[cslinger]

I have read that the Wolf is pretty decent but I have also read that it is crimped a different way and therefore a longer shell or something to that effect. I don't know if this matters or not.

Basically I like 2.75inch 00 buck for defensive 12 gauge ammo. I was just wondering if anybody made any decent ammo that I could get in boxes of 25 instead of the expensive federal premium and leo stuff that come in boxes of 5 for like 3-4 bucks.

What about Estate? I have seen them release some reasonably inexpensive 00 buck ammo in 25 round boxes.

So what is the skinny? Should I not even consider anything less then the best/most expensive?

[genie]

i'm no expert on this, but i like the remington express buckshot. it comes in boxes of 5 shells for usually $2.50 here in maryland. everyone now and then bass or other outdoor/sporting goods stores will have them on sale as well.

at the range, they seem to perform just fine. another nice thing about the rem express buckshot is they come in different loads for the 2.75 inch shells. 3.75 dram equivalent is noticeably more comfortable than 4 dram or the dreaded max dram equivalent rating.

[Edward429451]

So what is the skinny? Should I not even consider anything less then the best/most expensive?

Nah, not at all. Buy the good stuff and the cheap stuff. Sit on the cheap stuff at least, it'll be premium ammo some day.

I find Remington 15 round value packs at wally world sometimes. Other times I just stop in at the gun store and buy a box or three of my favorite and buy more if'n I want to go shotgunning.

Buy it all you can.;)

[Preacherman]

If you have a contact in your local LE agencies, you can buy the Remington Tactical loads (00 buck and slugs) in 25-round boxes. Remington packages them like this for sale to agencies only. I've bought several boxes of each in the past. Hmmm... perhaps it's time to stock up again! :D

(If you can't get them locally, I'll be coming up to Nashville at the end of the month. Let me know your budget, and I'll see what I can get for you.)

[Hutch]

Big-chain discount sporting goods store here has std Remington Express for $2.49/5 allatime and it's $1.99 on sale. Good ol' 9-pellet double-ought.

[Dr.Rob]

Estate and S&B are usually cheaper than Remington or federal, thereal trick is finding it in a store so you don't have topay shipping.

Shipping heavy items eats up all your savings in fees.

[Navy joe]

S&B and Wolf pattern horribly for me, so no dice. Wal-mart sells Winchester 15rd value packs for 5.97 around here. That stuff don't pattern too good either for me. I get stuck on Federal reduced recoil #4 that I get in 50 round boxes for 30 bucks every time I see Georgia Arms at a gunshow.

Best shooting 00 for me so far has been Federal premium 3" 15 pellet. The 9 pellet Fed premium 2.75 was a close second. They are pricey though.

[CWL]

Don't buy cheap.

You can buy 'pretty cheap' from the internet.

I have had great experience with Federal reduced loads, in term of patterning. You can get sleeves delivered for a little bit more from ammoman.com or cheaperthandirt.com

Cheap doesn't mean anything if you can't hit your target within 15 yards or if you have dangerous flyers in every shot (my experience with S&B 00buck).

00Buck should be deliverable in a fist-sized package at 15-20 yards every time.

[JeepDriver]

My gun shop has the Remington Law Enforcement Reduced recoil 00 Buck for $12 per 25 rounds. I've been buying a couple of boxes a week just to stock up.

During hunting season is a good time to get Buck shot as well. Dicks Sproting Goods runs the Remington oo Buck for $1.87 a box a couple time during hunting season.

[Skunkabilly]

www.natchezss.com

[Darrin]

Chris,

I get the Rem Express like genie mentioned (at the same price) at Academy Sports just past Rivergate Mall. (Green shells, about 1/2" of brass, same as I've brought to the range before.) Remember the 5 pack of slugs I gave you at Owl Hollow? Same looking pack.

If you don't know where it's at, from Rivergate mall get on Gallatin Rd heading towards Hendersonville. When you pass Wal-Mart and Sam's Club on the left, Academy is just one or two lights up on the left.

I don't know of any decent priced 25 packs. :(

Darrin

[DML]

Ammoman sells Federal Tactical buck for $149 for a case of 250 shipped. That's not the best price, but it is less then $3 for a box of 5. They also offer a sleeve of 50 shells for $37.50 shipped. They also have Federal low-recoil slugs.

There are a few states that they don't ship to. Check their website.

www.ammoman.com

[Arkady]

I pick up the Remington Reduced Recoil 25 packs (00 buckshot and slugs, 000 buckshot is $15/25) for $11.50 a box. I generally buy two or three boxes for that week's range trip.

The reduced recoil loadings are a lot more pleasent to shoot, and i'm sure the terminal effectiveness is still sufficient to the task, for self defense. If i were worried about bear, i'd use something a little heavier.
Otherwise, i buy the Remington full power 00 buckshot loads for around $2.50/5 rounds when it goes on sale.

[Poodleshooter]

My homemade 9-pellet OObuck runs about $4 per 25 rounds. Rolling your own is one way to go.
Barring that, you're stuck with bulk Wolf or Estate as your cheapest options.

[Dave McCracken]

In areas where buck is allowed for deer hunting, stop by your local shops post season and ask the staff on bulk buys on old stock. Often one can get a great deal. Got a case of WW for a pittance.

Also keep an eye on Midway, Natchez, and CTD for stuff on sale. I recall getting that great Estate RR 00 for $2.10 a TEN pack. With shipping, 150 rounds cost about $28.

[DML]

I did a quick search and found this place. I never heard of them, but they list Estate buckshot. They sell 10 shell boxes of Estate SWAT OO for $2.79.
Natchez sells it for less, but they don't have any. Of course, I can sell it for $1.00 a box when I don't have any.:rolleyes:

I have shot Winchester Ranger, Federal Tactical, Hornady TAP, Remington LE 8 pellet, and Estate. All reduced recoil OO. All work well, but some are better then others in a particular barrel. I had patterns ranging from 4" to 14" at 25 yards from Vang Comped barrels. Estate and Hornady seem to be the most consistant.

I don't know if they have it in stock, but here's the URL.

http://www.ableammo.com/mall/ammo_shotgun_estate_buck.asp

[Preacherman]

DML, don't get my hopes up like that!!! They're sold out... :fire: :banghead: :cuss:

[tech]

Aug 10th edition Shotgun News shows Hoplite having 200 round ammo cans of Fed 00 for $85. I am assuming its surplus, I am also probably going to order some.

Mike

[tech]

FWIW I get good results with the S&B that ends up being around $73 shipped for 200 of the 00 buck.

Mike

[DML]

Hey Preacherman! Is that any kind of language for a man of the cloth? ;)

I have heard all sorts of rumors about Estate. It has been reported that they were bought by Federal or the parent company and are no longer making the SWAT buckshot. I still see ads for their birdshot. I don't know what the truth is.

It seems that they "good" stuff is always in short supply or not available at all. Hornady TAP ammo is very hard to get. I have seen some at gun shows, but never at dealers. The same goes for Remington LE ammo. Federal Tactical, H132 or LE132 seems to be the only good low recoil buckshot that is generally available.

[Mannlicher]

Sportsman's Guide has the PMC 00 and #4 buck for $1.80/5 Rounds. I have found it to be decent. The stuff is made in Italy by Clever. I stocked up.

[Rat-30]

I bought a couple hundred of the PMC 00Buck for patterning and plinking, and have about 50 rounds left that I'll take a while to shoot.

It 'leads' my 870 barrel something fierce! I really hate putting all the extra effort into cleaning the lead out of the barrel... these rounds have a flat wad, no buffering, no shot cup over the powder... pellets in direct contact with the barrell right out of the chamber.

Still pattern ok for a roomfight, but not worth the extra-effort for plinking/practice. YMMV.

Best,

[Rat-30]

See attached photo for sectioned views of:

Top:
Federal Premium 154 00Buck, copper plated lead shot, buffered shot, full shot cup.

Middle:
PMC 2.75 00 Buck: no cup or buffering, unplated lead shot

Bottom:
Remington LE 00Buck: unplated lead shot, buffered, shot cup, cool 'law enforcement' rollmark on case :D


Best,

[Lawyerman]

Estate Cartridge Company of Willis, Texas was bought up by Blount industries...RCBS, Weaver, Redfield, Simmons, CCI, Federal that whole conglomerate. I think they are probably concentrating on military contracts at the moment, their ammo can't be found anywhere.

[Arkady]

Also, the Wolf buckshot is pretty decent... the pattern isn't all that great, and they lead the barrel a good bit, but for under $2 per box, it's hard to argue with when you're on a budget.

[Dave R]

Do any of you reload buckshot? Or is the cost of shot or cups prohibitive?

[Poodleshooter]

See my post above DaveR.
Shot cups used are the same as those used for hunting heavy field loads. Sometimes they are the same as those used in trap/skeet loads. You can buy more expensive wads from places like Precision Reloading, but the reloading costs approach that of factory ammo.
Buckshot requires a much slower burning powder due to the payload weight,which necessitates increased charge, which in turn, increases the per shell unit cost.
I reload OO in 9 and 12 ct,OOO in 6 and 8 ct.,and #4 in indeterminate loads. I use Hornady buckshot, but am on the lookout for bulk Winchester OO buck as a more economical approach to Hornady's $8.95 per 5 lbs buckshot.

[john l]

The two factory loads that are inexpensive that I know of are Sellier and Bellot and Wolf.
These will run you about 3-4 dollars for 10 rounds.
BUT there is no packing media between the buckshot, so your patterns will be larger than Fed Tactical and other premiums.
I held a tactical shotgun match about 18 months ago where we patterned new shooter's buckshot loads at 20 and 30 yards( since we didn't have all day, I wanted to illustrate to the shooter that at 30 yards you really have to aim well and some of the pellets will be missing the IDPA paper target altogether)--I was franky amazed at how well the Fed Tactical grouped at longer ranges whereas the Sellier and Bellot pattern was considerably much larger in diameter.
Reloding your own will always be cheaper if you have the reloader to begin with AND you shoot enough on a monthy basis to justify reloading.
john l