The pattern diameter of the buffered load at 40 yards was 31.65 inches . Moreover, when utilized in dense cover, the odds that one or more projectiles penetrate the flora unaffected is greatly increased over the single rifle bullet or slug. 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. Let us know in the comments below. Posted July 4, 2014 in Ammunition, Shotguns by Nathan S with 19 Comments. In one memorable shootout from the movie, a desperado is taking off down a street when Mississippi lets loose with his scattergun. This serves to give an idea as to how a shotshell will perform at the room distances common during a home defense scenario. Enough so to give you a shot spread about the size of two fists. Is the slight gain worth the loss of that extra, potentially lethal pellet? Remington's Magnum 00-buck load has 12 pelletsabout 1 18 ounces of shotlaunched at almost 1,300 fps. The big question has been, is the gain of the weight and effectiveness of each individual pellet worth the loss of one whole pellet? CHRIS: Kinda like a meteorite John, thats right. Marketed as reduced-recoil, the shell nonetheless propelled its 1 ounce payload to 1350 fps. All ballistic gelatin blocks (Figure 7) used in this evaluation were nominal 10% ballistic gelatin blocks calibrated in accordance with FBI RFP-OSCU-DSU1401 as follows (FBI RFP-OSCU-DSU1401, page 95, 2014): "Prior to the utilization of any block of gelatin, validation of the block will be tested to assure consistency of the gelatin mixture. A forum community dedicated to Shotgun owners and enthusiasts including the Remington, Beretta, and Mossberg shotguns brands. Outdoor Hub, LLC (d/b/a Carbon Media Group), 30800 Telegraph Rd, Suite 1921, Bingham Farms, MI 48025 USA. Moreover, the load was non-buffered. With slugs, you can easily hit man-sized targets out to 100+ yards, but the deep penetration is a huge liability inside a structure - especially multi-unit housing structures like apartment complexes. The idea you need to have a short barrel is foolish, you gain a slight amount of maneuverability for a great sacrifice in accuracy and effectiveness. Deformed #4 buckshot was excluded from the testing due to its inability to meet the gelatin penetration criteria at muzzle velocity. To many pellets can ruin the effectiveness of the ones you hit with. You can, and its nice to know that the spread will not be too large to recklessly endanger a neighborhood. Three shots at 50 yards. In fact, at 25 yards, the 14-inch-barreled 590A1 produced a pattern 1-inch smaller than the 500. If one is truly interested in a self defense load for 12 gauge I highly suggest looking up the Malaya load for 12 gauge. The driving determinant of drag force is the velocity that an object travels at in this case the 00 buckshot was initially traveling radially outward at 5 ft/sec while the muzzle velocity of this shell was 1300 ft/sec. Still, the animal on the other end of the shotgun gets the worst of it. 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. 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. Counter to this is No. Contributor Brad Fenson is back in the kitchen with another recipe for uplanders across the continent. For the purposes of this report, the definition of buckshot is broken out into two categories: deformed and spherical. No, I really havent Woody, but this is an interesting post, thank you. It delivered focused patterns at 25 yards, and at 35 yards, pattern density was still such that a lethal strike was guaranteedespecially through the Boar Blaster choke. CHRIS: What does it do?, yeah. More than 5 hits is considered "excellent." The standard Remington Express 9-pellet buffered load of 00 buck with no shot sleeve, fired from an 870 cylinder bore 20" riot gun averages 8.9 hits in the 30" circle and 7.1 in the 21.2" inner ring at 25 yards. 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. 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. Can Coolers | An Official Journal Of The NRA, Find More Great NRA Publications Perfect For Every Interest, Discover Everything That The NRA Has To Offer. 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. viewtopic.php?f=7&t=207633&p=1721494#p1721494, http://le.atk.com/pdf/Shotshell_Data_Book.pdf, http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/34353-5.html. The most popular buckshot is 00 buck, which has a nominal. 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. A century ago, looking down the barrel of a shotgun was about as fearsome a thing as you could face. Rem Ammo 12B00B 12ga 00 Buck 2.75" 9 Pellets Buckshot Express 25Box, 4Boxes Per Sleeve (100 Total)/2 Case - 100 Rounds. box at basspro.com. I decided to post the results here for a comparison for your consideration. In such situations, buckshot owns the day. Plated buckshot is generally found in pricier, premium loads. Nominal pellet diameter ranges from .24 caliber for No. Buckshot is suitable for close range only. 5. Moreover, to ensure that the payloads were delivered to the point of aim, I used a Benelli Super Black Eagle II topped with a Leupold LCO red-dot sight. JOHN: So, for anyone watching, the reason why that is, is that the #00 pellets have a little more mass behind them so theyre going to penetrate a little bit deeper if theyre moving at about the same velocity, which those loads are pretty close. It works great in almost any shotgun and makes one big fist-sized hole out to at least 10 yards. Coarse buffering is present for preservation of pellet roundness. Winchester makes a 2 3/4 inch 12 gauge shell with 3 pellets of #00 buckshot and a 1 oz. 4 buck to .38 caliber for four-ought buck. Yeah. Reply Quote. No one in their right mind should use a long barrel shotgun for in home security/protection, unless that is all they have. JOHN: So, still potentially lethal absolutely. If you can guarantee ranges shorter than this for your situation, the shotgun should be the first choice. There are also frangible slugs made for home defense. It could be if your aim is true; a tight cluster of pellets in the vitals will likely be a fight-stopper. CHRIS: Yeah, theyre around 1100 feet per second. Part of that preparation requires you to know what's coming out of the muzzle. The company uses a unique wad for this load; although its absent of a shot cup, the wad does have a crush section. We want you, our readers, to be able to make informed decisions. If I were interested in animal control or something like that, would I take a shot at 50 on something? Multiple wound channels trump one. . Cylinder bore shotgun in use. Ive got a Beretta 1301 that actually patterns with #1 at 25 about like what your barrel was doing, so probably about the same thing for that particular gun, but Ive got other shotguns that dont pattern like that. A wide selection of CMP surplus ammo will 2023 JNews - Premium WordPress news & magazine theme by Jegtheme. All comments are held for moderation and will appear after approval. Whereas most buckshot is made from lead with elevated amounts of antimony for enhanced hardnesssoft buckshot is undesirable, as itll become misshapen during setback and when traversing the bore and choke, negatively affecting patternscopper- or nickel-plated buckshot is preferable. JOHN: Would you still be hitting stuff at that distance? With standard 00 buck loads, the pattern size starts opening up quickly beyond 30-40 feet. 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. Get Guns.com offers and news!! If I remember correctly. A small increase in effective range will occur in hot climates and a moderate decrease in range will occur in extreme cold climates. However, it could also result in missing altogether. The full-power offering (tested) contains nine pellets of non-plated lead buckshot propelled to 1325 fps, while the Reduced Recoil options include eight 00 or 21 No. 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. Comparing the results between the Mossberg 500 and 590A1 is pretty interesting, as 4 inches less barrel did not make that much of a difference in the spread pattern. I recently tested a weapon light monted on a Glock 17 in a range that can go relatively dark. Of course, do you want to use a shotgun beyond 25 yards? 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. Same thing with #1 buckshot at longer ranges, more pellets, but less energy and damage per pellet. 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. Results and Conclusion: As the last shell tested, the density of the patterns produced by this generic, economical load though both the Boar Blaster and standard choke tubes was refreshing. box at fleetfarm.com. This minimum velocity was found in Phase I, the terminal ballistics portion of the testing. Try testing #1 buckshot. The rule for shotgun patterning has been that you usually get about 1 inch of spread for every yard from the target. We also tested the impact of the rounds on 1/4-gallon water bottles at the same distances. That the 1 inch of spread for every yard rule has pretty much been busted. It was about 14-ish inches on the #1 and around 18 on the #00. 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). The #00 still was. An updated version of a very versatile holster. And effective includes that combination/trade-off between fight-stopping hits and liable fliers. A 12-gauge, 2-inch load generally contains from 21 to 34 pellets, while the 3-inch variant is loaded with a whopping 41. 's blog. 12-Gauge Gunfight: How to Win With Your Favorite Tactical Shotgun. Shot impacts to the thick blue border were not counted. The 00 buckshot he used was not standard velocity, but actually reduced velocity. As is amply evident, this is a versatile load thatll work across a variety of constrictions and at the maximum effect range of buckshot. 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. When hunting land animals with spreading shot, the only choke in existence for the task is full choke. Most buckshot gives up its energy well within 100 yards or less. Learn its limitations so that you can operate more effectively in an actual shooting. Im glad that you all like the video. What to KnowAvailable in multiple diameterstypically ranging from No. Where I live it is very suburban and the homes are very close together. One shot at 25 yards. The gauge, however, does matter as a matter of how many projectiles are fired. 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). I did some shooting with Royal #4 buckshot. Duvalls character, Boss Spearman, fires at a bad guy outside a shack wall from inside a small room. Shooting done during Standard Atmospheric conditions. SIG Sauer MCX-SPEAR: Civilian Version of XM7 Rifle Arrives! Looking for a new or used gun? The Best Turkey-Killing Pattern for $15 a Box? When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission, which supports our community. Yet, a lot of shooters don't understand exactly what buckshot is or the differences between the various buckshot loads available. We shot it "over" the last pattern, and notice that the rifled barrel has spread it out to . That's our control, that's what we do with our handgun ammo. The round ball isn't very aerodynamic. Interestingly, the latter enabled the best patterns. Loads utilizing the innovative and atypical FliteControl (Federal) or Versatite (Hornady) wadone and the samegenerally perform best with a non-wad-stripping choke with an improved cylinder to modified constriction. One issue is that no one uses a full choke on a defensive shotgun, IC is the tightest that is practical for defensive use. 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. A follow-on test would include #1 buckshot and standard velocity 00 buckshot. The suddenness of the event will degrade any shooters accuracy and the hit probability of a single projectile weapon will be correspondingly low. 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). Most commonly, 12-gauge shotguns are the go-to choice for defensive purposes when a shotgun is needed, and have from 27 No. We used two different loads: Federal FliteControl #1 and Federal FliteControl #00 8-pellet. I took him for his word, but suspected he was wrong after patterning my 870 and 930 shotguns. Come join the discussion about optics, hunting, gunsmithing, styles, reviews, accessories, classifieds, and more! 200,000 Attend NRAs Great American Outdoor Show. To me, the standout tested load was the Remington Managed-Recoil, 8-pellet 00-buck load. The vast majority of police shootings are close-in affairs. I would also suggest full length barrels, to increase accuracy, velocity, and tightness of the groups. RifleShooter, however, was not content with the same assumptions. CHRIS: It will if it hits you in the right place, Id say. There are other good loads out there, but it's hard to go wrong with FliteControl. Although some consider it outdated, the Remington Model 1100 is an excellent choice for home defense, law enforcement, hunting and competition. Police Magnum 18" Barrel Shotgun with Rifle Sight, Cylinder Bore with 9 Pellet . 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. CHRIS: I guess the big thing is that context is really important and shotguns can do a lot of different things depending on what hardware youre using and what ammo youre using. Need Help?service@guns.comCall (866)582-4867, PO Box 1131 13800 Nicollet Blvd Burnsville, MN 55337 2023Guns.com. 4 pellets at 1200 fps. We got a nice, tight 4 inch pattern. Bird shot at close range does not have time to spread and will it as a wad..one also has the wad cup going to hit the person the target as well. 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. 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. 25 yds would be about the maximum effective range for a cyl bore pattern. This sphere must penetrate a minimum of 2.95 inches (75mm) but no more than 3.74 inches (95mm)". Impact velocities used in this report were obtained from an Oehler System 85 (Figure 6) using no velocity corrections. At our distances this would mean: From the onset, lets put this standard into perspective. The rule for shotgun patterning has been that you usually get about 1 inch of spread for every yard from the target. While my HD gun is loaded with #4 buckshot (my longest shot is no more than 15 yards) .. #1 buckshot has more sectional density than the #4 buckshot so the penetration will be better at distance for any given velocity. rifled slug. Its not. ago. 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. All that John Shaft, shoot-from-the-hip, Hollywood crap is just thatcrap. An example of this analysis can be found below for the #1 buckshot deformed sphere: On closer inspection of the zoomed-in portion of Figure 8a and b, we see that a #1 buckshot deformed sphere can be expected to penetrate to 12.0 of gelatin at a velocity of 993 ft/sec. Outdoor Hub, LLC ( d/b/a Carbon Media Group ), 30800 Telegraph Rd, Suite 1921, Farms... Very aerodynamic of about 10 inches a bad guy outside a shack wall inside. 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Contains from 21 to 34 pellets, while the 3-inch variant is loaded with a whopping.. And will appear after approval was the Remington, Beretta, and its nice to what... Quickly beyond 30-40 feet event will degrade any shooters accuracy and the hit probability of a single projectile will... Contributor Brad Fenson is back in the vitals will likely be a fight-stopper around on! Control or something like that, would I take a shot spread about the maximum effective range will in. Gauge, however, was not content with the same distances are fired load has 12 1! Preservation of pellet roundness if your aim is true ; a tight cluster of pellets the... Of a single projectile weapon will be correspondingly low I remember the Hawks... Yard rule has pretty much been busted a single projectile weapon will be correspondingly low around 18 on the 00. Are also frangible slugs made for home defense scenario also result in missing altogether shotguns by s.