What do you guys think of this?

[AcceptableUserName]

It's full power 9-pellet Hornady TAP. close to pulling the trigger on an order, but.... It's marked for semi's though...is this relation to the crimp/hull/brass dimensions or the fact that it's full power 1325 fps? Maybe just a way to sell the shell to semi-owners with inertia driven guns? I'm going out hopefully to test some full power loads in my 590a1 today...if it's sticking this probably wouldn't be the best thing to settle on as a defense round in my gun. Sorry to make countless buckshot threads but I'm really starting to notice ammo feed/ejection/behavior is dramatically different frome one gun to the next.http://www.ammunitiontogo.com/catalog1/product_info.php/cPath/120_259_205/products_id/2102even says SEMI-AUTO on the label....

 

[ArmedBear]

The catalog description says "higher pressure" as well as 1300 fps.

Gas-operated guns with shorter barrels probably benefit from the higher pressure, and inertia guns from the higher velocity.

I don't think I'd opt for something extra-hot for defensive use from a pump, personally. It will have snappy recoil.

1100 fps and an ounce vs. 1300 fps and 1 1/8 oz. is the difference between "did that thing even go off?" and a shoulder slammer, in a clays load.

Of course, shooting at clays involves a lot of rounds in a short time. However, the recoil and muzzle blast do increase out of proportion to the performance of the round, when you top 1200 fps in a 12 Gauge IMO. At the very least, those things are going to make a big flash.

I guess I'm saying I'd shoot some different stuff first, before ordering a case or something.

I'd try some of the low-recoil and the FFD stuff, too, before "pulling the trigger". I think that, in a self-defense situation, I'd rather have 1100 fps, and forego harsher recoil, a louder report and massive muzzle flash. The 200 fps won't make a measurable difference in "stopping power", and even if it did, a second, accurate round of 00 buck would do a lot more than the 200 fps would.

 

[dom1104]

Armedbear is indeed correct.

This is not like handgun rounds where we all ooo and ahhh over a few extra hundred fps.

The 12 has all the "get it done" you need in normal or reduced loads.

 

[Youngster]

I disagree, buckshot is pretty marginal on a an individual basis and needs all the help it can get IMO. Neutering the velocity to what a regular load would clock at 25 or 30 yards might not cost you on paper but I'd rather have the extra "smash" against bone and meat.

 

[ArmedBear]

25-30 yards with buckshot is generally referred to as "murder" or "manslaughter."

I specifically said, "self-defense."

But say you did need an accurate shot at 30 yards. I'd still take the load that's easier to shoot. When you miss with half the balls from a cylinder bore, you'll definitely want a followup shot.

 

[Youngster]

It's not that I'd worry about what my load would do at 30 yards in any likely SD situation, but that at socially relevant distances I'd prefer a load that's as powerful at 30 yards as the reduced recoil loads are at the muzzle.

 

[highorder]

are you gunning for bigfoot?

 

[oneounceload]

Most shotshells tend to deliver "blown" patterns when pushed too fast as well. The only sure way to determine is to try them in YOUR gun at distances you'll be shooting. Whether that is 25 feet or 25 yards, - it will vary from gun to gun. Many folks do not realize that while shotguns AREN'T as critical as benchrest rifles or target handguns, they DO have preferences - and that can change merely by changing the choke.

Personally, if you feel the need to use buckshot for HD/SD, the regular plain, old 00 or similar will do just fine

 

[ArmedBear]

Most shotshells tend to deliver "blown" patterns when pushed too fast as well.

And I think that is doubly true with rounds that are loaded to high pressures on purpose, because of the way the plastic wad behaves at the muzzle.

 

[Youngster]

Winchester Supreme 00 runs at 1450 fps for the most part, and its patterns aren't exactly "blown", but in any case there's nothing wrong with a regular 1300 fps load. Any speed disadvantage compared to a reduced recoil load is going to be very slight assuming a practiced shooter, and the comfort issue is negated by running a Limbsaver or the equivalent, or a recoil reducing stock if you really want to go overboard.

I'll admit when I was new to shotgunning I liked the reduced loads but now? I can hardly tell the difference.

 

[MCgunner]

But say you did need an accurate shot at 30 yards. I'd still take the load that's easier to shoot. When you miss with half the balls from a cylinder bore, you'll definitely want a followup shot.

Well, I'd rather use 18 pellets from a 10 gauge. You got your first shot and your back up all in one round.

 

[ArmedBear]

I'll admit when I was new to shotgunning I liked the reduced loads but now? I can hardly tell the difference.

I strongly suspect that, in a darkened room, in a less-than-ideal shooting position, you'd still notice a tactically-significant difference.

What I CAN shoot and what I think makes the most sense for a given situation are different.

Still, that's for the OP to decide. I would try 5 of each one and decide for myself. What we think doesn't matter.

I would, however, try each one in an enclosed space if possible, in low light, and crouched down. Out in the desert, standing up, in broad daylight, nothing seems like a big deal.

 

[Youngster]

I've done it, and I have to say ANY shotgun load is a shock to the senses in an enclosed space, especially if you're talking where you're surrounded by a lot of hard insulating surfaces like tile or brick. There's a lot more of a blast/flash difference between running a long barrel and a riot length barrel than there is between reduced and full load IMO.