Buckshot through fixed full choke

[Hoss Delgado]

If you want slugs this is what I worked up... although not technically a slug, it is more of just a giant wadcutter bullet. 775 grains from this fully rifled NEF Ultra-slug at 1,050 fps. Energy puts it around 1,900 ft.-lbs. But momentum-wise, it trumps the .375 h&h with a 300 grain bullet at 2,550 fps. It kicks like it too.View attachment 293979 View attachment 293980

That's a 9mm for comparison.

Bro , that looks more like something I'd use for an elephant ! This is beautiful !

 

[ChrisG]

Bro , that looks more like something I'd use for an elephant ! This is beautiful !

It's a blast to shoot and cheap! I got the mold from accurate molds and just cast them hard and hand lube them.

 

[IvW]

 

[Scrumbag]

Full and Full seems awfully tight.

I would see if I couldn't get them opened out, maybe 1/4 and 1/2? Buckshot should go through tight choke OK but it has a tendency to "blow" the patterns leading to wide and eratic shot dispersion so might not be so useful. Also slug through tight chokes isn't always great.

Scrummy

 

[IvW]

Full and Full seems awfully tight.

I would see if I couldn't get them opened out, maybe 1/4 and 1/2? Buckshot should go through tight choke OK but it has a tendency to "blow" the patterns leading to wide and eratic shot dispersion so might not be so useful. Also slug through tight chokes isn't always great.

Scrummy

Most combination guns come with tight choke 3/4 or full especially for slugs

 

[Forrest Halley]

Go to your well stocked outfitter and buy $100 worth of various buckshots and an open mind. . I did a fairly extensive patterning of my last new "shotgun" a Mossberg Shockwave 590. Now this has a cylinder bore yes I know, however it took me back to the basics for a minute. I experimented with 2¾" and 3" 4B, 1B, OB, OOB, OOOB and some boutique loadings.

I found I got the fullest patterns from 3" Winchester 1B and 3" Federal Premium OOOB from 7 yards to 30 yards. I found velocity is everything with patterning before constriction becomes a factor. Keeping the wad or shot cup from blowing the center out of the pattern is the key.

If you're going to constrict the shot column, the smaller the shot, the more constriction it will tolerate until patterns poorly. Wad retarding devices like the Patternmaster work really well with loads in shot cups. I have had good luck with standard loadings of 9 pellet OOB 2¾". The shorter the shell the better the pattern. I have one barrel zeroed for 90 yards with a specific load with the choke tube.

For conventional constriction chokes, I liked the 3½" OOB with a flush mounted Extra Full. It did very well with a 28" barrel. One shot kills on open field whitetails out to 70-80 yards is commonplace. I have experimented with backbored and conventional diameter barrels. I am of the opinion that the loss of slug capabilities is not worth the recoil reduction of the backboring and I noticed no remarkable pattern improvement.

My current favorite buckshot load is the Tactical #1B Flite Control. Very tight pattern out to about 30 yards fired from 14" cylinder bore. Flite Control Wad has regarding fins that slow the shot cup to keep it from blowing through the pattern. Hornady attempted to copy Federal with this and their design is not as effective. I have not yet tested this load with choke tubes, but it is to be used with constriction chokes and not wad retarding devices per manufacturer.

I am also convinced that #1B is better than either OOB or OOOB for pattern and penetration. However there are not as many loads available and the Federal loading are not true .30 which leads me to believe that they are using the same pellets for their 12 gauge #1B as their 20 gauge #2B.

Apologies for the long post.

 

[Hoss Delgado]

Go to your well stocked outfitter and buy $100 worth of various buckshots and an open mind. . I did a fairly extensive patterning of my last new "shotgun" a Mossberg Shockwave 590. Now this has a cylinder bore yes I know, however it took me back to the basics for a minute. I experimented with 2¾" and 3" 4B, 1B, OB, OOB, OOOB and some boutique loadings.

I found I got the fullest patterns from 3" Winchester 1B and 3" Federal Premium OOOB from 7 yards to 30 yards. I found velocity is everything with patterning before constriction becomes a factor. Keeping the wad or shot cup from blowing the center out of the pattern is the key.

If you're going to constrict the shot column, the smaller the shot, the more constriction it will tolerate until patterns poorly. Wad retarding devices like the Patternmaster work really well with loads in shot cups. I have had good luck with standard loadings of 9 pellet OOB 2¾". The shorter the shell the better the pattern. I have one barrel zeroed for 90 yards with a specific load with the choke tube.

For conventional constriction chokes, I liked the 3½" OOB with a flush mounted Extra Full. It did very well with a 28" barrel. One shot kills on open field whitetails out to 70-80 yards is commonplace. I have experimented with backbored and conventional diameter barrels. I am of the opinion that the loss of slug capabilities is not worth the recoil reduction of the backboring and I noticed no remarkable pattern improvement.

My current favorite buckshot load is the Tactical #1B Flite Control. Very tight pattern out to about 30 yards fired from 14" cylinder bore. Flite Control Wad has regarding fins that slow the shot cup to keep it from blowing through the pattern. Hornady attempted to copy Federal with this and their design is not as effective. I have not yet tested this load with choke tubes, but it is to be used with constriction chokes and not wad retarding devices per manufacturer.

I am also convinced that #1B is better than either OOB or OOOB for pattern and penetration. However there are not as many loads available and the Federal loading are not true .30 which leads me to believe that they are using the same pellets for their 12 gauge #1B as their 20 gauge #2B.

Apologies for the long post.

No apologies . Please , keep 'em coming. I really enjoy reading from all you enlightened minds I am pretty backdated in my hunting practices. Until l joined these forums , l used to hunt all my water buffalo with a soft point , followed by Solids for follow up shots. It was only after l became a member here , that l realized that the modern practice is to use ALL soft nose bullets on buffalo .

 

[Hoss Delgado]

By the Way , does anyone here know the Terminology of " AAA " shot ? I believe l have been using it a lot without knowing fully what it is. What US shot size is it ?
BB ? #1 ? Or this ?

 

[Hoss Delgado]

Full and Full seems awfully tight.

I would see if I couldn't get them opened out, maybe 1/4 and 1/2? Buckshot should go through tight choke OK but it has a tendency to "blow" the patterns leading to wide and eratic shot dispersion so might not be so useful. Also slug through tight chokes isn't always great.

Scrummy

The largest shot size I've been using on it so far is #1 birdshot till now. I use that load when l am in Sweden hunting roe deer with dogs . At close range , a charge of #1 shot will completely anchor a roe deer .
I have also been recommended to use " AAA " , although l am not exactly sure what size of shot that is

 

[Scrumbag]

Tripple A (AAA) is roughly US T size my friend.

Scrummy

 

[Hoss Delgado]

Tripple A (AAA) is roughly US T size my friend.

Scrummy

Thanks Scrummy

 

[ChrisG]

That will work. Our AAA work very well on duiker sized game. I would not use SG(small game), SSG(special small game) or LG(large game) on game, lack of penetration.

Original Brenneke slugs will kill the largest warthog or bushpig you can find. Fun hunting them with such an outfit, we shoot a lot of them with this combo.

I have also used Original Brenneke slugs with success on many African Game animals, including wounded leopard. Yes on some you limited your opportunities severely but on others they are ideal.

I would not hunt bushpig in corn over hounds or the same bushpig in thick cover with a bolt gun, double shotgun with slugs or a combination rifle with a slug in the shottie barrel has worked very well for me.

If you had a rifled barrel and I could legally send you some, I'd let you try some of my hard cast, 775 grain .732" bullets for 12 gauge. Loaded to 1,100 fps from a rifled bore, I'd bet they'd be one heck of a pig gun or a fairly effective leopard stopper inside 100 yards

 

[Hoss Delgado]

If you had a rifled barrel and I could legally send you some, I'd let you try some of my hard cast, 775 grain .732" bullets for 12 gauge. Loaded to 1,100 fps from a rifled bore, I'd bet they'd be one heck of a pig gun or a fairly effective leopard stopper inside 100 yardsView attachment 298849

Those look really good , man.
I have two shotguns at the moment :
12 gauge BRNO full choke Over Under and 10 gauge Browning Gold semi automatic

 

[Forrest Halley]

Those look really good , man.
I have two shotguns at the moment :
12 gauge BRNO full choke Over Under and 10 gauge Browning Gold semi automatic

You need a foster slug with the spiral fins or a rifled choke tube.

 

[ChrisG]

You need a foster slug with the spiral fins or a rifled choke tube.

The rifled choke tube would probably work with the 775 grain rounds. The problem is, you would likely never be able to remove it from the gun after firing them through it because they would probably torque it permanently into the gun trying to spin up that much weight at 1100fps in about 4 inches of rifling

 

[Forrest Halley]

The rifled choke tube would probably work with the 775 grain rounds. The problem is, you would likely never be able to remove it from the gun after firing them through it because they would probably torque it permanently into the gun trying to spin up that much weight at 1100fps in about 4 inches of rifling

I'm unfamiliar with this happening. There is demonstrable benefit to using rifled choke tubes to reduce group size of Foster and Lee key drive slugs. I was unable to find any evidence of the choke seizing that you are hypothesizing. A little choke tube grease and there will be no issue in removal.

 

[ChrisG]

I'm unfamiliar with this happening. There is demonstrable benefit to using rifled choke tubes to reduce group size of Foster and Lee key drive slugs. I was unable to find any evidence of the choke seizing that you are hypothesizing. A little choke tube grease and there will be no issue in removal.

I used to work with a gunsmith in my younger years and I have reamed a few rifled choke tubes out of shotguns that were so jammed in there they wouldn't come out... probably a combination of lack of cleaning and firing many slugs through, but you have to realize that a slug passing through one torques it more than a heavy impact wrench ever could.