Would like thoughts on defensive capabilies of #3 Buckshot from a 21" barrel on a 20g shotgun. My daughter's 20g 870 is the only gun she has shown any interest in taking with her when she moves off to attend school. I have never been able to get her interested is pistol, so...
She can bust clays pretty good with her youth model 20g 870, but I have been unable to find anything more potentnt that #3 Buck in 20g. In my 12g 870, I consider, or have considered, #1 Buck about as small as I would want to go for defensive purposes. I presently use S&B 10 pellet 00 becasue it shoots a nice 10" pattern out of my gun at 15 yards, the center of which hits at point of aim.
The max distance she would probably have to use it is 10 yards and it seems to me that 20 pellets of 25 caliber (#3) would be pretty nasty at 7-15 yards, but I am no expert on this subject. Am I fooling myself thinking the 20g will do the job or should I just be happy that she can hit whatr she shoots with it. Also does anyone manufacture #1 in 20g holding, say, 10-12 pellets?
TEX
She can bust clays pretty good with her youth model 20g 870, but I have been unable to find anything more potentnt that #3 Buck in 20g. In my 12g 870, I consider, or have considered, #1 Buck about as small as I would want to go for defensive purposes. I presently use S&B 10 pellet 00 becasue it shoots a nice 10" pattern out of my gun at 15 yards, the center of which hits at point of aim.
The max distance she would probably have to use it is 10 yards and it seems to me that 20 pellets of 25 caliber (#3) would be pretty nasty at 7-15 yards, but I am no expert on this subject. Am I fooling myself thinking the 20g will do the job or should I just be happy that she can hit whatr she shoots with it. Also does anyone manufacture #1 in 20g holding, say, 10-12 pellets?
TEX
I'd be completely confident with an 870 Youth with #3 buck - those deer seemed to be just as dead as the ones killed with 00 buck from a 12.