[Peter Gun]

I recently aquired a defender (18") bbl for my 5-shot Winchester Waterfowl special, so I'm testing factory loads for home defense. I'm going w/ #1 buck for now because I like the concept of more pellets as long as they have acceptable penetration. I tried four loads in 2 3/4"(there are not many #1 buck loads available): Federal Classic 16 pellets @1250 fps (muzzle), Remington Express, 16 pellets @1250fps, Winchester Super X, 16 pellets @1250 fps, and Winchester Supreme, 20 pellets @1060fps (manufacturers velocity figures). I tested their patterns on 18"x20" peices of cardboard at 5, 15, and 25 yds. Weather was medium humididty, 25*F, light wind. I measured the distance between the farthest spreading pellets and gave a subjective evaluation of how dense the center of the pattern was.
Heres the data (5yds/15yds/25yds):
Federal--- 6.5" open center/12" medium density/ N/A
Remington-- 7" open center/16" open center/11 of 16 pellets in 18x20" target
Win super X--5.5" dense center/10" dense center/15" 2 pellets in center
Win supreme---7.5" medium center/15" medium center/13 of 20 pellets in 18x20" target, 2 in center

All loads shot close to point of aim. I had a problem w/ the Federal ammo. Twice in a row the shell lodged in the barrel. The rim at the base was not strong enough and the extractor just bent it back w/out removing the shell. I removed the barrel and blew the shell out. I decided not to try for a third. No malfunctions w/ other loads.

I also did a rough comparison of penetration on an old snowboard. It is a wood core sandwiched w/ fiberglass and plastic top sheets. The Remington seemed to be the hottest, penetrating completely and shredding the back side. Win Super also penetrated fully, w/ slighlty less dramatic damage. Win Supreme mostly penetrated, but pellets seemed to "squeeze" out the back with little exit damage. One pellet failed to penetrate the last layer. For comparison, Remington #8 shot game loads penetrated only the top plastic layer, some bouncing off.

My home has a maximum fire lane of 15 yds and is isolated and laid out in a manner that eliminates overpenetration issues. Hallways are narrow and rooms small, so only one target can be engaged at a time. Being in VT, it is likely any intruders will be wearing heavy clothing. For these reasons I will be going with the Winchester Super X. I like the tight patterns and good penetration. If I was actually hunting, I might lean towards the remington, or if I was more concerned w/ over penetration, the winchester supreme, but I think the Super X works best for me.

One more note on the Winchester 1300. If you have shot target of game loads w/ one of these guns, you know that the slide releases after the trigger is pulled so the recoil starts the pump motion for you. When shooting buckshot, It pushes the slide back very quickly and completely. The first couple shots, I kept thinking the action was jammed because I couldn't slide the action, until I realised it was already back. Once you adapt to this, cycling the action is amazingly quick, almost like an auto. I'm pretty stoked on this gun. Any feedback on these observations is appreciated.
Happy shooting!

[HS/LD]

Great report Peter, thank you!

I too have a Winchester Defender, fantastic SG.

I will be patterning 00 buck in the near future and will post a report.

I have a bunch of Win Rem Fed on hand but I want to wait to get some of the new Remington Hevi-Shot before I do the patterning test. They say it has 40% tighter groups!!!!!


Thanks again.

HS/LD

[Dave McCracken]

Thanks for posting that, real world info is priceless. Of course, we all must keep in mind that YMMV.

I've a hunch that #1 buck may be the best utility load for GP HD/CD, but it's just a hunch at this point.

The Winchesters are getting a nice rep for smoothness and speed, but I note few of them are used much for clay guns. Until they stand head to head with 870s and 12s, longevity is unknown.

Still it's a nice piece and like Mossies, I'd expect maybe 30K of light load use before probs arise. That's a lifetime of casual use.

[chevrofreak]

if you want more pellets, give the federal 3" magnum 00 buck a try. it has 15 pellets in it, and the federal buckshot always has excellent patterns.

[Sir Galahad]

I, too, am a believer in the #1 buck out of the 1300. I patterned my 1300 Defender at 14 feet which is the max distance in my place. My pattern was between 4 to 5 inches. The International Wound Ballistics Association recommends #1 buck as the best buck for penetration while not going through several walls after. I shot Federal through mine and had no glitches from my 1300.

[Peter Gun]

Galahad-which federal load did you use? I'm wondering if the my new barrel might be worn and the fed loads have the tightest tolerences or something. Any Ideas?

[Sir Galahad]

I used Federal Classic Buckshot, 2 3/4" w/ 16 pellets. I have two 1300 Defenders and both function flawlessly with everything I've put through them. I also put Winchester 00 and #4 buck and Federal #1 and 0 buck all the the tube together and all fed, fired, and extracted flawlessly. Sellier & Bellot 00 buck, too, flawless. The 1300 should not be finicky.

[Peter Gun]

Hmmm, thats the same load I used. Your right, I have not found the 1300 to be finicky, and it loads Federal bird shot just fine. It's def not an extractor problem, as I can clearly see the bent rim where the extractor pulled through it. Anyone know what might cause this malfunction w/ only one load?

[HS/LD]

Sounds like just a batch of bad rims.

Try some more of another batch and let us know.

Thanks again for posting your results.


HS/LD

[Anthony]

In his VIP protection book "Dead Clients Don't Pay" Leroy Thompson states that when a protective team is carrying a shotgun in the vehicle the standard load is #1 buckshot with rifled slugs backing them up.

Further, Massad Ayoob advocates #1 buckshot based on a balance of pellet count, weight, and stacking characteristics. Apparently the 0.30 sized #1 pellets stack more efficiently than any other pellet size. As a result, I figured out once that the Winchester Supreme #1 Magnum buckshot load you tried with 20 pellets threw around 725 grains of buckshot per pull of the trigger. Compared to a typical once ounce rifled slug which weighs around 437 grains that is quite an increase in the shear amount of lead thrown without an increase in shell length. Forgive me if these grain numbers aren't exact as I am doing this from memory at the office.

A few years ago Ayoob profiled a Florida shooting in which an armed citizen shot a robber at roughly 25 yards using an Express loading of #1 buckshot (16 pellets). All 16 pellets hit the BG in the upper torso. He was dead before he hit the pavement.

In my heavily modified Remington 1100 with it's 18 inch barrel and my Benelli Super 90 M-1 the Winchester Supereme #1 Magnum buckshot load prints in a nice and neat 20 to 24 inch circle at 40 yards!

It is what is in that same Benelli by my bedside as I write this.

Hope this information helps.

- Anthony

[Dave McCracken]

Like I said, I've a hunch about #1 buck. Looks like some other folks agree.

We all may be splitting hairs here, 00 has done everything I wanted it to. Same with limited shooting with 3 and 4 buck.

Good rule of thumb here may be to pattern all of them and go with the tightest....