Mossberg 500 vs Handi-rifle for birds and deer

[mattri]

Looking to pick up a shotgun for hunting birds and with a rifled barrel, deer.

Can get a Mossberg 500 with both barrels pretty cheap.

Can also pick up a NEF and then get a slug barrel off of the classifieds page.

The Mossberg has the advantage of being a repeater for those quick follow up shots.

The NEF is a very simple, bulletproof design. 

Does one have an edge accuracy wise? 

Looking at 20 gauge.  Will use the smooth barrel for pheasents etc, then switch to the rifled barrel for deer in the fall. 

Any and all suggestions welcome. 

[blind ear]

If you are talking quail or dove where you can have multiple shots, I would go with the Mossberg, quick follow up shots.

[mattri]

Thanks for the reply. 

The 500 being a pump is a real advantage when hunting birds.

Does anyone know if one or the other is more accurate when using the slug barrel? 

[Dee]

A Mossberg 500 is a a shotgun that will last a lifetime and then some. You can, as you say, hunt deer with a rifled barrel, birds with a smooth bore barrel, and you also have one of the most issued police action shotguns in the U.S. so you can protect your home with it also.

[tcencore3006]

My 500 killed every deer I ever shot at. I'd say it was accurate.

[cwlongshot]

Wing shots require proper fit to be consistently accurate. For me the H&R's do not offer it... I am much more a Remington 870 fan than a Mossberg 500 fan. But even the 500 fits me well enough for me to hit what I shoot at with regularity. This is far too personal a thing to be of any benefit form any opinion.

If your asking about slugs. then the H&R in a Tracker II or a USH will likely prove far more accurate. The removable barrel of the 500 doesn't offer nearly the stable platform that the H&R will. Personally I owned two rifles Remington barrels. Neither would do better then 2" at 100. The first day out with a USH provided me with one hole 100 yard groups. That same USH will do better at 100 than that Remington cantilever did at 100.

So for me on winged game, I choose the 500, for slugs hands down the H&R will prove superior.

CW

[blind ear]

For a 100 yd slug gun the mossberg will cover with some slug unless something is wrong with the gun, not likely. With some effort on your part it will get farther than 100 accuracy. Energy past that point can be a problem for some folks. ear

[Lon371]

 I love my Mossbergs and H&R's. I have killed loads of critters and Deer with my Mossberg. It is great for birds and clays. But I have not had a new slug barrel to compare to a H&R Ultra Slug. I tried using a couple used slug barrels on my Mossy with no luck. Could have been I did not try enough variations of slugs.  On the upside. I have killed every Deer inside of 75 yards with my vent rib barrel bead sights  that I have ever shot at. This last year is the first time in many years my Mossy did not go Deer hunting. Only because I now have a H&R .357 Maxi 

 I do have an Ultra Slug 20. Very accurate! See profile pict  I know one fellar with a tracker. He will not hunt Deer with anything else.

 I do know guys who use the Mossberg with slug barrels with great success. Mine was just bad used barrels or like I said, I gave up before finding the right slug.

 If you shoot inside 100 yards I say go with the Mossberg. Then save the funds for an H&R rifle if legal in your area for deer.

Lonny

 PS In my opinion, you can not go wrong with either.

[tacklebury]

I picked up a nice Mossy 500 20 ga Bantam for $210 with both barrels and several chokes last fall.  Have done some skeet shooting, but not much more.  My step-brother took a double lung deer shot with a remington copper slug this fall though and it knocked it sideways about 2 feet and it never got back up.  It's a nice combo and there are nice ones available for a reasonable price. 

[yooper77]

Looking to pick up a shotgun for hunting birds and with a rifled barrel, deer.

Can get a Mossberg 500 with both barrels pretty cheap.

Can also pick up a NEF and then get a slug barrel off of the classifieds page.

The Mossberg has the advantage of being a repeater for those quick follow up shots.

The NEF is a very simple, bulletproof design. 

Does one have an edge accuracy wise? 

Looking at 20 gauge.  Will use the smooth barrel for pheasents etc, then switch to the rifled barrel for deer in the fall. 

Any and all suggestions welcome.

Any Mossberg hands down over any Handi.

yooper77

[steg]

One of the few times while small game hunting I had a pair of ringnecks go up right in front of me, the chance for a perfect double, and I was hunting with the gun I carried in the truck at the time, yep a single shot savage, my oun fault for not taking the time to go home and get my pump that I owned at the time, I never made that mistake again.............steg

[dpastordan]

I have both.  When folks are looking for a first firearm for general hunting and deer, I usually steer them to a Mossberg 500 (in most places I was living in slug only areas - being a solider for 20 years, a lot of military bases limit firearms for big game to shotguns). 

My go to gun for many years was an H&R topper with modified choke.  I knew where the slugs flew out of it...and it was a good for most of my small game hunting - rabbit, squirrel, dove...I have been impressed with the Single shot slug guns offered by H&R. 

I have a Mossberg with three barrels - normal VR with chokes; a smooth bore slug barrel and a rifled slug barrel.  It has taken me awhile and an investment of slugs to find out what shoots well in the smooth bore.  Also, I find if I rest the forend when shooting at the range, the recoil causes the forearm to pump out the fired round.  So far best ones out of the smooth bore are the Federal Tru-Balls.  I was luckier with the rifled barrel as the first slugs I bought were Remington low recoil Buckhammers. 

The Mossberg is a slug model that came drilled and tapped.  I put a mount on but the recoil has caused the scope and rings to fly off no matter how tight I screw them on. 

[Swift One]

But I have not had a new slug barrel to compare to a H&R Ultra Slug

I have to agree with this.  My friend has an H&R ultra 12ga that will honest to god put 3 300gr SST slugs inside 4-5" at 250yds.  We did it time and time again and it will do it.  However, for versatility  Its tough to beat the 500 combo.

[cwlongshot]

But I have not had a new slug barrel to compare to a H&R Ultra Slug

I have to agree with this.  My friend has an H&R ultra 12ga that will honest to god put 3 300gr SST slugs inside 4-5" at 250yds.  We did it time and time again and it will do it.  However, for versatility  Its tough to beat the 500 combo.

Mine will do it too!!!

Here is three Buck Hammer 12Ga rounds, fired form my USH at 100 yards... Bottom hole is a double.



Here is five rounds...



CW