At greater distance which shot is more lethal?

[Ken O]

My question is, At a distance of say, 200 feet would a #1 or #4 buck be more lethal than a 00 Buck? I guess what I'm asking is whether the heavier shot falls off quicker than the lighter stuff making the #1 buck more lethal at a considerable distance than the 00?
thanks, Ken

[beararms2nd]

buck shot would be fine at that distance.. your main concern would be your pattern at that range..

[NapalmCheese]

At greater distance the heavier shot would generally have more energy for a similar muzzle velocity.

[HOGLEG]

The heavier the shot the further out it maintains it's velocity. Speed kills.

At 25yards you are approaching slug territory. Better to have a one ounce slug on target than 3 hits and six misses of 00 buck. The misses are all liabilities. You are responsible for all lead you send down range.

Put a full size target out 200 feet and see how many hits you get. At 30 yards you are looking at a 3' spread....depending on the barrel and choke. It's a round about number. From there on out your spread increases dramatically with distance.

At 200 feet, it's almost spray and pray time.

[Lugiahua]

at 200 feet, you would get a spread larger than five feet...better use a slug.

[NapalmCheese]

We're only talking about 67 yards, properly choked with good ammo he might hold a pretty tight pattern. Something like Hevi-Shot dead coyote might still be viable for varmints.

The OP is asking about lethality, for lack of a better term that's a loaded question. Larger pellets at faster velocity retain more energy. Smaller, harder, pellets give a better, more filled out pattern at longer ranges.

OP, what specifically are you looking to do? If you're talking about home defense against humans with a cylinder bore 12 gauge then buckshot is not your answer at 200 feet. If you're talking about shooting coyotes at 70 yards then a super full choke and Hevi T shot (i.e. the dead coyote round) might be your answer.

Lethality is a broad term, give us more info as to what you actually want to know and we can give you better answers.

[volksweegle]

Depending on what gun you are using and load. I have a thread open regarding my 870 that I VangComped, and I am extremely comfortable taking shots with 00 buck at 60 - maybe even 70 yards. I have it on paper at 40-45 yards with 00 buck, no bigger than the palm of my hand. The 1oz slug is also a viable option as well. But, if you are in a fight for your life, I'll take 00 buck shot over a slug any day. Even if it spreads out, you are going to get hits on target and you have more rounds to use.

Always remember your safety rules though. Always identify your target and consider its background. That will determine what you use and how you use it as well.

[CK_32]

This is why ammo testing/patterning is key.


So you know. Grab a box of both and test it and see.

Different shot guns.. Different chokes.. Different ammo will all do differen things. Know what your shot gun will throw and how it throws it.

[NRai2001]

We're only talking about 67 yards, properly choked with good ammo he might hold a pretty tight pattern. Something like Hevi-Shot dead coyote might still be viable for varmints.

The OP is asking about lethality, for lack of a better term that's a loaded question. Larger pellets at faster velocity retain more energy. Smaller, harder, pellets give a better, more filled out pattern at longer ranges.

OP, what specifically are you looking to do? If you're talking about home defense against humans with a cylinder bore 12 gauge then buckshot is not your answer at 200 feet. If you're talking about shooting coyotes at 70 yards then a super full choke and Hevi T shot (i.e. the dead coyote round) might be your answer.

Lethality is a broad term, give us more info as to what you actually want to know and we can give you better answers.

Can you use a choke with buckshot?

[NapalmCheese]

Can you use a choke with buckshot?

Yes, but you must pattern your gun, not all shotshell and choke constrictions work well together.

[lewdogg21]

^^^ I used #4 out of an extra full turkey last fall for misc. critters and it worked good. Napalm is correct. I patterned my waterfowl loads in my duck gun and found the best pattern at 30 yards for consistency in # of pellets in a 30" circle (and no giant holes in the pattern) was improved cylinder 3" #3 and 2-3/4" #2 estates. The 3" #2's and BB's were more spread out.