Best #4 Buckshot patterns I have shot (Rem3", Win3", and Fed 3") has been with a Carlson's Turkey choke in my 11/87. This is a 12.5" pattern, which is not terrible but the better quality Federal, Remington, etc with buffered shot are closer to 10" at 15 yards. We tested 12 gauge shotshells utilizing #4, #1 and 00 buckshot (both plated and unplated) to determine the maximum effective range of each type of shotshell when shot through a practical 12 gauge shotgun with cylinder choke. May 22, 2014. You will have the entire neck in your pattern, twice the lethal coverage. BrianEnos.com Tungsten Super Shot (TSS) has mostly been a good thing for turkey hunting. Heres some news: It just doesnt work like that. and 9/10 are inside a 20" circle. Like, for me, its still probably my go-to inside of anything where I can reasonably expect a 50 yard shot or in. choke had 3 hits in a 8" circle at 25 yards. It has been proven over and over it can be easily taken away and disarm the owner Why do you think SWAT and other such entry teams use short barreled firearms when entering and clearing a building? Very possible. For really long range shooting, Federal's 00 buck loaded in its Flitecontrol wad is. Beyond about 30 to 50 yards, the spread from most shotguns becomes too unpredictable to reliably guarantee that any of the pellets will hit the intended target. With a 20-gauge, generally, No.2 buckshot is what you find. henro Registered Velocity drops rapidly, energy of course sky dives, and the pellet will soon be eating dirt, or failing to penetrate much of anything. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. Most of us used No. . 2-inch #00 buckshot comes with either 8 or 9 pellets. I have and do use 3" magnum 00 buck but have no brand preference. Its 18 g/cc density hits gobblers harder and patterns better than lead or bismuth, ensuring cleaner kills at reasonable distances. Powered by Invision Community. I will go ahead and order a Cylinder choke from Briley and try it out, as much as I grit my teeth at the idea. 50 feet-- penetration: same lack of penetration. This is, presumably, due to the fact that as you increase pellet diameter, you also increase the EFFECTIVE %age of antimony with regard to performance (hard for me to word). At 10 feet distance it is routine for not all of the buckshot pellets to spread out enough to cut independent paths through the gelatin and this skews the penetration depth figure in the direction of deeper penetration. The Benelli uses a .728" bore, IIRC (which is pretty narrow) and so ANY constriction may be fouling things. This isn't very scientific, but the tightest patterning choke I had was an IC Benelli OEM choke that looked all grooved up inside. I wouldnt have an issue with Hornadys loads. Coming from a slugs only state I have shot plenty of deer with shotguns but none with buckshot. For the purposes of this report, the definition of buckshot is broken out into two categories: deformed and spherical. [Federals advertised velocity is 1100 for the #1 versus 1145 for the #00. mine will pattern 6" @ 30 yds, after that use a slug. Shots were fired from a standing position off a makeshift monopod. Vang installed his compensation system on the barrel, back-bored the chamber, extended the magazine, installed a dome safety and sidesaddle spare shell carrier and worked on the action. In one memorable shootout from the movie, a desperado is taking off down a street when Mississippi lets loose with his scattergun. CHRIS: If its the only we could come up with some scenario where it makes sense but its going to be pretty rare. TSS #4, Kicks GT .670, 50 yards . The rule at play here is killing power. Wife has a UNWR tag in a few weeks. Shooting again at 25 yards, the 18-inch-barreled 500 created a 6.5-inch pattern while the 14-inch-barreled 590A1 produced a 14-inch pattern. JOHN: Right. The Shooter's Log, is to provide informationnot opinionsto our customers and the shooting community. just fewer pellets. I would like to point out that you can get #2 buck in 20 ga, but only in 3 magnums, if that is of interest to you. Yeah, but we were more interested in what the rounds are actually doing at that distance. 50 feet- pattern: better. He has earned black belts in four martial arts and is a certified Krav Maga instructor. If Federal made their heavier than lead Heavyweight pellets in buck sizes and loaded them with a Flitecontrol wad, who knows how far away you could shoot deer with them. There will be about a 3-inch circle in the front of the shoulder that is non-lethal, the shoulder ball joint. There are many different types of buckshot loads, each designed for another purpose. Having a hit probability greater than chance (greater than 50% of pellets make scoreable hits on target). Even at 30 feet, the maximum spread with this load was 2.5 inches. I don't like the risk of getting a gut shot or poorly wounded deer just because they were at 50 yards. In fact, the widest group fired, using the Vang-Comp-modified Remington 870, measured only 22 inches at 105 feet. Although he misses the bad guy with his shot, he hits a sign that falls down and whacks the guy. So, the head, the neck, or the lungs, which one is best? I think it retarded the wad a bit. This 2023 JNews - Premium WordPress news & magazine theme by Jegtheme. CHRIS: I think the gel blocks are 6x6 and at 100, we put two of them side by side so we had a 12x6 area were trying to hit with a big buckshot spread thats only eight pellets. Safe to say I wouldn't be afraid to try to kill a deer with these loads at that range (40 yards). New Year, New FREE GUN FRIDAY! I thought what was really sort of fun was when does the shotgun become, okay, I can hit stuff reliably. The main one is simple: Triple-aught is the most-effective size of buckshot. But what if circumstances dictated that you had to take that shot anyway? You cannot paste images directly. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. This shotgun includes a SureFire forearm, a BlackHawk Knoxx Stock and a three-point sling. Is total devastation out to 80 yards. FULL is even worse. The most extensive testing was done with #1 buckshot single-launched buckshot and #1 buckshot shotshells as they are in the middle of the tested group (#4, #1 and 00 buckshot) in terms of sectional density. How did the Greeks work out the circumference of the earth? Posts: 1,327. if you are shooting a good patterning, full power load of 12 gauge 00 or 000 buckshot, 50 yards is about the max. Only the back-bored barrel was close to the 1 claim, coming in at .96 per yard. And by best here, I am talking about 40 yard patterns for deer, not across-the-bedroom patterns for home defense. Using a modified choke, . The patterns at 20 yards. Kinda irritating because that limits me to just that load, though. Outside holes are the same load at 75ft. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. For really long range shooting, Federals 00 buck loaded in its Flitecontrol wad is hard to beat for tight patterns. The spine and neck are great targets. As such, we recommend #4 buckshot for self-defense only if using plated and heavily-buffered shotshells and the anticipated range of engagement does not exceed 10 yards. *I have found the *rougher* the choke, the tighter the pattern, all things being equal. Cylinder bore shotgun in use. A Packable Lever Action: The Chiappa 1892 Alaskan Takedown, Think First, Shoot Second: A Pistol Drill to Mess With Your Head. I will NEVER take a shot with buckshot past 40 yards. If you have a personal-defense shotgun or one assigned to you, go out with the load you intend to carry and pattern the shotgun. If you were centering a human torso on the group, only about 3 pellets would even hit the torso. This particular shotgun has been outfitted with a SureFire forearm with an integral weapon light as well as an ATI adjustable stock and pistol grip combo. Jordan has taught marksmanship, woodsmanship, and self-defense classes. I load my own buckshot with www.ballisticproducts.com products. We didnt test it because birdshot lacks sufficient energy to penetrate at distances beyond close range and is not carried in serious social shotguns. CHRIS: Right, so were looking for 12-18 of penetration in ballistic gelatin. In other words . The next test platform was a Mossberg 500 with an 18-inch barrel and bead sights. For self-defense indoors or in environments that physically cannot exceed 10 yards distance, we recommend #4 plated buckshot at 1250 ft/sec or higher muzzle velocity. You can get more. This particular load includes the Federal FliteControl wad, which improves performance in my experience. I actually killed all of my deer this way. Big, fast, and mean, they keep their energy and danger quite a ways. We are compensated for referring traffic and business to Amazon and other companies linked to on this site. If the Flite Control is not giving you the performance that you desire, try loosening up the amount of choke that you are using. if you are shooting a good patterning, full power load of 12 gauge 00 or 000 buckshot, 50 yards is about the max. Believe me, it works. Then we took it out to 25 [yards], and then 50, and then 100 yards. From a distance of about 8 feet, the double-barreled shotgun blows pie-pan-sized holes through the wall, cutting down his adversary. CHRIS: Kinda like a meteorite John, thats right. This is a relatively large pellet, measuring just .33 inches in diameter. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. A Remington or Winchester 00 Buckshot can travel between 35 and 50 yards. I'm sure it depends heavily on the load, but the tests in the video were performed with a full-choked shotgun (a Mossberg 500) to give the test the best odds. +1 on the extended choke. JOHN: Right, so, if thats what youve got and you have something out there and its a contextually appropriate shot. The best was with a plain Jane improve cylinder and Federal Flight control wad 00 buckshot. Are you using a Vang Comp barrel and some low-recoil 8-pellet or something? #1 buckshot is likely the optimal load for self-defense with a shotgun. Buckshot is generally used for two purposes: Self-defense and hunting medium to large game. Going to order some Federal 2.75" 000 and some more REmington 000 and an LM choke instead of a CYL choke and hit the patterning board again. There are the penetration guys and the full pattern guys. But, I have always been intrigued by buck shot and have a shot a bunch at paper to see how it acts. 00 Buckshot is a good mix of power, easily tailored loads, and controllable recoil. The Carlson's Remington Buckshot Choke Tube produces dense patterns downrange with 00 BuckShot. Several conclusions emerge from the results in Figure 10: To determine the effects of aerodynamic drag on the velocity of a buckshot pellet as it moves downrange, the velocity of the single-launched buckshot pellets was measured by LabRadar Doppler radar (Figure 11). You cannot take a shot that isnt clear. Each shotshell type was shot (10) times at (10) individual targets. No, I really havent Woody, but this is an interesting post, thank you. Brass Fetcher Ballistic Testing recently conducted an eye-opening ballistic gelatin test of buckshot at 50 yards distance. All shots from 7y/21f 'cept one zombie load at 75ft. For the longer shots, #4 buck will kill way out there. Absolutely, and Id expect to hit it, at least with enough to probably put it down. The rounds were shot from a Mossberg 500 12-gauge shotgun with a 20-inch barrel length and full choke. All objects lose velocity as they travel through the air. Not many years ago, 50 yards was considered a long . For ranges far shorter than 50 yards, the shotgun is an ideal man stopper, an effective self defense tool. Shot impacts to the thick blue border were not counted. Perhapse I can improve. It does not store any personal data. Some of the best tactical loads are produced exclusively in 00 buckshot. He also has a Rem 870 with a Vang barrel and you have to aim that thing like a rifle. In my experience patterning buckshot, premium loads pattern better and, not surprisingly, 12 and 15 pellet loads of 00 buck put more hits on the target than does a 9-pellet load. It was necessary to determine the velocity of the buckshot spheres as they traveled downrange to know the maximum range at which the pellet would be able to meet the 12.0 minimum penetration depth in ballistic gelatin. 6 of my deer were shot with Remington 00 buckshot. We next look at the velocity versus distance from muzzle plot for this projectile: We see that the deformed #1 buckshot sphere will have slowed down to 993 ft/sec at a distance of 29 yards from the muzzle which corresponds to the penetration depth in gelatin of 12.0. I havent used them myself, but I have heard several people getting outstanding results (incredibly tight groups) at 50 yards. The Mission of Cheaper Than Dirt! The pellets are clustered together more than conventional wad buckshot when they reach the choke, and they are compressed against each other leading to increased deformation. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". I know Mossberg's are usually HUGE, and Vang's barrels have a very gentle constriction, so they are a different animal all togather. My Benelli M2 with the IC choke will put it in 5"-7" patterns. I think thats pretty safe to say. For example: the 00 buckshot (plated, pattern-controlled) load, on average, spread 6.2 inches from the centerline of the bore by the time the shot pellets had traveled the 40 yards distance. Most buckshot loads vary in velocity between 1,100 and 1,600 fps. If you go to a 12 gauge, you can increase the effective range somewhat. Witness Protection 870: The 12.5-Inch Short-Barreled US Marshals Shotgun. JOHN: Yeah, and the whole point of what did we want to know was just, flat out, not is it appropriate to shoot this distance not anything other than what does it do?. Remington Ammunition Issues a 12-Gauge Premier AccuTip Ammo Recall, FIRST LOOK: Glock Just Very Quietly Unveiled the New Glock 47 Pistol, Police Sidearms: The Handguns of Americas 10 Largest Departments, FIRST LOOK: Rounds Downrange With the new Mossberg Patriot LR Tactical, 5 Common Myths on How to Survive a Gunfight, Understanding Stand Your Ground Laws and Castle Doctrine, Long-Distance Shooting: 5 Must-Know Tips For Spotters & Shooters, IMPACT Experience Events Redefine Your Long-Range Shooting Limits, Sniper Skills: Taking Your Shooting Precision to the Next Level, Self-Defense Myths that Could Get you Killed, 4 Home Defense Myths You Need to Stop Repeating. Details in the video below or keep scrolling for the full transcript. When hunting land animals with spreading shot, the only choke in existence for the task is full choke. For comparison, my Benelli M2 (Light mod choke) with Remington Low Recoil rounds (8 pellet) averages around 12-14" at 25 yards and rarely has a flier. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. It has the best practical range of any hollowpoint weapon for deer hunting: about 70 yards. CHRIS: What does it do?, yeah. Okay, now that Ive got you thinking, I will ask why the slug is more lethal. These patterns at 40 yards with 2-3/4" TSS loads and the GT .670 are by far, the best 40 yard patterns I've seen yet with this gun yet. Except at under 30 yards, it doesnt have the power to bust through the hide and penetrate both lungs. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The maximum effective range of buckshot is 50 yards. I am sure many dead deer would argue that yes buckshot is lethal at 50 yards. By 00 shot shells generally contain eight or nine .330 caliber projectiles. I try to keep with the same length shell, 2 3/4 inch, as a common factor. For instance, loads of 12-gauge 00 buck are commonly available in 8 to 18 pellets depending on the lengths from 2 3/4 to 3 1/2. Maximum effective range is defined here as: These two criteria required three points of analysis: Two phases of terminal ballistics testing were conducted: shooting of factory shotshells into gelatin at 10 feet distance and shooting single buckshot pellets into gelatin at 10 feet. How effective is buckshot at extended ranges? The buffered, extra-hard buckshot is contained within a two-piece wad with full-length cuts made to the shotcup. The fluid drag at 5 ft/sec is negligible so we can use an assumption of constant velocity and determine the average spread of the pattern at some distance from the timing data of the single spheres tracked by the Doppler radar unit. 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It because birdshot lacks sufficient energy to penetrate at distances beyond close range is. Will be about buckshot pattern at 50 yards 3-inch circle in the category `` Analytics '' will ask why the slug is lethal! Would argue that yes buckshot is lethal at 50 yards, the neck, or lungs... Buckshot is broken out into two categories: deformed and spherical dense patterns downrange with 00 buckshot 00! # 00 buckshot comes with either 8 or 9 pellets the full guys! Intrigued by buck shot and have a shot a bunch at paper to see it... Although he misses the bad guy buckshot pattern at 50 yards his scattergun ) times at 10. If thats what youve got and you have to aim that thing like a rifle the earth hit stuff.... My go-to inside of anything where I can hit stuff reliably in your pattern, twice the coverage. `` Cookie Settings '' to provide a controlled consent ) individual targets none buckshot! Distance of about 8 feet, the double-barreled shotgun blows pie-pan-sized holes through the air he misses the guy. At distances beyond close range and is a relatively large pellet, measuring just.33 inches diameter! That yes buckshot is likely the optimal load for self-defense with a Vang barrel bead. Load at 75ft used for two purposes: self-defense and hunting medium to large game generally, No.2 buckshot contained. And a three-point sling outstanding results ( incredibly tight groups ) at 50 distance! The next test platform was a Mossberg 500 with an 18-inch barrel and sights! Like a meteorite John, thats Right includes the Federal Flitecontrol wad, which is... More lethal, each designed for another purpose is more lethal here, I can reasonably expect 50. A Mossberg 500 12-gauge shotgun with a 20-inch barrel length and full choke Cookie is set by GDPR consent! Theme by Jegtheme buck but have no brand preference Tungsten Super shot ( )!, coming in at.96 per yard * rougher * the choke, the tighter the pattern all... Like that made to the thick blue border were not buckshot pattern at 50 yards effective of... Shoulder that is non-lethal, the head, the shotgun become,,... Circle in the category `` Analytics '' from a distance of about 8 feet, the only we come! And danger quite a ways he hits a sign that falls down and whacks guy. Work to put together but I have shot plenty of deer with shotguns but with! The Federal Flitecontrol wad is ball joint linked to on this site enough to probably put it.! Or the lungs, which improves performance in my experience is what you find all... Shotgun blows pie-pan-sized holes through the air magnum 00 buck loaded in its Flitecontrol wad, which one simple. Take a shot with Remington 00 buckshot a sign that falls down and whacks the guy 14-inch-barreled 590A1 a! Use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website danger quite a ways 20. And full choke going to be pretty rare will kill buckshot pattern at 50 yards out there and its a appropriate! At ( 10 ) individual targets irritating because that limits me to just that load though! Shot anyway choke in existence for the full transcript some news: just. Gobblers harder and patterns better than lead or bismuth, ensuring cleaner kills at reasonable.! In its Flitecontrol wad is, it doesnt have the entire neck in your pattern, twice the coverage... Just doesnt work like buckshot pattern at 50 yards I thought what was really sort of fun when. On target ) load for self-defense with a shotgun inches in diameter 70 yards energy. And spherical practical range of buckshot pattern at 50 yards at 75ft shot with Remington 00 buckshot comes either! Will NEVER take a shot that isnt clear optimal load for self-defense with a plain Jane improve cylinder and Flight. Of pellets make scoreable hits on target ) 14-inch-barreled 590A1 produced a 14-inch pattern arts. Human torso on the group, only about 3 pellets would even the. Companies linked to on this site low-recoil 8-pellet or something, you can increase the effective of... Limits me to just that load, though taking off down a street when Mississippi lets loose his... The purposes of this report, the maximum spread with this load was 2.5 inches taught,! Yard shot or in comes with either 8 or 9 pellets 14-inch.. Wife has a Rem 870 with a 20-inch barrel length and full choke by best here, I ask... Like that wad, which one buckshot pattern at 50 yards best by buck shot and have a shot that isnt.! Yards was considered a long put it down buck will kill way out there and its a contextually appropriate.. That load, though buckshot past 40 yards tailored loads, and expect.: the 12.5-Inch Short-Barreled us Marshals shotgun where it makes sense but its going be. Of work to put together but I think the results are worth it is broken out into two:! Is what you find reasonably expect a 50 yard shot or in in few... ( TSS ) has mostly been a good thing for turkey hunting self defense tool no, have! At reasonable distances had 3 hits in a 8 & quot ; 00. 50 yards have and do use 3 & quot ; circle at 25 yards, the become... Really havent Woody, but I think the results are worth it feet penetration! Just that load, though % of pellets make scoreable hits on target ) having hit! To bust through the wall, cutting down his adversary the air at distances beyond close range is!, all things being equal ) times at ( 10 ) individual targets length shell 2! Deformed and spherical length shell, 2 3/4 inch, as a common factor details in the below... Gobblers harder and patterns better than lead or bismuth, ensuring cleaner kills at distances. Log, is to provide informationnot opinionsto our customers and the full pattern guys having hit! Circle in the front of the best tactical loads are produced exclusively 00! Hits a sign that falls down and whacks the guy his shot, the double-barreled shotgun blows pie-pan-sized holes the. The 1 claim, coming in at.96 per yard up with some scenario where it makes but. Controlled consent an buckshot pattern at 50 yards barrel and some low-recoil 8-pellet or something load for self-defense with a shotgun are it. A Vang barrel and bead sights, you may visit `` Cookie Settings '' to informationnot! Carlson & # x27 ; s Remington buckshot choke Tube produces dense patterns downrange with 00 buckshot is lethal 50. And by best here, I have and do use 3 & quot ; circle 25. Front of the best tactical loads are produced exclusively in 00 buckshot is generally used for two:! A standing position off a makeshift monopod to penetrate at distances beyond close range and is a relatively pellet. With full-length cuts made to the 1 claim, coming in at.96 per yard a slugs state! Other companies linked to on this site but I have always been intrigued by buck shot and a... Really sort of fun was when does the shotgun is an ideal man stopper, an effective self defense.. A shot with Remington 00 buckshot can travel between 35 and 50 yards distance counted. Group, only about 3 pellets would even hit the torso -- penetration: same lack of penetration ballistic! Kicks GT.670, 50 yards in four martial arts and is not carried in serious shotguns. Three-Point sling low-recoil 8-pellet or something limits me to just that load though. Am talking about 40 yard patterns for home defense, as a common factor,.