Mossberg 590 pattern testing, from 00 buckshot to #2 birdshot

[Ridgerunner665]

Tomorrow if the weather permits...

I've got the poster board and the ammo.

Winchester SuperX 00 buck (9 pellets @ 1,325 fps)
Winchester SuperX #1 buck (16 pellets @ 1,250 fps)
Federal Power Shock #4 buck (27 pellets @1,325 fps)
Remington XLR heavy field #2 birdshot (1.25 ounces @ 1,330 fps)

All the buckshot loads are buffered loads, 2.75 inch rounds only, I'm too old for 3 inch 12 gauge shells and they're just not needed for this type of use.

I'm going to chronograph them also, to see just how much speed they lose in the 18.5 inch barrel, cylinder bore by the way... factory Mossberg barrel.

I've been patterning this thing off and on for a month or so, but never did it on poster board where I could really compare the loads.... all these loads pattern decent for HD use, but I want to look at them clearly side by side...at 15 yards.

 

[red rick]

What distance ?

Patterning buckshot does hurt sometimes and is not fun . I shot a deer Thursday , using 3 1/2 00BK . I shot him 3 times and never felt it .

 

[Ridgerunner665]

What distance ?

Patterning buckshot does hurt sometimes and is not fun . I shot a deer Thursday , using 3 1/2 00BK . I shot him 3 times and never felt it .

Excellent point...I meant to add that.

The longest shot in my house is 15 yards, down the hall, so I've been concentrating on that distance thus far... and for this test I'll stick to that.

Might do 10 and 15 yards....or 7 and 15.

 

[JCooperfan1911]

00 Buck is considered king for a reason. Nothing other shot size in a 12 gauge beats it for effectiveness for defensive usage.

 

[Ridgerunner665]

00 Buck is considered king for a reason. Nothing other shot size in a 12 gauge beats it for effectiveness for defensive usage.

Maybe... but some pretty smart and experienced people have said #1 buck is best.

It delivers a heavier payload, at a little less velocity, penetrates almost as deep, and generally does more damage due to more pellets.

00 has the market share, but #1 is right there with it in threat stopping.

#1 does usually have the most recoil... the heavier payload fired at max velocity... that's the biggest downside to a hard shooting #1 load.

00 does tend to pattern tighter "most" of the time....less pellets banging around.

In the end... they both work and work very well.

 

[Ridgerunner665]

I did a penetration test with the #2 birdshot a few weeks ago.

Kids coveralls wrapped around a box filled with pizza boxes.... the #2 penetrated the coveralls on the front (2 layers, they were zipped), the outer box, all 5 pizza boxes, the outer box again, and the coveralls on the back (2 layers, it was the legs)... total pass thru, not even 1 pellet stayed in there...at 15 yards...~108 pellets in that load

Patterns a little wide though I believe...

 

[Ridgerunner665]

In case you're ever attacked in your home by pizza boxes wearing kids coveralls.... this info could safe your life


Shot from 15 paces, likely about 15 meters, 12 gauge Remington XLR 1 1/4 oz. #2 lead bird shot round...advertised at 1,330 fps on the box, does 1,275 fps from my 18.5 inch Mossberg 590.


The shot went through the coveralls, 5 pizza boxes, plus the box holding the pizza boxes...12 layers of cardboard... not 1 single pellet stayed in the boxes, every one that entered, also exited the back.


The round does have some recoil, but its not terrible.

 

[red rick]

I am interested in seeing your results . At those distances , I don’t expect much of a spread difference . Good for you testing it .

 

[red rick]

In case you're ever attacked in your home by pizza boxes wearing kids coveralls.... this info could safe your life View attachment 1124460


Shot from 15 paces, likely about 15 meters, 12 gauge Remington XLR 1 1/4 oz. #2 lead bird shot round...advertised at 1,330 fps on the box, does 1,255 fps from my 18.5 inch Mossberg 590.


The shot went through the coveralls, 5 pizza boxes, plus the box holding the pizza boxes...12 layers of cardboard... not 1 single pellet stayed in the boxes, every one that entered, also exited the back.


The round does have some recoil, but its not terrible.


View attachment 1124461


View attachment 1124462


View attachment 1124463


View attachment 1124464

I wouldn’t want to get shot with that .

 

[Frostbite]

I can't wait to see the patterns. It is complicated (not really a place to do it legally around here, 7.5 is the biggest we are allowed at the club, 22" barrel minimum required) for me to do this kind of testing.

 

[Ridgerunner665]

What distance ?

Patterning buckshot does hurt sometimes and is not fun . I shot a deer Thursday , using 3 1/2 00BK . I shot him 3 times and never felt it .

I've got my 16 year old son to share the recoil with me

 

[rabid wombat]

When I did the same exercise, I used adhesive topped, ruled, flip chart paper. Yeppers, one page per shot - a lot of walking. Putting a dot on the page lets you play POI/POA games. I also used IDPA cardboard targets for similar tests.

If you can, get some Federal with the FliteControl wads….great groups! Likewise, I prefer the low recoil / low velocity. The receiving end will generally not tell the difference in 1145 fps and 1300+.

https://www.ammoman.com/12-gauge-federal-tactical-buckshot-pn-le13200

 

[12Bravo20]

I have tested both 12 gauge and 410 buckshot loads. Neither will spread out much at all out to 10 yards. The pattern for both will start to open up at 15 yards but still keep most if not all pellets center mass. You won't see the pattern really open up until you get to 20 or 25 yards.

I have posted the photos from testing 3" 000 buckshot loads out of my 410 Mossberg 500 with the 18" barrel several times on the forum. Even at 15 yards, all five pellets are still in a tight group.

And the pattern opens up to about 12-14 inches at 25 yards. Herre is the pattern with 3 shots at 25 yards on an 8" target.

About the only difference between the 410 and 12 gauge will be the number of pellets. A 3" 410 shell holds 5 pellets of 000 buckshot while a 2 3/4" 12 gauge shell holds 9 pellets of 000 buckshot. Patterns will be very similar.

 

[JCooperfan1911]

These twin videos give an excellent summary on buckshot for defensive usages:





In short, the Federal Flite-Control 8-Pellet Reduced Recoil 00 buckshot load (LE133) is the best thing going for the home defense shotgun, and works equally well for Law Enforcement usages.

The reasons explained in the above film may seem counterintuitive at first glance, but make a great deal of since. Another big advantage to this load is its reduced recoil design. This allows for significantly more rapid follow up shots vs a heavily recoiling #1 buck 16 pellet load.

The Federal 8 pellet 00 reduced recoil Flite control round provides devastating terminal performance with highly predictable shot placement yet still allows for quick follow up shots as needed, eliminates the potentially dangerous “9th pellet flier” issue, and they have less muzzle blast and flash than a #1 load.

As far as terminal performance goes, theoretically there may be a slight advantage to #1 buck BUT nowhere near enough to give up the advantages listed above. It will still drop any intruder in their tracks. The difference is like the cliche of dropping an anvil on someone from above or a piano, both are going to kill very effectively. It’s just that when you get down to the finer details, the LE133 is just about king of the heap for defensive buckshot.

 

[Ridgerunner665]

We got the shooting done... just need to get the measurements and type up the post.

 

[Ridgerunner665]

00 buck, 15 yards, 1,248 fps, 12.5 inch spread


#1 buck, 15 yards, 1,225 fps, 13.25 inch spread... the larger hole is a 3 pellet hole.


#4 buck, 15 yards, 1,225 fps, 15 inch spread...cheap Federal blue box junk, 3 pellets stuck in the wad, common with that ammo.


#2 birdshot, 15 yards, 1,300 fps, 24 inch spread...too much spread.


20 yard info coming in another post...

 

[JERRY]

00 buck, 15 yards, 1,248 fps, 12.5 inch spread
View attachment 1124620

#1 buck, 15 yards, 1,225 fps, 13.25 inch spread... the larger hole is a 3 pellet hole.
View attachment 1124621

#4 buck, 15 yards, 1,225 fps, 15 inch spread...cheap Federal blue box junk, 3 pellets stuck in the wad, common with that ammo.
View attachment 1124622

#2 birdshot, 15 yards, 1,300 fps, 24 inch spread...too much spread.
View attachment 1124623

20 yard info coming in another post...

Excellent work using realistic distances for home protection.

 

[Ridgerunner665]

00 buck, 20 yards, 14.5 inch spread... the holes with lines through them don't count, my son pulled that first shot a bit, had to re-shoot it.


#1 buck, 20 yards, 17 inch spread...2 pellets barely missed the paper off to the left but landed together on the backer so I was able to get the measurement, he pulled that one a bit too lol.


#4 buck, 20 yards, 16 inch spread....10 pellets stuck in the wad, that's the most I've seen do that so far... this is terrible ammo.


I did not shoot the #2 birdshot at 20 yards...it is out of the running for HD ammo, but I'm gonna run it through my hunting gun with various chokes at a later date, I think it might be nice for coyotes and such.

 

[Ridgerunner665]

#4 buck was VERY poorly represented in this test... that Federal blue box is terrible ammo for serious use.

 

[Ridgerunner665]

As expected...00 buck patterns tightest.

But #4 might have its perks in a better load than I used here.

 

[red rick]

I liked the #1 pattern . That’s a lot of holes . It looked like the 00 shot closer to poi .

 

[Ridgerunner665]

Off topic for this, but worth mentioning... I also sighted it in at 25 yards, using Winchester SuperX 1 oz. slugs.

Those slugs shoot really good in this gun, 25 yard 3 shot groups were 1 big ragged hole.

25 yards is as far as can shoot in my back yard... I'll sight it in for 50 yards when I can get somewhere to do it.

 

[Ridgerunner665]

I liked the #1 pattern . That’s a lot of holes . It looked like the 00 shot closer to poi .

All of the buckshot shot high to start with, I adjusted the sights after a few shots... it has ghost ring rear and fiber optic front sights.

At the ranges I shot today... the buckshot and slugs shot to the same POA...I didn't have to move the sights for the slugs, they were dead on at 25 with slugs from the adjustment I made for the buckshot.

 

[Ridgerunner665]

The test gun...Mossberg 590 SPX with Magpul stock and fore end.

 

[Ridgerunner665]

I'd really like to have a #1 buck load with a Flight Control wad....Federal made them at one point but stopped, I'm hoping Hornady will add it at some point.