Buckshot for deer?

[Curmudgeon]

I was at a gun club meeting last week. I met someone new who had moved here from NJ not too long ago. He was singing the praises of buckshot for deer hunting. He wants NYS to make it legal. I learned when I was young that buckshot results in many wounded deer. Not according to my new friend who has shot them while they were running full speed through heavy brush. I asked him about range. He said he killed a big buck at over 200 yards with buckshot.

 

I have to believe that many deer are hit by shot in all kinds of non-vital places to go off wounded and maybe die. I initially resisted changing 4F to rifles because I don't trust some of the people who hunt the area near my home. Now I wouldn't ever want to go back to slugs. Yes, there is an increased risk from jerks who sky-line deer. However, I the precision of a rifle. I can't imagine pointing a shotgun at a deer 200 yards out and throwing a charge of shot in its direction.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

I think a you see buckshot in the states where they can run deer with dogs too.

[steve863]

 I asked him about range. He said he killed a big buck at over 200 yards with buckshot.

 

 

 

 

I'd say this fella tells some tall tales!  

[ants]

I was at a gun club meeting last week. I met someone new who had moved here from NJ not too long ago. He was singing the praises of buckshot for deer hunting. He wants NYS to make it legal. I learned when I was young that buckshot results in many wounded deer. Not according to my new friend who has shot them while they were running full speed through heavy brush. I asked him about range. He said he killed a big buck at over 200 yards with buckshot.

 

I have to believe that many deer are hit by shot in all kinds of non-vital places to go off wounded and maybe die. I initially resisted changing 4F to rifles because I don't trust some of the people who hunt the area near my home. Now I wouldn't ever want to go back to slugs. Yes, there is an increased risk from jerks who sky-line deer. However, I the precision of a rifle. I can't imagine pointing a shotgun at a deer 200 yards out and throwing a charge of shot in its direction.

If this guy says he takes  200yd shots at  a deer, with buckshot, then I would consider him to be irresponsible, or full of s#!t at best. Most people  wouldn't try a 200+ yard shot with a slug.

[Sogaard]

I do not believe him.

 

And if he did take a 200 yard shot, and against all odds killed a deer with buckshot at that range, he's still a moron, just a lucky moron.

Edited October 21, 2014 by Sogaard

[YFKI1983]

A deer looks like a squirrel at 200 yards lol maybe he's a descendant of buffalo bill or Daniel Boone

[steve863]

I'd really like to see some ballistic charts showing how much penetration you'd get at 200 yards with buckshot?  Maybe one of the pellets flew into the bucks mouth and there was no one around to give him the heimlich maneuver and he choked to death?? LOL

 

 

 

[moog5050]

I have heard of him, the 200yd "Buckshot Sniper" - calls into question anything he says about .... well .... anything.  lol 

[Mr VJP]

I hunted deer in NJ for decades in my youth.  When I started hunting, buckshot was the only thing that was legal.  We fought the state for many years to legalize slugs.

 

Many hunting clubs in NJ used 00 Buck for years, especially in thick areas and where deer drives were the norm.  It was traditional, and traditions die hard.

 

I have seen deer killed at 75 yards with buckshot fired from a 10 gauge, which many hunters used then.  A SxS with buckshot was not an uncommon sight in the NJ woods in the 1960's and 70's.  But I know of a few guys that hunted deer with 3 1/2" buckshot in 12 gauge as well.  Many prefer 0 Buck to anything bigger because it has more pellets in it and tends to pattern better.

 

Patterning is paramount with buckshot.  Many guys think a full choke is the way to go with buckshot, but more often than not, the pattern will look like a donut, with a big hole in the center, just where the vitals on a deer are.  That's why many deer shot at with buckshot are only wounded.  No pellets hit anything vital.  They just hit muscle and intestines.  It only takes one pellet in the head or heart to kill a deer though, and it's possible one could hit a deer just right at 200 yards, but I'd have to see it to believe it.

 

If one takes the time to pattern a shotgun for buckshot, it is possible to get very good patterns, with good pellet counts, out to 75 yards.  My Mossberg 835 patterned very well to 75 yards with 3 1/2" 0 Buck using a Modified choke.  A friend got good patterns at 75 using the same load with a Cylinder choke.

 

Buckshot has real advantages when shooting at running deer, especially at 50 yards or less, when the gun throws a good pattern.  It works OK in brushy areas too, because a couple of pellets will usually get through.

 

I feel it has it's uses and it can be very effective if used properly.  I see no reason for it to be illegal, especially in shotgun only areas.  BTW, it's still legal in NJ.  But if given the choice, I prefer an accurate rifle, or even an accurate slug gun, that I can use to shoot one shot at a standing buck and close the deal.

 

 

Edited October 21, 2014 by Mr VJP

[steve863]

 A buckshot pellet would penetrate a deers skull or the heart at 200 yards??   I wish someone could post a video or chart showing what it could penetrate at such a distance.  Probably no one ever tried because no one could ever hit anything with buckshot at that distance.

 

 

 

[Culvercreek hunt club]

http://www.frfrogspad.com/shotgun.htm

 

interesting that they say the 00 buck would perform between a  32ACP and a 380 ACP. Best I can tell at 200 yards they would have to aim about 8 feet over the target to impact and in this report anyway, on a human sized target there was NO pellets that even hit a human sized target at 75 yards.

 

 

[Culvercreek hunt club]

Ballistic gel tests with 00 buck out to 40 yards.  30% recovery in an 8"x8" target. not bad.

[BizCT]

I think what happened is that the guy shot at a deer at 200 yards with buckshot and saw it go down and die.  Problem is, the deer was actually shot and killed by somebody else with a rifle.

[Uncle Nicky]

I grew up hunting with buckshot, it's all my father ever used. Beyond 30 yards, it's not that effective. A body shot is an iffy proposition, it doesn't pass through or leave much of a blood trail, if any, and many deer limp off to die a slow death. I've had more success taking head/neck shots with it, but I switched over to slugs quite some time ago.

 

 

200 yards? Doubtful...

[Pygmy]

I have never hunted deer with buckshot, but have talked to several friends who have.

Thier consensus was that it is a 40-50 yard game at best, and closer is better.

Killing a deer at 200 yards with buckshot ?? It is certainly in the realm of possibility, but you'd probably have to shoot at 100 deer at that range to even HIT one, much less get a vital hit.

Kinda like shooting shooting at geese or turkeys at 100 yards with #2 shot.. Or like pissing in the wind.

Once when I was young, impetuous, and stupid, I killed a flying crow at about 100 yards with my .22. I am no longer young or impetuous... That doesn't mean I could do it again within 1000 shots.

[thphm]

The fellow most likley ment 200 Feet which is less then 100 Yds. At that distance it could be done But 40 -50 yards is all I would try.Why not just use a sabot ?.

[DirtTime]

I doubt buckshot will ever be legal in NY again. Too erratic. You can't get a good pattern on a stable basis.

[sits in trees]

Buckshot "NO"

[PREDATE]

The first shot I got on a coyote was with 00buck @ 50 yds. The first shot hit and sent him into a spin so I lofted another at it. I tracked that sucker atleast a mile in the dark before I lost blood. I've since then switched to #4buck, it has more pellets and they don't deform like when you push large pellets through a tight constriction.

Buckshot has no place in big game hunting. If you're limiting your shots to 100yds anyway, then even a rifled slug out of a smooth bore will perform head & shoulders above any (spray n' pray) shot. Also aren't we supposed to be frowning upon shooting at anything running through the brush? You're right, it only takes one pellet to kill. Think about it.

[Two Track]

I grew up using 00 buckshot and slugs in my original home state.  Dogs running deer would either be pick up by animal control or shot on sight if deemed feral dogs.

 

30-40 yards max is what we expected for accurate range buck shot.  Use 00 buck for close range or a brush shot (not shooting a moving bush mind you, but through some small stuff that you could clearly see a deer through). 

 

We would put a slug in the modified barrel and buck shot into the full choke when using a double barrel. For a pump or semi-auto, loaded buck in the chamber and slugs in the mag for a follow-up shot.

 

The rifle was limited to a .22 for rabbit and squirrel, and ground hog control.

[Mr VJP]

http://www.frfrogspad.com/shotgun.htm

 

interesting that they say the 00 buck would perform between a  32ACP and a 380 ACP. Best I can tell at 200 yards they would have to aim about 8 feet over the target to impact and in this report anyway, on a human sized target there was NO pellets that even hit a human sized target at 75 yards.

 

True only .32 ACP power, but that's for each pellet.  Multiply that by 12 pellets and up the power, when using a 3 1/2" shell with 18 pellets in a 28" barrel, by at least 25% per pellet.

 

No pellets in the man at 75 yards?  That's because they fired 2 3/4" buckshot from a riot shotgun, with an open choke and probably using a 20" barrel.  This is a military tactical thread and they rarely fire shotguns further than 25 yards in practice.

[Mr VJP]

Using my Mossberg 3 1/2" inch 12 gauge pump with the 28" back bored barrel, Modified choke tube and Federal 3 1/2" Copper Plated 0 Buck I get 18 pellets inside a 20" circle at 50 yards.  That puts every pellet in a deer's heart and lungs with one shot.  That's a dead deer every time.

 

Push it out to 75 yards and I get all the pellets in a 30 inch circle, but still land 10 in the 20 inch circle.  That may not drop a deer with one shot, but put a second round into it and it's probably down.  If not, a third round will surely finish it.

 

The trouble with using buckshot is, it's not a casual choice.  You really have to study what it can do and what has the most power, before you choose an option for the type of deer hunting you're doing.

 

If you are going to shoot your deer at archery ranges, most any standard 2 3/4" 00 buck will do.  But if you want to maximize the range, you are looking at a 10 gauge with 32" barrels that has been tested to find out what load it will shoot best at the longest possible effective range.

 

I've seen buckshot used very effectively by some very knowledgeable hunters, mainly because they had no choice.  Never underestimate what it can do if it's done right.

 

[dbHunterNY]

i process my own deer.  buckshot?  no thanks.

[Waldershrek]

That guy is full of crap

 

i process my own deer.  buckshot?  no thanks.

 

Yeah no kidding, I'm with you

[phade]

I have hunted and killed deer with buckshot and have zero problems with it and wouldn't mind if legalized in NY. As stated, many people deem it a 40 or 50 yd max weapon, which it generally is, but you can get effective patterns further out a bit at VJP alluded to. Fears of its use are akin to peoples concerns about rifles or any other weapon - its how you use it that determines safety/ethics and generally speaking it doesn't do anything different for wounding animals than lobbing pot shots with slugs or a ballistic tip from greater distance.

 

Conventional loads in a smoothbore where I grew up was to load a slug followed by two 00 buck when not using dogs and most loads when running dogs were either slug/00 buck x2 or 00 buck x 3. We could only load three shells legally in VA.

 

I would love it for the times where we decide to do a 1 or 2 man push or if there's a good old fashioned drive planned. A well executed soft bump with a deer coming down the pipeline to the pinch you set your shooter up is much more in line with this type of projectile.