cluttonfred
Member
I have read here and elsewhere about the pros and cons of flechettes vs. buckshot, but the flechettes I have seen for shotgun use have always been very light needles or flat stampings. I have never understood why a smaller number of large flechettes would not be a good load.
For example, per www.brassfetcher.com an ordinary 2 3/4" 12 gauge shell shoots 12 00 buck pellets (70 grains each.360" diameter) at over 1200 FPS. That's 840 grains of lead.
I could easily imagine, say, a load of seven round or hexagonal cross-section heavy flechettes at 120 grains each. That should give the same muzzle velocity with much better performance (though a sparser pattern) at longer ranges as the heavier, more aerodynamic projectiles shout have flatter trajectories and more velocity and energy downrange. That's .38 special +P performance, with 3" or 3 1/2" shells it could move to .357 magnum performance or better.
Something like that might make a shotgun useful at beyond normal buckshot ranges, say out to 100 yards. So why, as far as I know, are heavy flechettes not used?
For example, per www.brassfetcher.com an ordinary 2 3/4" 12 gauge shell shoots 12 00 buck pellets (70 grains each.360" diameter) at over 1200 FPS. That's 840 grains of lead.
I could easily imagine, say, a load of seven round or hexagonal cross-section heavy flechettes at 120 grains each. That should give the same muzzle velocity with much better performance (though a sparser pattern) at longer ranges as the heavier, more aerodynamic projectiles shout have flatter trajectories and more velocity and energy downrange. That's .38 special +P performance, with 3" or 3 1/2" shells it could move to .357 magnum performance or better.
Something like that might make a shotgun useful at beyond normal buckshot ranges, say out to 100 yards. So why, as far as I know, are heavy flechettes not used?