Buckshot
 

Just curious how affective is 00buckshot 3 1/2 inch?? What is the max safely effective range up to fatal wounding a deer and not just wounding it??

RE: Buckshot
 

I'd keep my shots at 50 yards or less. You will have a lot of people talk about shooting deer at 100 yards with buckshot, and it will kill them that far, but safe range is closer than that.

RE: Buckshot
 

The more important question...How far away can your gun put 4-5 pellets into a 8 1/2 x 11 inch sheet of paper turned horizontal???My 3 inch Browning B-80 can do so consistantly out to 45 yards, with Winchester Supreme 00s and the Improved Cylinder choke tube...So that's as far as I shoot...

In my Remington 1100 with rifle sights I limit myself to 40 yards with buckshot, it prefers Winchester Supreme #1s...I usually load a slug first with this gun its good to 100 with a Slugger...

RE: Buckshot
 

Buckshot.... I hunting in a club where we dogged deer for years, rule was buckshot only. Most of the deer I've killed have been with buckshot, followed by muzzleloader. All that said... it is a real short ranged proposition. If I knew I had only one shot... and the deer was broadside... I'd say 40ish... further out it gets dicier. I've shot and killed further, but I emptied the shotgun, too. I found that WInchester Supreme (black box) in 00 and 000 was tightest patterning in my 870.

My humble advice... pass on buckshot, if you can, or unless you're constained by rules, or are still hunting (that is, walking & jump-shooting) in really, REALLY thick stuff. At 30 and under it's lethal - get past 40 and effectiveness drops off quick, unless you're a good shot AND will get some followups. Buckshot doesn't penetrate that well - you won't get pass-throughs unless REAL close - and there may not be much blood.
Enjoy the hunt.

RE: Buckshot
 

Buckshot is not legal for deer in Iowa. I'm curious, where is it still legal?

RE: Buckshot
 

I dont get it.Why would anybody what to use BUCK SHOT??[:-]

RE: Buckshot
 

Good answer! I do the same. Before I started using a Patternmaster choke, I kept my shots under 40 yards.

RE: Buckshot
 

It doesn't get any better for close range brush hunting. Here in east Texas, I hunt in some places that you can't see over 30 yards, and buckshot is perfect.
I have often wondered why anyone would use shotgun SLUG??? To each his own...

RE: Buckshot
 

Buckshot is a great close in stopper! I've heard it's used tracking wounded leopards in the bush in Africa as a close range stopper, but I'm no expert!

I've shot deer myself with it out to 60 yards very effectively. It makes it much easier to shoot a deer on the move. A good hit and the deer just fold up!

I must stay though, I use 000 (.36 diameter), not 00 (.33 diameter) from a long barrel full choke to increase the pattern and effective range. A word to the wise is my experience is that buckshot doesn't shoot well from a full choke 'tube', so I have a 30" fixed full choke barrel for it.

RE: Buckshot
 

Killed a few dee w/ it. Range: I'd say 50 yds MAX.

Only bad thing IMO is that there wil be no blood trail, only dead deer. That's the way it's worked out for me anyway. But, it WILL put 'em down! I prefer Remington 12 gauge myself.

RE: Buckshot
 

In my county in Va. That is all you can use. No Slugs here. We have bow season, Muzzleloader season, and shotgun season. Just in the last 2 years they have allowed all 3 counties around us can useslugs and we can use them next year.
Everyone one around here hunts with dogs during the shotgun season anyway.

RE: Buckshot
 

I have an 870, and my best groups come from 3 inch remington # 4's at 65 yards. They kick like hell but but group well. I tried them with my modified choke then my full and have to say I like the way the full performed. These loads have 40 something pellets in them, and at 65 steps I put 25 in pie pan.. they are bad ass...

RE: Buckshot
 

Check out the November edition of Field and Stream. There is a good article on Buckshot on page 42, titled "Buckshot Shootout" by Philip Bourjaily

RE: Buckshot
 

My county is also buckshot only. I use Federal 3 1/2 00 with a 870 Rem, Kicks chole tube. I killed my biggest deer at 80 steps, about 65 yards and it only went 20 yards. I use as a rule, if I can get teh deer to stop I will shoot out to 70 yards but if the deer is moving I keep the shots to under 40. This will be my 20 year hunting whitetail and I have only used buckshot and have not recovered only a few. The deer that I did not find was not the fault of the buckshot but my shot.

RE: Buckshot
 

When I was a kid here in Alabama most people ran deer with dogs and used shotguns loaded with buckshot. So did we. Buckshotgained a bad rep for just wounding deer but I feel that's sort of an unfair perception. When you are shooting at deer running full speed with a pack of hounds on their @$$ bad hits are common. You can hardly blame buckshot for not being lethal on a ham hit. Also you must respect the limited lethal range of buckshot and most people do not. It's just hard for them to grasp that something which is so deadly at 40 yards can be so inadequate at 60 yards. Shooting at calm deer from a treestand at bowhunting distances (Say 45 yards and closer) I would dare to say that I would never lose a deer with 00 buckshot. Back in those deer drive days and within that 45 yard rangeI have folded many deer up like a well hit dove with number 1 or 00 buckshot.

RE: Buckshot
 

50 to 100yds, but no more. good luck

RE: Buckshot
 

Bad advice... taking shots at 50+ yards is getting dicey, esp. on moving deer, and is an invitation to wounded & unrecovered deer... shooting anywhere near 100 at unwounded deer, is just plain wrong, IMHO. You're much more likely to would than to kill.

Most of my deer have been with buckshot... it is tempting to take longer shots than you should. Todd1700 has it about right.

RE: Buckshot
 

i would use my bow before i would use buckshot

RE: Buckshot
 

Just curious how affective is 00buckshot 3 1/2 inch?? What is the max safely effective range up to fatal wounding a deer and not just wounding it??
this is what the question asked, now everyone has their own opinon,but no mention of shooting at running deer, that i read, each gun and ammo will proform different, its up to you to test itand see the results.IMHO

RE: Buckshot
 

one on one said:

Just curious how affective is 00buckshot 3 1/2 inch?? What is the max safely effective range up to fatal wounding a deer and not just wounding it??


I dunno. I just don't trust it very far. Never shot 3-1/2; my shotgun chambered for 3" max. You get three more pellets at a little less velocity, I think.


After having shot many, many deer with buckshot - I would opt for something else in most circumstances, unless jump-shooting deer in very, very thick stuff up close. With a slug if you hit, you'll prob get a bloodtrail; with buck, you're less likely to. You'll never hear me say it won't work - it just is unreliable the further out you get. My own limit, for ones shot at a standing or slow-moving broadside deer, is around... 40-50 yards. And I think 50 is getting dicey. I'll be tempted further. If you use a slug or rifle - and I hunt almost exclusively with a muzzleloader these days - you'll get a bloodtrail, or more likely a clean miss. Lots of deer wounded by buckshot, IMHO.

If you're going to use buckshot, get flipchart paper and pattern it, get used to judging that distance. Remember that those individual pellets have less energy than little pistol shot

RE: Buckshot
 

I bet I have killed over 100 deer with buck shot. Now with that said you have to do your homework. Buy as maney boxes of different buckshot as you can and try it with modified and full chock chokes I know that full choke is suppos to be the tightest choke but sometimes it can be too tight and have ill effects on your buck shot. This way you will see what buck shot and choke combination will be best for your gun. Do your tests at 40 yards. After you figure out which is best then you can move your target to 50 or more and test you buck shot. But I agree with most folks I would keep my longest shot under 50 yards.

RE: Buckshot
 

I don't know. Buckshot is illegal in Indiana. They outlawed it because all it does is wound deer unless they are really close.

RE: Buckshot
 

BUCKSHOT! Wow, no offense, but are you kidding? I've shot coyotes with 3 1/2 in BB while duck hunting andit didn't do much. Using it deer hunting is just nuts in my opinion. It's outlawed here in IN, but even if it was legal you would catch me ever using buckshot. You should be able to killa deer with a slug in my opinion. I'm as excited gun hunting because hunting with a slug gun is easy enough as it is. I would think the deer would have to be so close anyway might as well use a bow, that's probably more lethal.

RE: Buckshot
 

Anyone that thinks a bow is less likely to result in a wounded and lost deer than buckshot at the same range has never used it. Sorry, just a fact.