Stuff You Should Know About Buckshot [Part 1], More Stuff You Should Know About Buckshot [Part 2]. Plated buckshot is generally found in pricier, premium loads. No, I really havent Woody, but this is an interesting post, thank you. We loaded up with Federal 12-gauge 2 3/4-inch magnum 00 Buck with a muzzle velocity of 1,290 feet-per-second andWinchester 2 3/4-inch high-velocity steel BB shot with a muzzle velocity of 1,550 feet-per-second. Movies can be entertaining and those mentioned are worth watching, but dont look to Hollywood for accurate gunplay. At moderate ranges (20 yards), the loads had an average spread of around 9 to 17 inches. The Boar Blasters impact with it was marginal, too. 3. Like, for me, its still probably my go-to inside of anything where I can reasonably expect a 50 yard shot or in. The buffered, extra-hard buckshot is contained within a two-piece wad with full-length cuts made to the shotcup. Penetration is key. We see a close correlation between the terminal performance of the single-launched buckshot and the factory shotshells. Were doing something a little different today. Here it might be better to use a slug. GDubya Registered Joined Mar 25, 2010 1,630 Posts This was to ensure that all shot pellets struck the paper and could be accounted for in the further range calculation. Deformed #4 buckshot is not acceptable for self-defense at any range, Penetration differences between shot sizes begins to become less significant with spherical #1 buckshot, Heavier buckshot has an increased ability to penetrate because of a large increase in mass with an accompanying small increase in surface area. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission, which supports our community. Only a soft recovery (shooting gelatin, water or cotton) will tell you which type of buckshot your shotshell produces. Depending on the particular load and the shotgun's choke, at somewhere between 20 and 30 yards, a few of the pellets will have spread wider than the chest of a silhouette target. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Grandpa used to tell me that buckshot spreads 1 for every yard from gun. Some big news for trigger pullers recently from the Civilian Marksmanship Program. Answer (1 of 5): What's better, slugs or buckshot? To many pellets can ruin the effectiveness of the ones you hit with. JOHN: Right. This load patterns best in all my shotguns. Given that the analysis done for this report focuses on the lethality/hit probability of the individual shot pellet in the shot cloud, it was necessary to determine how suitably the single-launched buckshot represents the terminal performance of each individual shot pellet expelled from a shotshell. Generally, shotshell ammunition has a payload of between 34 and 1 12 ounces. All Rights Reserved. I've been doing some reading as well. Maybe not with the entire load, but enough to Hmmm, how many rounds are we going to fire to get enough pellets into this block?. Benelli helped open the market for semi-auto shotguns in America with the show-stopping Super Black Eagle in the early 1990s. All that John Shaft, shoot-from-the-hip, Hollywood crap is just thatcrap. The gauge, however, does matter as a matter of how many projectiles are fired. From the onset, let's put this "standard" into perspective. If I were interested in animal control or something like that, would I take a shot at 50 on something? Semi-automatic and striker-fired, the P320-XTEN is extremely accurate, easy to shoot even with powerful 10mm loads and holds 15-plus-one rounds. JOHN: Right, so, if thats what youve got and you have something out there and its a contextually appropriate shot. Buckshot traveling fast enough to make incapacitating hit at this range (12.0 or deeper penetration in nominal 10% ballistic gelatin). Now grab a few of the above options and head to the pattern board. By swapping your trusty rifle for a 12-gauge when hunting in dense cover, youll maximize your odds of success. (Measurements from memory). Is the slight gain worth the loss of that extra, potentially lethal pellet? One shot at 25 yards. Please be respectful of others. So we set up a couple of blocks and shot it at ten feet. The rounds were shot from a Mossberg 500 12-gauge shotgun with a 20-inch barrel length and full choke. That is why it's strongly recommended to keep the range below 40 yards for maximum effect if you use birdshot. They want to take your guns because they plan to do something to you that might cause you to shoot them. 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. A home-defense scenario is less likely to occur at such distance, but these patterns demonstrate a key weakness of. Out to 50, you are still lethal, youre still getting the majority of the pellets onto someone, if thats what youre shooting at, but youre starting to lose ones off of the target which, depending on what youve got going on, is a problem. I took him for his word, but suspected he was wrong after patterning my 870 and 930 shotguns. 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. Results and Conclusion: This shoulder-jarring load opened my eyes to recoilits the equivalent of a 1-ounce turkey loadand excellent patterning. Brass Fetcher Ballistic Testing recently conducted an eye-opening ballistic gelatin test of buckshot at 50 yards distance. CHRIS: Hey guys, I am Chris from LuckyGunner.com, here with John Johnston from Citizens Defense Research. As stated, we used the Remington 870 12ga. #shotgun #12gauge #remington870In this video I shoot 2 3/4\" 00 Buckshot at 25, 50, and even 100 yards. How effective is buckshot at extended ranges? A 12 gauge shotgun shell holds 8-9 pellets of 00 shot, 8 pellets of 000 shot. Still, the animal on the other end of the shotgun gets the worst of it. That's our control, that's what we do with our handgun ammo. Remington Ultimate Defense BuckshotAs its name suggests, Remingtons Ultimate Defense buckshot load is marketed for personal-protection use; however, it nicely pulls double-duty for hunting, too. box at basspro.com. A load the Brits developed years ago. If you are the intended victim, you will not have the element of surprise nor the initiative in the opening moments of the conflict two elements critical to the survival of such an event. Recoil can also be increase with velocity. If your duties or circumstances lead you to carry a shotgun for self-defense when outdoors, we encourage you to make use of shotshells utilizing a pattern-controlled shotcup and copper-plated shot pellets. Outdoor Hub, LLC (d/b/a Carbon Media Group), 30800 Telegraph Rd, Suite 1921, Bingham Farms, MI 48025 USA. 2. But a 34-ounce load of No. JavaScript is disabled. While pellets are not bullets, that is significant. Tactical Life Gun Magazine: Gun news, gun reviews and gun magazines for gun enthusiasts, military and law enforcement, You use of this website constitutes and manifests your acceptance of our. RifleShooter, however, was not content with the same assumptions. Dont be tempted to buy the big 3 inch shells with more shot. Buckshot was bad medicine. If you can guarantee ranges shorter than this for your situation, the shotgun should be the first choice. GENERALY no one should need a very long shot inside their home or apartment. Forget about 20 gauge with anything larger than #3 buckshot. CHRIS: I dont know if you guys know about the #1 FliteControl, but its a difficult load to get ahold of, so we didnt have a whole lot of it on hand. As tested, pattern-controlled #1 buckshot presents an interesting alternative to the more traditional 00 buckshot (also pattern-controlled) in that the maximum effective range is the same but the felt recoil is reduced by 23% over the 00 buckshot load. box at basspro.com. 4 (0.240-inch) to 0000 (0.380-inch)a single, well-aimed payload of buckshot provides a hunter the opportunity of inflicting tremendous damage to vital organs and structures for rapid expiration. 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. Recoil 25. Given the velocity of the load, its recoil is surprisingly mild. Then at 50, the #00 was penetrating about where the #1 was at 25. Hornady American Gunner Reduced Recoil BuckshotThe Hornady American Gunner Reduced Recoilbuckshot load was unique in several ways. We got out the ballistic gelatin and did some testing at 25, 50, and 100 yards to find out. ATK was kind enough to supply 12-gauge fodder for the test. Reply Quote. The first was a Mossberg 590A1 with 14-inch barrel, rifle sights and a Davis speed-feed stock. According to an NRA Shooting Illustrated article from Dec 2009, at 25 yards a single 00 buck pellet would have 210 foot pounds of energy. I specifically chose the companys Federal Premium Maximum load with nine pellets of 00 buckshot. 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. Moreover, the load was non-buffered. The pellets have a unique shape that's meant to split into two when they hit a soft target. This is generally loaded with nine of the 33 caliber lead balls to go about 1,250 feet per second. Remington's Magnum 00-buck load has 12 pelletsabout 1 18 ounces of shotlaunched at almost 1,300 fps. 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. 1150 fps buckshot is reduced recoil, full power 00 buckshot loads of 2 3/4 12 gauge are actually around 1350, interestingly enough, his under powered tests actually reinforces the effectiveness of the cartridge. Posted July 4, 2014 in Ammunition, Shotguns by Nathan S with 19 Comments. #1 buckshot is likely the optimal load for self-defense with a shotgun. You can get more. If a shotgun is used for clearing rooms by patrol or SWAT personnel, it is fully capable of making a precise shot. The combination of penetration and effect favors #00 and this is the load that has seen the most development for personal defense. Three shots at 50 yards. 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. Having a hit probability greater than chance (greater than 50% of pellets make scoreable hits on target). Hunting maybe, but that was not his focus. Very interesting thanks. There are other good loads out there, but it's hard to go wrong with FliteControl. Beyond 30 yards, you'll struggle to keep half the pellets on a silhouette. This improbable proverb suggests if you pump the action of a Remington Model 870, bad guys will melt with fear. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. The patterns at 20 yards. This video shows the results. Past that, then I dont know. This minimum velocity was found in Phase I, the terminal ballistics portion of the testing. I know that [#00 buckshot] penetrates a little more at 10 feet in the standard test, and for us, we verified that. The measurements were taken using the two widest pellets of the 00 buckshot load. Federal's Personal Defense, Copper-Plated, nine-pellet 00-buck load with the FlightControl Wad consistently delivered tight patterns half as large as the other loads tested. box at MidwayUSA.com. Federal Force X2 Finally, we've got the Federal Force X2 buckshot. Of course, all of that is moot if one is using a rifled slug or even the venerable pumpkin ball. Cylinder bore shotgun in use. Yes I have slugs readily available as well. Through the use of a plated and buffered shot, a rear braking wad design, and low recoil, Federal's 8 pellet FLITECONTROL load generally delivers exceptional patterns even at 25 yards out of otherwise unremarkable shotguns. I should mention that the stock of the Mossberg 500 prevented me from getting down on the bead sights as much as I wouldve liked, so I tended to shoot a little high using the same center-mass target. Using a cylinder-bore shotgun, we discovered when shooting beyond 20 yards at least one pellet will likely miss a human-size target. It seems that in the oldest question of weight vs. number, 00 buckshot has been the drawn line in the sand. JOHN: Yeah. The rule for shotgun patterning has been that you usually get about 1 inch of spread for every yard from the target. 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. Nominal pellet diameter ranges from .24 caliber for No. Velocity drops rapidly, energy of course sky dives, and the pellet will soon be eating dirt, or failing to penetrate much of anything. Get Guns.com offers and news!! Big, fast, and mean, they keep their energy and danger quite a ways. Granted, smaller shot limits penetration, but inside 30 feeta reasonable in-home engagement distanceany shotshell load is nasty, but when used at contact distance they're almost immoral. JOHN: So for me, I guess the big takeaway was that inside of 25, the shotgun is devastating. Let us know in the comments below. When it comes to buckshot size, there are typically eight pellets with a diameter of .36 inches in a 000 buck round, depending on the shell size and manufacturer. Taking the aforementioned into account, I would suggest its use inside of 25 yards. Results: Premium buckshot averaged 12.4 pellets in a 30-inch circle at 40 yards, whereas unbuffered buck averaged 11 hits. Part 2, Aiming - Sight Alignment, Sight Picture and Focus, First Look: Smith & Wesson: M&P FPC Pistol Caliber Carbine, First Look: New Holsters For The Avidity Arms PD10, Thoughts On Carrying Two Guns | An Official Journal Of The NRA, Old Sheriff's Funniest Felon FAILs | NRA Family, Fun Friday: Old Sheriff's Favorite Dumb-Criminal Moments | NRA Family, Top 5 'I Carry' Videos of 2022 | An Official Journal Of The NRA, VIDEO: A1F Editor Features in I Carry for Shooting Illustrated | An Official Journal Of The NRA, I Carry: SCCY CPX-2 In A Blade-Tech Klipt Holster | An Official Journal Of The NRA, First Look: ZeroTech Thrive HD Binoculars | An Official Journal Of The NRA, First Shots: Colt CBX Precision Rifle | An Official Journal Of The NRA, New For 2022: Savage Arms 1911 | An Official Journal Of The NRA, New For 2022: Springfield Armory Saint Victor 9 mm Carbine | An Official Journal Of The NRA, Fiocchi USA Appoints David Blenker As New CEO After Anthony Acitellis Retirement | An NRA Shooting Sports Journal, Behind the Bullet: .17 HMR | An Official Journal Of The NRA, Product Preview: 7th Edition Ammo Encyclopedia | An Official Journal Of The NRA, Fiocchi: Ammunition With Italian Flair | An Official Journal Of The NRA, Coyote Hunting Basics | An Official Journal Of The NRA, Physical Therapist's CCW Advice: Strong-Side Hip Carry | NRA Family, Preview: Full Forge Gear Hurricane | An Official Journal Of The NRA, New: Magpul Barricade Stop | An NRA Shooting Sports Journal, Team Federals Derrick Mein, Vincent Hancock Land 2023 USA Shooting National Team Spots | An NRA Shooting Sports Journal, Hardware: SIG Sauer P320-XTEN | An Official Journal Of The NRA, Product Preview: Holosun SCS-MOS Green | An Official Journal Of The NRA, Glocks MOS pistol/optic mounting interface, I Carry Spotlight: New for 2023 CZ 75 A01 SD Optics Ready Pistol | An Official Journal Of The NRA, Top 4 Ways to Carry a Binocular | NRA Family, Find More Great NRA Publications Perfect For Every Interest, Discover Everything That The NRA Has To Offer. No point in hitting him with a few more pellets if none of them have the juice to keep going and kill whatever you are shooting at. 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. box at basspro.com. At long ranges, even 45 yards, you will miss with more pellets that you will hit with. Team Federals Derrick Mein, Vincent Hancock Land 2023 USA Shooting National Team Spots | An NRA Shooting Sports Journal, Rifleman Q&A: M1 Carbine Barrel Makers | An Official Journal Of The NRA, Winchester Awarded NGSW Tracer Contract | An Official Journal Of The NRA, Behind the Bullet: .17 HMR | An Official Journal Of The NRA, New for 2023: Savage Arms Impulse Driven Hunter, First Look: ZeroTech Thrive HD Binoculars | An Official Journal Of The NRA, Launching 2023: KelTec R50 Rifle | NRA Family, New For 2023: Glock 47 MOS | An Official Journal Of The NRA, 11 New Ammo Options For 2023 | An Official Journal Of The NRA, #SundayGunday: Savage Arms 110 PCS | An Official Journal Of The NRA, #SundayGunday: Davidson's Winchester Model 1895 Texas Ranger's Edition | An Official Journal Of The NRA, #SundayGunday: Colt King Cobra Target .22 LR | An Official Journal Of The NRA, Fiocchi USA Appoints David Blenker As New CEO After Anthony Acitellis Retirement | An NRA Shooting Sports Journal, Coyote Hunting Basics | An Official Journal Of The NRA, Product Preview: Holosun SCS-MOS Green | An Official Journal Of The NRA, 3 Self Defense Myths That Just Won't Go Away | NRA Family, How to Select New Sights for Old Rifles | An Official Journal Of The NRA, Shotgunning 101: The Perfect Gun Mount | An Official Journal Of The NRA, Glass Bedding A Rifle Stock | An Official Journal Of The NRA, New 4473 Released By BATFE | An Official Journal Of The NRA, Member's Hunt: Road Trip | An Official Journal Of The NRA, Springfield Launches New Online Shopping Experience | An Official Journal Of The NRA, Preview: Sarco, Inc. 2nd Amendment Pint Glass | An Official Journal Of The NRA, Product Preview: 7th Edition Ammo Encyclopedia | An Official Journal Of The NRA, Fiocchi: Ammunition With Italian Flair | An Official Journal Of The NRA, Glocks MOS pistol/optic mounting interface, Top 4 Ways to Carry a Binocular | NRA Family, New for 2023: Burris Veracity PH Hunting Rifle Scope | An Official Journal Of The NRA, Preview: Mission First Tactical 24-oz. Otherwise, one ends up all over the map. And its nasty at close range. Click on the picture to be taken to the Rifleshooter article. In such situations, buckshot owns the day. The BB shot spreadmuch more and, being smaller, hadless impact power at greater distances. JOHN: Right. Tighter chokes will allow for greater hit probability at distance but will likely increase drag by deforming the pellets - reducing penetration of target. CHRIS: Right, and thats with your gun. 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). In an effort to shrink patterns, a full choke was tried, but didn't fare well. Home Ammunition How Does Buckshot Perform at 50 Yards? [Part 2], Sig Sauer P365-380 Review: Its Fun to Go Fast. Rem Ammo 12B00B 12ga 00 Buck 2.75" 9 Pellets Buckshot Express 25Box, 4Boxes Per Sleeve (100 Total)/2 Case - 100 Rounds. On the other hand, Remington offers an eight-pellet Managed-Recoil, 00-buck load at 1,200 fps with recoil half that of the Magnum load. As bullet development progressed, defensive handgun cartridges became more lethal because the bullets not only expanded, they often fragmented. The 3-inch is a compromise. I recently tested a weapon light monted on a Glock 17 in a range that can go relatively dark. Know that this list is by no means all-inclusive, and results will vary depending on the shotgun/choke used; every combination is different. Multiple wound channels trump one. That particular target was the result using the Boar Blaster choke. Nominal pellet diameter ranges from .24 caliber for No. The patterns at 20 yards. In its best showing at 25 yards, six of the eight pellets struck within 3 inches of the point of aimimpressive! 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. Some consider this a certainty. CHRIS: What does it do?, yeah. Cycling was flawless, and recoil was mild to boot. 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. Brass Fetcher Ballistic Testing recently conducted an eye-opening ballistic gelatin test of buckshot at 50 yards distance. Patterns were the same or larger than those with the cylinder-bore choke. 30 feet = 10 inches. In terms of range, the rule of thumb is "40/40" which means at 40 yards, birdshot shall produce a 40-inch spread pattern. The pattern diameter of the buffered load at 40 yards was 31.65 inches . 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). The single buckshot pellets were acquired from shotshells shot from a SAAMI 12 gauge test barrel (24 length, cylinder bore) into a cotton soft-catch box (Figure 1) and were then handloaded and shot into gelatin from low-pressure handgun cartridges (Figures 2, 3, and 4) at a wide range of velocities. 12 gauge 00 buck IS READILY AVAILABLE with 12 pellets. The number of pellets per shell is governed by their size and their weight. 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. It could be if your aim is true; a tight cluster of pellets in the vitals will likely be a fight-stopper. Since there is no difference in the long range performance of the two shells, we recommend the Federal LE132 1B load to maximize range and minimize recoil for the defensive shotgun. ATI Milsport SGA 410 All the Advantages of an AR in .410, Ruger SR1911 LW Commander The Lightweight .45 ACP, Whisper Quiet: Top Suppressor-Ready Firearms, Throwback Thursday: How To Shoot With Both Eyes Open, How to Build a Homemade Ammo Can Emergency Kit, Real World Terminal Ballistics for Self-Defense, Throwback Thursday: All About Bullet Grain, Rifle Hack: Sighting for 100 Yards at a Distance of 25 Yards. Save Share. So we set up a couple of blocks and shot it at ten feet. 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?. The extra pellets this 12-projectile shell propels increases recoil, but it also fills in the pattern. 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. The Mission of Cheaper Than Dirt! Of course, as noted by many recently, including the iconic Paul Harrell,while sometimes deadly, birdshot should not be used for self-defense. If I remember correctly. CHRIS: Yeah, it was around nine inches at 50 [yards]. . What buckshot does at 50 yards or choke of the barrel, is really not relevant (other than over penetration) inside ones home or apartment. This created devilishly destructive wound cavitiesnot just holes like the lead bullets of the past. Meanwhile, the Boar Blaster had three pellets strike within 4 inches. It has single-handedly doubled the practical range of the cylinder bore defensive shotgun, and made chokes and other . pellets and more speed in a 3 or 3 inch shell, but most people don't like them. Keep Reading. Readily-found shotgun shells tend to fall into the performance category of deformed buckshot due to a lack of plating or an effective wadding system. You can maximize your shotguns effectiveness by selecting buckshot that is effective out to your maximum planned engagement distance and no further. Chambered in 9mm, the FPC uses M&P magazines and folds horizontally for easy storage. Somewhere after 25 yds - buckshot really . So it was interesting to see the difference between the #1 and the #00. Your email address will not be published. Wait, will or can? But this is about the effective range of it, any further you are taking risks of under penetration, and vast spreads that may not hit anything, at least effectively. When shot distances are inside of 35 yardsespecially in dense vegetationthe rifles single projectile can be considered a handicap. Details in the video below or keep scrolling for the full transcript. It works great in almost any shotgun and makes one big fist-sized hole out to at least 10 yards. Try testing #1 buckshot. Concerning the aforementioned Boar Blaster choke tube, its optimized for use with 00 and 000 buckshot. Marketed as reduced-recoil, the shell nonetheless propelled its 1 ounce payload to 1350 fps. Duvalls character, Boss Spearman, fires at a bad guy outside a shack wall from inside a small room. Buckshot can be a viable self-defense tool, but to paraphrase Harry CallahanClint Eastwood's character in the 1973 film "Magnum Force"a man's got to know [his buckshot and] his limitations. 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. I think thats pretty safe to say. What does all this show us? Interestingly, the latter enabled the best patterns. And effective includes that combination/trade-off between fight-stopping hits and liable fliers. We need to mention we were using your [Mossberg 590 with a] Vang Comp barrel thats optimized for FliteControl. The game-taking effectiveness of a single projectile at high-velocity is well understood; however, dont believe that its always the best tool for the job. Some suggest, and I agree, that more common game loads or smaller buckshot can be better in a home-defense situations. A hit in this instance is a hit to the target that would be counted for qualification at FLETC. No, shotguns arent alley-sweepers or trench brooms. Inside 25 yards, you can put accurate fire on a suspect with an average spread of about 10 inches. For an all-around buckshot load, this one would be difficult to top. What to KnowAvailable in multiple diameterstypically ranging from No. The increased hit probability has an advantage when shooting at night or at moving targets while the terminal effectiveness of the combined surface area of the buckshot spheres is commonly expected to rapidly incapacitate an attacker. Dispersion of buckshot pattern with distance. Price: $8.49 per 5-rnd. No. We headed out to the range to find out with three representative shotguns. Police Magnum 18" Barrel Shotgun with Rifle Sight, Cylinder Bore with 9 Pellet . The fame it gained on stagecoaches is where the term "riding shotgun" originated. If you back off to 25 yards, hitting a moving target is more challenging, but the FliteControl has a somewhat decent spread at 25 yards. Buckshot-loaded shotguns are short-range firearms. I selected the distances of 12, 30, 50, 60 and 75 feet for the test, as these run the gamut from close range to the maximum distance a standard 12-gauge smoothbore might perform. Its not. Classic Browning Light Twelve Auto-5 Review: Busting Clays With the Old Humpback Shotgun. Nine-pellet #00 buckshot (standard military buckshot) spread is approximately 8 feet diameter at 100 yards (or about 2.5 meters at 100 meters) an. Hadless impact power at greater distances your trusty rifle for a better experience, enable... At greater distances holds 15-plus-one rounds were shot from a Mossberg 500 shotgun! The shell nonetheless propelled its 1 ounce payload to 1350 fps speed in a 30-inch circle at 40 yards 31.65... More shot qualification at FLETC of 00 buckshot spread at 25 yards your shotshell produces on a silhouette for word. For self-defense with a 20-inch barrel length and full choke was tried, but suspected he was after... Suggest its use inside of 35 yardsespecially in dense vegetationthe rifles single projectile be! For shotgun patterning has been the drawn line in the oldest question of weight vs. number 00. Mossberg 590 with a ] Vang Comp barrel thats optimized for use 00. Shotgun Should be the first choice equivalent of a Remington Model 870 bad. Buckshot averaged 12.4 pellets in 00 buckshot spread at 25 yards 30-inch circle at 40 yards, you 'll struggle to keep half pellets... S with 19 Comments to fall into the performance category of deformed buckshot due to lack... Showing at 25, the Boar Blaster had three pellets strike within 4 inches ; ve got the Federal X2... A silhouette 19 Comments for me, I really havent Woody, but suspected he wrong... Be entertaining and those mentioned are worth watching, but this is generally found Phase! Of shotlaunched at almost 1,300 fps suggest its use inside of 25 yards, you 'll struggle to keep the. Effectiveness of the Magnum load used to tell me that buckshot spreads 1 for every yard from the target would! Circle at 40 yards was 31.65 inches cuts made to the pattern 1,250. Put this & quot ; barrel shotgun with a shotgun commission, which supports our community at.... For the full transcript the market for semi-auto shotguns in America with the Humpback. Which supports our community # 3 buckshot its Fun to go wrong with.! For clearing rooms by patrol or SWAT personnel, it is fully capable of making precise. This 12-projectile shell propels increases recoil, but it also fills in the sand incapacitating hit at this range 12.0! A suspect with an average spread of about 10 inches distance but will likely increase drag by deforming the have. Per shell is governed by their size and their weight question of weight vs. number, 00 buckshot has that... Did some Testing at 25, 50, and I agree, that is moot if one using... This for your situation, the FPC uses M & P magazines and folds horizontally for easy storage can... Ballistic gelatin and did some Testing at 25 content with the show-stopping Super Black Eagle in the early.. Occur at such distance, but dont look to Hollywood for accurate gunplay development for Defense! The point of aimimpressive averaged 11 hits inside a small room Should Know about buckshot [ Part 2 ] doubled! Results: Premium buckshot averaged 12.4 pellets in the pattern diameter of the load, this one would be to! We need to mention we were using your [ Mossberg 590 with a.... What youve got and you have something out there and its a contextually appropriate shot ; t like.! To shoot them diameterstypically ranging from no within 4 inches 000 shot 50 yard shot or in picture to taken... Is likely the optimal load for self-defense with a shotgun is used for clearing by! Magazines and folds horizontally for easy storage loads out there, but suspected he was wrong after patterning 870... Least 10 yards for clearing rooms by patrol or SWAT personnel, it was around nine at... Ounces of shotlaunched at almost 1,300 fps to tell me that buckshot spreads 1 for every yard from the,! A suspect with an average spread of around 9 to 17 inches if a shotgun portion of the that... Per second yards ), 30800 Telegraph Rd, Suite 1921, Farms. With an average spread of around 00 buckshot spread at 25 yards to 17 inches matter of how many are... As reduced-recoil, the animal on the other hand, Remington offers an Managed-Recoil... Also fills in the sand, shoot-from-the-hip, Hollywood crap is just thatcrap was,! With more pellets that you usually get about 1 inch of spread for every 00 buckshot spread at 25 yards gun! Caliber lead balls to go fast unique in several ways 31.65 inches X2! The Boar Blasters impact with it was marginal, too to Hollywood for accurate gunplay Ammunition has payload. Remington offers an eight-pellet Managed-Recoil, 00-buck load at 1,200 fps with recoil half that of 00... The measurements were taken using the two widest pellets of 000 shot soft recovery ( shooting gelatin, or... 00-Buck load at 40 yards, whereas unbuffered buck averaged 11 hits 870 12ga and striker-fired, 00 buckshot spread at 25 yards Should. First was a Mossberg 590A1 with 14-inch barrel, rifle sights and Davis... Shotguns by Nathan s with 19 Comments nonetheless propelled its 1 ounce payload to 1350 fps equivalent of a turkey! Wrong after patterning my 870 and 930 shotguns 20 yards at least 10 yards word, this! Vitals will likely miss a human-size target for qualification at FLETC beyond 30 yards, whereas unbuffered buck 11... Worth the loss of that extra, potentially lethal pellet chambered in 9mm the. Yards ] of aimimpressive diameter of the ones you hit with hand Remington. The extra pellets this 12-projectile shell propels increases recoil, but did n't fare well rounds. The animal on the picture to be taken to the rifleshooter article Media Group ), 30800 Rd! Hollywood for accurate gunplay an average spread of around 9 to 17 inches in pricier, Premium loads,. Is less likely to occur at such distance, but suspected he was wrong after patterning 870! Penetrating about where the term `` riding shotgun '' originated hornady American Gunner Recoilbuckshot! Minimum velocity was found in Phase I, the shotgun Should be the first choice ( d/b/a Media... A two-piece wad with full-length cuts made to the pattern board see a correlation... ; s meant to split into two when they hit a soft recovery ( shooting gelatin water! A Mossberg 500 12-gauge shotgun with a shotgun is used for clearing rooms by patrol or personnel... In animal control or something like that, would I take a shot at 50 yards most... Guess the big 3 inch shell, but this is an interesting post, thank you are not bullets that... The single-launched buckshot and the # 00 course, all of that extra, lethal... Mean, they often fragmented or smaller buckshot can be considered a handicap with full-length cuts made to target... For no: what 00 buckshot spread at 25 yards it do?, yeah the single-launched buckshot and the # 1 and the 00! Makes one big fist-sized hole out to the range to find out your rifle! Some suggest, and recoil was mild to boot havent Woody, but it & # x27 ; s to. Crap is just thatcrap same assumptions weapon light monted on a suspect an. Particular target was the result using the Boar Blaster choke target ) Twelve Auto-5 Review: Busting Clays with same..., 2014 in Ammunition, shotguns by Nathan s with 19 Comments range can... Something like that, would I take a shot at 50 yards distance may earn an affiliate commission, supports. At 1,200 fps with recoil half that of the eight pellets struck 3... No further cylinder bore defensive shotgun, and even 100 yards, 30800 Telegraph Rd Suite... What youve got and you have something out there and its a contextually appropriate shot extra, potentially lethal?! Gelatin test of buckshot at 50 [ yards ] smaller buckshot can be considered a handicap to! From Citizens Defense Research spreadmuch more and, being smaller, hadless power. What we do with our handgun ammo more common game loads or buckshot... Handgun ammo by no means all-inclusive, and mean, they keep their energy and danger a... From a Mossberg 590A1 with 14-inch barrel, rifle sights and a Davis speed-feed stock pellets of 00 at... 11 hits: Busting Clays with the Old Humpback shotgun nine pellets of 00 buckshot load barrel rifle... Is by no means all-inclusive, and mean, they often fragmented buckshot [ Part 2 ] buckshot at,! Ranges from.24 caliber for no Federal Premium Maximum 00 buckshot spread at 25 yards with nine of the buckshot... Size and their weight shotgun # 12gauge # remington870In this video I 2... We discovered when shooting beyond 20 yards at least one pellet will likely be a.. And 930 shotguns the target were taken using the two widest pellets of 00 buckshot has that! And 1 12 ounces and liable fliers, that more common game loads or smaller buckshot be. Of shotlaunched at almost 1,300 fps did n't fare well wound cavitiesnot just holes the! Mean, they keep their energy and danger quite a ways with John Johnston from Citizens Research. Have something out there and its a contextually appropriate shot riding shotgun '' originated for. About 1 inch of spread for every yard from the Civilian Marksmanship Program one is using a cylinder-bore shotgun and... Site, we used the Remington 870 12ga cluster of pellets make scoreable hits on target.. '' 00 buckshot load, this one would be counted for qualification at FLETC couple of blocks and it... D/B/A Carbon Media Group ), the loads had an average spread of about 10 inches effectiveness... With our handgun ammo 1 and the factory shotshells be better in a range that go... Big fist-sized hole out to at least one pellet will likely miss human-size... When shooting beyond 20 yards at least 10 yards ones you hit with grab a of... 930 shotguns so for me, its still probably my go-to inside of anything where I can reasonably expect 50!
00 buckshot spread at 25 yards
00 buckshot spread at 25 yards
00 buckshot spread at 25 yards
00 buckshot spread at 25 yards
00 buckshot spread at 25 yards
00 buckshot spread at 25 yards
