20GA buckshot

E

e-bear

New member
I just bought a 20Ga shotgun for my wife. We're not sure what the best buckshot load is for deer. She shot #4 buck at the range yesterday and a full choke gave her about a 24" spread at 25 yards. Any input on brands, shot size, chokes, etc would be greatly appreciated.
Old e-bear
 
20 ga

Athough I live in Alaska I use a 20 ga for grouse hunting. 6 shot works best with Full Chokes. When in Florida during winter I use #4 shot for Turkeys with Full Choke or Extra Full Choke. As for deer , use #2 Buck, Full Choke or Modified Choke, has 18 pellets and works just fine as close range.Never use Slug through Full Choke or smaller. Use 3 inch mag shells if you can use them in your shotgun. That extra little punch helps
 
I also agree that at 20 gauge a slug is probably more "effective".....but that said I've taken quite a few deer with 20 gauge buckshot. My personal choice is the Federal Premium #3 buckshot (can never seem to find the #2 locally), it drops 'em just as well as my 12 gauge does; and I've always had good tight patterns with Federal ammo and a full choke. As has already been said, don't use a full choke if you'll be shooting slugs.
 
Another endorsement for the slugs...
I find #3 buck at walmart and my local gunshop. Neither has the #2 which I would buy for HD. I only hunt with slugs and for HD I load 5 Buckshot and 1 slug for my coup de grace final shot.
Brent
 
I woud use slugs if possible, if not, #1 buck. I killed a deer in my younger days w/#4 buck out of a .12ga. Dropped it on the spot at about 40 yards. I still can't figure out how that deer died, not one pellet penetrated more than about 1-2.5 inches. a few hit lung but after seeing deer hit better with rifles and not going down, I can't for the life of me see how this one didn't high tail it never to be found. my tests with ballistic gel show that i wouldn't get much better results w/larger buck, until you get to OO, OOO, then your patterns are crap. I'm sure this will start a flame war and there are many dead deer to prove my opinions wrong but I don't like buckshot.
 
ive found this same style phenomena w/ small game w/ bird shot like #6. hit multiple times. all hits not hitting anything vital. yet DRT i mean stone cold dead. only thing i can figgure is multiple points of 'shock' to the animal as well as the fear factor of hearing a loud noise at the exact same time? i'm not sure. strange indeed. its like the shotgun has a magic touch...
 
Buck shot is illegal in NY, so I don't have any experience with it. However, I'm going to endorse the slug. My aunt hunts with a 20ga, and has dropped a couple deer with it (she doesn't hunt much, so she doesn't get many opportunities).
 
I've only seen one deer shot with buck shot. 20 yards. DRT.

Slugs are effective but shot placement is still key. Friend of mine shot a big buck with a 12 ga. Brenneke(I think) The buck was trotting and it was about a thirty yard shot through a ten foot gap in bushes. He had maybe a one second warning the buck was coming by glimpsing it's legs through gaps in bushes.

He got the shot off a bit late. Instead of hitting the deer solidly through the rib cage, he hit in the short ribs on the right side. The slug went through the deer's diaphragm and exited just behind the short ribs on the left side. The deer ran down an old overgrown logging road, across a field road, and into an old farm field overgrown with broomsage, dog fennels, and volunteer pines. The blood trail petered out about fifty yards down the old logging road. The buck bedded down in some dog fennels about a 1/4 from where he was shot.

If we hadn't had access to a beagle who trailed him, we would never have found him. Even then he ran another quarter mile.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top