Wal-mart has the Winchester 2 3/4" 00 buckshot for $6.27 per 15 shells. It is UNPLATTED. How good would this be for self-defense? What about for hunting...how well would it do for deer and other medium sized animals?
Plating helps keep the pellets round, though often antimony content and velocity is more crucial. IMO, not that important.
I've used plenty of Winchester unplated 00 and still have some stored away. It's good in my shotguns. It will probably be OK in yours, but you will NOT know until you pattern some.
We carry a shotgun shells that are perfect for home defense becuase they will not penetrate sheetrock wall that are 1/2 thick but are tough on the bad guys and it is Dept. of Justice approved. We also have a sabot round for hunting that has great range/or again for home defense works just like our buck shot.