Shotgun ammo

Regarding #4 Buck, I remember the Lucky Gunner testing mentioning the shot not penetrating very well. If it was not plated or Flight Control, the shot would flatten out somewhat as it accelerated.

I remember as well the report saying #4 Buck doing pretty well if plated or Flight Control. Still, #1 Buck seemed a better option possibly. It patterned so much better for me that I now consider it my primary load for home defense. Of course I still have lots of OO Buck available.

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No. 20 ga. I have no desire to shoot anyone hiding behind the refrigerator at my neighbor’s house. :slightly_smiling_face:

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Did you ever pattern this? Must be wild.

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Can you please share who makes it?

All I seem to find in 20 gauge is #3 buckshot.

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Federal and MagTech both offer 20 ga. #4.

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Thank you. I need to read more carefully. Yes #4 shot is available.
You said 00 which is 12 gauge buckshot and my mind went to #4 buckshot instead of #4 shot instead of actually paying attention.

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No worries. However, them offering it vs. them actually having it in stock are not the same thing.

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Out door use only.

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For practice, 7 1/2 game load. For home defense, 00 buck. For hunting/woods defense slugs. Winchester SuperX in all loads. The slugs, 3 inch shells.

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@Larry130 If you are interested. :slightly_smiling_face:

Federal Vital-Shok 20 Gauge Ammo - 5 Rounds of 3" 1-1/4 oz. #2 Buckshot Ammunition


Image of Federal Vital-Shok 20 Gauge Ammo - 5 Rounds of 3" 1-1/4 oz. #2 Buckshot Ammunition

$13.99

Add Review

63 In stock now

Bullet type1-1/4 oz.

ConditionNew

Muzzle Velocity1100 FPS

P.S. Just ordered 5 boxes.

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Went to the range today with my Tac14 (14" Remington 870) and ran through several different loads I keep on hand.

In the target below I shot a round of Winchester 16-pellet #1 buck (red) and two rounds of Fiocchi slugs (green) at 10 yards.

Notice the spread of "1 buckshot.

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I would say DRT :+1:

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Wow! $2.80 per round. I remember when you could shoot 50 BMG for that kind of money…

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Yup, times, they have changed. I remember when you could buy .30.30 for $5.00 and change,
now as high as $50.00 a box. :roll_eyes:

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Remember these?

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I’ve been thinking #6 buck as a general shot. Thoughts??

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#4 buckshot is the smallest buckshot I’m aware of.
#6 shot will be fine for bigger birds rabbits and squirrel hunting. Or General use.

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Yes, #6 shot… I was thinking buck when I typed it. But as a general shot, even pertaining to home defense or just range food shot, seems like a decent choice.

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I use Steel “T” shot, 54 .20cal. pellets in 2 3/4in. in my 12ga. house gun in a residential area. I have taken coyotes at 50 yds. and DRT. At home defensive distance a 12in. pattern. At 50yds. with a
3in. “T” shot, 75 .20 cal. pellets will cover a body head to toe. I carried the Steel “T” shot “bird shot” during small game season because Buck shot and Slugs were illegal and didn’t feel under gunned. :slightly_smiling_face:

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There are so many varied living conditions, selecting the best shotgun load depends upon where you live. I am assuming most of us do not live in McMansions. The longest distance in my 1875 sq ft. suburban home is about 25 feet. At that range with my shotgun, with #6 shot, out of a cylinder bore the spread is about 2.5 inches. While admittedly #6 won’t penetrate as deeply as 00 buck, I can remember the coroner testifying about the effects of birdshot (size undefined) out of a 20 ga. shotgun at arm’s length distance. The shootee was buck nekked, so we didn’t have clothing to slow down the velocity. The coroner testified that had the shootee been shot in a fully prepped OR, ready to operate, it was his professional opinion that the massive damage done to the internal organs would have precluded any kind of medical repair and the massive damage resulted in almost instantaneous death. Now that is the only case in 25 years of working in court that involved birdshot at center mass, close range.

I shot a pheasant once at about 25 feet with #6 shot right in the tail feathers. He was flying directly away from me. Not only did the shot column penetrate into the body cavity, the plastic shot wad also penetrated into the bird. He was DRT. I am sure that the fact that the bird was moving directly away from me mitigated the effect of the shot on penetration. It probably gave the bird a boost in acceleration away from me.

There are lots of opinions about what shot will do. I would suggest that you save up gallon milk jugs until you have a good quantity. Take them to a range and line them up and see what your favorite load will do to X number of gallon jugs filled with water at varying distances. Not exactly the same a ballistic gel, but it will give you an idea of penetration and shot spread from your shotgun. I remember reading a test where shooting was done with five shotguns and five different loads at varying distances and the results were very interesting. Every shotgun fired the same load to a different pattern at the same distance. Some shotguns fired one load better than other shotguns and yet did poorly with a different load.

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