We need a good buckshot thread!!!

We haven't had one in a while...I don't think.
I am certain that there are as many answers to the question "which buckshot do you use" as there are loads of buckshot...which makes my brain freeze.

Just notice that I didn't ask "which buckshot is best" which as we all know is a question that many will disagree on...whether to use large ones for penetration, or smaller ones to get more holes/hits...etc. Most of us have heard it all and become kinda set in our ways as we get older so an opinion is a bit more jaded than that of some whippersnapper.

I'll start it...
I've always been a fan of #1 Buck- whether in a 12 gauge or 16 gauge for hunting or self defense. Lead BB Shot is my second choice- when I could find it...but now I can load it myself for those pesky coyotes...and I suspect it would work somewhat effectively on those two legged vermin too if one were to attempt to harm my family or myself.

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Lost it all in a boat accident

I'm currently running an 18" Ithaca 37 Featherlight (a gorgeous little hottie made in 1955) as my HD long gun right now. I feed it Remington 2 3/4" 27 pellet #4 buck. I tried that load against Remington 2 3/4" 9 pellet 00 buck and the gun patterns perfectly for the likely shots within my home, including the longest possible shot, with #4 buck. I give it what it likes. The 00, which my other guns like, shot like ****.

I have just one shotgun, a 12 ga Remington 870 w/ 18" bbl. It's only purpose is as a defensive weapon.

The round I use is Federal 12 ga Tactical 00 buck shot. The 00 buck is loaded in the shotgun with Federal 12 ga Tactical slugs in the carrier.

I also have some Federal 3" magnum 00 Buck and Federal 3" magnum slugs stocked in the safe, but I don't keep them loaded for use. I prefer Federal's Tactical series for home defensive use.

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~No signature line

I currently have 00 in my HD gun, but have been thinking about switching over to BB shot. A couple of loads of BB would be like getting hit by a Claymore mine in a household setting. I love combat style shotguns. I have about 6 in my home that would be considered "combat" with extened mag tubes. Hard to beat a 12 Ga. in close up situations unless you live in a state that would allow a Full-Auto Mac 10 or M-2 Carbine.

+1 for #4, strangely enough with the same gun! Great minds...

I've killed many a squirrel and the like, plus won a couple personal contests with my Ithaca 37 and #4 Winchester Super-X. Nothing else shoots like it besides Dad's Rem 1100 which is the undisputed Champion (the go-to-gun for all turkey shoots). I have no doubt it will get the job done if needed.

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Fast is fine;accurate is final

My personal 870, a 12 gauge with 20" rifle sighted barrel and Choate +3 extension, stays loaded with #4 buckshot for HD purposes. But I do have plenty of low recoil HP slugs and 00 buck around, with a few of each handy in my sidesaddle.

I had to go for 00 buck, only because slugs weren't a choice... and I do have some 00 buck (18 pellet rubber) in my side saddle, along with ferret gas rounds.

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GA

I've always said, "an ounce of lead is an ounce of lead."

No matter what load you choose...especially at close ranges.

That being said, I've used 00 Buck since I first donned a gun and badge over 20 years ago. It's been the standard cop load for more years than I can remember.

My Mossberg 590 is stoked with Winchester Super-X 00 Buck with 6 more in the side saddle and 4 slugs in the Speedfeed stock. The Cimarron 1878 Coach is loaded with Winchester Super-X 00's as well, with 4 more in a leather butt cuff by Andy Langlois.

US made rifle slings, bridle leather and solid brass hardware, made by me!.

I keep a Stoeger Coach Gun 20" beside the bed for HD. I keep it loaded with Winchester 2 3/4 Supreme XX Turkey #4 shot, but I got 5 Winchester 2 3/4 Super X 00 bucks on the butt stock for a reload.

My ghost ring 590 has a couple Federal Tactical Low-Recoil 9-pellet 00-buck w/ Flite Control Wad. They group (not pattern) about 7-8 inches at 30-yards. Then there are foster slugs behind them in the tube. A lot of them.

18 1/2" barrelled 10 ga. SxS loaded with 3 1/2" BB shot. In my Remington 870, I have one round of 7 1/2 shot sized trap load in the chamber, followed by 4 rounds of No. 4 buckshot 3" and then the last three are rifled slug. I think it was Jeff Cooper who suggested that arrangement, although he kept the chamber empty. He stated that the racking of the slide might get the intruders attention, and if he decided to fire a warning shot, then the trap load would do the least damage to the walls and have less chance of passing through walls to do harm to anything else. After the racking of the slide and a warning shot, if things were still happening, well then he was well prepared.

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Have Canon, Will Travel

My Stoeger 12 gauge Coach Gun is loaded with 2 3/4 inch 00 buck. When I ride out on the golf cart late afternoons during deer season, I replace the buckshot in the right barrel with a slug, just in case.

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Georgia On My Mind

Freakin' OUCHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

# 4 buck-nuff said

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Forum consigliere

Mossberg is loaded w/ 5 #4 buckshot with a couple of 00 buckshot thrown in for good measure. All 2 3/4".

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Barry, youngest son of Claud

Another BIG +1 for the Federal Tactical w/ Flite Control wad. About 3-4" at 15 yards from my 18" 870's. I will say that if they made this load in #1 I'd be all over it. Before I discovered how well it patterns I was a #1 fan. The Federal FCW is just a quantum leap ahead of everything else if you want to throw a tight pattern. I keep the buck in the butt cuff and slugs (half low-recoil and half full-power) in the side saddle.

It's a beautimous buckshot load, I'm telling ya'......

I'll add this,i'm now a retired L.E.O. During my time as a officer we carried double ought buckshot in our riot guns. Then we switched for several years to # 4 buckshot. Then back to double ought. This was a widespread trend at the time. The majority still use double ought. Of course it's a debate,and always will be. During my career I've been in the position to see a number of homicides by shotgun. I never seen a victim live within effective range, shot with double ought. I did go to a shooting involving a victim that took a full load of #4 buck in the entire upper torso. He was lying on his back fully alert,and talking to us. He even asked me for a cigarette,and smoked it while we waited for a ambulance. I expected him to go into shock,and die at any moment. He didn't,and when the ambulance staff were going to put him on the strecher he pushed them away,then helped himself on. I never felt good about #4 buck since. If he was armed he could have still been very deadly. I know there is exceptions,this is for what ever it's worth. I keep my own shotgun loaded with both double ought buck,and slugs.
Ed

I have 4 shotguns scattered throughout my residence; two pumps & two SxS. The pumps are 12 & 20ga, the SxS are 16ga & 20ga. 12ga is stoked w/Federal® Low Recoil 9 pellet 00 Buck, 16ga carries Federal® 12 pellet #1 Buck; both 20ga's are loaded w/Remington® #3 Buck. I'll be 60 in a few months & no longer care to shoot a 12ga w/High Velocity (ie: Hornady® TAP™ 1600fps 00) Buckshot. The 12ga Low Recoil stuff is fine; 16 & 20ga Buck even better (for me). YMMVH.

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David
CW3 USA (Ret) 1968-1990

By the way you may know this there is a police load 00 buckshot that has eight pellets instead of the standard nine pellets. Don't ask me why,but that's what we carried in the patrol cars. The way it's loaded it keeps a tighter group even at 25 yards,and many times you can get all eight pellets in a full size police target torso area at that range.
Ed

#4 buck x 9

In my 12 gauge guns, I keep 00 Buck, either Federal or Estate tactical loads, or WW military overrun. For a 20 ga., it's #3 Buck, mostly because it's hard as hell to find anything else, though I'd prefer #1 in 3" and #4 in 2 3/4" loads.

#4 (plated) "in".
00 in the side saddle.
Slugs in a butt cuff. All three in 2 3/4" loads.
Been running it that way through 590's, 1300's and now an 870.
If anyone has never bothered to so in the past, I'd highly suggest trying a box of anyones #4 Buck out of their cylinder bore guns. I've yet to see an un-choked gun that doesn't drop all 27 pellets of it into between a 9"-12" perfectly round pattern @ 10 yards? It's really worth it to invest $4-$6 for a 5 pack of them and a new B-24 to try them on. JOMO.

I have a pair of 3.5" 12ga guns with pistol grip stocks and 24" barrels. They are my turkey guns, but with a change of choke, they sling a mean pattern with 3.5" #4 buckshot at 54 pellets per round.

Currently:

For 2-legged critters...Federal "00" in 12 ga Browning Hi-capacity pump

For 4-legged critters...Federal "T" in 10 ga Browning 4+1 black pump

For HD I have an old 1920's LeFever Nitro SxS (it's the only shotgun I own) with 28" barrels loaded with 00. I have a cartridge belt loaded half with 00 and half with 1 oz. slugs. They are color coded green for Remington 00 and Red for Winchester slugs. Although the barrels are choked at modified left barrel and full on the right one it can still put the slugs into the K zone at 50 yards.
The first Dept. I worked for used Win. Model 12 riots with 00 with military full brass cases. They have since traded them for new 18" 870's at two for one. The second Dept. used High Standards with 00 and have since gone to 870s. They were issued 00 and the Sgt.'s vehicle carried slugs and ferret rounds if needed.

This thread has got me to thinking...

If I put dowels into shotshells...


All joking aside, this thread is very informative!

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Lost it all in a boat accident

2 3/4 inch 12 pellet 00 buck in the tube, slugs in the sleeve on the butt.

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“What you got, ain’t new.”

My HD shotguns are all loaded with 2 3/4 in. #4 Buck. The car guns (Maverick 88 in the wife's car and a M12 Winchester in mine) are accompanied by 00 Buck and Foster type slugs. I am going to switch to 000 in the near future for the car guns.
Both PDs I currently work for use 870s. One PD uses the Tactical 00 Buck and the other mandates slugs only.

00 Buck under the bed for the zombies, slugs when I roam the hills for the 4-legged beasties. I'd like to find some #1 Buck; never see it on the shelves I puruse. Some gelatine test in some rag concluded that #1 was the best compromise.

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Don't need no stinkin' sigline

#1 buck for me, but it sure can be hard to find on the shelves.

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VIVERE MILITARE EST

So far, it looks as thought double-ought is the first choice followed by #4 Buck as a very close second.

Very surprising to me, as I would have bet against #4 Buck being the runner up.

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Lost it all in a boat accident

I could not vote because I dutch load. The first round is a 7 1/2 shot bird load. This should scare anyone or thing off while doing minimal damage to a house, while at the same time delaying an attack if needed to be used. Next up is 2 rounds of 4 buck, then 2 rounds of 00, 2 rounds of foster slugs at the end of the tube. I am guessing (hoping) that I would never get to the 00.

The side saddle holds half 00 and half slugs.

My running #4 Buck was due to something I read written by Mas Ayoob long enough ago, I now can't even remember the publication it was in? He also was noodling with 20 gauge loads in another article I think? When I finally tried it, I couldn't believe how evenly it patterned in a perfect circle, no matter which cylinder bore gun it was shot out of. Needless to say the credibility level of his advice went way up for me after that!

My results are the same a Spotteddog's so far. My understanding is that factory cylinder bores usually aren't a true cylinder at all. They usually have .001" or so of constriction because that will dress up the shot pattern and make it relatively round instead of odd shapes that are, if my understanding is correct, common with true cylinder barrels.

My Ithaca 37 started out life as a long full choke barrel in 1955. Somewhere along the way it was cut to 21" and that's how I found it in a local shop. I took it down To 18" and I'll have to say that the pattern is even and decently round with #4 buckshot. The two 00 loads I've tried so far did not do as well.

Rossi 12ga coach gun with ears and 20" barrels as bedside SD. one barrel with 00 and one with 7.5 bird shot. At 15-20' no.71/2 will shred any and everything. If things go south the 1911 comes into play.

Delta, at 15' - 20' #7 1/2 will likely underpenetrate. I think the whole birdshot is great at close range against humans is an urban legend that needs to die. I don't know of anyone who would advocate the use of birdshot against deer at any range, and humans are deer sized. You may want to investigate further. Perhaps some of our LEOs who've seen birdshot shooting will weigh in. In the past my recollection is that they've talked of inconsistent penetration.

I shot a coyote multiple times this past spring starting at about fifteen yds. with 12 ga. 3" 1 5/8 oz. #4 shot from my 20" cyl. bore Ithaca 87 Deerslayer and never recovered the dog. I was highly unimpressed. Many people have a shot that long within their home.

Low bid reduced recoil 00buck in the mag and low bid reduced slugs and 00 buck in the sidesaddle. I personally do not care for the smaller shot sizes, including #4 buck, in an LE or SD role.

In the wifes Benelli 121M1, my TTN 1878 rabbit ear coach gun, and in my mossberg 500... Centurion 2 3/4" buck and ball load.




Jim

Eh?
What ever winds your crank? That's why they make cars in different colors.
Before assumptions are made about the penetration of one Buck as opposed to another though, this
The Box O' Truth #3 - The Shotgun Meets the Box O' Truth - Page 1

The #1 and #4 are virtually identical in performance. And either one can be expected to penetrate considerably further than any bird shot will. And both come within one 5/8" drywall panel worth of penetration as the 00 does.

F/S Was that 3 inch #4 you mentioned being unimpressed with the performance of above, a #4 Buck, or just standard shot #4?

My home shotgun pulls double duty as my berry picking gun in the late summer so it has a 00 chambered and up next, the rest are slugs.

My prefered HD gun beside the bed is an AR180B with a holosight on it.

bob

Either 00 Tactical Buck or #1. #1 actually has more weight of shot than any of the other buckshot loads, prefferable for a close range crusher. Couldn't vote that choice.

Maybe I've posted this photo before, but here goes anyway! Winchester #4 buckshot in a reduced recoil law enforcement load. This is three rounds at 15 yards from a cylinder bore Benelli Nova Tactical.

#4 birdshot, bro. If #4 buck had let me down like that, there's no way I would have the stuff loaded in my Ithaca.

FWIW, I was hoping to smack a woodchuck that day. The last thing in the world I expected to see was a coyote. There's a big difference between a 15 - 25 lb. wombat and a 45 - 60 lb. dog. I'm sure #4 birdie would have worked great on a chuck, but from now on I'm running Federal 00 buck with the flight control wad backed up by a magazine of #4 buck. Anything within 25 yds. is now toast.

Whew!
You had me worried there for a minute!
I figured if you'd had that much trouble dropping a dog sized critter at that distance, I was gonna' have to resort to an M-79?

That kinda pattern @ 15 yds is why we phased out Winchester buck in favor of Federal Tactical.

That's about the kind of pattern I get from Remington 12 ga. 2 3/4" #4 buck at 15 yards from my cy. bore Ithaca 37 (not the gun I shot the coyote with, that one was an 87 Deerslayer), and 15 yards is the longest shot possible in my home. I agree that for LE work I'd want more range. IMO, a loose, but even pattern like that is perfect in a small house.

I keep my 590 stoked with four rounds of Remington 3/4 inch Law Enforcement reduced recoil 8 pellet 00 buck, followed up with five rounds of Federal Hydra Shok Sabot Slugs. The speedfeed stock has two more rounds each of buckshot and slugs.

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- Change it back -

If the shotgun is 12 gauge, I use No. 4 Buck. There is an excellent argument, however, that 20 gauge is really a smarter choice as a defense shotgun. However, I never use the shotgun for defense anymore, as I prefer, for all sorts of reasons, the carbine. One, but by no means the only, reason is that with the carbine you are delivering one projectile with each pull of the trigger, which is theory gives you better control over where that one projectile goes. I know you could do the same with slugs, but the advantages are with the carbine, in my opinion. I am not necessarily referring just to the M4 type, but to any carbine, including the Winchester Trapper model or any rifle with a short barrel.

20" Mossberg 500 ghost ring sight. Winchester 00 buck backed by rifled slugs.