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What's the ideal spread for 00 buck ??-HD use, not hunting.
- Thread starter Hal
- Start date
Darn few homes have shot possibilities long enough for any spread,RAE. 10 yard patterns are shirt pocket sized.
From my unchoked HD 870(your results may differ), Winchester generic 00 patterns in to 20-24" at 25 yards, the Estate SWAT 00 into 16-20".
Besides extreme spread, I'd look for flyers that are pellets leaving the pattern. A tight pattern of 8 00 with one pellet opening the group up to double or triple the size is a sign of trouble with that load.
And the pattern you want is no spread. Shotguns are the incredibly effective weapons they are because of the huge amounts of energy they can dump into a target, not a spread that mythically compensates for aiming errors.
With the exception of some deer/hog hunting, buckshot shotguns should be shot more like rifles, including aiming.
From my unchoked HD 870(your results may differ), Winchester generic 00 patterns in to 20-24" at 25 yards, the Estate SWAT 00 into 16-20".
Besides extreme spread, I'd look for flyers that are pellets leaving the pattern. A tight pattern of 8 00 with one pellet opening the group up to double or triple the size is a sign of trouble with that load.
And the pattern you want is no spread. Shotguns are the incredibly effective weapons they are because of the huge amounts of energy they can dump into a target, not a spread that mythically compensates for aiming errors.
With the exception of some deer/hog hunting, buckshot shotguns should be shot more like rifles, including aiming.
My home defense SG does double duty as pest/varmint control since it is the one gun that is always accessible.(I realize this may not be the case for you). I sometimes shoot marauding raccoon, feral cats, the occaisional coyote, etc. but it also has to be up to the task if some social mal-adjusted type pays us an unwelcome visit.
I have patterned almost everything in my old 870 slug gun and have settled on high brass #2s as the best all-around load. I don't feel undergunned without 00 buck in the tube and I would probably use 2s or 4s even if it was exclusive HD use only for ever and ever.
just my .02 (adjusted for inflation)
I have patterned almost everything in my old 870 slug gun and have settled on high brass #2s as the best all-around load. I don't feel undergunned without 00 buck in the tube and I would probably use 2s or 4s even if it was exclusive HD use only for ever and ever.
just my .02 (adjusted for inflation)
The tighter the better
My 870 has been modified by Hans Vang, and at
typical home defense ranges (10m or so), with Estate
ammo, it makes just one jagged hole, with no flyers. That's
what I want. I don't want spread because if I'm using
spread instead of aiming, then that means by definition
that I have some pellets going where I didn't want them to
go, and I can't accept that. I'm going to aim. The reason
why I want a shotgun is not because I don't have to aim,
but because a load of buck, or a big slug, causes about
as much incapacitation as a gun can cause. There's nothing
more effective, as far as I know, other than some more
exotic things which wouldn't normally be used for home
defense in the US.
My 870 has been modified by Hans Vang, and at
typical home defense ranges (10m or so), with Estate
ammo, it makes just one jagged hole, with no flyers. That's
what I want. I don't want spread because if I'm using
spread instead of aiming, then that means by definition
that I have some pellets going where I didn't want them to
go, and I can't accept that. I'm going to aim. The reason
why I want a shotgun is not because I don't have to aim,
but because a load of buck, or a big slug, causes about
as much incapacitation as a gun can cause. There's nothing
more effective, as far as I know, other than some more
exotic things which wouldn't normally be used for home
defense in the US.
Zoosh, you make a good point.Within its range limits, NOTHING works as well as a shotgun in trained and cool hands. Not an AK, not an Uzi, not an MP5.
And Vang is a class act, going from the input here. Just remember,all of us, that it's 90% shooter, 10% equipment.
If I was starting out with "Serious" shotgunning in mind, and had enough for a Vang Job, I'd probably spend it on lessons and ammo.Most custom work is the cherry on top of the whipped cream.Then, if/when I progressed to the point where an equipment upgrade was the only way to improve performance,I ship it off to Hans,etc, w/o qualms. Priorities...
And Vang is a class act, going from the input here. Just remember,all of us, that it's 90% shooter, 10% equipment.
If I was starting out with "Serious" shotgunning in mind, and had enough for a Vang Job, I'd probably spend it on lessons and ammo.Most custom work is the cherry on top of the whipped cream.Then, if/when I progressed to the point where an equipment upgrade was the only way to improve performance,I ship it off to Hans,etc, w/o qualms. Priorities...