"What's in your shotgun?" *Buckshot*

What *buckshot* is in your shotgun?

  • Double-ought or larger for mine! (Including tri-ball, 0000 and 000 loadings too)

    Votes: 70 51.9%
  • I've had a fondness for single-ought and #1 Buck. (12 or 16 gauge loads)

    Votes: 12 8.9%
  • #2 or #3 buck in mine (typically for 20 gauge guns)

    Votes: 6 4.4%
  • I love the number of pellets in #4 Buck (10 or 12 gauge)

    Votes: 43 31.9%
  • I use a load of BB shot or smaller (all the way down to #9).

    Votes: 6 4.4%

  • Total voters
    135
  • Poll closed .
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
Centurianmultidefence.jpg

Centurion_6Buck_1RoundBall_pattern.jpg



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?
 
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