#4 buck pattern

I think a lot of police departments use #4 buck in their shotguns. Seems like it would stop a lot quicker than say a slug or #00 if it hit a wall or obstacle for sure.

There have been tests done in actual homes, the conclusion of which is that #4 Buck represents the best penetration/over-penetration compromise for use inside the home. But, sheet rock alone will not generally stop #4 Buck. In any event, that’s a quite serviceable pattern at 10 yards.

Looks fine to me being as it's all on target. Smart to test at the farthest distance you could shoot in your home.

Looks plenty effective to me. 4-Buck is my preferred indoor load as well; I use minishells (15-pellet) in my Shockwave 12ga.

Actually your pattern is IMHO perfect for you scenario. I like #4 buck for HD/SD under 30 yards, great balance of penetration vs over penetration. Just a note for those flaming you, a #4 buck pellet is about the same as a .22 lr slug inside of 30 yards. Your sillouette is hit with 21 “.22 lr” with each pull of the trigger.
In a rural area not the best option.

The purpose of a shotgun is offer a pattern, not a fist sized (or less) clump at normal engagement ranges. Sorry if that offends the Tactical Teds.

Try some more patterns with chokes if your shotgun will take them.

Im sure you will see some pattern variation and it may be to your liking.

Looks just fine for me -given your purpose... Distance from the muzzle is the controlling factor in any defensive shotgun - as far as the pattern spread goes. I've said it before, we tested improved cylinder riot guns firing 00buck from an 18" barrel and found one inch spread per meter from the muzzle. At seven meters -that was a seven inch pattern in any shotgun we used (mossberg or remington..).

What anyone contemplating home defense really needs to do - is a bit of measuring to see exactly what distances you might be shooting from in and around the structure you're planning on defending... It might be an eye-opening process.. .

A corollary is that any crime scene workup will be able to tell with good accuracy the exact distance a shooter was from their target - if they have the weapon used and know what round was employed - just by the pattern dimensions alone...

That seems like a good pattern to me. It appears to hit everything vital.

Ken R said:

View attachment 1085455The guys on Reddit tore my ass up.

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Why?

Looks good to me and I will not volunteer to stand in as a replacement!

Back to basics.. that shot pattern shown is just fine for THAT shotgun using that specific ammo... Your shotgun on the other hand, even with the same choke, etc. may not perform the same... That's why all of us really need to pattern the shotgun we have with the ammo we intend to use (or not use if it doesn't perform the way we wan it to..). Shotguns are funny that way.....

That is a good pattern for the range forget about it its fine.

Inside a house that is a great pattern. I also don't think inside a typical house (10yards or less) it really isn't gonna matter that much what your shotgun is loaded with. The FBI acceptable penetration standards are designed to compensate for any shot angle on a bad guy. If the "bad guy" isn't advancing on you you probably shouldn't be shooting him anyway. But thats just my .02 from seeing friends and coworkers go through trials involved in shooting incidents.

Ken R said:

The guys on Reddit tore my ass up

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If I called Reddit the armpit of the internet, that is giving it too much credit. Armpits actually serve a purpose, unlike Reddit.

Lots of little holes to bleed from. Looks fine to me. I kept my HD shotgun loaded with #4 buck until I considered minishells the slightly better choice.

The pattern looks good to me. If you look at gel tests, while not all the pellets penetrate past 12in up close, most of them do and I believe it's a good compromise. #4 also give a thicker pattern to shoot someone in the face. I have some nickel plated 35 pellet #4 that is excellent but it is out of stock.

Nice! My local SO uses #4 buck for their patrol shotguns. While shotgun use on patrol is fading away compared to when I started in 1991, when deployed in appropriate situations the locals found it to be very effective for their needs. In your situation I think you’re set. (Now pray you never need to use it.)

I work in a different county that uses 00, they also find that load to be very effective. Personally, I split the difference and have #1 loaded in my HD Rem 870.

As for seeking input or advice on firearms/cartridges from random Reddit users, IMHO that’s a lot like asking the guy lying on a park bench for investment advice. You’ll surely get answers, but almost all of them should be spread on the flowerbed in the springtime.

Stay safe.

OP, I say "Bravo"! You tested your shotgun and load. And found something that works for your home configuration. Bravo!

Now that you have a good, tested tool, practice using it. Put a light on your gun and practice with it. Practice mounting the gun from the various ready positions. Practice port-loading, top-off loading, slug-select loading, and clearing malfunctions until those actions are automatic and fast. Practice with multiple targets. Get some training if you need it. Put a bunch of ammo through your setup at the range in various tactical situations.

Having good hardware is important, but good software (training, user competence) is critical.

And then pray that the occasion never arises when you need it for real.

Riomouse911 said:

Nice! My local SO uses #4 buck for their patrol shotguns. While shotgun use on patrol is fading away compared to when I started in 1991, when deployed in appropriate situations the locals found it to be very effective for their needs. In your situation I think you’re set. (Now pray you never need to use it.)

I work in a different county that uses 00, they also find that load to be very effective. Personally, I split the difference and have #1 loaded in my HD Rem 870.

As for seeking input or advice on firearms/cartridges from random Reddit users, IMHO that’s a lot like asking the guy lying on a park bench for investment advice. You’ll surely get answers, but almost all of them should be spread on the flowerbed in the springtime.

Stay safe.

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I have 3 Rem. 0 buck and 2 Win. PDX-1 (1 oz slug with 3 00 Buck on top) in my Ithaca 37, an 0 buck in the chamber, PDX-1 next, etc.
Why 0 Buck? I bought a lot of it at an irresistible price, ($2.99/ 125 rounds+ a .30 cal ammo can) and I know it will do the job. The PDX are extra insurance in case I need a second shot.

entropy said:

2 Win. PDX-1 (1 oz slug with 3 00 Buck on top

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That stuff showed how important it is to test ammo before putting it in a defensive role. I watched a lot of videos on PDX-1 and really liked them. Bought a couple boxes and took them to the range to test in a HD shotgun role. I did not get the same patterns I saw in videos. All the videos showed 3 inch or so patterns at HD distance. I was getting about 5 inches shooting 4-5 yards. Which was a little more than I wanted, especially shooting inside or close to buildings outside. I figure if I want slugs, I have 2 in the side saddle. If I want 00 buck I have that as well. Throw in a couple rounds of birdshot to round out the saddle and in case I need to shoot a small 4 legged critter, which is more common nuisance for me.

herrwalther said:

I did not get the same patterns I saw in videos. All the videos showed 3 inch or so patterns at HD distance. I was getting about 5 inches shooting 4-5 yards.

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Max range I would be using it at is just over 8 yards. Perfect for the intended use. I, too, patterned them. I was mostly concerned about where the slug went, but they flew true enough for 25 ft.

"Why 0 Buck? I bought a lot of it at an irresistible price, ($2.99/ 125 rounds+ a .30 cal ammo can)"
How many decades ago was that?

Grayrock said:

"Why 0 Buck? I bought a lot of it at an irresistible price, ($2.99/ 125 rounds+ a .30 cal ammo can)"
How many decades ago was that?

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A little over one. I got them at The Sportsman's Guide "liquidation outlet" which used to be a fun place to shop. They had some great deals, things that were catalog returns, or like my buckshot deal and some swords I picked up real cheap, ($20 each), just odds & ends they found somewhere for next to nothing.
The buckshot deal was a "blue light special" type of thing where they announced it over the PA system and had everyone who wanted in on it running back to the gun counter for them. I was second to last in line, and there were 9 cans left, so I bought 5 and left 4 for the guy behind me.
They were probably some PD's riot ammo that they dumped cheap when they went to AR rifles. Perfectly good stuff, my son has shot some of it over the years.