Shot size

[smrtprts]

I am on my way to getting my first shotgun and was wondering which shells to get next.

If you had say $200 to buy 1000 rounds, what would you get? I will be using it as HD as well as target shooting.

[toyotaguy]

500 rounds of birdshot (#8) for $100 from cabelashttp://www.cabelas.com/catalog/produ...out/basket.jsp, split the other $100 on slugs and buckshot, use the bird shot to learn the gun, after you shoot a couple hundred rounds of it try out the buckshot and slugs, those are your HD ammo choice.

[eightmd]

Why bother with slugs? Its got to be a little easier to hit someone with 00 buckshot or something a little smaller, although at close range like for home defense they wouldn't get a chance to spread out much, so maybe it doesn't make much of a difference.

Would slugs be harder on the barrel? And you want to get lead and not steel unless your barrel can handle it, but I think lead would be better for your purposes.

[rojocorsa]

Do not use birdshot for HD. Use buckshot.

Look through SGammo.com for deal on buckshot.

They say the best is the "Federal Tactical LE Buckshot" which comes with their great flitecontrol wad.

[tacksman]

Hard to find but pretty cool...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RP4FjODPDFA

[Richard Erichsen]

Hard to find but pretty cool...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RP4FjODPDFA

Unless you are throwing a party in the wet season, not much use for these.

R

[Richard Erichsen]

Why bother with slugs? Its got to be a little easier to hit someone with 00 buckshot or something a little smaller, although at close range like for home defense they wouldn't get a chance to spread out much, so maybe it doesn't make much of a difference.

Would slugs be harder on the barrel? And you want to get lead and not steel unless your barrel can handle it, but I think lead would be better for your purposes.

Unless you are hunting deer or want something for black bear defense, it's a hard thing to justify slugs, more so for HD use. They tend to have heavy recoil relative to buckshot loads, tend to pass right through the torso of a large animal, which in HD speak means even a solid center mass hit could end up in your neighbors house.

00 buckshot, in 2 3/4" low recoil loads is the best all around choice. #1 and #4 are generally better given the amount of shot, they lose energy faster and if they hit wall board they will pass through a lot fewer than 00 or 000 buckshot.

R

[smrtprts]

So maybe 500 of the federal #8 2 3/4 for target shooting and then either 00 , #1 or #4 for HD seems to be the consensus. I jailed a nova yesterday FWIW.

Looking at accessories now. Anything other than a side saddle and light recommended?