Results from patterning my Mossberg 930 with buckshot (lots of pics included)

[AeroEngineer]

Today I took some time to pattern my Mossberg 930 with several different makes of 00 buckshot in preparation for shotgun deer season, and thought I'd share the results here in case it might be of interest to someone else. This was my first time ever actually patterning a shotgun, and the experience was interesting and educational. I will be hunting in a buckshot only area, and had not run any buckshot through this relatively new 930. Ammunition selection was all 00 buck, with a mixture of inexpensive bulk 2-3/4" and 3" "hunting" shells:

• Sellier & Belliot 2-3/4" 00 Buck 9 Pellets
• Spartan 2-3/4" 00 Buck 9 Pellets
• Winchester Super-X 3" 00 Buck 15 Pellets
• Federal Vital Shok Flite Control 3" 00 Buck 15 Pellets

The shotgun is a Mossberg 930 with a 28" smoothbore barrel, IC choke, and I was sighting with the fiber optic bead (at the start, but by the end I was using only the housing for the fiber optic pipe).

Several rounds of each brand were fired through the 930 to verify function, and all rounds cycled without issue. Recoil from the 2-3/4" rounds was relatively mild, but the 3" shells were significant. Apparently my 930 thought the same as my shoulder, because after firing a magazine of the Federal Vital Shok, I realized the front bead had vanished from the barrel, and the stock handgrip "plug" had broken off.




The area I plant to hunt is a managed hunt, and the state requires hunters to qualify prior to the hunt day(s). The requirement is a single shot from 25 yards at a 14" square target, with a minimum of 4 00 pellets striking within the 14" square (note that while the state of Virginia may consider this acceptable accuracy, I absolutely want as many pellets in the target zone as possible). I made patterning targets by taking some large pieces of graph paper and placing a 2" square aiming point in the center. All patterning shots were fired at 20 yards (the maximum distance at the indoor range), and the pellet strikes were marked between shots, so each target contains patterns from two to three shells. Here's a summary of the results, listing the # of pellets striking within the 14" square:

Sellier & Belliot 2-3/4": 8/9, 6/9 & 7/9
Spartan 2-3/4": 6/9, 4/9 & 7/9
Winchester Super-X 3" : 13/15, 13/15, 9/15, 14/15 & 13/15
Federal Vital Shok Flite Control 3": 15/15 & 14/15





My conclusion is, while any of the rounds would meet the minimum requirements, for hunting I will be using 3" 00 buckshot. The Federal Vital Shok lived up to the Flite Control reputation of creating tight patterns, but the Winchester Super-X appears acceptable, with the upside of being cheaper and available locally). I had to order the Federal Vital Shok from Midway). I'm going to contact Mossberg about a replacement for the front bead.

[AeroEngineer]

Here are the last two pattern targets: