Maximum DANGER range for 00 Buck?

[Jenrick]

MattShlock: Correct I do already have a shotgun, and I do know how the shot patterns. I guess the word "tight" would have been a better choice then "well." And yes a tight pattern is better then a wide one, in my situation.

And before any one starts, I don't care that a shotgun is commonly known as a "scatter gun." Every thing coming out of the bore has a lawyer attached to it. The tighter that cluster of lawyers is when it impacts the happier I am. If I wasn't worried about the down range safety fan on a 124gr +P Gold Dot or 62 gr Federal Tactical bonded I'd be using another weapon system. As is I feel that due to the situation I find myself in with the layout of my residence and the range to my neighbors down the likely avenue of engagement, a shotgun provides a good combination of terminal ballistic effect and down range safety in the event an errant projectile travels down range.

LeonCarr hit the nail on the head regarding #1 shot. If want further details just look for anything from Dr. Fackler regarding projectile penetration and shot size. Anything smaller then #1 is NOT going to reach 12" on a regular basis and that's not a good thing for HD shooting.

-Jenrick

 

[MattShlock]

Jenster;
YOU hit the nail on the head. The Tru Flight and FlightControl type ammos were developed by and for -- ta da -- lawyers! Big city Corporate Council attorneys to be more precise, play on words intended.

What you are doing is antithetical for home defense -- you want the open pattern a shotgun can provide as it will produce more wound trauma and liklihood of hits in the first place. HD ammo originally had spreader cups, Mossberg makes a small gun just for HD with a spreader muzzle, and Briley makes HD spreader chokes! But the same otherwise bright folk who will tell you 00 Buck is the only shell to use at home also think tighter patterns are better. It's cheese-grits eating people-of-Walmart logic.

If you trust #1 Buck (your personal "00 Buck") is safe for your neighbors a coupla football fields away you might just wanna rethink cutting the appropriate shot pattern size in half and have less fear that an errant pellet will find its way into a headline-grabbing accidental shooting...

 

[LeonCarr]

Per the aforementioned Dr. Fackler, maximum wounding with the shotgun using buckshot comes from a pattern 5-8 inches in diameter. My pattern testing has shown that several Non-Flitecontrol Buckshot options will pattern right around 8 inches or better at 50 feet. Unless you live in what I call a "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" type house, most of your shots will be well under 50 feet. Do some tape measure or laser rangefinder work inside your home and then some pattern testing at the range, and I think most of us will find that just about any buckshot including most of the soft lead pellet, no shotcup, no buffer varieties will meet that 5-8 inch standard at typical household ranges and provide virtually no chance of collateral damage outside your 275 yard limit.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr