I shoot open sights on a slug gun. Unless you have see thru mounts, then maybe.
Missed a deer before with a rifle. Too close and moving for the scope, never got off a shot.
Red dot maybe, never had one mounted on a gun to know if I would like them.
The slug alone is only good for so far, so I see no need for a scope.

 

Illinois will allow straight-walled centerfire cartridges in single-shot rifles this season, so I'll be using my CVA .44 magnum Hunter. Up until this season, I used a 12-gauge Remington 870 smoothbore with a rifled choke, often taking deer near 100 yards across a grassy field. I shot handloaded Slugs-R-Us with the help of a red dot scope. At 50 yards, tennis ball sized groups were common. In my experience, the CVA .44 magnum is more accurate with much less recoil than my 12- gauge Remington 870.

 

I have a red dot (Bushnell TRS-25) on top of a Savage 24 Predator in 30-30 / 12 gauge combination rifle. Red dot is really for rifle barrel use, but if used with slugs, I think it will work as well if not better. The red dot is faster to use than irons for me. But it does add some bulk.

I hope this helps. It is a good question.

 

I have a red dot (Bushnell TRS-25) on top of a Savage 24 Predator in 30-30 / 12 gauge combination rifle. Red dot is really for rifle barrel use, but if used with slugs, I think it will work as well if not better. The red dot is faster to use than irons for me. But it does add some bulk.
I hope this helps. It is a good question.

Pic snipped because....

And yes, this is the direction I would go. Well, honestly - went just last week. Old Mossy 500, pattern is thrown waaay off the bead, so I put my own TRS-25 on with an UTG mount (well made, aluminum, rock solid after a dozen turkey loads and 10 slugs). These Bushnell TRS-25 sights rock btw - sub $100 on amazon, lifetime warranty, sips at the battery, and rock solid on every gun I've put it on, 12ga and FN-FAL included.

I use a very similar 2moa sight (AT3 RD50, also lifetime warranty and sub-$100) on my AR SBR in 22lr, my 9mm SBR, and I have one cowitnessed on my AR w/ A2-like sights. Also ran one solo on my 762x39 Howa bolt gun, it absolutely rocked in the role but due to my eyesight I wouldn't want to push a shot past 125 yards or so....

 

When I was younger, I just used rifled sights for years and killed deer every year. Now that I am older and my eyesight isn’t as good, I prefer to use a scope on my slug gun. A 2-7x would work well. I use a 3-9x and leave it on the lowest power in case a deer comes in close and then just turn it up if one steps out farther away. I have never had a problem doing it that way.

 

I always used sights when I was younger but after 40 I found a scope more useful. If you keep your scope set on 2x short range shots should not be an issue. I have a 2-7 Burris on my Benelli M1 12ga. It's kept on 2x and I can only think of one time when I had to crank it up to 7x for a rare shot across and open pasture. Never had any problems with typical eastern forest shots when set on 2x..

 

My vote is for a red dot or some sort of halo sight.

 

A 1 or 2x to whatever power variable should be as quick or quicker than irons if you shoot with both eyes open, or a least it is for me, on the lower powers.

 

Yup a 1x or 1.5x on the low end makes it easy on movers.
Even a 2X is decent.
Done it at 4X and like the lower powers better when stuff is close n fast.
My main deer rifle wears a 2-7X and my latest rifle a fixed 2.5x, but these are woods rigs.
If a deer came out at 100 -200 yards and I was at 2X I'd just pop him.
IF I knew his rack wasn't busted up (that's where the higher mag comes in handy).

 

I used a Remington 870 with iron (fiber optic) sights (Williams) on a rifled slug barrel for many years. I now have a Savage 220 with 3-9x40 Lupold it's a complete game changer! To address the close range with a scope question, last year i shot a doe at about 12 yards with it, on lowest power you can find the front shoulder no problem.
I prefer optics.

 

Only two deer I shot with shotguns, were killed with the factory beads on full length sporting barrels, and 00 Buckshot. It can be done with plain beads, or iron sights, or scope; really depends on what gives you the most confidence.

 

Only two deer I shot with shotguns, were killed with the factory beads on full length sporting barrels, and 00 Buckshot. It can be done with plain beads, or iron sights, or scope; really depends on what gives you the most confidence. View attachment 437915

That picture reminded me of an old long past friend and hunting buddy. He only owned one shotgun,a Savage 311 20ga double bbl.. He used for it all of his upland and deer hunting. He was a man who introduced my Dad to deer hunting and was still hunting when I started in my teens and twenties. A simple man of great wisdom and values.

 

I shot deer with a smoothbore topped with a bead.
I shot deer with rifle sights.
I have shot a lot of deer with a scope. Just cant get my eyes to work with iron sights and haven't been able to for years.

 

bead./irons

 

I used to hunt deer on the military bases near me. Quantico allowed shotgun with slugs for deer.
I used a 12 gauge Ithaca with a deer slayer barrel for years. Worked great kicked like a mule…
Put a 4x Nikon scope on my Ithaca 20 gauge to cut back on the kick and increase my visibility.
I never had any problems with deer being too close to see clearly through the scope.
I had friends that scoped 12 gauge’s… they learned that that scope will cut you up when it smacks above the eye…😳

 

My old Mossy 500 took deer out to 100 yards using the double beads.

 

It seems an LPVO would be an obvious choice. Bushnell Elite 1-4x24 would cover almost all the bases for under $200. Bushnell Prime 1-4X32 under $150.

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A red dot or a low power scope are probably ideal. For the kind of shots you will probably take, a red dot will work fine.

 

I killed a cheap red dot mounted on a 590 I have. Might be worth spending little extra money on.

 

Instead of the 2-7x32, I have mounted a 2.5x20 Simmons that I bought here 15 years ago. Since so many people are recommending red dots, I will keep that in mind.

 

Gun season closed today. We hunted all three Saturdays of gun season. No hunting on public land on Sunday in my area.

We didn’t see deer until today, but there was no safe shot since the deer were between a road and us. Disappointing, but I have a few conclusions.

As much as people recommend the red dot, I think I need at least a little magnification. The hunting is a mix of fields and hardwoods and some of the fields are big.

Related to that, I think we need to start bringing binoculars.

Lastly, it might be my eyes or the old scope, but I want better optics. For the time being, I can shift a 2-7x32 from my son’s rimfire to the shotgun. Not great, but cheaper than buying another scope.

 

The 2-7x scope seems like a solid choice, offering flexibility for both longer-range and closer shots in varied landscapes like forests and fields.

Personally, I can see the appeal of having that extra magnification for precise aiming, especially if you spot a deer at a distance where details matter. On the flip side, close-up shots might feel a bit more natural without a scope, allowing for quicker target acquisition. It might be worth considering how comfortable you are with using a scope in different hunting scenarios.

If you're still mulling over your decision, I came across a couple of thought-provoking articles discussing scopes on shotguns and effective deer hunting strategies.

 

Bsawyer, we highly recommend binoculars particularly in the woods. The curve of an antler / leg hovk and the eye- nose shine is far easier to spot. I like focus free binoculars for speed, but you need to be able to take in a lot of detail.

 

Years ago hunting the southern tier of New York state I bought a Winchester 1300 12 ga. fully rifled barrel slug gun. At that time you could not use rifles. That has changed but anyway I scoped it with a Leupold M8 4X rifle scope and used it for several years. I killed four deer in three years there at ranges from 10 to 125 yards. I shot a buck running by me at full speed at 10 yards and killed him with a 3" BRI slug through both shoulders! I kept both eyes open for that shot. Ha! The next year I killed a buck standing at 125 yards with the same combo. I recommend a scope not to exceed 4x or a 2x7 variable.

 

I run a Rem 11-87 cantilever , topped with a Nikon 3-9 slug scope. Shotgun has put a pile of deer in the freeze. Change out the sear, and spring for the Timney 870 fix. What a game changer for the firearms it fits. Rifle trigger on the shotgun now.

 

+1 on a low power scope... 2 1/2 power fixed.
I hunted deer for decades this way. Started out with iron sights on a Remington 870 with a rifled barrel.
But the advantage of a low power scope is this: It gathers light. So it extends your shooting light at just the time when deer are most likely to appear.

A second advantage to a low powered scope is this: no movements required. Sit totally still while you listen to the deer approach. Shoulder the rifle when its head goes behind a tree. Squeeze the trigger when its vital area emerges. No twisting of variable scope, no messing with binoculars. I always hunted from a tree stand or a ground blind, or else still hunting VERY slowly. I mostly hunted where the brush was so thick you couldn't SEE a hundred yards.
So it was more like bow hunting.

If you move, the deer dodges into the thick stuff... gone. If you fidget, you never see anything.
My experience with shotgun hunting is: shoulder the rifle, find the spot and squeeze the trigger in one smooth motion, or shoulder the rifle when the deer can't see you do it, and shoot when you have a clear shot.

You usually only ever get one shot. After I became a bow hunter, I switched to a 20 gauge NEF
single shot with a rifled barrel (& iron sights) during gun season. I had bought that weapon for
my girlfriend who expressed an interest in going "hunting with the guys..."
She did it too, and went to the range and shouldered that little gun and fired a decent group at 25 yards. But she decided that deer hunting was "pretty cold..." and only went a few times.

She gave me back the single shot... I went out and killed a deer with it. I decided a rifled 20 gauge shooting Remington Copper Solids was the world's best deer gun for brushy swales and corn fields. I would have mounted a low power scope on the NEF, except they didn't build it with that capability. It was a hundred dollar gun, the farmer's friend. Gunsmith couldn't drill it for scope. But that combination of weapon and ammo was deadly on deer... Every deer I hit with a copper solid went down fast.

With iron sights, just KNOW your effective range and don't take wild shots beyond it.

 

Every deer I hit with a copper solid went down fast.

One of my favorite slugs! Too bad they discontinued them, bought a bunch of them. Down to five boxes. My 11-87 shoots them very accurately. Another slug, the Partition was another one that shot great, loaded by Winchester.

 

I also run a non magnified red dot on shotguns when slug hunting for deer and for coyotes with buckshot.