A question about buckshot

Brutus

Brutus

CGN Ultra frequent flyer
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West of most places....and in Alberta
Way back when I was a new resident of South Saskatchewan, an army buddy with an abundance of 12 gauge, single 0 or Number 1 buckshot gifted me several boxes of this shotgun ammo, before I was posted out of CFB Petawawa.
I used an older Baikal Model IJ-27E S X S double barrel shotgun in 12 gauge, 2 3/4 inch chamber for varmint hunting once. (a change of pace)
Suspect the full choke was really tight as I even rolled a big running jack at 70-80 yards once.

I have questions primarily aimed at any users of buckshot of any 10/12/16 gauge, for use on small game or pests/varmints.
What are your experiences (positive or negative) of using any size buckshot on any smaller species of game?
(prefer not to start a flame war of buckshot use on big game)
But any hunting experience will be noted.

Did you pattern the load prior to the hunt? If so at what distance?
Distance to live target, and number of pellets that did the dirty deed. (if you know this)
Barrel length, and if you feel this had any bearing or not?
Please state shotgun used, gauge and choke used.
Did you feel the shotgun bead was sufficient for sighting?
One last question, did anyone use the "Wad Wizard" or a similar device?Impressions?

Lots of questions..................;)
Thank you in advance!
 
The good news is that large caliber pellets keep a tighter pattern over a longer range than does smaller shot. The bad news is that it doesn't take much range before there is enough space between pellets that you miss a small animal. Get out and pattern your buckshot loads to find out what your maximum range is and at what range the shot pattern is optimal.

Every gun barrel is different as is every shot load. It doesn't matter what the degree of constriction of your choke is; some loads shoot best with very tight chokes while others shoot better with less constriction. If your running jack at 70-80 yards was hit by more than a single pellet, in my experience that's pretty impressive.
 
Not all buckshot is created equally, neither are the brands. I'd go out and pattern what you have to remove all doubt about what it can do. My opinion is short range only. Consider not only the spread, but penetration. Just for safety when I guided for Spring bear season, I used my 870 with three Mag slugs, backed by two 000 Mag buckshot.
 
The only thing I use buckshot for is coyote really. Knocked one down this winter at 80-90 yards. Clean kill, federal 3" 00 buck out of a Mossberg 395 12 gauge in full choke. It can work wonders but you gotta find a load that your gun likes.

We run 'em with dogs so I usually put 2 rounds of buckshot followed by a slug, If my two first shots don't drop it then I get a chance to take my time and have the capability of reaching out and touching it with a good smack. That practice saved my ass twice this winter but usually they go ass over tea kettle on the first pop.

Buckshot tends to make people take crap shots sometimes and I am not afraid to admit that in the heat of the moment it still happens to me once in a while. Coyote shoots out of the bush unexpectedly and then boom, boom, two quick crap shot due to being caught off guard (in 90% of those cases it could have been dropped with one shot had it been a little calculated). The "crap, this ones a slug" thought slows me down and forces me to take a good shot should I miss the first 2. Hitting a coyote running full tilt with a slug is no easy feat lol, but it's doable.

Our shots are mostly 30-40 yards. Other than coyote the only other small thing I've shot with buckshot was a couple gophers ... no real technique or special attention there lol.
 
I shot a WT buck with SSG (00buck) with a 10ga full choke SxS. At 60 yds it had 5 pellets in it & fell flat. Many coyotes with the 12, mostly close range. I shot one at 25 yds with steel BB and it did not penetrate well. Finished it with #4 lead. I know of 2 bears shot with shot, 1 with 00 as it was climbing into a tree stand. The gun was a cooey with a 20" barell & short stock. The other was with a load of #4s from a 12 SxS at the end of the muzzle! Range is important but 00 is a killer when you have patterned it.
 
blasted_saber said:
Im pretty sure a rabbit hit with buckshot would be pretty messy, as with most small game.
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Mature jackrabbits are damn big as far as bunnies go.

To add, it was not so messy, one pellet to his neck, one to his hind leg. He almost got away Boomer.

Thankfully it was a typical super dry spring in the Palliser Triangle. So one could easily view the pellet pattern strike, because of the dust that was kicked up. At that long range, it appeared to be a 3 foot pattern, IIRC.
 
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What about #4?

At the risk of a hijack, have any of you any experience using #4 Buck for coyotes?

In your experience, what range was realistic (and reasonably humane)?
 
Wendell said:
At the risk of a hijack, have any of you any experience using #4 Buck for coyotes?

In your experience, what range was realistic (and reasonably humane)?
Click to expand...

When I was in Nova Scotia I planned to use Winchester #4 buckshot for coyotes, I had purchased in Thunder Bay.
I was patterning these at the public range & it could not even hit the target @35 yards.
The 2 3/4 inch 12 gauge Winchester ammunition sprayed the paper/cardboard type filler all around like children's confettie, and the barrel was very very dirty from these rounds. All ten rounds were the same too.
I was not impressed to say the least. I assume this was just a bad batch of older ammunition. Perhaps it was poorly stored. But they were plastic hulls, and no further signs of corrossion on the brass hulls????

I never had this happen before or since.
 
there is a ''tri ball ''load that sounds interesting-better range and penetration,but I haven't found where you can buy it in Canada.I've heard of some guys loading it for themselves though
 
IMO 4 buck is too small for coyote. The thing with 00 is that if you can hit him with even just one pellet it'll still slow him down a whole helluva lot. I've got some #1 buck coming in for next winter. Hard as hell to find but I think it'll do good.

The way I figure it with 00 buck I'm sitting at .33" shot which get's me 15 pellets for a 3" shell. If I drop down to #1 buck I come down to .30" shot which gives me 24 pellets in a 3" shell. That gives me an extra 9 pellets to fill the pattern without sacrificing too much weight per pellet.

#4 buck would bring the shot size down to .24" and about 40 pellets for 3". Too much of a drop IMO. It will definitely drop a coyote, I just like knowing that a single pellet from a 00 buck load has the oompf to slow a 'yote down enough for the dogs to catch up.

No1 buck will be my load of choice next winter ... unless it really doesn't work like I think it will.
 
Peter Capstick had alot of good things to say, about #1 buckshot for use against leopards in the dense African bush.
Unfortuneately Nova Scotia, and I believe New Brunswick too, do not allow anything bigger than #4 buckshot for use on coyotes.
I don't think many provinces, west of the maritimes have this as a problem.
 
lucky07 said:
IMO 4 buck is too small for coyote.
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In Nova Scotia the ONLY thing we can hunt coyotes with is #4 buckshot (aaa) or smaller.

compelte BS! Especially with people getting bitten/ followed/ cornered/ killed by coyotes so often this year down here.


Yeah, I know, we can hunt with regular deer calibres during deer season -before- we get our deer.......

I wish the government would trust us enough to have proper calibre rifles or perhaps 000 buckshot in the woods when it wasnt deer season, imo they assumed we are all deer poachers.

That Type 97 was going to be my coyotee gun during the brief period that cal was legal to use in NS for coyotes. A 223 cal woulda been perfect for coyotees, and a bullpup ideal for dense bush.


Anyway #4 buck is pretty much what were stuck with (legally) for coyotes in NS.
 
I cast my own #1 buck and load 16 pellets in my 2 3/4" loads. I have taken coyotes out to 60 yds with this with a full choke tube installed in my 11-87. I have an extra full choke coming which I am going to try to see if it helps. I am also going to start loading 3" shells also. I would imagine 20 pellets in those. I have found that #1 buck patterns better than any other size in my gun with my choke, 14" @ 30 yds with good coverage. Best shot was 4 pellets in a running coyote at about 50yds. One coyote at 25 yds was totally destroyed.
Kim
Buckshot molds, skiesunlimited @ att.net
 
CanadianReich said:
Anyway #4 buck is pretty much what were stuck with (legally) for coyotes in NS.
Click to expand...


If you can even find a place that sells #4 buckshot, the only places I have seen is from Frontier and Cabelas.ca (Crappy Tire and Wal Mart seem to only sell 00 and 000 buck and you can't even legally hunt with that in NS) and if that is always 2 3/4, wouldn't mind finding a place that sells 3" #4, and I would really love a 3 1/2" #4 buckshot but I have my doubts if they exist :eek:
 
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