Shotguns are typically considered close-range firearms, especially when loaded with buckshot. 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.
But what if circumstances dictated that you had to take that shot anyway? How effective is buckshot at extended ranges? We got out the ballistic gelatin and did some testing at 25, 50, and 100 yards to find out.
LUCKY GUNNER VIDEO HERE (6:08 minutes)
Federal flite control buckshot is effective at greater ranges than standard buckshot.
ReplyDeleteI have shot those shotshells at PPC matches and at 15 yards the group was so tight the individual pellets could not be counted. At 25 yards they were inside a paper plate easily. And that was from a cylinder bore police shotgun. I don't know what the maximum range would be with screw in chokes. I should think that 50 yards would still deliver a fatal pattern.
Heh - I was going to post about the flight follower round but you just described my experience so...ditto.
DeleteAgreed, FlyteControl ammo is a game-changer.
DeleteEd
I would not want to get hit with 00 buck at 100 yds. If any of the pellets hit, they will do major damage.
DeleteI still am going to keep my shotgun, just the pucker factor when ya rack it should signal to the bad guy you are serious.
ReplyDeleteI keep a no plug auto handy. The fuckers don't need a warning.
DeleteThis approach ASSUMES you even have time to grab it, then load ("rack") it, then actually use it.
DeleteI'd not rest my own chances on such an assumption.
Ed
if it aint racked before the boogy man is there, you already fukkd up
DeleteBought a short barrel for my 870--it's legal minimum plus 1/4". I'm not concerned about distance ranges; in fact, I'd like a little pattern spread at 10-15 yds. Also want the extra round in the chamber, so no rack-it warning from me.
DeleteBest line ever from ol' Yakov Smirnov: "You have so many wonderful things in America. Like warning shots. In old country they just shoot you. Is warning shot for next guy."
Yakov, may have to go watch some youtubz of him funny guy
DeleteBarrel Length Matters. Oh wait that 'could' be confused with that other group with the same initials oops.
ReplyDeleteSeriously, that is a factor. Once upon a time in another lifetime far far away as a correctional officer, we were issued full choke 12ga with 30 inch barrels as tower guns, not sure of the effective range though. I'd guess fairly good.
Do some pattern testing. Even 00 buck holds a tight pattern at the distances inside most houses. People think you just point a shotgun in the general direction and it covers the room. Not so.
ReplyDeleteFor in house I use #8 birdshot.
ReplyDeleteI used to be the qualification officer at our gun club here in the eastern part of PA. One of the "hunters" of the club brought a few pictures of a deer he shot. The deer had both front legs broken. when asked about it, he replied, "well, buckshot drops quite a bit."
ReplyDeleteI took a Browning A-5 with full hoke to the edge of the lake on the property. We have approximately 40 acres of which 11 acres are water. It's approximately 350 yards from where I stood to the other side of the lake. Holding the shotgun at shoulder level, I fired using OO buckshot and the pellets impacted in the water over 300 yards from where I stood. I can give you the address of the gun club and you can measure it yourself on Google Earth.
I should add - I have a buddy down in coastal VA where deer hunting is buck shot only. They have a lot of success out to 100 yes and a little beyond...of course, their guns are special - longer barrels, back bored, vented, polished, extended forcing cones, etc.
ReplyDelete...the serious comes with a blinding fireball
ReplyDeleteI shot deer at about 15 yards one time with my 870 WingMaster with a fixed modified choke using 00 buckshot. This was sort of an ad-hoc hunt in the deep woods and the shotgun was what I had. The deer's front legs spread out from under him and he recovered and ran off. I tracked him and got him through the head with a 125 grain JHP .357 magnum round with my trusty S&W Model 19. When I cleaned him I found one buckshot BB inside the front knee. If I ever go deer hunting with a shotgun again there is going to be some serious ammo testing at the range before hand. The WingMaster is currently wearing an 18" rifled barrel with sights for copper solid "sabot" rounds. Should do for home defense.
ReplyDeleteThe flight of round balls, including shotgun pellets of whatever size, can be calculated with a fair degree of accuracy using Journee's formula, explained here:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.bevfitchett.us/ballistics/what-is-the-maximum-altitude-that-a-bullet-will-attain.html
Note the retained energy at the maximum distance...….and also that the formula doesn't work for shotgun SLUGS!
A friend and I got interested in this a number of years ago, and carried out our own experiments for maximum distance using 7 & 1/2 shot with a 12 ga. shotgun. Although it's pellet velocity, not bore diameter that makes the difference. Our results were very close to what Journee's formula predicted, and were used to locate a new clubhouse on gun club property to make sure it was out of shot fall off the shotgun range.
Buckshot is great for hunting when you cant use a rifle because of the laws in your area, but as a home defence round it is too much in your average stick and drywall home. Firing 00 buck and missing the pellets will be leaving your address and visiting your neighbors. You are held accountable for everything coming out of the muzzle, and with that in .ind I loaded mine with 1 1/8 is BB. The spread on my shottie is about 1" per yard traveled and I don't have anywhere in my house with more that a 40 foot line of sight, that's about a 10 to 14 inch pattern. It s not a claymore with a 20 degree fan so you still have to aim, and I wouldn't want to be hit with a load of BB at any distance but under 10 yards would really suck.
ReplyDeleteBB will not blow through multiple walls and exit to enter your neighbors home. Buck would be useful on a crowd in suppression mode, but as a home defence I think it is overkill.
Sabot rounds, cylinder bore, rifle sights, Mossberg 590A...100 yards - highly doable!
ReplyDeleteThe Lucky Gunner guys handicapped themselves by using a 18" cylinder bore barrel. Short barrels are great for confined spaces like house clearing but if you're out in the open you really need a longer barrel.
ReplyDeleteYou have to use a barrel at least 24" long to get maximum velocity from a shotgun and without any choke the pattern spreads too much for anything over about 50 feet with regular OO loads. I've never used Federal flite control shells so I have to take other people's word for their extended range.
My social shotgun is a Mossberg 835 with a 24" barrel. I load it with 5 milsurp OO buck followed by 3 #6 shot. Through testing I've found that a modified choke gives me the best combination of range and pattern density with both loads. It will put all the pellets on a standard human silhouette at 50 yards and the buckshot will penetrate 3/4" plywood at that distance.
Milsurp buckshot is just regular Winchester buffered shotshells with OD plastic hulls and blackened brass.
This is all with 2 3/4" shells. When I break out the 3 1/2" shells the numbers get even better.