12 Ga ammo Buckshot pattern test results

[Eth0]

Hey guys!

I went out on this beautiful spring day to test 3 different .12 GA shotgun load to find out about the Buckshot pattern.

I’m neither a ballistic expert nor a guru specialist. So this test was conduct only for educational purpose.

Load that have been tested
- Winchester Buckshot 2 ¾ 00-9 pellets, product number: XB1200
- Federal Power-Shok 2 ¾ 00-9 pellets, product number FC127 00
- Winchester Supreme 2 ¾ 00-9 pellets, product number SB1200

The shotgun that was use to test was my Remington Express Magnum 18” cylinder bore and no choke.

All tests were conduct at 5,10,15,20 and 25 yards from a bench using an OKO red dot sight that was previously adjusted “zero” with slugs at 50 yards.

Temperature was between 8 and 9 degree this afternoon.

Targets are square paper 21” by 22” with a yellow square to aim at the center of the mass.
Measure was taken from the maximum opposite holes made by the pellets.
This is an example:

These are the results: (Best performer as been put in bold)
First, at 5 yards
Winchester XB1200: Max 4”
Federal FC127 00: Max 3 ¾
Winchester Supreme SB1200: Max 5 ¼

10 yards:
Winchester XB1200: Max 7 ¾
Federal FC127 00: Max 8
Winchester Supreme SB1200: Max 8 ¾

15 yards:
Winchester XB1200: Max 13 ¼
Federal FC127 00: Max 11
Winchester Supreme SB1200: Max 16 ¼

20 yards:
Winchester XB1200: 18 ¾
Federal FC127 00: Max 18
Winchester Supreme SB1200: Max 19 and 8 pellets holes have been found on the target

25 yards:
Winchester XB1200: Max 20 ½ and 6 pellets holes have been found on target
Federal FC127 00: Max 16 ¾ and 8 pellets holes have been found on target
Winchester Supreme SB1200: Max 16 ¾ and only 4 pellets holes have been found on the target…

In almost case, the Federal FC 127 00 perform the best, followed by the Winchester Super “X” XB 1200.
I was really disappointed by the Winchester Supreme SB1200 since it performs really badly. At 25 yards, I found only 4 out of 9 pellets on the target…

At moderate range (20-25 yards), many pellets would have miss any moving target...

Same ammunition test should be perform soon with the Mossberg 500

Hope you will enjoy!

 

[farmer47]

shotguns will have a preference for a particular brand and load of shot. the same ammo that performs poorly in one shotgun might turn around and be a top performer in another shotgun even if it is identical to the first gun. the challenge is to find the ammo that your gun likes.sounds weird but thats the way it is.thanks for sharing your tests results.

 

[redmist25]

Thanks for the results, that's exactly why our group doesn't use buckshot for deer. Devastating at close range but almost useless at longer ranges. Anything I can hit with buckshot at 25 yards can also be hit with a slug.

 

[Weapontech]

Thanks for the results, that's exactly why our group doesn't use buckshot for deer. Devastating at close range but almost useless at longer ranges. Anything I can hit with buckshot at 25 yards can also be hit with a slug.

Really? That's all we used this year.....and got 3 doe's, and 2 bucks, all taken within 35-40 yards, or so.
I also think that choke choice is as important as ammo choice when using buckshot.

 

[Eth0]

shotguns will have a preference for a particular brand and load of shot. the same ammo that performs poorly in one shotgun might turn around and be a top performer in another shotgun even if it is identical to the first gun. the challenge is to find the ammo that your gun likes.sounds weird but thats the way it is.thanks for sharing your tests results.

Yea I know, this is why we will use the same ammunition with a different shotgun (Mossberg 500).

As soon as I will test other brand, I will update this post...

 

[B]

In my experiences slower shot spreads less. Low recoil "tactical" shells barely even spread at 25m! This was out of both a Norinco 14" and a Marine Magnum. The fact Federal performed the best could be due to the fact it uses both filler as well as a shot cup. Interesting stuff thanks for posting!

 

[Claybuster]

Those results aren't surprising with a cylinder choke. A little bit of choke goes a long way with buckshot and I use improved cylinder and modified chokes when using it. But for larger animals such as deer I'd rather have slugs in my shogun than buckshot for better penetration and accuracy.

 

[Hawkman]

Thanks for taking the time to share your test results.
I myself use slugs just like Claybuster does, but it's interesting to know how buckshot performs. Hey maybe I'll do a test myself someday soon!

 

[Softail99]

Thanks for posting the info. Very informative.