Let's talk BuckShot

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Let's talk BuckShot (Page 1 of 3)

Posted: 8/10/2011 7:21:32 AM EDT

I just dusted off the old reloader and am cooking up either some buffered #4 or some 000 both would be for the upcoming hunting season.

Anyway, what's your flavor and why? I'm guessing most of you guys are going to go with 00 buck. What brand and what gun are you using?

Posted: 8/10/2011 7:25:02 AM EDT

[#1]

Great for home defense.

Not so good on game animals.

Just my opinion.

Posted: 8/10/2011 7:26:02 AM EDT

[#2]

00 Federal Low Recoil works well in my Benelli M1. Pattern is fairly tight to 20-25 yards with a buckshot choke tube. Bought a bunch at $120 per case (250 rounds) back in the day so I'm fairly well stocked.

Most of the IDPA shotgun matches around here require the use of slugs and birdshot ... rarely buckshot. ETA: I see you're a hunter; I don't hunt so YMMV with my input.

Posted: 8/10/2011 7:27:29 AM EDT

[#3]

Federal Premium LE 8-pellet 00 with Flitecontrol. All mine are 870s.

Posted: 8/10/2011 7:27:46 AM EDT

[#4]

00 buck in the Mossberg next to the bed.

Posted: 8/10/2011 7:27:52 AM EDT

[#5]

Brenneke Black magick magnum.

3" 5 shot group at fifty.
But you cant load them, sorry.

My cat is fubar and Im drinkin.

.

Posted: 8/10/2011 7:28:30 AM EDT

[#6]

Can't help you. 00 is all I buy (well, slugs too).

Posted: 8/10/2011 7:29:41 AM EDT

[#7]

I've had the best luck putting down deer with 3" magnum 000 and 00.

Also, pattern tightness is a big factor. You want a pattern that will hold at least within 36" at 50 yards.

Posted: 8/10/2011 7:30:29 AM EDT

[#8]

00 or 0 or #4. just depends on what i grab. this what i use to hunt dear. running dogs in SE GA. try to just use winchester as i have had rem and fed leak on me

Edit. i use moss 500, winchester 1100, benelli nova, browning shotguns

Posted: 8/10/2011 7:30:57 AM EDT

[#9]

#4 and 00. #4 has plenty of projectiles and adequate size for HD. Just for some extra oomph I have 00. I don't see the advantage of going up one more to 000 at this point. I'd rather do a 10GA if I wanna go higher.

Posted: 8/10/2011 7:33:35 AM EDT

[#10]

Buckshot is bullshit. It is a crippler of game. It is best suited to shooting men at living room distances, and even then there are better choices.

Posted: 8/10/2011 7:36:22 AM EDT

[#11]

I only use slugs when deer hunting.

Posted: 8/10/2011 7:38:18 AM EDT

[#12]

I wouldn't mind #1 for HD, but since the only thing I get easily is 00, that is what I will go with.

Posted: 8/10/2011 7:39:48 AM EDT

[#13]

Whatever Walmart has that day.

Posted: 8/10/2011 7:41:45 AM EDT

[#14]

Quoted:
I just dusted off the old reloader and am cooking up either some buffered #4 or some 000 both would be for the upcoming hunting season.

For hunting, I would prefer slugs, but if you want to use buckshot, get some Federal Flight Control buckshot, in 00 buck.

Posted: 8/10/2011 7:49:32 AM EDT

[#15]

Quoted:
Buckshot is bullshit. It is a crippler of game. It is best suited to shooting men at living room distances, and even then there are better choices.

You have to exercise control in choosing your shots, but a chest full of ten 000 will stop a deer just as dead as a rifle shot.

Also, you can't beat it for running shots. It's not easy to hit a running and jumping deer with a slug in the half a second before it's long gone in the trees. So you do want a little bit of spread as well, but not so much it becomes a crippler.

Posted: 8/10/2011 7:57:20 AM EDT

[#16]

If I were taking my 870 out for deer (20" rem-choke SP Barrel w/fiber optic sights) I'd load up some regular old "rifled" slugs - I've got a box of Remingtons in one of my ammo cans. This suits my hunting style & usual terrain just fine.The only time I would even consider buckshot for deer (and it would be #1 - 000), would be if we were running them with dogs & I had to take shots at running animals.

(Right now, the shotgun has a mag full of '0' buckshot, but thats for 'bucks' of the two-legged variety...)

Posted: 8/10/2011 8:00:40 AM EDT

[#17]

Federal 00 with Flitecontrol wad, or Federal Tru-Ball Slug.

Posted: 8/10/2011 8:10:01 AM EDT

[#18]

Quoted:

Quoted:

Buckshot is bullshit. It is a crippler of game. It is best suited to shooting men at living room distances, and even then there are better choices.

You have to exercise control in choosing your shots, but a chest full of ten 000 will stop a deer just as dead as a rifle shot.

Also, you can't beat it for running shots. It's not easy to hit a running and jumping deer with a slug in the half a second before it's long gone in the trees. So you do want a little bit of spread as well, but not so much it becomes a crippler.

I was a very successful bowhunter for many years before my elbows went bad. I've lived in shotgun only deer zones most of my life. I experimented with 00 Buck on hogs and coyotes. I shoot 15,000 moving targets a year.

Most guns won't pattern large buckshot worth a shit after 25 yards if your goal is to quickly kill a 150 lb. animal. Moreover, most guys will never pattern their shotgun and buckshot combo to know that in the first place. I wouldn't shoot at a deer moving any faster than walking. I take more than 1/2 a second to identify my target and decide if it's worth shooting. Buckshot does not kill as well as a rifle, because buckshot is buckshot and rifles are rifles.

Posted: 8/10/2011 8:12:11 AM EDT

[#19]

Quoted:

Quoted:

I just dusted off the old reloader and am cooking up either some buffered #4 or some 000 both would be for the upcoming hunting season.

For hunting, I would prefer slugs, but if you want to use buckshot, get some Federal Flight Control buckshot, in 00 buck.

Old_Painless nails it, as usual.

Posted: 8/10/2011 8:14:08 AM EDT

[#20]

Quoted:
I just dusted off the old reloader and am cooking up either some buffered #4 or some 000 both would be for the upcoming hunting season.

Anyway, what's your flavor and why? I'm guessing most of you guys are going to go with 00 buck. What brand and what gun are you using?

This is an impossible question to answer unless you reveal what you will be hunting.

I have 2 3/4", 3", and 3 1/2" loads with all kinds of stuff in it from slugs and 00 buck to #8.

Deer one thing. Coyotes another thing. Turkeys another thing. Geese another thing. Ducks another thing. Pheasant another thing. Dove another thing. Squirrels another thing. Cottontails another thing, etc.

So, what are you hunting?

Posted: 8/10/2011 8:18:47 AM EDT

[#21]

Quoted:

Quoted:
Buckshot is bullshit. It is a crippler of game. It is best suited to shooting men at living room distances, and even then there are better choices.

You have to exercise control in choosing your shots, but a chest full of ten 000 will stop a deer just as dead as a rifle shot.

Also, you can't beat it for running shots. It's not easy to hit a running and jumping deer with a slug in the half a second before it's long gone in the trees. So you do want a little bit of spread as well, but not so much it becomes a crippler.

I was a very successful bowhunter for many years before my elbows went bad. I've lived in shotgun only deer zones most of my life. I experimented with 00 Buck on hogs and coyotes. I shoot 15,000 moving targets a year.

Most guns won't pattern large buckshot worth a shit after 25 yards if your goal is to quickly kill a 150 lb. animal. Moreover, most guys will never pattern their shotgun and buckshot combo to know that in the first place. I wouldn't shoot at a deer moving any faster than walking. I take more than 1/2 a second to identify my target and decide if it's worth shooting. Buckshot does not kill as well as a rifle, because buckshot is buckshot and rifles are rifles.

Shoot deer with a rifle?!

They ain't elephants or nothin'!

(Said to me by a local Fudd after I suggested that if MD really cared about humane hunting, we'd do away with the stupid de facto prohibition on rifle hunting.)

Posted: 8/10/2011 8:19:58 AM EDT

[#22]

Quoted:

Quoted:
Buckshot is bullshit. It is a crippler of game. It is best suited to shooting men at living room distances, and even then there are better choices.

You have to exercise control in choosing your shots, but a chest full of ten 000 will stop a deer just as dead as a rifle shot.

Also, you can't beat it for running shots. It's not easy to hit a running and jumping deer with a slug in the half a second before it's long gone in the trees. So you do want a little bit of spread as well, but not so much it becomes a crippler.

I was a very successful bowhunter for many years before my elbows went bad. I've lived in shotgun only deer zones most of my life. I experimented with 00 Buck on hogs and coyotes. I shoot 15,000 moving targets a year.

Most guns won't pattern large buckshot worth a shit after 25 yards if your goal is to quickly kill a 150 lb. animal. Moreover, most guys will never pattern their shotgun and buckshot combo to know that in the first place. I wouldn't shoot at a deer moving any faster than walking. I take more than 1/2 a second to identify my target and decide if it's worth shooting. Buckshot does not kill as well as a rifle, because buckshot is buckshot and rifles are rifles.

Ive killed nine deer with buckshot and two got away. An 1100 with 000 3" out a 30" full choke will reach out past 25 yds..

Posted: 8/10/2011 8:21:39 AM EDT

[#23]

Quoted:

Buckshot is bullshit. It is a crippler of game. It is best suited to shooting men at living room distances, and even then there are better choices.

IMO, you use slugs for quadrupeds and birdshot for birds. Buckshot is only used for self defense or plinking.

Posted: 8/10/2011 8:26:55 AM EDT

[#24]

00 Buck is all I can get within a 2 hour drive, usually Winchester. I don't hunt with it, it just waits with the Mossberg in the closet.

Posted: 8/10/2011 8:28:22 AM EDT

[#25]

I have no use for buckshot outside of a defensive roll. The only way I would hunt with it is if that was my only legal choice. defensively I like 00.

Posted: 8/10/2011 8:33:53 AM EDT

[#26]

Quoted:
Ive killed nine deer with buckshot and two got away. An 1100 with 000 3" out a 30" full choke will reach out past 25 yds..

This is precisely what I'm talking about. You've lost 18% of the animals you've shot. That's an unacceptably high rate of loss. I personally would feel like shit about it and re-evaluate my choice in equipment and maybe work on my technique and methodology before trying the same failure prone way of doing things.

Each time you fire a shotshell, a random event (pellet dispersion) occurs. You can only quantify patterns as an average of the percentage of the number of pellet strikes within a defined diameter at a known distance.

All barrels pattern differently. All. Barrels. Pattern. Differently. Your 30" 1100 full choke will not pattern the same as another that came off the line that same day "all other things being equal"...and they are never equal.

Large pellet buckshot tends to generally pattern worse in tightly chokes barrels. The more constriction, the more pellet deformation, the more uneven surface resistance in flight, the greater the likelihood that the pellet will deviate from it's original flight path. You cannot overcome the physics.

Posted: 8/10/2011 8:42:56 AM EDT

[#27]

I have never fired a round of buckshot at an animal, and have no plans to. Even for pigs at spitting distance in the thick stuff I'd rather use a rifle

Now for my house, I prefer #1, But I'll use 0 or 00.

Posted: 8/10/2011 8:48:19 AM EDT

[#28]

Quoted:

Quoted:

Ive killed nine deer with buckshot and two got away. An 1100 with 000 3" out a 30" full choke will reach out past 25 yds..

This is precisely what I'm talking about. You've lost 18% of the animals you've shot. That's an unacceptably high rate of loss. I personally would feel like shit about it and re-evaluate my choice in equipment and maybe work on my technique and methodology before trying the same failure prone way of doing things.

Each time you fire a shotshell, a random event (pellet dispersion) occurs. You can only quantify patterns as an average of the percentage of the number of pellet strikes within a defined diameter at a known distance.

All barrels pattern differently. All. Barrels. Pattern. Differently. Your 30" 1100 full choke will not pattern the same as another that came off the line that same day "all other things being equal"...and they are never equal.

Large pellet buckshot tends to generally pattern worse in tightly chokes barrels. The more constriction, the more pellet deformation, the more uneven surface resistance in flight, the greater the likelihood that the pellet will deviate from it's original flight path. You cannot overcome the physics.

Precisely stated. Don't get caught up in the "blue whistler" myth, that only one pellet of buck shot is all it takes. You need to have a half dozen hits in each lung to deflate both, still cardiac reserve means the deer can run 400 yards. Even if you manage to land one blue whistler through the heart, it still will run. Buck shot has low velocity and crappy sectional density. About the only assured immediate knock down would be 3" #4 at 25 yards through an IC to Mod choke, pointed at the neck-head.

Shot shells kill from multiple hits, not from a single pellet wound.

Posted: 8/10/2011 9:01:14 AM EDT

[#29]

Quoted:

Quoted:

Ive killed nine deer with buckshot and two got away. An 1100 with 000 3" out a 30" full choke will reach out past 25 yds..

This is precisely what I'm talking about. You've lost 18% of the animals you've shot. That's an unacceptably high rate of loss. I personally would feel like shit about it and re-evaluate my choice in equipment and maybe work on my technique and methodology before trying the same failure prone way of doing things.

Each time you fire a shotshell, a random event (pellet dispersion) occurs. You can only quantify patterns as an average of the percentage of the number of pellet strikes within a defined diameter at a known distance.

All barrels pattern differently. All. Barrels. Pattern. Differently. Your 30" 1100 full choke will not pattern the same as another that came off the line that same day "all other things being equal"...and they are never equal.

Large pellet buckshot tends to generally pattern worse in tightly chokes barrels. The more constriction, the more pellet deformation, the more uneven surface resistance in flight, the greater the likelihood that the pellet will deviate from it's original flight path. You cannot overcome the physics.

I couldn't agree more! It's the Asshats wounding game that give all the real hunters a bad name. Using buckshot on quadrupeds is just plain asinine. It's illegal here, and should be illegal everywhere.

Posted: 8/10/2011 10:21:22 AM EDT

[#30]

Quoted:

Quoted:

Ive killed nine deer with buckshot and two got away. An 1100 with 000 3" out a 30" full choke will reach out past 25 yds..

This is precisely what I'm talking about. You've lost 18% of the animals you've shot. That's an unacceptably high rate of loss. I personally would feel like shit about it and re-evaluate my choice in equipment and maybe work on my technique and methodology before trying the same failure prone way of doing things.

Each time you fire a shotshell, a random event (pellet dispersion) occurs. You can only quantify patterns as an average of the percentage of the number of pellet strikes within a defined diameter at a known distance.

All barrels pattern differently. All. Barrels. Pattern. Differently. Your 30" 1100 full choke will not pattern the same as another that came off the line that same day "all other things being equal"...and they are never equal.

Large pellet buckshot tends to generally pattern worse in tightly chokes barrels. The more constriction, the more pellet deformation, the more uneven surface resistance in flight, the greater the likelihood that the pellet will deviate from it's original flight path. You cannot overcome the physics.

My first reply in this thread suggested a pattern within 36" at 50 yards with 000 or 00 for deer hunting with buckshot. All of what you said is condensed into that.

If you keep your shots to within 30 yards, with a gun such as above, and do not flub the shot , you have a very good chance of downing that deer. That's what I meant by exercising control over your shots.

Back in the 80s/early 90s, sabots/rifled barrels weren't as commonplace. More people hunted with buckshot around here. Commonly with a pack of hounds chasing them. Many would start out with a shorter barrel gun and modified, then quickly move to a longer barrel with full.

Beyond the academic discussion, I have actually seen deer killed with buckshot. I know what it is capable of when deer hunting.

I have seen a deer killed by a single No. 1 buck shot as well, shot in a Hale Mary by an older guy from over 100 yards. It entered the ham and went all the way through the heart.

A single buckshot through the heart will stop a deer after it runs about 30 yards. Just like a rifle round through the heart.

Posted: 8/10/2011 10:23:31 AM EDT

[#31]

Federal LE-123 00 Buck

Improved shot cup and copper clad shot. Hand-sized groups at 25 yards out of a standard 18" barrelled 870.

Posted: 8/10/2011 10:24:48 AM EDT

[#32]

Quoted:

Quoted:

Ive killed nine deer with buckshot and two got away. An 1100 with 000 3" out a 30" full choke will reach out past 25 yds..

This is precisely what I'm talking about. You've lost 18% of the animals you've shot. That's an unacceptably high rate of loss. I personally would feel like shit about it and re-evaluate my choice in equipment and maybe work on my technique and methodology before trying the same failure prone way of doing things.

Each time you fire a shotshell, a random event (pellet dispersion) occurs. You can only quantify patterns as an average of the percentage of the number of pellet strikes within a defined diameter at a known distance.

All barrels pattern differently. All. Barrels. Pattern. Differently. Your 30" 1100 full choke will not pattern the same as another that came off the line that same day "all other things being equal"...and they are never equal.

Large pellet buckshot tends to generally pattern worse in tightly chokes barrels. The more constriction, the more pellet deformation, the more uneven surface resistance in flight, the greater the likelihood that the pellet will deviate from it's original flight path. You cannot overcome the physics.

I couldn't agree more! It's the Asshats wounding game that give all the real hunters a bad name. Using buckshot on quadrupeds is just plain asinine. It's illegal here, and should be illegal everywhere.

If you don't think periodically losing a deer is part of the game, then you must not hunt much. I covered 5 miles tracking the secdond one I lost before it stopped bleeding. Gut shot with buck because I fucked the shot up.

Posted: 8/10/2011 10:28:58 AM EDT

[#33]

Quoted:

Quoted:
Buckshot is bullshit. It is a crippler of game. It is best suited to shooting men at living room distances, and even then there are better choices.

You have to exercise control in choosing your shots, but a chest full of ten 000 will stop a deer just as dead as a rifle shot.

Also, you can't beat it for running shots. It's not easy to hit a running and jumping deer with a slug in the half a second before it's long gone in the trees. So you do want a little bit of spread as well, but not so much it becomes a crippler.

I was a very successful bowhunter for many years before my elbows went bad. I've lived in shotgun only deer zones most of my life. I experimented with 00 Buck on hogs and coyotes. I shoot 15,000 moving targets a year.

Most guns won't pattern large buckshot worth a shit after 25 yards if your goal is to quickly kill a 150 lb. animal. Moreover, most guys will never pattern their shotgun and buckshot combo to know that in the first place. I wouldn't shoot at a deer moving any faster than walking. I take more than 1/2 a second to identify my target and decide if it's worth shooting. Buckshot does not kill as well as a rifle, because buckshot is buckshot and rifles are rifles.

Shoot deer with a rifle?!

They ain't elephants or nothin'!

(Said to me by a local Fudd after I suggested that if MD really cared about humane hunting, we'd do away with the stupid de facto prohibition on rifle hunting.)

God I hate that law. I don't mind using a shotgun, but the option to use a rifle would be nice.

Luckily, I have a friend who owns land out in Western MD where rifles are allowed.

Posted: 8/10/2011 10:49:48 AM EDT

[#34]

In my academy we used Federal 00 with the Flight Control wad. The other county there with us used Remington 00. At 25 yards their patterns were twice the size of ours.

Posted: 8/10/2011 4:08:56 PM EDT

[#35]

Quoted:

Quoted:

Ive killed nine deer with buckshot and two got away. An 1100 with 000 3" out a 30" full choke will reach out past 25 yds..

This is precisely what I'm talking about. You've lost 18% of the animals you've shot. That's an unacceptably high rate of loss. I personally would feel like shit about it and re-evaluate my choice in equipment and maybe work on my technique and methodology before trying the same failure prone way of doing things.

Each time you fire a shotshell, a random event (pellet dispersion) occurs. You can only quantify patterns as an average of the percentage of the number of pellet strikes within a defined diameter at a known distance.

All barrels pattern differently. All. Barrels. Pattern. Differently. Your 30" 1100 full choke will not pattern the same as another that came off the line that same day "all other things being equal"...and they are never equal.

Large pellet buckshot tends to generally pattern worse in tightly chokes barrels. The more constriction, the more pellet deformation, the more uneven surface resistance in flight, the greater the likelihood that the pellet will deviate from it's original flight path. You cannot overcome the physics.

My first reply in this thread suggested a pattern within 36" at 50 yards with 000 or 00 for deer hunting with buckshot. All of what you said is condensed into that. Three feet of dispersion for 12 pellets at 50 yards is insufficient.

If you keep your shots to within 30 yards, with a gun such as above, and do not flub the shot , you have a very good chance of downing that deer. That's what I meant by exercising control over your shots. Your previous post indicated you were "reaching out" much further than 30 yards. Which is it?

Back in the 80s/early 90s, sabots/rifled barrels weren't as commonplace. More people hunted with buckshot around here. Commonly with a pack of hounds chasing them. Many would start out with a shorter barrel gun and modified, then quickly move to a longer barrel with full. I'm not sure what this has to do with anything.

Beyond the academic discussion, I have actually seen deer killed with buckshot. I know what it is capable of when deer hunting. I tried explaining to you that I have too, along with hogs & coyotes. Don't let all the book learnin' frighten you.

I have seen a deer killed by a single No. 1 buck shot as well, shot in a Hale Mary by an older guy from over 100 yards. It entered the ham and went all the way through the heart. Anecdotal evidence and poor spelling notwithstanding, you hunt with fucking game slobs that have no respect and should have their hunting privileges revoked.

A single buckshot through the heart will stop a deer after it runs about 30 yards. Just like a rifle round through the heart. Facepalm.

You would not be welcome at my campfire.

Posted: 8/10/2011 4:19:00 PM EDT

[#36]

Quoted:

Quoted:

Ive killed nine deer with buckshot and two got away. An 1100 with 000 3" out a 30" full choke will reach out past 25 yds..

This is precisely what I'm talking about. You've lost 18% of the animals you've shot. That's an unacceptably high rate of loss. I personally would feel like shit about it and re-evaluate my choice in equipment and maybe work on my technique and methodology before trying the same failure prone way of doing things.

Each time you fire a shotshell, a random event (pellet dispersion) occurs. You can only quantify patterns as an average of the percentage of the number of pellet strikes within a defined diameter at a known distance.

All barrels pattern differently. All. Barrels. Pattern. Differently. Your 30" 1100 full choke will not pattern the same as another that came off the line that same day "all other things being equal"...and they are never equal.

Large pellet buckshot tends to generally pattern worse in tightly chokes barrels. The more constriction, the more pellet deformation, the more uneven surface resistance in flight, the greater the likelihood that the pellet will deviate from it's original flight path. You cannot overcome the physics.

My first reply in this thread suggested a pattern within 36" at 50 yards with 000 or 00 for deer hunting with buckshot. All of what you said is condensed into that. Three feet of dispersion for 12 pellets at 50 yards is insufficient.

If you keep your shots to within 30 yards, with a gun such as above, and do not flub the shot , you have a very good chance of downing that deer. That's what I meant by exercising control over your shots. Your previous post indicated you were "reaching out" much further than 30 yards. Which is it?

Back in the 80s/early 90s, sabots/rifled barrels weren't as commonplace. More people hunted with buckshot around here. Commonly with a pack of hounds chasing them. Many would start out with a shorter barrel gun and modified, then quickly move to a longer barrel with full. I'm not sure what this has to do with anything.

Beyond the academic discussion, I have actually seen deer killed with buckshot. I know what it is capable of when deer hunting. I tried explaining to you that I have too, along with hogs & coyotes. Don't let all the book learnin' frighten you.

I have seen a deer killed by a single No. 1 buck shot as well, shot in a Hale Mary by an older guy from over 100 yards. It entered the ham and went all the way through the heart. Anecdotal evidence and poor spelling notwithstanding, you hunt with fucking game slobs that have no respect and should have their hunting privileges revoked.

A single buckshot through the heart will stop a deer after it runs about 30 yards. Just like a rifle round through the heart. Facepalm.

You would not be welcome at my campfire.

Whatever dude. Bottom line, who has killed deer with buckshot and who hasn't?

I speak from experience, you speak from speculation and probably a poor patterning shotgun and/or poor shooting.

A safe shot is within 30 yards with buckshot. However, within 50 yards is ok with a tight patterning gun. A good hit will break major bones and knock a deer on the ground. It might begin to get up so hit it again. Until it is done.

Within 30 yards if you put them into the chest, the deer will be dead quickly. They will usually trot off or sprint for a little ways before they realize they're dead, just like with any boiler room shot.

You can hunt ethically with buckshot if you do your preparation work and get the right load. I haven't hunted with buckshot in years, but that Federal Flight control looks like it holds a tight enough pattern with the short bbls and more open chokes.

Posted: 8/10/2011 4:19:40 PM EDT

[#37]

i suggest you stick with slugs

if you are interested in making hits on moving deer, put a red dot on one shotgun much easier to take successful shots on a running deer with a red dot slug gun. almost too easy sometimes, i put 3 3" slugs into the chest of a running deer this past year, it was kinda overkill

eta: take some old timer advice- hunting with buckshot is illegal in CT now, but wasnt not that long ago. i hear many stories of wounded deer, and "looking back, I shouldnt have taken that shot", etc. from when my relatives used buckshot. not a single one of them isnt happier with their current slug gun setups.

Posted: 8/10/2011 4:19:47 PM EDT

[#38]

#1 is the best for zombies. Averages about 12" of penetration which is exactly what you want for zombies.

Posted: 8/10/2011 4:27:16 PM EDT

[#39]

where can you find #1? all i ever see is 00 or 000

Posted: 8/10/2011 4:31:09 PM EDT

[#40]

Quoted:

where can you find #1? all i ever see is 00 or 000

Roll your own. I'm pretty sure that Midway carries it as well.

A question for everyone else. How much penetration does #4 provide???

Posted: 8/10/2011 4:31:35 PM EDT

[#41]

Quoted:

Quoted:

Ive killed nine deer with buckshot and two got away. An 1100 with 000 3" out a 30" full choke will reach out past 25 yds..

This is precisely what I'm talking about. You've lost 18% of the animals you've shot. That's an unacceptably high rate of loss. I personally would feel like shit about it and re-evaluate my choice in equipment and maybe work on my technique and methodology before trying the same failure prone way of doing things.

Each time you fire a shotshell, a random event (pellet dispersion) occurs. You can only quantify patterns as an average of the percentage of the number of pellet strikes within a defined diameter at a known distance.

All barrels pattern differently. All. Barrels. Pattern. Differently. Your 30" 1100 full choke will not pattern the same as another that came off the line that same day "all other things being equal"...and they are never equal.

Large pellet buckshot tends to generally pattern worse in tightly chokes barrels. The more constriction, the more pellet deformation, the more uneven surface resistance in flight, the greater the likelihood that the pellet will deviate from it's original flight path. You cannot overcome the physics.

My first reply in this thread suggested a pattern within 36" at 50 yards with 000 or 00 for deer hunting with buckshot. All of what you said is condensed into that. Three feet of dispersion for 12 pellets at 50 yards is insufficient.

If you keep your shots to within 30 yards, with a gun such as above, and do not flub the shot , you have a very good chance of downing that deer. That's what I meant by exercising control over your shots. Your previous post indicated you were "reaching out" much further than 30 yards. Which is it?

Back in the 80s/early 90s, sabots/rifled barrels weren't as commonplace. More people hunted with buckshot around here. Commonly with a pack of hounds chasing them. Many would start out with a shorter barrel gun and modified, then quickly move to a longer barrel with full. I'm not sure what this has to do with anything.

Beyond the academic discussion, I have actually seen deer killed with buckshot. I know what it is capable of when deer hunting. I tried explaining to you that I have too, along with hogs & coyotes. Don't let all the book learnin' frighten you.

I have seen a deer killed by a single No. 1 buck shot as well, shot in a Hale Mary by an older guy from over 100 yards. It entered the ham and went all the way through the heart. Anecdotal evidence and poor spelling notwithstanding, you hunt with fucking game slobs that have no respect and should have their hunting privileges revoked.

A single buckshot through the heart will stop a deer after it runs about 30 yards. Just like a rifle round through the heart. Facepalm.

You would not be welcome at my campfire.

Whatever dude. Bottom line, who has killed deer with buckshot and who hasn't?

I speak from experience, you speak from speculation and probably a poor patterning shotgun and/or poor shooting.

A safe shot is within 30 yards with buckshot. However, within 50 yards is ok with a tight patterning gun. A good hit will break major bones and knock a deer on the ground. It might begin to get up so hit it again. Until it is done.

Within 30 yards if you put them into the chest, the deer will be dead quickly. They will usually trot off or sprint for a little ways before they realize they're dead, just like with any boiler room shot.

You can hunt ethically with buckshot if you do your preparation work and get the right load. I haven't hunted with buckshot in years, but that Federal Flight control looks like it holds a tight enough pattern with the short bbls and more open chokes.

I am a master class ranked clays shooter and level 1 instructor and fire approximately 20,000 rounds of 12, 20, & 28 gauge shotgun every year and maintain an average of 87.3%. I have also hunted on four continents, including driven boar in Hungary with an Ithaca Mag 10 and buckshot. Last March in Argentina I killed 7,305 doves with 8,425 cartridges in 3 1/2 days of shooting. I know a thing or two about shotguns and am intimately familiar with their capabilities. You on the other hand have poor reading comprehension skills, a lack of recent relevant experience, and base your substantiations on purely anecdotal evidence. But don't let that stop you from being the subject matter expert.

Whatever, dude....

Posted: 8/10/2011 4:31:36 PM EDT

[#42]

00

Posted: 8/10/2011 4:31:47 PM EDT

[#43]

Quoted:
I just dusted off the old reloader and am cooking up either some buffered #4 or some 000 both would be for the upcoming hunting season.

Anyway, what's your flavor and why? I'm guessing most of you guys are going to go with 00 buck. What brand and what gun are you using?

Great for game animals...not so good for home defense.

I use them for hunting, home defense (if I'm out of #8's

) and everything in between!

BigDozer66

Posted: 8/10/2011 4:37:03 PM EDT

[#44]

Quoted:

00 buck in the Mossberg next to the bed.

This^ for home defense. Not for hunting though. Buckshot is not allowed during deer season in MO.

Posted: 8/10/2011 4:38:18 PM EDT

[#45]

and to clarify as to what I would be hunting, it would be Deer. SMT and VBC, please don't get this locked.

Posted: 8/10/2011 4:39:43 PM EDT

[#46]

Unless you are hunting deer where it is required use slugs , buckshot was the disappoint

on deer. slugs own deer

Posted: 8/10/2011 5:08:23 PM EDT

[#47]

Quoted:

Quoted:

Ive killed nine deer with buckshot and two got away. An 1100 with 000 3" out a 30" full choke will reach out past 25 yds..

This is precisely what I'm talking about. You've lost 18% of the animals you've shot. That's an unacceptably high rate of loss. I personally would feel like shit about it and re-evaluate my choice in equipment and maybe work on my technique and methodology before trying the same failure prone way of doing things.

Each time you fire a shotshell, a random event (pellet dispersion) occurs. You can only quantify patterns as an average of the percentage of the number of pellet strikes within a defined diameter at a known distance.

All barrels pattern differently. All. Barrels. Pattern. Differently. Your 30" 1100 full choke will not pattern the same as another that came off the line that same day "all other things being equal"...and they are never equal.

Large pellet buckshot tends to generally pattern worse in tightly chokes barrels. The more constriction, the more pellet deformation, the more uneven surface resistance in flight, the greater the likelihood that the pellet will deviate from it's original flight path. You cannot overcome the physics.

My first reply in this thread suggested a pattern within 36" at 50 yards with 000 or 00 for deer hunting with buckshot. All of what you said is condensed into that. Three feet of dispersion for 12 pellets at 50 yards is insufficient.

If you keep your shots to within 30 yards, with a gun such as above, and do not flub the shot , you have a very good chance of downing that deer. That's what I meant by exercising control over your shots. Your previous post indicated you were "reaching out" much further than 30 yards. Which is it?

Back in the 80s/early 90s, sabots/rifled barrels weren't as commonplace. More people hunted with buckshot around here. Commonly with a pack of hounds chasing them. Many would start out with a shorter barrel gun and modified, then quickly move to a longer barrel with full. I'm not sure what this has to do with anything.

Beyond the academic discussion, I have actually seen deer killed with buckshot. I know what it is capable of when deer hunting. I tried explaining to you that I have too, along with hogs & coyotes. Don't let all the book learnin' frighten you.

I have seen a deer killed by a single No. 1 buck shot as well, shot in a Hale Mary by an older guy from over 100 yards. It entered the ham and went all the way through the heart. Anecdotal evidence and poor spelling notwithstanding, you hunt with fucking game slobs that have no respect and should have their hunting privileges revoked.

A single buckshot through the heart will stop a deer after it runs about 30 yards. Just like a rifle round through the heart. Facepalm.

You would not be welcome at my campfire.

Whatever dude. Bottom line, who has killed deer with buckshot and who hasn't?

I speak from experience, you speak from speculation and probably a poor patterning shotgun and/or poor shooting.

A safe shot is within 30 yards with buckshot. However, within 50 yards is ok with a tight patterning gun. A good hit will break major bones and knock a deer on the ground. It might begin to get up so hit it again. Until it is done.

Within 30 yards if you put them into the chest, the deer will be dead quickly. They will usually trot off or sprint for a little ways before they realize they're dead, just like with any boiler room shot.

You can hunt ethically with buckshot if you do your preparation work and get the right load. I haven't hunted with buckshot in years, but that Federal Flight control looks like it holds a tight enough pattern with the short bbls and more open chokes.

I am a master class ranked clays shooter and level 1 instructor and fire approximately 20,000 rounds of 12, 20, & 28 gauge shotgun every year and maintain an average of 87.3%. I have also hunted on four continents, including driven boar in Hungary with an Ithaca Mag 10 and buckshot. Last March in Argentina I killed 7,305 doves with 8,425 cartridges in 3 1/2 days of shooting. I know a thing or two about shotguns and am intimately familiar with their capabilities. You on the other hand have poor reading comprehension skills, a lack of recent relevant experience, and base your substantiations on purely anecdotal evidence. But don't let that stop you from being the subject matter expert.

Whatever, dude....

I saw where you said you're "trying to explain" but I don't see where you explained, earlier. You said "I experimented with buckshot on hogs and coyotes" or something to that effect. When you said you tried to explain, I went back looking for "I killed (or even shot at) deer with buckshot" in your posts but couldn't find it.

Even all the above, while impressive, still doesn't say you've hunted deer with buckshot.

Or how about the time you said you have to shoot the five spots at 50 yards or else you robin hood all of your arrows? I loved that one.