20 gauge buckshot

bradpierson26 said:
i bought some federal #2 lead shot from ableammo yesterday. we shall see how that works out
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That's the perfect size. For mallards. If you live where you can use lead for waterfowl. Before lead was banned for waterfowl, #2 wasn't even used for geese.
 
Steel Talon said:
No hate here..

However, loading this way is not very smart at all! To much to keep track of. Either load only slug or only Buck. If you miss target w/00 then more than likely your going to miss with a slug
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As a sidebar, when I was on Embassy Duty that's exactly how we loaded our shotguns....alternating slugs and #4 Buck so that the first round in the chamber was a slug.
 
bradpierson26 said:
mallads?
we were talking HD... is that not a good choice?
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Did you take a look at the charts? No offense, but if you don't know that 2 shot is for ducks, 6 shot is for pheasant, 8 shot for doves and BB to T shot for geese, you need to to a little reading.

2 shot is 0.150 dia. About 0.3 grams of lead per pellet

00 Buck is 0.33 dia. 3.5 grams of lead per pellet.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shotgun_shell

As I posted before: Birdshot and Buckshot are on totally different scales. For HD, you do not want to be choosing off the birdshot scale.

On an interesting side note, I just read an article that was looking at shooting pheasants with steel shot. Some areas, and some states are making lead illegal even for upland game birds. After thousands of roosters downed with three different shot sizes, in a blind study, #2 steel shot is the best pheasant choice if you are forced to shoot steel.

I've taken around a thousand roosters in my life, all with lead, and I've always liked 5 shot. But for home defense, my choice is 00 buck. I keep the birdshot in ammo cans, but the buckshot I keep with the 12 gauge.
 
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late in the season when the birds are flying high/fast and far away i use 7 1/2's or even 6's on doves, so imho it can depend on conditions too.
 
Sorry... Bird shot at 10 feet will show you what's left of a man's heart.
 
mack_t_knife said:
Don't start. Read the entire thread. You're quite obviously wrong.
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I Have read the entire thread.

Have you ever seen what bird shot will do to a man's chest from 10 feet?

I have (and you quite obviously haven't).

Say what you "think". I'm saying what I know.

Beyond 10 feet though, I choose buckshot (unless I'm living in the tent city).
 
timcsaw said:
I Have read the entire thread.

Have you ever seen what bird shot will do to a man's chest from 10 feet?

I have (and you quite obviously haven't).

Say what you "think". I'm saying what I know.

Beyond 10 feet though, I choose buckshot (unless I'm living in the tent city).
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Great. So you KNOW what birdshot will and will not do, you recommend birdshot, but you choose buckshot.

Thanks for the glorious info.
 
At ten feet with an open choke I would not trust birdshot to make it through a heavy leather jacket or vest and still penetrate far enough to incapacitate an attacker. There is no doubt it would cause damage but why would you not want to use ammunition the has enough mass to penetrate deeply enough to shut down the nervous or circulatory systems? If you aren't justified in ending a life with a firearm you aren't justified in using one at all. I live in the same town as a State hospital which houses those who have been adjudicated criminally insane, I dated one of the nurses that worked that ward and I know what it takes to put down a drugged up crazy...

Stick with buckshot, there simply is not a good reason to use birdshot.
 
xdshooter said:
Great.
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Please:o, please:o,... I prefer "Tim" (though "Tim the Great" doesn't sound bad either);).

xdshooter said:
So you KNOW what birdshot will and will not do,
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No, I do NOT know what birdshot WILL (always) do or what it will not (always) do (you seem to claim that knowledge).... I only know what I SAW bird shot do on the aforementioned occasion.

If you'll all back up, read AND comprehend my initial post ("seek first to understand" people).... aw heck, here, I'll quote it for ya'....

Sorry... Bird shot at 10 feet will show you what's left of a man's heart.
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My only claim was just that... I saw a man hit with bird shot from 10 feet and was able to see what was left of his heart. My intent for the initial comment was to counterpoint those who suggest that it is always ineffective.

xdshooter said:
you recommend birdshot,
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Oh? Did I? Did I "recommend" birdshot??? Could you show me where I recommended birdshot?

xdshooter said:
but you choose buckshot.
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Yes, I choose and do recommend buckshot. You got that right.

xdshooter said:
Thanks for the glorious info.
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You are quite welcomed... I'm always glad when I have the opportunity to inform others and lesson their ignorance in the world.:D:thumbup:
 
Ignorance is saying "Gee that Corvette ZR1 is wicked fast and drop dead sexy!"

Then saying "Where did I EVER say I liked or would buy a Corvette?"

Keep off the feigned outrage and we will keep on topic.
 
Absintheur said:
At ten feet with an open choke I would not trust birdshot to make it through a heavy leather jacket or vest and still penetrate far enough to incapacitate an attacker. There is no doubt it would cause damage but why would you not want to use ammunition the has enough mass to penetrate deeply enough to shut down the nervous or circulatory systems? If you aren't justified in ending a life with a firearm you aren't justified in using one at all. I live in the same town as a State hospital which houses those who have been adjudicated criminally insane, I dated one of the nurses that worked that ward and I know what it takes to put down a drugged up crazy...

Stick with buckshot, there simply is not a good reason to use birdshot.
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No "open choke"...
No "heavy leather jacket"...
No "vest"...
I wouldn't "want" to use birdshot...
Wasn't a "drugged up crazy"...

Birdshot... 10 feet... dead guy... hole in chest... I saw it... I helped move the body.

First round to be chambered was intended to sting a bear in the butt as he ran away from the trash cans... second, third, etc. rounds were buckshot in case the bear didn't run.

Typical home burglary.... the guys "bear" loaded 870 ended up as his HD weapon. In the heat of "battle", he would have jacked out the birdshot in favor of the second, third, etc. buckshot rounds if he would have thought of it.

He didn't think of it. Still... Birdshot... 10 feet... dead guy... hole in chest...I saw it... helped move the body.
 
xdshooter said:
Ignorance is saying "Gee that Corvette ZR1 is wicked fast and drop dead sexy!"

Then saying "Where did I EVER say I liked or would buy a Corvette?"

Keep off the feigned outrage and we will keep on topic.
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Can you sing Oklahoma while you do that tap dance?

Lighten' up Francis.

Neener, neener. You're not the boss of me:rolleyes::rolleyes:.
 
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And I know of a documented case where a guy was killed at over fifty yards with a single shot from a 25 acp...doesn't mean it it the right thing to use or to depend on. Another case had a 38 super target round make three ricochets totaling 270 degrees, enter a two foot square window and kill a lad in the target shed. Anything is possible.

I don't know the guy breaking in my house will be wearing a t-shirt not a leather jacket, I don't know he won't be lit up on crank, and I definately don't know birdshot will stop a person intent on harming me, for that matter I am not sure buckshot will either but I would have 100 times more confidence in the buckshot.

I didn't say what you said didn't happen, I said it is not a good choice for home defense.
 
The Mastiff,
Yeah, I'm a LOT older than you. I first went into the Army in Aug 1951.
 
Absintheur said:
I didn't say what you said didn't happen, I said it is not a good choice for home defense.
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I hope I didn't imply that you doubted me... that wasn't my intent.
I agree about buckshot for home defense if a shotgun is one's first choice fpr that role.

I have a Mossberg 500 loaded for bears, as did my neighbor, but I have the buckshot first.
 
well thanks for all the stories boys. haha
i've got some federal buckshot (remember, still 20g) for my home defense weapon right now. I believe this will suffice for the moment
 
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