed 60 deer with it in the mud, blood, crud, rain & snow. It's fast and reliable. Liked Winchester Platinum Tips; now shoots Federal Barnes Expander Tipped best. Personally, I don't like pumps if you can afford the auto-loader.