Author Topic: Buckshot load recommendations (Read 10858 times)

Kaso · « **on:** February 25, 2015, 04:02:08 pm »

As soon as this snow all melts, I need to get out and pattern a new shotgun. Specifically, a CZ coach gun. This means I get to buy a few boxes of several different brands and loads of buckshot, and shoot them all to determine which patterns the best in the gun. (ouch) Obviously, I want to avoid testing known bad loadings, and start off with consistent ones.

Now, realizing that no two guns are the same in what they do with any given load, what are some good, solid loads for me to buy to test? Any known lemons that I should avoid?

Thanks!

Kaso

WeTheArmed.com

Grant · « **Reply #1 on:** February 26, 2015, 12:15:59 am »

I've had two loads notably pattern well in every shotgun I've tried:

Fiocchi #4 buckshot, 2 3/4" shells. The "normal" velocity. It seems to be very consistant and even in every shotgun I've tried.

Nobelsport 12 pellet 00 Buckshot 2 3/4" (euro style shells so a bit longer than typical 2 3/4" shells). This stuff has patterned "normal" in all shotguns I've tried and has been SUPER TIGHT in a couple shotguns.

If you want more expensive, federal buffered buckshot has always been good for me.

I would try Estate buckshot, it's still cheap around, and for me it patterned quite well for being only $8 per 25 rounds.

I have had TERRIBLE luck with any and all Winchester buckshot. Maybe I'm unlucky, but I haven't had a single Winchester load shoot good out of a single shotgun

That's really the only type that has stuck out as being "bad" for me.

sohmdaddy · « **Reply #2 on:** February 26, 2015, 01:56:04 am »

federal premium with flite control wad. The wad is like a choke tube inside the shell.

coelacanth · « **Reply #3 on:** February 26, 2015, 02:48:25 am »

If you want to save some wear and tear on your shoulder, try some standard bird shot loads first. That will allow you to determine how well regulated your barrels are. You can see if your sight plane is aligned with the target and at what range the barrels begin to diverge without the abuse of heavy buckshot loads. The barrels ought to be centered within about four inches of each other at 25 yards even out of a coach gun. Sometimes one will pattern a bit higher or lower than the other as well.

Start out at ten or twelve yards and see how it goes - then move back to 20 or 25. Buckshot will not always exactly follow the patterning of the smaller shot but it's not going to be radically different in most guns.

I too, like Fiocchi shells but have also had good luck with Sellier and Bellot. Federal premium flite control is the gold standard in most guns but can be a bit pricey. My old Savage 311 works ok with plain old military grade Winchester 00 in the green hulls with blackened brass bases. Nothing spectacular beyond about fifteen to twenty yards but plenty good enough for house clearing when something goes "bump" in the night.

Kaso · « **Reply #4 on:** February 26, 2015, 09:04:28 am »

Quote from: Grant on February 26, 2015, 12:15:59 am

Fiocchi #4 buckshot, 2 3/4" shells. The "normal" velocity. It seems to be very consistant and even in every shotgun I've tried.

I will have to source this, because I do want a #4 buck load as well as the obligatory 00 buck. I like the concept of more pellets, as when I do reach for my shotgun, the intended target will almost certainly be a groundhog or raccoon. More pellets on target beats bigger pellets on target.

Though I did not put it in the OP, I had automatically assumed that I would be testing the Federal flight control load. In the interest of saving my shoulder (yeah, I'm a wuss) I won't even be trying the cheap loads unless the others prove unsatisfactory. Per you experience, I will cross Winchester off of the initial list, as well.

Kaso

Kaso · « **Reply #5 on:** February 26, 2015, 09:06:49 am »

Quote from: coelacanth on February 26, 2015, 02:48:25 am

If you want to save some wear and tear on your shoulder, try some standard bird shot loads first. That will allow you to determine how well regulated your barrels are. You can see if your sight plane is aligned with the target and at what range the barrels begin to diverge without the abuse of heavy buckshot loads. The barrels ought to be centered within about four inches of each other at 25 yards even out of a coach gun. Sometimes one will pattern a bit higher or lower than the other as well.

Start out at ten or twelve yards and see how it goes - then move back to 20 or 25. Buckshot will not always exactly follow the patterning of the smaller shot but it's not going to be radically different in most guns.

That is an interesting idea which I had not considered. Not only do I need to know how they pattern, but as a double, also where they pattern. Good tip.

Kaso

GeorgeHill · « **Reply #6 on:** February 26, 2015, 10:30:45 am »

You gotta Pattern every individual loading you are going to use. You can't just pattern one and see what the gun is doing. Every shell make and model is different. Just like when you zero a rifle. You change loads, you are going to have to re-zero for best accuracy.
But you know that.
Federal loads with the Flight Control Wads = EPIC. And worth the extra money for them.

Grant · « **Reply #7 on:** February 26, 2015, 11:59:23 am »

I think once you get used to the shotguns recoil,,etc. shoot 1-300 rounds of buckshot....the last 25 rounds won't be as bad as the first

Anymore for plain old blasting I shoot birdshot, but more and more I'm using budget buckshot if I can pick it up for only 2-3 dollars more per 25.

Kaso · « **Reply #8 on:** February 26, 2015, 12:05:44 pm »

I just placed an order with SG Ammo for a laundry list of different buckshots. Unfortunately they did not have the Federal with flight control in regular power loads, (they had reduced recoil) so I will have to source that locally.

One thing I noticed was that all of the different manufacturers' shells (save the 'military' loads from Winchester) are brightly colored. Why? Why does no one make a gray, OD, or black hulled buckshot load for the civilian market. It doesn't have to have the brass blackened like the military load, but a hull that is not bright red, orange or blue would be nice.

Kaso

Roper1911 · « **Reply #9 on:** February 26, 2015, 12:21:51 pm »

Quote from: Grant on February 26, 2015, 11:59:23 am

I think once you get used to the shotguns recoil,,etc. shoot 1-300 rounds of buckshot....the last 25 rounds won't be as bad as the first

Anymore for plain old blasting I shoot birdshot, but more and more I'm using budget buckshot if I can pick it up for only 2-3 dollars more per 25.

I only use buckshot and slugs.
the recoil isn't bad with proper technique.

RMc · « **Reply #10 on:** February 26, 2015, 07:32:26 pm »

Just to add a bit to the many great responses here:

Factory buckshot loads often have running changes made that may or may not be reflected in the packaging or advertising. These changes usually result in pattern changes. Winchester Super-X 00B is one of the most recent examples. Until quite recently this round had a plastic over powder wad, fiber filler wads, buffering and no shot cup or wrapper around the pellets. The latest version has a single unit platic wad and shotcup. As a result previous pattern work would no longer be valid.

Grant · « **Reply #11 on:** February 26, 2015, 07:37:45 pm »

And it does now?

That may improve Winchester patterns then

Eh.. I got cheaper that patterns well enough.

GeorgeHill · « **Reply #12 on:** February 26, 2015, 09:02:14 pm »

I've seen cheap load group very well out of short smooth bores. And I've seen premium loads group donuts from the same gun. You gotta see what a load does in your gun.

coelacanth · « **Reply #13 on:** February 26, 2015, 09:39:47 pm »

Exactly, but birdshot will get you on the paper as well as buck and the higher number of shot makes it easier to get an initial idea of what the gun is doing IMO. If the gun is shooting where it looks and the barrels are regulated, then its time to break out the buck shot.

First Shirt · « **Reply #14 on:** February 26, 2015, 09:53:58 pm »

Quote from: Grant on February 26, 2015, 12:15:59 am

Fiocchi #4 buckshot, 2 3/4" shells. The "normal" velocity. It seems to be very consistant and even in every shotgun I've tried.

That's my go-to load, for either 12 or 20 gauge. It's the one that Mrs. First Shirt uses in her 20-gauge Mossberg that resides in her side of the closet. We both have a lot of faith in it.

RMc · « **Reply #15 on:** February 26, 2015, 10:36:51 pm »

Remember, your shotgun will not lie to a pattern board!

Kaso · « **Reply #16 on:** February 27, 2015, 08:34:45 am »

Quote from: GeorgeHill on February 26, 2015, 09:02:14 pm

I've seen cheap load group very well out of short smooth bores. And I've seen premium loads group donuts from the same gun. You gotta see what a load does in your gun.

Exactly. This is complicated by the fact that it is a double. One barrel might group very well with a load that the other hates. The trick will be to find the load which gives the best results in both, or if not, which gives the best compromise between the two.

I have seven different loads either on hand or on the way, and when I source some flight control Federal, it will be eight. I am fairly certain I can find a load that works well. If not... It is a CZ, and that is what gun broker is for

Kaso

Grant · « **Reply #17 on:** February 27, 2015, 12:37:16 pm »

Are both barrels cylinder?

I ask because dad has a Rossi Overlander, 20" coach gun with hammers, one barrel IC, the other M. The IC groups are 1/2 the size of the M barrel, both barrels print to POA.

Kaso · « **Reply #18 on:** February 27, 2015, 12:46:54 pm »

According to CZ's website, they are both cylinder.

Kaso

RMc · « **Reply #19 on:** July 04, 2015, 04:21:00 pm »

So what load(s) did your patterning work, with the CZ Coach Gun, lead you to?

Quote from: Kaso on February 25, 2015, 04:02:08 pm

As soon as this snow all melts, I need to get out and pattern a new shotgun. Specifically, a CZ coach gun. This means I get to buy a few boxes of several different brands and loads of buckshot, and shoot them all to determine which patterns the best in the gun. (ouch) Obviously, I want to avoid testing known bad loadings, and start off with consistent ones.

Now, realizing that no two guns are the same in what they do with any given load, what are some good, solid loads for me to buy to test? Any known lemons that I should avoid?

Thanks!

Kaso

Kaso · « **Reply #20 on:** July 04, 2015, 09:53:48 pm »

Quote from: RMc on July 04, 2015, 04:21:00 pm

So what load(s) did your patterning work, with the CZ Coach Gun, lead you to?

Well... I never did pattern it.

I have a good reason. The triggers are simply aweful. When I first posted this thread, I had possessed the shotgun for less that a week, and was looking at it through rose-colored glasses. Looking at it objectively, the triggers are what I estimate to be 10-11 lb. each. CZ lists the shotgun weight at 6.7 lb., and I can hang the gun off of my finger on either trigger, and it will not drop the hammer without what I estimate is 3-4 lb. of pressure on the buttplate from the other hand. I don't really know where to inquire about getting this fixed, and honestly I don't care to dump a lot of money into my 'fun' guns right now, so it is on the back burner. Something will be done at some point, but not sure what just yet.

I did pattern my other coach gun, a cheap Spanish, and it likes the Federal Premium 00 9-pellet. I ordered 100 rounds of that in, so that will be the first load I try when I do pattern the CZ, as well as my Benelli. The Benelli just got a shorter stock, so it is on the short list of things to do. If the Benelli likes the Federal as well, I plan to spring for two cases (500 rounds) and call that my go-to load. I figure 500 rounds is plenty to have on hand for a shotgun.

Kaso

GeorgeHill · « **Reply #21 on:** July 05, 2015, 12:28:56 am »

The Federal is great, as always. But also try some of Hornady. Ive got some thats just impressive.
That being said, my favorite 870 has turned exclusively into Slug Gun. It patterns very well with Shot, but is just precise with Slugs.

Kaso · « **Reply #22 on:** July 05, 2015, 11:25:36 am »

Out of curiosity, which Hornady? I have a 10-round box of Critical Defense buckshot, that I have yet to test in anything. Is it the CD or other?

Lately, buckshot has been the biggest chunk of my ammo budget. I am looking forward to finding that load or two that my guns prefer, then buying a few cases. Then I can go back to buying 5.56...

Kaso

Strongone · « **Reply #23 on:** July 05, 2015, 07:31:12 pm »

The Hornady I have is Critical Defense with a Versatite wad, that stuff shoots just like Federal Flight Control to me.

Mississippi556 · « **Reply #24 on:** July 11, 2015, 10:16:10 am »

Quote from: Strongone on July 05, 2015, 07:31:12 pm

The Hornady I have is Critical Defense with a Versatite wad, that stuff shoots just like Federal Flight Control to me.

There is a subtile difference in the wad/shot cups. Federal licenses the design to Hornady, but Hornady gets a slightly shorter cup. In my shotgun, the Hornady VersaTite 00B opens up a bit more at 50 yards, and the wad does not go as far downrange, suggesting that the shot separate from it sooner. Even so, the Hornady loads are far superior in pattern tightness to everything except FliteControl.

VersaTite is white, FliteControl is red.