What's the ideal spread for 00 buck ??-HD use, not hunting.

Hal · April 15, 2001, 05:53 AM

What kind of pattern should I be after using 25 yards as the max distance?

Dave McC · April 15, 2001, 07:12 AM

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.

Kingcreek · April 15, 2001, 07:57 AM

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)

Hal · April 15, 2001, 08:19 AM

Dave,
Thanks. That's kind of what I figured but wasn't sure.

Kingcreek,
Thanks for the info. I'll try something lighter also.

Zoosh · April 17, 2001, 04:24 AM

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.

Dave McC · April 17, 2001, 06:09 AM

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...

April 17, 2001, 04:24 AM	#5
Zoosh Member Join Date: February 26, 2001 Location: San Francisco Posts: 30	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.

April 15, 2001, 05:53 AM	#1
Hal Senior Member Join Date: October 9, 1998 Location: Ohio USA Posts: 8,563	What kind of pattern should I be after using 25 yards as the max distance?

April 15, 2001, 07:12 AM	#2
Dave McC Staff In Memoriam Join Date: October 13, 1999 Location: Columbia, Md, USA Posts: 8,811	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.

April 15, 2001, 07:57 AM	#3
Kingcreek Senior Member Join Date: October 29, 1999 Location: rural Illinois Posts: 590	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)

April 15, 2001, 08:19 AM	#4
Hal Senior Member Join Date: October 9, 1998 Location: Ohio USA Posts: 8,563	Dave, Thanks. That's kind of what I figured but wasn't sure. Kingcreek, Thanks for the info. I'll try something lighter also.

April 17, 2001, 06:09 AM	#6
Dave McC Staff In Memoriam Join Date: October 13, 1999 Location: Columbia, Md, USA Posts: 8,811	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...