20 gauge buckshot for deer

In Ontario 00 buck is the legal minimum for deer.
Test your patterns on a 9" pie plate at various yardage. Use a guide similar to a turkey hunter (yardage less than 10 pellet in the head and neck is beyond max kill range) for buckshot on deer I'd say at least 3 or more hits in a pie plate, consistently or I'd be looking for a slug to try

A 12 gauge 3" offers 27 00buck pellets. 20ga maybe 12 or less? 3 hits in a 9" pie plate even at 25-30yrds would be a tall order for a 20 ga ??? Only way to know is to test!
 
cdn1canhunt said:
In Ontario 00 buck is the legal minimum for deer.
Test your patterns on a 9" pie plate at various yardage. Use a guide similar to a turkey hunter (yardage less than 10 pellet in the head and neck is beyond max kill range) for buckshot on deer I'd say at least 3 or more hits in a pie plate, consistently or I'd be looking for a slug to try

A 12 gauge 3" offers 27 00buck pellets. 20ga maybe 12 or less? 3 hits in a 9" pie plate even at 25-30yrds would be a tall order for a 20 ga ??? Only way to know is to test!
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Ontario Regs state, "No shotgun smaller than 20 gauge when loaded with shot. And no shotgun loaded with shot smaller than #1 or SG." 3" 12 gauge loads typically have 15 00 sized pellets. Not trying to nit pick but the OP is new to buckshot hunting and needs the facts.

Darryl
 
madtrapper143 said:
Ontario Regs state, "No shotgun smaller than 20 gauge when loaded with shot. And no shotgun loaded with shot smaller than #1 or SG." 3" 12 gauge loads typically have 15 00 sized pellets. Not trying to nit pick but the OP is new to buckshot hunting and needs the facts.

Darryl
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You are correct sorry, shoulda checked the regs and confusing pellet counts with #4 buck. Sorry for the misinformation.

I'd still do the testing for the OP's buckshot loads.
 
cdn1canhunt said:
You are correct sorry, shoulda checked the regs and confusing pellet counts with #4 buck. Sorry for the misinformation.

I'd still do the testing for the OP's buckshot loads.
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Your testing procedure is spot on. I WISH we could use the 41 pellet #4 Buck magnum load. Deer ahead of the hounds at 30 yards all head and neck lots of fun.

regards, Darryl
 
madtrapper143 said:
Ontario Regs state, "No shotgun smaller than 20 gauge when loaded with shot. And no shotgun loaded with shot smaller than #1 or SG." 3" 12 gauge loads typically have 15 00 sized pellets. Not trying to nit pick but the OP is new to buckshot hunting and needs the facts.

Darryl
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Typically, 12 ga 00 3" loads have 12 pellets, Winchester does load a 15 pellet 3" shell, but in my testing it didn't pattern as well as the 12 pellet loads, in that the patterns tended to doughnut, and pattern density was only marginally acceptable beyond 10 yards.

Without looking, a 3" 20 ga load often is the equivalent of a 2-3/4" 12 ga load, so I expect a 20 ga Buckshot load to hold 9, 00 pellets. Based on the patterns from my guns, I consider 25 yards the maximum range for the use of shot on large game, but if you get tight, dense, patterns out to 30 yards, you should be alright shooting a deer at that range.

Whylee, your limiting factor as I see it, is not the fact that you're shooting a 20 ga, but that you have a single shot, break action gun. IMHO, you should practice reloading and making rapid follow up shots. I suggest you don't think in terms of firing a backup shot if you need it, rather you should intend to fire several shots to prevent the deer from escaping, and work out a rapid reloading procedure with that gun. When I carried a single shot 12 ga for bear work, I'd hold a pair of shells between the fingers of my support hand, and I practiced shooting and reloading frequently. With practice I could work up a reasonable cadence of fire, but it won't be as fast as a gun having a manual repeating action.

Shoot the gun enough to ensure that if it doesn't shoot to point of aim, with the ammo you intend to hunt with, that you know how to hold on a live target. Those Cooey shotguns have the bead mounted directly onto the barrel, so without having it raised to match the height of the receiver, I expect it will shoot high. If you find this to be the case with your gun, establish where your point of aim needs to be, relative to your point of impact. You might find that you have to put the bead on the target, then depress the muzzle just until the bead disappears behind the receiver. This isn't a particularly intuitive way to shoot, but with practice, you can make do if you don't want raise the height of the bead.
 
I paid $150. There were others for less, but this was by far in the best condition (no pitting, mirror bore, no modifications, full choke, and a Cooey 84, which I am a little partial to -in fact all my guns, with the exception of my deer rifles, are Cooeys. There were some Cooey 840s for a little less, but I consider them inferior in design, and most of them have lame decorations that I can't stand on them. There was another Cooey 84 for 125, but this one was way better in condition, and just begging to be brought back to full glory with some blueing, etc...which I did last night. I agonized over a $100 stevens bolt action as a project gun, but in the end it had a much shorter barrel than the cooey, weighed more (somehow...) and was all pitted to hell, which would have been very time consuming to restore. I was also wary of the potential difficulty in replacing the magazine if it ever failed.

I chose the 16 over the versatile 12 because it weighs less, and is well suited to being carried over miles of hiking, and is also not too much gun for grouse, hare, etc. Really, the only knock on the 16 is the lack of availability of ammo. It's a very elegant compromise between the 20 and 12, and weighs nothing - 7 lbs to be exact - not bad for a 30" barrel and all the range advantages that go with that.
 
I have hunted for years with a group who use shotguns (some days) in certain locations because of the relatively close distances between hunters. For most of those years two of the group were ladies and more recently only one is. Because of the lower recoil they use(d) 20g 00Buck and have killed their share of deer. It`s like any other firearm. Understand it`s capability and yours and hunt / shoot within it.
 
Lot's of reference to 20 gauge 00 buck loads. This would be a hand load proposition only. 20 gauge buckshot is commercially offered in #3 only. I doubt you could get more than 5 or 6 # 00 pellets in a 2 3/4" 20 gauge hull anyways. If I am wrong let me know where to buy it.

Darryl
 
All good advice man. I'll take it to the range soon to get a look at the shot pattern at various ranges to see what I'm working with. I'm pretty smooth on the reload - as the 16 gauge is virtually identical to my 20 which I've used for years. Also, deer are nowhere near as tough as bears, so I have to think that, assuming a tight pattern (which I will confirm at the range) and assuming a good, broadside head/neck shot, it should go down. As other posters have said, it's all about the pattern, but I'm hoping that full choke long barrel will make some magic.

I was bringing some carrots out to the blind today and paced out the various spots where (a) I expect the deer the emerge from cover and (b) I have a clear shot from the tree - they're all less than 30 yards.


Boomer said:
Typically, 12 ga 00 3" loads have 12 pellets, Winchester does load a 15 pellet 3" shell, but in my testing it didn't pattern as well as the 12 pellet loads, in that the patterns tended to doughnut, and pattern density was only marginally acceptable beyond 10 yards.

Without looking, a 3" 20 ga load often is the equivalent of a 2-3/4" 12 ga load, so I expect a 20 ga Buckshot load to hold 9, 00 pellets. Based on the patterns from my guns, I consider 25 yards the maximum range for the use of shot on large game, but if you get tight, dense, patterns out to 30 yards, you should be alright shooting a deer at that range.

Whylee, your limiting factor as I see it, is not the fact that you're shooting a 20 ga, but that you have a single shot, break action gun. IMHO, you should practice reloading and making rapid follow up shots. I suggest you don't think in terms of firing a backup shot if you need it, rather you should intend to fire several shots to prevent the deer from escaping, and work out a rapid reloading procedure with that gun. When I carried a single shot 12 ga for bear work, I'd hold a pair of shells between the fingers of my support hand, and I practiced shooting and reloading frequently. With practice I could work up a reasonable cadence of fire, but it won't be as fast as a gun having a manual repeating action.

Shoot the gun enough to ensure that if it doesn't shoot to point of aim, with the ammo you intend to hunt with, that you know how to hold on a live target. Those Cooey shotguns have the bead mounted directly onto the barrel, so without having it raised to match the height of the receiver, I expect it will shoot high. If you find this to be the case with your gun, establish where your point of aim needs to be, relative to your point of impact. You might find that you have to put the bead on the target, then depress the muzzle just until the bead disappears behind the receiver. This isn't a particularly intuitive way to shoot, but with practice, you can make do if you don't want raise the height of the bead.
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I have one box of Federal premium 20g buck shot ,it is 3buck and has 20 pellets in a 2.75 inch load ,and this stuff patterns great out to 30 yards in my pump gun ,,number 3 buck is .25inches or 6,35mm ,I am not sure if this would be legal for deer in Ontario but it sure gives them coyotes a bad dream ,,lol,,Dutch
 
wyleekyotee said:
All good advice man. I'll take it to the range soon to get a look at the shot pattern at various ranges to see what I'm working with. I'm pretty smooth on the reload - as the 16 gauge is virtually identical to my 20 which I've used for years. Also, deer are nowhere near as tough as bears, so I have to think that, assuming a tight pattern (which I will confirm at the range) and assuming a good, broadside head/neck shot, it should go down. As other posters have said, it's all about the pattern, but I'm hoping that full choke long barrel will make some magic.

I was bringing some carrots out to the blind today and paced out the various spots where (a) I expect the deer the emerge from cover and (b) I have a clear shot from the tree - they're all less than 30 yards.
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I'd love it if you'd post some pics from your range trip results. And take the 20 along too to compare results. I'd also like to see some way of comparing penetration too... I'm curious.
 
Took it out for a go this morning. Using Federal Powershok 2 3/4 #1 Buckshot. At 35 yards it was a disaster. Not to say the hitting power isn't there, but in terms of a pattern, I'd only shoot at that range if I was starving to death, because it would be a roll of the dice whether one of the 12 .30 cal balls actually hit a vital spot. At 25 ards things got a little tighter - 6 pellets in a 6" group, and two were about a foot below them, about 6" apart. At 20 yards the grouping was nice and well behaved, and I would say that's the best range for that load with that gun.

Also, as one poster warned, it does shoot really high with the full bead showing above the receiver. At 25 yards, it shoots about 6-7 inches above the intended target area with full bead showing. Of course, I've only fired 5 rounds - and now I need more ammo. I'm going to have to learn to fire with that bead 90% buried. Very glad I tried this out - would have been a disaster.
 
wyleekyotee said:
Took it out for a go this morning. Using Federal Powershok 2 3/4 #1 Buckshot. At 35 yards it was a disaster. Not to say the hitting power isn't there, but in terms of a pattern, I'd only shoot at that range if I was starving to death, because it would be a roll of the dice whether one of the 12 .30 cal balls actually hit a vital spot. At 25 ards things got a little tighter - 6 pellets in a 6" group, and two were about a foot below them, about 6" apart. At 20 yards the grouping was nice and well behaved, and I would say that's the best range for that load with that gun.

Also, as one poster warned, it does shoot really high with the full bead showing above the receiver. At 25 yards, it shoots about 6-7 inches above the intended target area with full bead showing. Of course, I've only fired 5 rounds - and now I need more ammo. I'm going to have to learn to fire with that bead 90% buried. Very glad I tried this out - would have been a disaster.
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Was that with the 20? Or the 16?
 
wyleekyotee said:
I chose the 16 over the versatile 12 because it weighs less, and is well suited to being carried over miles of hiking, and is also not too much gun for grouse, hare, etc. Really, the only knock on the 16 is the lack of availability of ammo. It's a very elegant compromise between the 20 and 12, and weighs nothing - 7 lbs to be exact - not bad for a 30" barrel and all the range advantages that go with that.
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Few quick notes.

1. Longer barrel doesn't equal longer range. Choke controls range. If range was a factor why are turkey barrels shorter than others? Wieldability not range.

2. Weight difference between a 16 and 12 is probably under half a pound. Not game changing. Also didn't you mention a tree? So you're not even on the ground walking?

For what it's worth (nothing) I'm not a 16ga fan. To me, it's a total compromise that in the long run is too expensive. Ammo costs are well above 20ga and 12ga, while offering less options - if you can even find what you need. In addition, a 12 and 20 together make a good pair of shotguns, perfect for anything from grouse and rabbit to deer and bear, while a 16 sits in the middle - outclassed by the 12 for big stuff and the 20 for little stuff.

I shoot a fair amount, so due to ammo cost alone I don't like the 16 or 28ga, but at least a 28ga is arguably the best upland bird choice, whereas I don't see the 16 as the best choice for anything, it's merely a compromise between the 12 and 20.
 
To your points, and with total respect:

1. Range, I suppose not, that's a FPS thing, but that said, where iron sights are involved, I always find I shoot better - rifle or shotgun - with a long barrel when using iron sights. I suppose on the one hand, the long barrel minimizes recoil/kick, so your are more relaxed when you shoot, but on the other, it's just a question of lining up more effectively - that is to say, the longer the distance between the front and rear sight, the better able you are to line it all up accurately. That's why rifles shoot better than pistols.

2. Half a pound is half a pound my friend. Also, yes, I am using a blind, but by around 9 in the morning, I usually get outta there and hike around all day until about an hour before dusk, covering a maybe good 10k or more on a nice day, and it's all over rough terrain. When you are the vehicle, weight always matters. I even typically try to lose 5 lbs prior to deer season because at 43, it makes the hiking way easier.

Also, to your last point, while I spend a lot of time in the woods, I don't go through much ammo. I hunt behind my house, where the woods are really dense, and honestly, you don't see much because you can only see 30 yards, and rarely can you get a clean shot at more than 20 yards. When you have a clean shot, you rarely miss. Most years, by rabbit #5, the wife says - no more please; so a box of 25 #6 shot lasts 5 season for me in terms of rabbit.

Anyway, it's all about feel isn't it? I held the model 84 12 and the model 84 16 at the gunshop; to me, the 16 felt better in my hands.

Suther said:
Few quick notes.

1. Longer barrel doesn't equal longer range. Choke controls range. If range was a factor why are turkey barrels shorter than others? Wieldability not range.

2. Weight difference between a 16 and 12 is probably under half a pound. Not game changing. Also didn't you mention a tree? So you're not even on the ground walking?

For what it's worth (nothing) I'm not a 16ga fan. To me, it's a total compromise that in the long run is too expensive. Ammo costs are well above 20ga and 12ga, while offering less options - if you can even find what you need. In addition, a 12 and 20 together make a good pair of shotguns, perfect for anything from grouse and rabbit to deer and bear, while a 16 sits in the middle - outclassed by the 12 for big stuff and the 20 for little stuff.

I shoot a fair amount, so due to ammo cost alone I don't like the 16 or 28ga, but at least a 28ga is arguably the best upland bird choice, whereas I don't see the 16 as the best choice for anything, it's merely a compromise between the 12 and 20.
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