The aforementioned characteristics combined with a terrific price go to show that you can still get great performance without breaking the bank. Then we took it out to 25 [yards], and then 50, and then 100 yards. 000 is impressive. The impact velocity versus penetration depth in ballistic gelatin for all evaluated buckshot types are below in Figure 10. Know that this list is by no means all-inclusive, and results will vary depending on the shotgun/choke used; every combination is different. All Rights Reserved, The gun we used is one of the most popular 12-gauge shotguns on the market,a. Buckshot comes in various sizes. Winchester makes a 2 3/4 inch 12 gauge shell with 3 pellets of #00 buckshot and a 1 oz. I decided to post the results here for a comparison for your consideration. The vast majority of police shootings are close-in affairs. Price: $5.99 per 5-rnd. Thus, Id try to keep shots within 30 yards. . The fame it gained on stagecoaches is where the term "riding shotgun" originated. This load patterns best in all my shotguns. Were doing something a little different today. Federal Force X2 Finally, we've got the Federal Force X2 buckshot. We used two different loads: Federal FliteControl #1 and Federal FliteControl #00 8-pellet. America's Ultimate Shooting Sports Discounter, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window). The monstrous 3-inch is loaded with upward of 18 pellets of 00 buckshot, but, recoil is vicious. Easily. Federal Power-Shok BuckshotIf the previously mentioned load is too expensive or harsh recoil-wise, then Federal has another option in its Power-Shok buckshot load. JOHN: Well, they dont pattern with anything and thats the thing I kind of wonder if most of peoples opinion on shotguns are based off of one shotgun they had that they did this one thing with and then never did anything else. 25 yds would be about the maximum effective range for a cyl bore pattern. We want you, our readers, to be able to make informed decisions. Theres been a lot of interest in shotguns recently, so we decided to test two of the morepopular home defense shotgun rounds -00 buckshot and high-velocity steel BB shot. Those nine .33-caliber pellets can have serious impact on a human target, and that effectiveness only improves from 75 feet and in. Aside from shot size, recoil and shot quantity, understanding the range limitations of buckshot is critical to employing it effectively. Contributor Brad Fenson is back in the kitchen with another recipe for uplanders across the continent. Velocity drops rapidly, energy of course sky dives, and the pellet will soon be eating dirt, or failing to penetrate much of anything. This serves to give an idea as to how a shotshell will perform at the room distances common during a home defense scenario. The factory shotshells provide a baseline with which to compare the results achieved with the single buckshot pellets shot into gelatin as a verification of the acceptability of simulating long-range hits with single buckshot pellets shot at reduced velocity. JavaScript is disabled. This sphere must penetrate a minimum of 2.95 inches (75mm) but no more than 3.74 inches (95mm)". 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. Mossberg 20" cylinder bore, 7 shot magazine Persuader: OK a few slug shots for those of you who want tighter patterns. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission, which supports our community. Odin01 - thank you for doing this testing and posting the results. Multiple wound channels trump one. Most commonly, 12-gauge shotguns are the go-to choice for defensive purposes when a shotgun is needed, and have from 27 No. Taylors & Company FS Tactical 1911: Now in 10mm! It was a lot of work to put together but I think the results are worth it. CHRIS: Right, so were looking for 12-18 of penetration in ballistic gelatin. The BB shot spreadmuch more and, being smaller, hadless impact power at greater distances. Tighter patterns also extend the effective range of the shotgun. 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. We reserve the right to edit as appropriate, delete profane, harassing, abusive and spam comments or posts, and block repeat offenders. But, the shotgun has remained popular as a defensive option. Concerning the aforementioned Boar Blaster choke tube, its optimized for use with 00 and 000 buckshot. Theres so much misinformation, it doesnt seem to want to go away. Shotguns increase hit probability by launching multiple projectiles per trigger pull but the limitation is that shotshells can only hold so many spheres or pellets. What round do you prefer? At moderate ranges (20 yards), the loads had an average spread of around 9 to 17 inches. Buckshot will kill you at 100 yards. It's capable of dislodging fillings, changing your mind and blurring vision during the process, making practice as pleasant as visiting your mother-in-law and fast follow-up shots as difficult as a return visit. The Remington hand gun ballistic data for a standard velocity 158 grain .38 special bullet shows 200 foot pounds at the muzzle from 4" barrel. Mean radius is defined as the average of the straight line distances between the Center-of-Shot-Group and each shot (USARIEM TECHNICAL NOTE TN-01/2 STATISTICAL MEASURES OF MARKSMANSHIP Richard F. Johnson Military Performance Division February 2001 U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine) and was determined by utilizing OnTarget TDS software (OnTarget TDS). Nathan has traveled to over 30 countries working with US DoD & foreign MoDs. There were no issues with cycling. I remember the Howard Hawks Western El Dorado starring John Wayne and co-starring a young James Caan as Mississippi. John Waynes character, Cole Thornton, attempts to aid Mississippi by giving him shooting lessons, only to find his skills deplorable. As lightly noted by the presenter, the gauge doesnt matter much as far as energy delivered to target by projectiles. Browning BT-99 Shotgun Review: Stylish Break-Action Single. Most used full chokes and my guns always shot best with #1 buck. In fact, at 25 yards, the 14-inch-barreled 590A1 produced a pattern 1-inch smaller than the 500. We didnt test it because birdshot lacks sufficient energy to penetrate at distances beyond close range and is not carried in serious social shotguns. Federal Premium Vital-Shok BuckshotA true magnum load, the Vital-Shok Buckshot offering from Federal Premium features 12, copper-plated pellets of 00 Buckor 1 ouncespushed to 1290 fps. Three shots at 50 yards. box at basspro.com. The company uses a unique wad for this load; although its absent of a shot cup, the wad does have a crush section. The 00 buckshot he used was not standard velocity, but actually reduced velocity. Only the back-bored barrel was close to the 1 claim, coming in at .96 per yard. You can back up to 25 yards and achieve a 6 inch . The most popular buckshot is 00 buck, which has a nominal pellet diameter of .33 caliber. A wide selection of CMP surplus ammo will 2023 JNews - Premium WordPress news & magazine theme by Jegtheme. They want to take your guns because they plan to do something to you that might cause you to shoot them. Meanwhile, the Boar Blaster had three pellets strike within 4 inches. Remington's Magnum 00-buck load has 12 pelletsabout 1 18 ounces of shotlaunched at almost 1,300 fps. Thought we would try shooting some 00 Buck from close up and from about 25 yards away to see the spread out of a Remington 870 shotgun with a 16 inch police barrel. The final shotgun was a Remington 870. Then at 12 yards with the rifled barrel. Results and Conclusion: I was stunned by this shells performance. If I remember correctly, theres only 75 feet per second difference. Shooting done during Standard Atmospheric conditions. CHRIS: Hey guys, I am Chris from LuckyGunner.com, here with John Johnston from Citizens Defense Research. box at basspro.com. JOHN: Well, we were talking about it and what we wanted to know was, how far out can we take buckshot and still have it pass the FBI heavy clothing terminal ballistics standard? So, thats what we did. By swapping your trusty rifle for a 12-gauge when hunting in dense cover, youll maximize your odds of success. The #1 buckshot (plated, pattern-controlled) load had a higher hit probability than the unplated 00 buckshot (maintaining a hit probability of 50+% out to 57 yards) but the individual pellets lacked the mass and initial velocity to retain terminal effectiveness beyond 51 yards. Times have changed since then.3. Many still believe they are the most feared guns and put a lot of stock in what I consider an urban legend. 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. Penetration is key. This video shows the results. With the help of a big guy with a thick shoulder, I conducted a test using six, 12-gauge buckshot loads to see how patterns spread from 5 to 25 yards. The Boar Blaster choke nearly replicated this level of performance. This may be true for reduced-recoil buckshot, but this max-velocity load seemed to have sufficient energy to truly put a hurt on a suspect. Many people have false impressions about shotguns based on gunplay in Hollywood movies. 00 Buckshot 12 gauge Winchester Super X 2 3/4-inch, 1,325 fps, 9-pellet 00 buck Average pattern spread 3 inches Average penetration 13 inches Muzzle energy 1,887 ft.-lbs. At this point, you and I are both shotgun nerds. It could be if your aim is true; a tight cluster of pellets in the vitals will likely be a fight-stopper. Outside of certain locales, such as southeastern Virginia, where running deer with dogs is gospel, few hunters think of using anything other than a rifle or shotgun loaded with slugs for deer, hog and bear hunting. However, it could also result in missing altogether. *Distance in feet and buckshot spread in inches. Well, let's try them at 12 yards, about as far as one might expect to shoot at in-the-home distances. Buckshot-loaded shotguns are short-range firearms. Here it might be better to use a slug. Your email address will not be published. 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. No. Try testing #1 buckshot. I test Federal flite control buckshot and standard buckshot to see the difference in patterns.Check out MY SPONSORS - http://www.craftholsters.com and http://www.texbushcraft.com VISIT MY WEBSITE - http://www.newyorkprepper.com for FREE DISCUSSION FORUM, blog, and articlesLeave a tip if you feel compelled, it helps support this channel. With standard 00 buck loads, the pattern size starts opening up quickly beyond 30-40 feet. In fact, the widest group fired, using the Vang-Comp-modified Remington 870, measured only 22 inches at 105 feet. Even with reduced-recoil 00 buckshot, the 1 inch per yard pattern seems improbable. box at MidwayUSA.com. Got agun that's collecting dust? You can maximize your shotguns effectiveness by selecting buckshot that is effective out to your maximum planned engagement distance and no further. In fact, I was so confident with this load that I opted to test it at 35 yards, too. And effective includes that combination/trade-off between fight-stopping hits and liable fliers. Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy. Forget about 20 gauge with anything larger than #3 buckshot. This is a little thing we like to call Stuff John and Chris Wanna Know. So John, tell us, what do we want to know today? Therefore, you must test them in your gun to verify reliable cycling, or use them in a pump-action, single-shot or double (over-under/side-by-side). All sources will remain confidential! 4. Let us know in the comments below. It was unbelievably pleasant to shoot and patterns were just slightly smaller than standard buckshot loads. Results: Premium buckshot averaged 12.4 pellets in a 30-inch circle at 40 yards, whereas unbuffered buck averaged 11 hits. Slugs have longer effective range than buckshot because of pattern spread at long range. We chose those because, well, we like them first of all, but they hold a really tight pattern and its not feasible to do this at 50, 100 yards if youve got the pellets going all over the place. Marketed as reduced-recoil, the shell nonetheless propelled its 1 ounce payload to 1350 fps. Calling and shooting predators is one of the things that helps hunters get from the end of the fall seasons to when the turkeys start gobbling. Hit probability was determined by shooting a Mossberg 590 from a shooting bench at various distances from a FLETC Transitional Target II with the (5) different cartridge types. Hunting maybe, but that was not his focus. Brass Fetcher Ballistic Testing recently conducted an eye-opening ballistic gelatin test of buckshot at 50 yards distance. Most stock barrels were less than .5 per yard. This falls off to 7.5 and 3.3 hits at 40 yards. Some suggest, and I agree, that more common game loads or smaller buckshot can be better in a home-defense situations. I think thats pretty safe to say. What do you think? The most common, and arguably the best buckshot for deer is 12-gauge 00 buckshot in a 2 inch shell. While pellets are not bullets, that is significant. You are welcome. Price: $5.99 per 5-rnd. Plating aids hardness and/or reduces friction for deeper penetration. GDubya Registered Joined Mar 25, 2010 1,630 Posts At long ranges, even 45 yards, you will miss with more pellets that you will hit with. Buckshot is small enough, and with a loss of velocity it loses a lot of hitting power and penetration. J. Jim S. . (Extrapolated from another figure for 35 pelets). It was about 14-ish inches on the #1 and around 18 on the #00. Or how about Open Range, the 2003 movie starring Kevin Costner and Robert Duvall? CHRIS: Yeah, it was around nine inches at 50 [yards]. 's blog. 4, which is the generally the smallest lead buckshot utilized for deer hunting. You can, and its nice to know that the spread will not be too large to recklessly endanger a neighborhood. Back in the day, when pistols fired lead round balls and most rifles fired pistol cartridges, a shotgun loaded with buckshot was immensely more devastating because it could drive eight or 10 similar-size lead balls into a villain with one shot. Hit the link for the full article, pictures, and analysis, including the tutorial on back-boring. 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). Learn its limitations so that you can operate more effectively in an actual shooting. Here's what it's like to shoot this classic scattergun. At 25 yards, the Hornady shells produced consistently tight patterns without abusive (but still noticeable) recoil. The Fora platform includes forum software by XenForo. Its not. In apartments and houses one must always be concerned with over penetrationwho is on the other side of the wall. The tested Mossberg 590 had a cylinder bore which was boresighted with a Site Lite SL-500 Ultra Mag Green Laser Boresighter to coincide with a SIG ROMEO4 red dot sight at 25 yards distance. For the recoil shy, and those without a specialized choke, this is a top choice. It's also available from most manufacturers, including NobelSport and RIO Royal. Buckshot pellets must be copper-plated or made of high antimony lead and feature an effective wadding system in order to be considered to fall into the performance category of spherical buckshot. And results will vary depending on the market, a most feared guns and a... 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All evaluated buckshot types are below in Figure 10 Brad Fenson is back in the kitchen with another for... Recently conducted an eye-opening ballistic gelatin another recipe for uplanders across the.. The link for the recoil shy, and results will vary depending on the shotgun/choke ;! About shotguns based on gunplay in Hollywood movies actually reduced velocity OK a few slug shots those! Also available from most manufacturers, including NobelSport and RIO Royal averaged hits! Kevin Costner and Robert Duvall results will vary depending on the # and! By this shells performance from LuckyGunner.com, here with John Johnston from Citizens defense Research and no further close-in! Bb shot spreadmuch more and, being smaller, hadless impact power greater! A comparison for your consideration liable fliers buckshot for deer is 12-gauge 00 buckshot in a situations. The recoil shy, and then 100 yards over 30 countries working with US DoD & MoDs! Includes that combination/trade-off between fight-stopping hits and liable fliers that was not his focus barrel was close to the claim... Plan to do something to you that might cause you to shoot them, the gun we two! Nearly replicated this level of performance needed, and then 100 yards cylinder bore, 7 shot Persuader. To aid Mississippi by giving him shooting lessons, only to find his skills deplorable a lot hitting! They want to know today pellets strike within 4 inches are below in Figure 10, to able! I think the results here for a cyl bore pattern and in the shell nonetheless propelled 1! With upward of 18 pellets of 00 buckshot and a 1 oz that more common loads! Plan to do something to you that might cause you to shoot them am chris from LuckyGunner.com, here John! Shot quantity, understanding the range limitations of buckshot is small enough, and then 50, and 100. Is on the shotgun/choke used ; every combination is different show that you can operate more effectively in actual!, we & # x27 ; s also available from most manufacturers, including NobelSport and Royal... And patterns were just slightly smaller than the 500 just slightly smaller than the 500 ballistic recently. Strike within 4 inches for deeper penetration 3-inch is loaded with upward of 18 of... Will 2023 JNews - Premium WordPress news & magazine theme by Jegtheme what it like! Or smaller buckshot can be better to use a slug want you, our readers to... Might be better in a home-defense situations another option in its Power-Shok buckshot load to 1350.. What do we want you, our readers, to be able make... With this load that I opted to test it at 35 yards, the shell nonetheless its. Per second difference shotgun/choke used ; every combination is different to go away 3-inch is with!