buck shot
 

I have never used buck shot but was wondering why would use it instead of a slug ?
Seems like a greater chance of just wounding the deer instead ofkilling it



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RE: buck shot
 

It doesn't carry as far as a slug would if you missed, so in more populated areas it might be considered safer.

You also get a spread to it, so you wouldn't need to aim as accurately I guess. Probably people doing drives where they would shoot at running deer at closer ranges would like it.

I personally don't like Buck Shot and have never used it. I see where it has a purpose, but most use it outside of what I would consider it's effective range, or they use it because they don't want to invest the time and effort to get a slug to shoot accurately. Or they just want to blast at anything that comes running by.

If that is the way someone else wants to hunt that's fine I guess. It is not the way I want to hunt though so I don't see much need for it. Maybe if I was shooting in a real populated area and I had to use it I would. But then I would probably use my bow if my shots had to be that close.

Paul

RE: buck shot
 

Oh and as far as wounding deer, if you use it within it's effective range it works very well. You probably stand about as much chance of wounding one with a slug gun as you would with buckshot if you didn't know your equipment or didn't practice. I know people that hunt with buckshot and have not wounded deer with it. However they know what it is and isn't capable of and adhere to that.

You can easily wound a deer with a slug gun if you don't know the trajectory or where the accuracy drops off and shoot beyond that.

Paul

RE: buck shot
 

Agree with what has been said.

At close ranges the buckshot acts like a big slug. Although I don't think buckshot is as popular as it used to
be, where I hunt the underbrush and palmettos are thick, so people used it for that (brush busting). Some people obviously have problems with that (I don't use BS).

With a 3" mag and a 30" barrel, I knew guys who took deer at 100 yards with buckshot. While it increases your chances of hitting the deer at longer distances (due to disbursement), it probably also increases the chance of wounding. My cousin shot a running deer at 100 yards and one buckshot pellet hit the front of its windpipe (like a slice with a knife) and it killed that deer.

If you do use buckshot, I would go with 00 or something large, 1 buck seems small to be using on deer.

RE: buck shot
 

I live on Cape Cod Ma, an thats pretty much what everyone uses around here bc we have so much thick scrub oak. I shoot a super black eagle with a 665. turkey choke on the end. DO NOT SHOOT A SLUG threw it bc it will blow the end of the barrell up, but shoot 3 1/2 buckshot threw it and its deadly. i killed a small 8 pointer with it last year at about 83 yards. At closer range its about the size of a soft ball and it hammers the deer.Try it and i think youll be happy with the results... my 2 cents

RE: buck shot
 

Down South hunting with dogs has been a tradition for 250 years or better, the traditional weapon has been a shotgun with buckshot, as long as a hunter patterns his gun and keeps his shots within effective range it can be deadly.

RE: buck shot
 

Can't use it in MO so I've never had the opportunity. It would seem very handy in some of the close-quarter encounters I've had in the thick timber.....

RE: buck shot
 

DON'T DO IT. If you're gonna use buckshot, consider it a sub-40 yard load. Yes, you can kill further... yes, someone has killed a deer at 100yards with it... but don't even consider that. Sub-40yards, unless you're willing to lose deer. Period. The only reason to use buckshot is that you're REQUIRED to, or... you're in very thick stuff, and shots will be under 40 yards or so (or you're got the discipline not to take shots beyond 40).

Maybe a fifty if deer is broadside, still, and you'll have opportunity for multiple follow-ups. I've killed alot of deer with buckshot... and it is my bottom-choice load for deer.

RE: buck shot
 

Itis illegal to have buckshotin your possession while hunting in OK.

RE: buck shot
 

Catus,

I wasn't advocating using buckshot for 100 yard shots, and I think that it would carry too high a risk of injury, but you are getting carried away.

You say you have used buckshot, but a 40 yard max? So you are limiting a high powered shotgun shell to archery distance (or even less)?

If I had a tight choke, and was shooting a magnum load of 3 1/2" 00 buckshot, there is no reason you couldn't make an effective shot out to 60 or 75 yards. That isn't that far! Now, if it is some kid with a light 20 guage load of 1 buck, well then maybe 40 or 50 yard max, but that is not what most people shoot.

I don't deer hunt with a shotgun anymore for other reasons, but telling people the max range of buckshot is 40 yards is spreading misinformation. I have been around shotgun hunting since I was a kid so I know what I am talking about.

RE: buck shot
 

Most that use it will agree on about 40 or 50 yards as a max range. Really depends on how well your gun patterns with it at what distance.

Using buckshot isn't like bird hunting where it's ok to get that magical bb that takes out the bird. You want the majority of not all of the shot in the kill zone of the animal at your max range, not just one or two pellets and to heck with where the rest go.

The point is toknow it will kill the animal, not hope it will kill the animal. At least that has always been my view on it.

I know a guy that killed a deer at 50 yards with a turkey load, doesn't mean I would reccomend it.

And ballistically buckshot isn't very impressive. At 50 yards with a 3 inch 12 ga shell and 15 pellets of 00 buck shot at 2oz and 1225 fps it would be similar to shooting a deer with 15 rounds of 32auto ammo. Actually the 32 ACP bullets might perform better because of the design. And this is assuming all 15 pellets go where you want them to. Depending on how your gun patterns at 50 yards and out maybe half of them will actually hit the deer, and how many will hit the vitals?

Buckshot can be pretty impressive up close, tends to damage some meat though, but when you stretch the range it's not overly impressive. Sure it will kill a deer, but will it do it reliably is the question.

My opinion anyway.

Paul

RE: buck shot
 

Over my 25 years of deer hunting, I have killed 15 deer and MANY hogs with buckshot, and all were inside 40 yards. None ever took a step after being hit. If you know your limitations, buckshot is an excellent ammo choice for deer or hogs.

RE: buck shot
 

ive used it all my hunting life i like it cause you have a greater chance of taking down that big buck with 18 pellets thatn one little bullet like my dads deer this year 15 yards away dropped it broke both legs and its lungs shreaded and its heart that didnt stand a chance and the last thing great about buck shot is you really aint got to aim just piont in its gfneral direction and shoot well i hope you try buck shot if you already havent

RE: buck shot
 

I USE #4 BUCK ON COYOTE . ITS ABOUT AS GOOD AS YOU GET OUT TO 40 YARDS.

RE: buck shot
 

ihunt1975, 4 buck is also great for beavers and nutria!

I again respectfully disagree that 40 yards is the max for buckshot.

I understand the ethics of making sure you can kill what you are shooting at, and for some people they won't feel comfortable past 40 yards, but I personlly know of numerous deer that have been cleanly killed at 40 to 75 yards with buckshot. The few injured, unrecovered deer were due to poor shot selection or aiming, e.g. shooting the deer while it was walking away or the guy at the camp that can't hit the side of the barn.

If you are shooting a heavy load of magnum buckshot, you are comfortable with your gun and its capabilities, and a monster buck comes out at 50 yards broadside, I cannot imagine many people passing up that shot.

RE: buck shot
 

50 is a LOT different than 75 with a shotgun.

Paul

RE: buck shot
 

It's illegal here in TN to hunt with it, but it's popular everywhere for home defense.

RE: buck shot
 

they use it where the brush is thick not legal where i hunt

RE: buck shot
 

I think I'll stick with my slugs. My buddy used buck shot last year and shot one at about 50 yards or so he told me and the deer went down and 2 seconds later got up and took off . He never found it.
I haven't lost one yet with the slugs . Took one last year at about 50 yards hit it high broke a piece off the front shoulder chipped the bottom of the spine, broke a piece off the back front leg , And punched the lungs. She dropped like a rock right where she stood didn't move. there are some spots i hunt that a longer shot may present its selfso I'll stick with what works for me.






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RE: buck shot
 

Rhody,

Makes sense. I think that the buckshot manufacturers are dropping the ball and not pushing the envelope on their product. For a while I think you could get buckshot in Hevi-Shot, which was supposed to be awesome. For slugs there are a lot more choices. There seems to be a bias here against buckshot, but I still think it is as effective or more than a slug out to 50 yards. After that, I would think the slug would present the best chance for a kill (unless the brush is real thick).

RE: buck shot
 

Here in Jersey it is buckshot and slugs only. All the deer I have killed have been with buckshot. Never lost any, but have had to shot some twice, even three times. To give a range ? I would say it has a lot to due with the gun and not so much with poor shot selection or aiming.Every gun I own shots a different shot better then the other. DON'T GETME WRONG, you do needshot selectionand aiming. But if someones shotgun spread out 24" at 45 yards, you can't tell the guys he can effectivly shoot out to 75 yards. On the other hand someones gun may pattern great and can shoot 80-85 yards. In my gun I shoot 3" copper coated, 00 and 000. Don't really want to shoot past 60 yards, at that range thats when I sometimes have to shoot more then once. Most kills that I have done have been one shot and at 55 yards or less. last year I shoot my 1st deer ( out of state ) with a slug, awesome. 90 yards and dropped it, out going hole was the size of a base ball. So, I just picked up a Mossberg 935 and a rifled barrel. It shots great at 100 yards. I'm gonna shot some 3 1/2" buckshot with the vented rib barrel to see how it patterns and a good range.

RE: buck shot
 

Ya i wonder the same thing sometimes. I guess maybe for a hunter hunting with a shotgun with a smoothe barrel it would be more accurate with actual "shot" of some sort rather than a slug...who knows. A buddy of mine shot a 5 point a few years ago with buckshot, seemed like there were bullets everywhere. I also heard a story one time, not that i believe it, but some guy was using buckshot and shot at a buck at about 250 yards and all of the bullets missed except one and it dropped it on the spot. Personally i say slugs or nothing out of a shotgun, but its a personal preference. They both will kill the deer.

RE: buck shot
 

It's all about knowing your equipment. Here is a pic of a fairly good shotgun pattern (if the pic works).

Hard to see real good but over half of the load (about 14 out of 24)was concentrated right there behind the shoulder. I found a couple of flyers and I'm guessing the rest probably missed low. The range was probably about 40 yds but I have killed deer out to 60 with the same set up. That's about my max range and yes that is the largest cowhorn I have killed thus far in my hunting career. The pic is pretty large too for some reason.:D

RE: buck shot
 

Nice deer but yeah 60 yards is definatly the max. I read a post on page 1 that saidhe was shooting deer at 100 yards with buckshot I'm not sayin its not possible but why would you even think of doin thatits just plain stupid.

RE: buck shot
 

Being from the south and dog hunting most of my life, I have killed more deer with buck shot than I have rifle. Its just like everything else. pattern it and see what it does out of your gun. If 40yds is your max. Stop at 40. If 70yds is your max, then stop there. Its simple.

I have a Browning BPS that I dog hunt with (when i used to dog hunt). I have a Wad Wizard choke on it and with a load of Remington 3.5'' 00 buck, I can easily kill a deer at 60-70yds. But for me to shoot at one at that distance with buck shot, it would have to be standing still and broad side.

However, the only way I would use it still hunting is if I were in a situation where i knew my MAX shot would be 30-40yds.