Shotgun 00-Buck vs Other Loads - I know it has been discussed here before and the debate may never be settled, but I believe I may have found a workable compromise. It seems to me that adequate penetration has always been the concern. At near point blank range 0-3 meters, I feel there may not be a real difference since the pellets have not had a real chance to separate, but some say no. For real street work with a shot gun, I don’t think 00-Buck can be beat, but the goal was to find something that met two criteria for home defense.
1. Has adequate penetration at close range, but limited penetration on walls and at distance for pellets that missed target. Expected range would be 1-10 meters, 15 meters max.
2. Has manageable recoil. A 3&1/3 inch with 00-Buck can be brutal to the shooter.
An added benefit is that with 2&3/4 inch shells, vs 3&1/2 shells, the gun in question will hold one additional round.
I was originally interested in Hevi-Shot’s Dead Coyote load, which came in a 3&1/2 shell, and was moving fifty 20-caliber, denser than lead, projectiles at about 1300 fps. I figured if you could get more pellets to penetrate as well as 00-Buck, it would be a step up. Good stuff, but kicks real hard. In my opinion this T size heavier than lead pellets would do the job from 1-10 meters that I don’t think 00-Buck would much improve on. I think however, base on the cost of the shells, the heavier than lead pellets must actually be gold – just joking.
I recently ran across a baby brother to this load and it is more reasonably priced. It is labeled as Hevi-Shot Maximum Defense and uses the same heavier than lead T-shot moving at the same velocity. One brochure says 1350-fps and I have seen 1250 and 1300 mentioned. The only difference is that it only has 35 pellets vs 50 pellets.
I think for a home defense shotgun, this may be the best compromise. A heavier than lead 20-caliber pellet moving out at magnum velocity (1300-fps) should give adequate penetration on a goblin, yet missed pellets probably would not make it into the neighbor’s house, etc. Because of the number of pellets, it should be a very dense pattern at close range – Imagine a 7 yard, half foot wide pattern with 35 pellets that penetrated adequately. Pretty much everything within that six inch circle would be pulverized. Recoil is way more manageable and my 870 will hold one more round of this stuff than the 3” S&B I was using before. I may however have this Hevi-Shot as the first three rounds and the rest 3” 00-Buck – haven’t decided. I usually keep slugs in the side saddle. This stuff also holds a smaller pattern at 15 yards than the 00-Buck. I haven’t had a chance to see how many sheets of sheetrock it would go through at 10 yards, but I will test this eventually. It does take steel poppers down rather smartly however. Don’t think the poppers would take well to a steady diet of this stuff and I figure there is a higher chance of bounce back - for those contemplating the same I would suggest you don’t shoot steel with this stuff straight on, only at an angle.
Any thoughts?
1. Has adequate penetration at close range, but limited penetration on walls and at distance for pellets that missed target. Expected range would be 1-10 meters, 15 meters max.
2. Has manageable recoil. A 3&1/3 inch with 00-Buck can be brutal to the shooter.
An added benefit is that with 2&3/4 inch shells, vs 3&1/2 shells, the gun in question will hold one additional round.
I was originally interested in Hevi-Shot’s Dead Coyote load, which came in a 3&1/2 shell, and was moving fifty 20-caliber, denser than lead, projectiles at about 1300 fps. I figured if you could get more pellets to penetrate as well as 00-Buck, it would be a step up. Good stuff, but kicks real hard. In my opinion this T size heavier than lead pellets would do the job from 1-10 meters that I don’t think 00-Buck would much improve on. I think however, base on the cost of the shells, the heavier than lead pellets must actually be gold – just joking.
I recently ran across a baby brother to this load and it is more reasonably priced. It is labeled as Hevi-Shot Maximum Defense and uses the same heavier than lead T-shot moving at the same velocity. One brochure says 1350-fps and I have seen 1250 and 1300 mentioned. The only difference is that it only has 35 pellets vs 50 pellets.
I think for a home defense shotgun, this may be the best compromise. A heavier than lead 20-caliber pellet moving out at magnum velocity (1300-fps) should give adequate penetration on a goblin, yet missed pellets probably would not make it into the neighbor’s house, etc. Because of the number of pellets, it should be a very dense pattern at close range – Imagine a 7 yard, half foot wide pattern with 35 pellets that penetrated adequately. Pretty much everything within that six inch circle would be pulverized. Recoil is way more manageable and my 870 will hold one more round of this stuff than the 3” S&B I was using before. I may however have this Hevi-Shot as the first three rounds and the rest 3” 00-Buck – haven’t decided. I usually keep slugs in the side saddle. This stuff also holds a smaller pattern at 15 yards than the 00-Buck. I haven’t had a chance to see how many sheets of sheetrock it would go through at 10 yards, but I will test this eventually. It does take steel poppers down rather smartly however. Don’t think the poppers would take well to a steady diet of this stuff and I figure there is a higher chance of bounce back - for those contemplating the same I would suggest you don’t shoot steel with this stuff straight on, only at an angle.
Any thoughts?
