Help me clear up some confusion I have regarding this shotgun. My father recently gave me one and it's probably 50 years old.

It's called "Deerslayer" and it has rifle sights. However, the barrel is a fixed, full choke. I'm no expert on shotguns but doesn't a full choke preclude the use of slugs or buckshot of appropriate size for deer? When I think of a smoothbore shotgun for deer, I think improved cylinder.

Fixed full chokes work fine with buckshot. In some shotguns, a fixed modified choke will pattern buckshot better than full. But the shot size (#4, #1, O, 00, 000) affects patterning too.

The older Foster-style slugs work fine with full choke. Not sure about any of the newer designs.

Don't know about the choke marking but I remember those barrels were supposedly a tighter bore than usual for gauge.

Thanks for the info, guys.

Most of the Foster style (rifle slug, no sabot) are labeled safe for any choke. I would suspect that a constant diet of slugs through tight chokes will tend to open them up. I think the best as far as accuracy goes is IC or Cylinder. I can get 1-1/2" 50 yard groups out of my 18.5 " IC slug barrel. I consider that acceptable for deer out to about 75 yards which is fine for hunting in heavily wooded areas. It probably wouldn't cost too much to open that tight choke a bit if it's a concern to you.

According to Thomas Swearengen in The World's Fighting Shotguns, Ithaca spent 6 years developing the Deerslayer barrel. The Deerslayer was introduced in 1959 with a 26" barrel, and Ithaca began offering the DS with a 20" barrel in 1963.

My family has shot quite a few deer over many decades with a Model 37. I don't think there was ever any accuracy issues. Of course, we were only shooting a couple rounds every year though.

I have a Deerslaye 20" made in 1967. I took the rifle to a range that had an 18" hanging steel plate 100 yards out. I lined up the sights on the plate and sent a Brenneke slug downrange.

PINGGGGGGG

Yessir

My late uncle doted on his Deer Slayer. Mid '70's gun I'd guess. The thing would certainly shoot slugs.

Personally I don't think any choke is too small for traditional fosters slugs. (what shoots better than others varies from gun to gun, load to load)

I believe the worry with tight chokes is repeated use with removable chokes and their fine threads.


Shoot away. They're great guns. I have my dad's, it was the first gun I every took in the woods. It's long overdue to go again.

Thanks everyone. I'm going to take it to the range and enjoy it!