Buckshot

Fascinating stuff. Grew up with blue star 9 ball 00 around the place. Tried good loads in my team years and was bitterly disappointed.shot white goat at about ten yards,had 9 holes in one side n 9 holes out the other,all shoulder/chest yet goat still went 25 yards..leaking like a seive n looking like a colinder but still 25 yards!!! Skip forward years later the wee .410 got lots of use and loaded up some buckshot. Son fired one round unsuccessfully at close range deer,and that was it.ive fired a couple into close targets and one out across lake( safe background) just to see and was VERY surprised at lack of spread. Just loaded up half dozen more. Fivex00 in two cases and five00 &one000 in another four. I find it funny the wee case holds 2/3 the payload of .12 ga load...yes I do have some 12 ball 00 loads in 3" 12ga. I forgot the other times I've used it.tried it on wallabies.yeah nah hohum.#7 buck much better pattern.and out spotlighting hates a big tall long legged one was seen in corner of paddock.i got up to about 25 yards and head/neck shot the yearling red.most happy I carried some buckshot loads that night. Many of you guys using it often if at all??

When I tried 12ga buckshot on goats I was similarly unimpressed. I had some 3 inch BB's which were much more emphatic

If you can find #7 buck it's much better...off top of head it's thirtyish.22 calibre balls. Way denser pattern and still big enough to penetrate well. Agree #BB is devestating up close.

used to buy the stuff by the caseloads for aerial goat work the 9 pellet was the business - the 12 pellet useless basically - the possums and hares hated the 12 pellet goats just ran with it unless one had the machine within 20 metres - but the 9 pellet was good certainly on goats - have not shot many reds with buckshot but the 9 pellet certainly tips fallow upside down - varied what one could buy in bulk even ordering the stuff ahead - getting the stuff always the problem

Within 20 meters is the key bit...

There was a VHS floating around back in the day of Brian Goodwin and his shooter in HLL meat shooting the northern Ruahines. Two semi auto shotguns, rotated by the shooter so he could keep up a decent volume of fire. 9 pellet 12 gauge buck, absolutely poleaxed all deer. But pretty much all head and neck shots.

I've never been keen on the idea of buckshot on larger animals, but saw a mate shoot two goats at 50 metres with it earlier this year. Both went down like a sack of spuds.

What I find fascinating about shotgunning in modern times is velocity. Lead loads used to run between 11-1300fps. Any more and they blew patterns. Even back in days of black powder n before wads the rule was ,more shot n less powder = tight dense pattern. More powder n less shot = spreader pattern. The introduction of steel shot regulations for better or worse has changed scene forever. Most birdshot is 14_1500 fps and some up around 1600 fps but there are also loads up to 2000fps.now that is fair honking along. Needs good wads and perfect shot to pattern well.we won't go into recoil but will say loads are LOUD. There has to be a middle ground load now that takes best of both. Something else is the heavi shot. Heavier than lead so smaller pellets and denser pattern still leathal and at ranges that have head scratching numbers to them. I imagine a heavishot load of BB going 1400fps inside a non slit steel shot was would be eye opening.

Great stuff in close, still have some 31/2 inch shells 27 Pellets

Buckshot 10 yds maximum I reckon however BBs now there's something that works. Use steel wads and you can get 1 1/2 oz in a 2 3/4 case murder on geese out to about 60 yds. I should try them on ground based things I suppose

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Originally Posted by Marty Henry

Buckshot 10 yds maximum I reckon however BBs now there's something that works. Use steel wads and you can get 1 1/2 oz in a 2 3/4 case murder on geese out to about 60 yds. I should try them on ground based things I suppose

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Our all time favourite wallaby load was Winchester superX in #2 closely followed by #BB. Both are awesome on geese too. Still need appropriate choke for the range but devestating. Strangely enough the steel loads of same size going faster with more pellets are in same league but boot hell of a lot more.

Did anybody use ‘waxed’ loads?

Hint: mark them so you know not to use them on ducks/small game!:thumbsup:

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Originally Posted by XR500

There was a VHS floating around back in the day of Brian Goodwin and his shooter in HLL meat shooting the northern Ruahines. Two semi auto shotguns, rotated by the shooter so he could keep up a decent volume of fire. 9 pellet 12 gauge buck, absolutely poleaxed all deer. But pretty much all head and neck shots.

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He shot a lot of deer in the Rua's. Once we walked back to Ironbark from Colenso and when we got to the river there were 7 hot gut bags. Could hear the 500 hovering and the crack of the shottie. .

The only time I shot from a helicopter I used my REM 1100 and oo buckshot 9 pellet, it polaxed everything I shot at. Most shots about 25-30 yds.
I tried it on paper once and using the mod chock six out of nine were on the paper, switching to full chock all nine hit , this was at 30 yds.
One goat i shot was about 50 yds away on a bluff and he went down no worries , great fun shooting goats out of a chopper.

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Originally Posted by Finnwolf

Did anybody use ‘waxed’ loads?

Hint: mark them so you know not to use them on ducks/small game!:thumbsup:

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My grandfather used to make them on the kitchen table, pry open a case drip wax from a candle onto the shot till it was full. Poor man's solids.

I have only used the 9 ball in my 20ga once but it dropped a big billy at 30 yards that decided to pop up when jump shooting some ponds

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Originally Posted by Mooseman

The only time I shot from a helicopter I used my REM 1100 and oo buckshot 9 pellet, it polaxed everything I shot at. Most shots about 25-30 yds.
I tried it on paper once and using the mod chock six out of nine were on the paper, switching to full chock all nine hit , this was at 30 yds.
One goat i shot was about 50 yds away on a bluff and he went down no worries , great fun shooting goats out of a chopper.

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Ran a Benelli M1 with a Patternmaster. To say it poleaxed any thing would be an understatement. You cannot believe how effective a shottie is on deer.

Growing up hunting a central north island pine forest for pigs with shotgun only rules i have shot many critters with shotguns and have tried many different loadings.
A short H&R single with sights was good with the Breneke slugs out to 50yds but running targets were hard.
Buckshot was worse until we changed guns to the Baikal with its super long and tight choked barrel. We were consistently dropping pigs out to 50yds and would put enough pellets in to slowup the 50-75yds ones that the dogs would sort them.
I went a step further and started to carry my Rem 11-87 duck gun full of 00 and mod choke and had great success.
With shotguns more than any other guns you have to match the load to the gun or barrel or choke.
You should pattern any load before hunting with it. We found a huge difference in performance between Buckshot loads. Not always related to price.
We shot everything from cheap as chip bulk shells to super expensive the latest and greatest and tried to better them all with reloads but by far the best across the board loading was the winchester 9 ball buffered 00.
Even though i dont do much shotgun slinging now i recently set out to try and improve on our old findings but again the reloads fell short but think i stumbled onto a winner. I bought a case of winchester 2.75" Buffered 16 ball #1Buckshot loaded with steel shot wads.
Watch this space

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Originally Posted by Marty Henry

My grandfather used to make them on the kitchen table, pry open a case drip wax from a candle onto the shot till it was full. Poor man's solids.

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I
The tip I heard was to tip the shot onto a saucer and heat it in the oven then pour the shot back into the shell and pour the molten wax into the shell, the heated shot allows the wax to flow down the shot column.

NB Total disclaimer regarding safety of this being suitable for all or any shotguns!

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Originally Posted by Finnwolf

Did anybody use ‘waxed’ loads?

Hint: mark them so you know not to use them on ducks/small game!:thumbsup:

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Or cut shells?

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Originally Posted by Cordite

Or cut shells?

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Oh here we go.... Whenever someone comes along and tells of using cut shells to smash over deer,pigs at hundy yards I offer same challenge. Three shots group at 75 yards please and post up photo of results...thus far no one has taken it up.

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Originally Posted by Micky Duck

Oh here we go.... Whenever someone comes along and tells of using cut shells to smash over deer,pigs at hundy yards I offer same challenge. Three shots group at 75 yards please and post up photo of results...thus far no one has taken it up.

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Mmm never done the. But yes, that would be interesting to try

MD, eat your hat.

I can inform you, Taofledermaus had impressive results from cut shells out to some 1000 to 1200 cm.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hyLXSCOFHEo

1000-1200cm equals 10-12 METERs. Not hundy yards!!! At 5 meters a wad follows birdshot into pig with no alterations.

Chrissake this centimetres thing is so European

I saw some Health and safety git talking about "lumber" the other day - piss off back to stateside

It's metres or millimetres, not 3 farthings of a bushel - foot

@Micky Duck, afterthought, I might gave gotten it past your BS filter if I said 100 - 120 dm. :XD:

Yes, the Taofledermaus results would have been more impressive with cut buckshot shells.

It's also about 59 links six and a half fathoms, 26 cubit or 52 spans as if it wasn't confusing enough already

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Originally Posted by Cordite

MD, eat your hat.

I can inform you, Taofledermaus had impressive results from cut shells out to some 1000 to 1200 cm.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hyLXSCOFHEo

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Centimetres is for dressmakers!:D

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Originally Posted by Marty Henry

It's also about 59 links six and a half fathoms, 26 cubit or 52 spans as if it wasn't confusing enough already

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Reminds me of Sunday school. The Ark was 300x50x30 cubits. But do you use the long, the short or the royal egyptian cubit yourself? ( Does your rangefinder have cubit mode? )

No, but it can do chains, rods and links plus it has a golf mode as well whatever that is

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Originally Posted by 338MAN mk2

Growing up hunting a central north island pine forest for pigs with shotgun only rules i have shot many critters with shotguns and have tried many different loadings.
A short H&R single with sights was good with the Breneke slugs out to 50yds but running targets were hard.
Buckshot was worse until we changed guns to the Baikal with its super long and tight choked barrel. We were consistently dropping pigs out to 50yds and would put enough pellets in to slowup the 50-75yds ones that the dogs would sort them.
I went a step further and started to carry my Rem 11-87 duck gun full of 00 and mod choke and had great success.
With shotguns more than any other guns you have to match the load to the gun or barrel or choke.
You should pattern any load before hunting with it. We found a huge difference in performance between Buckshot loads. Not always related to price.
We shot everything from cheap as chip bulk shells to super expensive the latest and greatest and tried to better them all with reloads but by far the best across the board loading was the winchester 9 ball buffered 00.

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This is excellent advice, and mirrors my own experiences.

Absolutely essential to pattern test your gun, choke and buckshot load at the kind of distances you intend to use it. I also prefer the Winchester Super-X buffered 9-ball 00 load, and found Modified choke to be the best for my own shooting at 30 - 40 yd. Quarter choke only good to 20 - 25 yd, and Full choke often blows the pattern apart.

For effective performance on goats, pigs & fallow I like to have at least 8 out of 9 pellets within a 2 foot circle at 30 yd.

Good thread really...9 balls launched from the shotty have been used on many different occasions from Wallabies through to Thar.
From up above the ground roos had no chance at all having those 9 balls thrown their way.
A late friend used them extensively on the Thar..deadly. Solids were fun but another story eh.

Dang, siitting at work, looking at the measuring tape on my desk.

My cubit, elbow to middle finger tip, is a very useful 0.505m or 19.88".
My great hand span, thumb tip to little finger tip, is 20cm.
My palm span along the crease is 10cm.

Very useful.

Thumb is definitely Imperial, as near to 25.4mm width as you can measure with a ruler.