buck shot
05-15-2007, 08:38 AM
#2
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Blissfield MI USA
Posts: 5,293
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
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
05-15-2007, 08:42 AM
#3
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Blissfield MI USA
Posts: 5,293
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
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
05-15-2007, 09:04 AM
#4
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location:
Posts: 1,438
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.
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.
05-15-2007, 09:15 AM
#5
Fork Horn
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Cape Cod MA
Posts: 303
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
05-15-2007, 09:18 AM
#6
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 5,425
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.
05-20-2007, 08:22 AM
#8
Typical Buck
Join Date: May 2005
Location: NC
Posts: 501
RE: buck shot
ORIGINAL: LebeauHunter
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.
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.
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.
05-21-2007, 01:18 PM
#10
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location:
Posts: 1,438
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.
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.