#1 shot versus #00 as an HD round

[swamp2]

I would like to know who you consider to be the foremost authority on wound ballistics (I can guess) and he prefers 00 over #4.

And #1 buck over 00.

As far as buckshot loads go I prefer #1 and 00 to #4. #4 barely makes 12" in bare gelatin. What this means that any heavy clothing such as thick leather will reduce penetration below acceptable levels. The larger shot sizes can loose a few inches of penetration and still have enough to reach the vitals on a human threat from any angle.

Agreed, right on the mark.

[border.bandito]

personally i stock mine with 00... and a slug as the very last round.
dont really know why....just make me feel all warm inside and i can sleep good.

[swamp2]

Their statement

simply confirms what I've found looking at a bunch of sources, and lead me to decide to stock #4 buck. Decent penetration and higher projectile count=better wound channel and less over penetration of typical exterior walls. I'm not concerned with interior walls.

You're welcome to choose from whatever criteria and sources you prefer. Any of them can be effective.

By the way #1 buck-16 pellets buck does not have more pellets than #4-27 pellets.

1. #4 penetration is generally considered not acceptable, especially past heavy clothing (say leather jacket, oblique shot).
2. More wound channels does not mean more effective wound channels
3. In my opinion worrying about over penetration of exterior walls in a life or death situation is not the correct concern.
4. Shotguns are not scatterguns. You should not count on a significant number of shot hits with a #4 shot and claim that an identical shot using #1 would have significant number of misses. Although slightly less sensitive than rifle shots, shot placement counts with a shotgun.

Lastly I meant #1 has more shot than 00, not #4.

Again, we can all certainly choose our own. I was just trying to have some good discussion/debate. #4 certainly is not a terrible choice, there are just better choices out there. Cheers.

[Saym14]

I would prefer over to under penetration. two holes ( entry and exit) re better than one. perps couls have heavy clothes or armour. I would go with OO buck backed up with some slugs.

[esy]

I buy almost all of my ammo from targetsportsusa. Never had to do anything special. I'm in El Dorado Co. Just order and it's shipped to my door. What extra legwork did you have to do??

They're pretty backed up on orders right now but in normal time my order was always shipped within 2 days.

i haven't ordered yet, but i read somewhere that some people had to get an approval from county law enforcement or something. just awaiting e-mail back from them making sure that i can just click and purchase and am good to go.

[Bill Steele]

I load #1 Buck in my 12ga HD loads. It stacks better than 00 (fits better in the wads I prefer). I get more pellets and still get the penetration I want.

If you don't load your own, I think #1 is generally more difficult to find. I think maybe the all time hardest to find is Federal #1 with their Flight Control wad. To me, it is the ultimate commerically available load. The Flight Control wad makes the patterns really tight, a terrific product.

I think #4 might be a good choice for those that want to cut down on over penetration concerns (a little).