Chuck7

What is a safe kill distance for 00buckshot 3inch magnum for deer..Our deer run between 110 - 150 pounds. Is 00 buck pretty certain at 50 yds..if hit in the lung area?


Also, what choke would you use?

Thanks for your knowledge and time,
Chuck7

Centaur 1

At 40 yards 00 buck has as much energy as a .22lr. Even if you hit it with half of a 12 pellet load, think of it as shooting a deer in the chest with a .22, six times really fast. Do people kill deer with buckshot, of course they do but it also wounds more deer than any other type of round. I would never use buckshot further than 25-30 yards, and only if the hunting regulations required it's use. If you're required to use a shotgun, do yourself a favor and use slugs. I've shot and lost quite a few deer back in New Jersey when it was buckshot only, but once they started allowing the use of slugs I recovered every deer that I hit.

As far as which choke to use. Buckshot doesn't work like birdshot in a choke, a lot of guys get better groups with just an improved cylinder. You need to pattern your gun with different loads to see which one works better.

WV Hunter

You need to shoot your gun and see. My browning will put all pellets of 3" mag 00 buck in a 10" circle at 40yds. Very confident at that range. My max would be 50 if I had a good shot, but I know my gun can do it.

That said...I haven't used my shotgun in at least 10yrs. I agree that buckshot is responsible for wounding more game than anything. Some of my buddies hunt w dogs and they all use buckshot. Every week I get reports of them "missing" deer that ran by at 30yds to 50yds and they unloaded their gun at it. They say "Dang, I missed again".

I'm not a big fan.

Centaur 1

Another option is made by the Dixie slug company of Old Town, Fl. They make a buckshot load called the tri-ball load. It utilizes 3 hardened lead balls that measure .600" in diameter. Compared to the anemic results that are produced by 00 buck, the tri-ball hits with almost 2,000ftlbs of energy at 50 yards. If I was forced to use buckshot, this is the load I would use.

http://www.dixieslugs.com/products.html

Centaur 1

Not only is this common when using buckshot, but go talk to a meat processor in an area where buckshot use is common. They typically see quite a bit of infected buckshot wounds.

JagMagMan

I'm also not a fan of using buckshot. Its ok when they drop on the spot, but leaves a very poor or no blood trail to track by!

Bernie P.

IMO buckshot is BS for deer regardless of the load used.

Gunplummer

I agree with WV Hunter, see what YOUR gun will do. I had a bad experience with buck shot on an old doe years back and would not use it again. As deer get older their hide gets thicker and thicker. I am sure you can buy more powerful shells now, but I would test what your gun will do with them at different yardage.

Phil from Maine

While I am not a big fan of buckshot a lot of deer have been shot and recovered with it over the years.. Up here the choice of buckshot used to be #4 buck. 40 to 50 yards would certainly be the max for it. The biggest key to using buckshot is 1) distance and 2) tracking. As stated before on this post very little blood to no blood can be an issue.. The first thing is to check for hair.. Then if not in a pressured area let the deer be for an hour in order for it to lay down and stiffen up some. This will allow you a chance to get very close to it in case it was a no kill shot. When no blood can be found look for a deer running and then walking with it's toes spread.. Spread toes are common with a wounded deer trying to keep it's balance.. I recommened full choke when using buckshot.. Also if you are hunting in that green swamp you were talking about. You most likely will be hard pressed to even see a deer out at 50 yards so you shouldn't have any problem.. Also keep in mind a lot of deer that have been taken with buckshot up here dress out as heavey and heavier at times as your deer at live wieght. The key again is shot range and placement as well as your tracking skills..

Phil from Maine

I have seen a lot of people do this very same thing with rifles.. Why because the deer never fell like they thought it should of.. Or in some cases to discourage other hunters so they can continue even though they could of tagged out.. There is a lot of different reasons for people missing and that lists goes on and on.. I have helped recover more than one deer that was shot at. All because they could not pin point exactly where the deer was standing when they fired at it.. It is in some cases experience that matters..