Maximum effective range of buckshot - Page 2

2damnold4this · May 30, 2017, 05:09 PM

Patterning a shotgun has to do with whether you get lethal hits on a deer. 00 buck doesn't lack the ability to get sufficient penetration a Canadian mule deer with a winter coat at 55 yards and it certainly will penetrate just fine at closer ranges. If you shoot 00 buck at a deer less than ten yards away and don't kill it, it's not because of insufficient penetration.

Ricklin · May 31, 2017, 08:55 AM

Approx. .30 caliber lead balls at 1200-1400 FPS, that will leave a mark!

Lots of folks died from similar size lead balls, just one of them.

2damnold4this · June 4, 2017, 03:09 PM

I'm sure that you believe what you are posting is correct but I think you are mistaken about what happened.

You shoot a load of Federal 00 at a deer 25 feet away and the deer looks at you and runs off showing no sign of injury. A year later, your brother in law kills a deer in the same place with his bow. Upon skinning the deer, you find seven or eight pellets under the skin in the meat.

You conclude that you hit the deer and its thick hide prevented the 00 buck at 25 feet from causing a serious wound. I conclude that you missed the deer and your brother in law killed a deer that someone else shot at a much longer range.

Quote:

7-8 pellets spread over half the deer sounds like an aim point at the neck to me. The rest of the pattern probably went over and in front of the deer.

If you patterned your gun with the Federal 00 buckshot, you might have a good idea of where the pellets would be expected to go.

Quote:

This is not second hand information or some video I had nothing to do with. This actually happened.

I accept that you shot at a deer at 25 feet and it didn't go down and your brother in law killed a deer a year later that had pellets in it. I draw a different conclusion than you on what happened based upon my experience with buckshot. I also don't discount evidence such as the video which shows a Canadian mule deer with its winter coat falling to Federal 00 at 55 yards.

Gunplummer · June 4, 2017, 05:33 PM

I don't care what you do or do nor accept. This was in the mountains where hunters even look on a shotgun for turkey with disdain. You would have a better chance of hitting the lottery than having those sequence of events you described happen. It is like talking reality to a liberal Democrat. The logic is "Because I said so". I'm done.

bamaranger · June 7, 2017, 01:01 AM

Gunplummer,

You mention you "dug around in the truck" and I wonder if you came up with some contaminated or otherwise, spoiled, weak ammo? In the truck , in the heat , in the humidity, agitated by drving, etc, I could see ammo, espcially shotgun ammo, going sour if it had been there very long. That is about the only explanation I can come up with for buckshot, 00buck no less, not penetrating a deer neck at the ranges you advise.

I have an acquaintance who lost a gobbler over the very same issue with a turkey load dug up "in the truck".

Bill DeShivs · June 7, 2017, 08:50 PM

I have to agree with 2damnoldforthis. The likelihood of your brother in law killing the same deer is remote.
Gunplummer reminds me of those deer hunters that saw the deer get blown off it's feet when they hit it with their rifles. Explaining physics to them didn't help at all. There was no convincing them it was impossible.
bamaranger may have a point, too.

A good load of buckshot at 25 feet is a devastating load.

Gunplummer · June 7, 2017, 10:01 PM

I have knocked a deer over on it's back twice with a rifle. Shot them head on low in the neck. The bullet hits the spine head on (Very solid hit) which immediately drops the back end. The force of the bullet carries the front of the deer over backwards. It all happens in a split second. You need to get out more, maybe actually shoot a deer. I was my Physics teachers worst nightmare.

Evan Thomas · June 7, 2017, 10:28 PM

Enough.

May 31, 2017, 08:55 AM	#27
Ricklin Senior Member Join Date: February 22, 2008 Location: SW Washington state Posts: 2,013	Approx. .30 caliber lead balls at 1200-1400 FPS, that will leave a mark! Lots of folks died from similar size lead balls, just one of them. __________________ ricklin Freedom is not free

June 7, 2017, 01:01 AM	#30
bamaranger Senior Member Join Date: October 9, 2009 Location: North Alabama Posts: 8,312	ammo Gunplummer, You mention you "dug around in the truck" and I wonder if you came up with some contaminated or otherwise, spoiled, weak ammo? In the truck , in the heat , in the humidity, agitated by drving, etc, I could see ammo, espcially shotgun ammo, going sour if it had been there very long. That is about the only explanation I can come up with for buckshot, 00buck no less, not penetrating a deer neck at the ranges you advise. I have an acquaintance who lost a gobbler over the very same issue with a turkey load dug up "in the truck".

June 7, 2017, 08:50 PM	#31
Bill DeShivs Senior Member Join Date: April 7, 2006 Posts: 10,985	I have to agree with 2damnoldforthis. The likelihood of your brother in law killing the same deer is remote. Gunplummer reminds me of those deer hunters that saw the deer get blown off it's feet when they hit it with their rifles. Explaining physics to them didn't help at all. There was no convincing them it was impossible. bamaranger may have a point, too. A good load of buckshot at 25 feet is a devastating load. __________________ Bill DeShivs, Master Cutler www.billdeshivs.com

June 7, 2017, 10:28 PM	#33
Evan Thomas Senior Member Join Date: July 7, 2008 Location: Upper midwest Posts: 5,631	Enough. __________________ Never let anything mechanical know you're in a hurry.

May 30, 2017, 05:09 PM	#26
2damnold4this Senior Member Join Date: August 12, 2009 Location: Athens, Georgia Posts: 2,526	Patterning a shotgun has to do with whether you get lethal hits on a deer. 00 buck doesn't lack the ability to get sufficient penetration a Canadian mule deer with a winter coat at 55 yards and it certainly will penetrate just fine at closer ranges. If you shoot 00 buck at a deer less than ten yards away and don't kill it, it's not because of insufficient penetration.

June 4, 2017, 05:33 PM	#29
Gunplummer Senior Member Join Date: March 11, 2010 Location: South East Pa. Posts: 3,364	I don't care what you do or do nor accept. This was in the mountains where hunters even look on a shotgun for turkey with disdain. You would have a better chance of hitting the lottery than having those sequence of events you described happen. It is like talking reality to a liberal Democrat. The logic is "Because I said so". I'm done.

June 7, 2017, 10:01 PM	#32
Gunplummer Senior Member Join Date: March 11, 2010 Location: South East Pa. Posts: 3,364	I have knocked a deer over on it's back twice with a rifle. Shot them head on low in the neck. The bullet hits the spine head on (Very solid hit) which immediately drops the back end. The force of the bullet carries the front of the deer over backwards. It all happens in a split second. You need to get out more, maybe actually shoot a deer. I was my Physics teachers worst nightmare.