Info / Experience

[Grizzly Johnson]

My dad has an old Ithica pump shotgun that has a 30" full choke ribbed barrel and a 24" slug barrel with rifle sights. It has a 2-3/4 chamber and he says it also had a dovetail for mounting a scope.

Anyone used one of these for deer hunting? Just wondering if this is something I should pursue for hunting on AEDC WMA since I don't have a muzzleloader set-up yet.... and use with good results.

 

[Hunter 257W]

Ithaca was one of the 1st companies to advertise a shotgun as a deer gun with their "Deerslayer" model. It was a smooth bore and had standard open sights. You probably won't get accuracy equal to the best rifled guns of today, but it should give acceptable accuracy for thick cover. If I were going to use it, I'd buy several brands of standard(Non-sabot) slugs and shoot a group with each to see what the gun likes best.

I've always had a soft spot for Ithaca 37's personally. They are light to carry and pretty to look at with their trim lines and small reciever. I have never owned one with a slug barrel though so have no experience in that area beyond what I've read.

 

[Grizzly Johnson]

Thanks for the info...

 

[DaveB]

I take it the slug barrel is not rifled.

Yes, get a regular deer slug and zero it same as any other rifle. This was what I shot on my first deer hunt ever. Highly recommended some form of shoulder protection as the recoil is noticeable. Range is limited-100 yards is a long shot. You will be in minute of deer accuracy.

I saw one rolled with a one ounce slug.

 

[Grizzly Johnson]

I take it the slug barrel is not rifled.

Yes, get a regular deer slug and zero it same as any other rifle. This was what I shot on my first deer hunt ever. Highly recommended some form of shoulder protection as the recoil is noticeable. Range is limited-100 yards is a long shot. You will be in minute of deer accuracy.

I saw one rolled with a one ounce slug.

He doesn't think the slug barrel is rifled.... I had been using a scoped 870, hunting the same area, with good results. I just don't have that 870 any longer.

 

[JimFromTN]

Just look down the barrel with a light at the other end. If its rifled, you will see the rifling. If its smooth bore, try fiocchi rifled slugs.

 

[Grizzly Johnson]

Just look down the barrel with a light at the other end. If its rifled, you will see the rifling. If its smooth bore, try fiocchi rifled slugs.

I don't have it in my hands yet.... My dad was just going off memory when he was telling me about it over the weekend.... I need to go see him and look for myself.