Cheaper HD Shotgun Ammo? (Buckshot)

[ZombiesAhead]

I'm looking on Cheaper Than Dirt and noticed that Fiocchi and Sellier and Bellot both make #4 Buck, 2 3/4", 27 or 34 pellets (essentially the same specifications as the stuff made by Federal, Remington, and Winchester.)

However, these brands are half the price - 10 rounds for the price of 5 from the more expensive manufacturers. Is the quality good enough for a pump action HD shotgun seeing HD use? I've always thought $1/round was crazy. This is only $.50/round.

How about Wolf Shotgun Ammunition? I know Wolf has a bad rep but it's hard to stock up when 12ga ammo is always so expensive and it's not like I need to cycle anything.

 

[Todd A]

All will go BANG and the shot will exit the barrel. Is that what you are looking for?

Or do you want something that will hold a decent across the house pattern? Only your particular gun will tell that. Perhaps you should buy a few packs of each and test them on the range.If this is your HD weapon,trusting someone elses opinion (and possibly your life) on a brand of ammo isn't the best idea.

I'm not trying to be an A@@, but I ,nor anyone else, can tell you what YOUR shotgun will like.

 

[callgood]

One good item you can use to pattern a shotgun are the heavy cardboard disks newspapers get on their rolls of newsprint- there are actually two per roll. They are anywhere from 40"-42" in diameter up to 65" at the larger papers.

Some papers bale and recycle them, for others they are a waste product. The pressroom foreman can tell you if they are available.

 

[ZombiesAhead]

Todd,
I certainly had no plans to call you an "a@@" so don't worry. I was wondering what others' experiences had been. I have sworn off $.50/round defensive JHP rounds for my pistol in favor of Winchester White Box JHP's which seem to work just as well at half the cost (or less).

I am about to try this with shotgun ammo - I picked up some Wolf brand and Noble(sp?) brand slugs, #4 buck, and 00 buck and will be testing them out. I skipped the Fiocchi for some other ordering-related reasons.

Also, I was mostly concerned with reliability than patterning. I shoot out of a 20" cylinder bore (no choke) barrel and at home defense ranges of 15 feet or less, I feel pretty confident with anything that spits out 9 to 27 pellets at 1200 fps. If I were reaching out to 25 yards I might worry about the pattern a little more.

Still, I will be using a roll of butcher paper just so I know what kind of spread I get. Generally, I've found buckshot spreads much less than people tend to imagine it does so I doubt these loads will be doing anything too out of the ordinary.

 

[Hoppy590]

iv always like Sellier and Bellot 12 ball

its fairly cheap and never given me a problem

 

[rantingredneck]

I've never patterned any of the Fiocchi or S&B from my HD shotguns. Lately I've been buying standard 9 pellet Remington Express from Walmart for 7-8 bucks a box of 15. That's about .50 a round (or just over). Patterns good from my guns too. Rem Managed recoil patterns a little tighter, but not so much of a difference that it's going to matter for my purposes. My bandoliers are full of green shells .

 

[Green Lantern]

Wolf does indeed have a bad rep on SOME things, but not on others. From what I hear, as well as my OWN experience, their 12ga buckshot does just fine.

 

[bass806]

The Wolf 12 gauge 00 buckshot has performed well in all my semis. It patterns well and is cheap. Stock up on it before it skyrockets.

 

[Todd A]

Wolf does have a rep as being dirty though I have not really had a problem out of my 500.

I personally use #1 buck for HD. Unlike you I have noticed a pattern differance with differant loads, as Remington #1 patterns fine out of my barrel while Winchester will throw two or three pellets outside of my "comfort zone" at my longest in house distance.

So Remington #1 buck resides in my mag tube.

 

[packratjimnm]

Fiocchi and Sellier and Bellot both make excellent ammo. I wouldn't give it a second thought on buying it. But buy 00 Buck.
As far as patterns go, at 20 feet there isn't much of one. (12" dia or less)
Check out this link and opt for 00 buck for better penetration.


http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot3.htm

 

[Z71]

Back in the 1990's I bought a case of Eley 12 ga. 12 pellet 2 3/4" buckshot. I think I paid something like $30 for a case of 100 of these shells.

It's Ok, I still have some, but I noticed right away that it was nothing like Remington or Winchester 9 pellet express loads. The Eley stuff was just some low powered utility buckshot suited more for...? I bought me a few boxs or Winchester buckshot for my home defense pump-guns.

Any moral to the story? I don't know, maybe you get what you pay for?

If you find a great deal on Eley buckshot, Ok, but maybe not the best in a fight! Works good for plinking.

 

[1911user]

Fiocchi 00 buckshot for 12 gauge has a reputation for tight patterns. The shot is nickle plated so it does not deform as easy when fired. It's what I load in the house shotgun and it patterns very well. The 50 cents per shell price is just a bonus.

 

[762plinkster]

for my HD shotgun i use wolf buckshot and slug for practice because its cheaper and gives a better simulation than if i were to practice with birdshot, but thats just how i feel. I still practice with birdshot just so i can shoot more.

my shot gun is loaded with remington buckshot or federal whichever one is on sale. I tend to cycle out my ammo everytime i go shooting just so i have an excuse to go buy more ammo.

Fiochhi is okay, but the wolf is cheaper...however in my experience wolf is pretty dirty thats why its my practice load, because i clean the shotgun after every session.

my shot gun is load with birdshot as the first shot, because i believe that if i were to use it in a situatoin i might be ready for the buckshot as the first one. but the next 5 are 00 buckshot followed by slugs. this is for my 18" 870

the side saddle is split between buckshot and slugs

hope this helps.

 

[Titan6]

Cheaper HD Shotgun Ammo?

I call them 1oz slugs. Less than $.50/ ea at Walmart. Don't know about Wolf SG rounds. I know that their Rifle stuff is pretty low quality, though it does shoot.

 

[Fast Frank]

I don't have a problem with somebody wanting to practice with low dollar ammo.

It only makes sense.

But the rounds that are actually IN the shotgun are picked because they are reliable, they produce good patterns, and they are of a suitable type of shot.

Notice that price isn't included in that list.

I'm sorry, but passing up the best option because a lesser choice can be had for one dollar less just isn't how I do things when it comes to a "Serious Business" weapon.

And my HD shotgun is for serious business indeed.

I can afford an extra dollar for the peace of mind I get from knowing my shotgun will perform as expected.

 

[plateshooter]

The Wolf buckshot is made in Germany. There is no buffer material, shot cup, or plating on the pellets. I find it to have pretty sparse patterns in my guns compared to a "premium" buffered plated shot round. For my situation, a 50' shot would be the longest inside the house, and it patterns plenty well for that. I purchase a couple hundred rounds whenever I find it on sale. I have probably shot around 100 rounds of it so far, it has always fed and fired well, and I have no excessive fouling from it. Just my experiences.

 

[Rob96]

If I remember correctly the Wolf buckshot is actually made by S&B. Can someone correct me on this?

 

[Zach S]

Federal LE133 and H132 give me the best patterns, so thats what I use.

I have fired S&B and Wolf (sorry, no Fiocchi) and while they worked, I didnt get a pattern as tight. Some would pattern well, others not, out of the same box.

My shotgun is a mossberg 590 with a cyl bore barrel. If yours accepts chokes you may be able to get a better pattern out of the cheap shells.

 

[Blue02Formula]

This is what I ordered for practice. 1 x 100rds - 12 Gauge Sellier & Bellot 2 3/4" Buckshot () = $43.95
https://ammunitiontogo.com/

 

[Blue .45]

I've used the S&B 12ga., 12 pellet 00 buck. Even though it was 2 3/4", the crimp was somewhat longer than the American made 2 3/4", so I loaded one less than I ordinarily would to avoid over compressing the magazine spring. It cycled alright in my moss 500, however, my brother and nephews experienced a couple of failures to extract, even though they have the same model shotgun as mine.

 

[BozemanMT]

I shoot a lot of shotgun (not so much this last year, but generally)
I shoot very little buckshot.
I patterned a couple, made sure I liked how it ran, I loaded up the shotgun and put it in it's hidey holes in the house.
every couple months, i take it out, unload it, put birdshot in it and go to the trap range and practice a few with it.
clean it out, reload with buckshot.

Who cares what buckshot costs you aren't shooting 100's of rounds.
Practice with birdshot (and cheap birdshot at that), after making sure it runs and patterns, then put the very best stuff in. You probably wont' run it for years.
50cents on practice rounds matter, on HD, who cares, you're going to be pressed to use up 2 or 3 boxes over a few years.


1.125oz of lead recoils the same no matter if it's 9 balls or 400 balls.

 

[HOLY DIVER]

i've done pattern tests about every kind of buckshot listed above,in my shotgun i get the best results out of remington.....winchester sucks in my shotgun,i get better patterns out federal...so i keep my HD shotgun loaded with remington 00buck

 

[foghornl]

Haven't tried the S&B brand; however, the Wolf does throw a more open pattern in MY Maverick 88. Nor bad patterns, just more spread over the same distance as Rem or Fed.

Your Mileage Will Vary, so buy a few boxes of as many different brands/types as you can find, and blaze away.