Wolf 12 ga 00 Buck ammo any good?

[perpster]

Hi all. New shotgunner here. Recently got Mossberg 500A with 18" barrel. Want to stock up on self-defense ammo. Came across Wolf 12 gauge 00 Buck 9 pellets for 41 cents/round shipped if buy 250 rounds.

This would likely be my only shotgun ammo purchase for some time. Is this the right type of round to use? Is it worth it? Nearest alternative I could find was Federal Tactical Low Recoil 00 Buck 9 pellets for 59.6 cents/round shipped if buy 250 rounds.

Any thoughts?

PS: I also have handguns for self-defense if that makes any difference.

Edited to add:
Natchez has S&B 12 ga 00 Buck (clear) for 37.6 cents/round shipped if buy 250 rounds. Any thoughts on Wolf vs. S&B in this matchup?

 

[perpster]

Clarification

I should clarify: I'm such a total newbie to shotguns that I have no idea if there's any qualitative difference between these same loads from S&B, Wolf and Federal. I'll be doing some practice with the rounds, but mostly they're just for just in case.

Edited to remove baby talk!

 

[oletymer]

Shottie? It's a shotgun. You don't have to baby talk about it.

 

[Dave McCracken]

Welcome aboard. A couple things....

First, get instruction if you can. Trust me.

Neither Wolf nor S&B are top line makers, but their products go bang every time.

However, one needs to learn to use a defensive weapon, and shotguns are tough on newbies.

For starters, get the lightest loads of birdshot you can find. 7/8 oz loads are optimum, 1 oz can work. 1 1/8 oz loads in a light shotgun like your Mossberg (Otherwise a good choice) combined with bad form can tear you a new one.

Use those until you're further up the learning curve. Then, try out different buck loads by patterning them, Pick one and buy as much of it as you can.

Also, using the advanced search feature by typing 101 in the topic and my name in the author slot will lead you to a series of threads designed to help out new shotgunners.

HTH....

 

[perpster]

Thanks Dave.

 

[Fred Fuller]

Best bet with any given load is to buy a few rounds and pattern them through your particular gun. It would help to know what your expectations of pattern performance are, how far you expect to be able to use the given load etc.

For example, I like tight patterns from defensive shotguns. I will not voluntarily use a shotgun/buckshot combination that will not keep all its pellets on a piece of typing paper at 25 yards. Some folks prefer the genuine 'scattergun' approach, and that's fine if that is what they want. It's easy to get the 'scattergun' effect out of almost any shotgun- just use S&B buckshot. It's the most consistently wide open patterning load I know of, with dead soft lead pellets, no buffering and felt wads that do little to protect the shot upon firing (did I mention they also smell like a burning mattress when fired?).

I prefer to shoot choked barrels, even the short ones- Remington now puts ImpCyl fixed chokes in most of its 18- 20" barrels, and I have gone so far as to have choke tubes installed in older Remington Cyl barrels. But no matter what you do or what you shoot, buckshot is generally a pretty short range proposition. For purely defensive use that isn't really an issue, because most defensive engagements are at relatively short range- and that is where buckshot excels after all. At across-the-room or down-the-hall ranges measured in feet, it doesn't really matter too much what buckshot load you're shooting. Still, you should pattern your gun and load at the anticipated ranges so you know what it does, and buy a few rounds to pattern before you start buying by the case.

Sometimes reduced recoil loads will pattern better than full house magnum loads. Some new developments are likely to get you good patterns even out of a cylinder bore- Hornady's TAP for example, in either red hull (full loads) or blue hull (reduced recoil) and Federal's new law enforcement offerings both use the same wad design, which holds the pellets together pretty far downrange.

I do think that buying case lots of ammo you like is a good idea, BTW. But try a few before you buy a lot...

Stay safe,

lpl/nc

 

[perpster]

Thanks Lee. Based upon what you and Dave have said I'm giving serious thought to spending the extra money and getting the Fed Tac.

 

[Fred Fuller]

You're welcome!

Nothing at all wrong with inexpensive ammo, as long as it is dependable and it does what you want it to do. Number one concern, as Dave said, is always that it goes 'bang.' Never tried any of the Wolf offerings, but the S&B buckshot has always gone bang for me. And I have bought several cases of it in times gone by. It is definitely 'to whom it may concern' buckshot, and it certainly has its place in the greater scheme of things. Sometimes you WANT open patterns.

Of late I have enjoyed Fiocchi's low recoil 00 buckshot (stock #12LE00BK), it is the softest kicking of any I have tried recently. I have two cases on the way currently, having mostly shot up the first 60 rounds I bought to experiment with. The Fiocchi is not terribly expensive, note that the prices you see advertised for it are for 10- round boxes.

For slugs I really like the Kent/Brenneke KO offering. They too are inexpensive when you catch them on sale, around two dollars for a box of five. They are not low recoil, being full one ounce slugs at 1600FPS, but they are Brenneke design projectiles. That means a solid slug of hard lead alloy with sharp shoulders and an attached wad, that will penetrate deep and cut a clean hole doing it. So far I haven't come across a barrel that doesn't shoot them well, no doubt though there are some barrels out there that won't like KOs.

None of this is rocket science, all that matters is that you decide what you want your shotgun and load to do, and then experiment until you find a combination that does it (THEN order case lots...). My preference is to find loads that work and that are inexpensive enough to shoot a lot- that way you get to practice with what you carry, and you know what your gun will do with it under different conditions. I don't like gold plated ammo that costs so much you can't afford to practice with it- that defeats the purpose IMO.

Have fun experimenting, and Stay Safe,

lpl/nc

 

[perpster]

Follow Up

Thanks again Dave and Lee. Based on your wisdom I have ordered 2 cases of 00 Buck. One of Fed Tac Low Recoil for tighter patterning and one of S&B for wider coverage. I will heed the masters' advice about the learning curve (I've shot full house 357's from a 12 oz J-frame and tons of +P over the years from other J's, so I have some idea of what Dave means about getting torn a new one). I only anticipate shooting the shotgun to learn and practice. Otherwise only if the need arises, so that's why I just went ahead and bought the ammo now after considering your sage advice.

 

[Average Joe]

Wolf shotgun ammo is fine. Buy as much as you like, it will go bang when you pull the trigger.

 

[beerslurpy]

Wolf has more velocity (I think around 1200-1300fps) than S&B (around 900) but S&B has more pellets (12 vs 9). Either will work fine and both are extremely hard hitting rounds.

They kick like a mule and cycle my saiga just fine.

 

[PD575]

If I had to choose between those two then I'd definintely go with the Wolf brand ammo. The S&B stuff is good too but it is very, very dirty ammo. Not that this matters much in a self defense situation but it's just a thought.

 

[Lars]

I've shot some of the S&B through an 18" 870. It was not as tight as some of the Federal loads I've tried and it always seemed to have a flier or two.

 

[bpisler]

The remington managed recoil 00 buck works
the best from my mossy 500A with a
18.5" barrel.I haven't tried any
wolf in this shotty but it worked
well as a practice load in my 870
express.I also like the Federal 2¾"
00 buck in the blue/gray box.The
part # is F12700,it seem to shoot as
well as the tactical but is about a
dollar cheaper per box.The best
thing is to buy a few boxes of
various ammo and see what works best
in your shotgun.

 

[The_Antibubba]

How well it meets your needs will depend upon those needs.

If dropping that deer at 40 yards is critical, then you'll have to test what shells give you the tightest pattern in your particular gun. If you're dropping the jackal who's coming in your window, something that goes bang each time is your most important concern, along with practice; if you're panicky enough you CAN miss at 5 yards.

 

[AmbulanceDriver]

My current favorite

Is the Federal 00 buck 2 3/4" with the FliteControl wad. It generates one heck of a tight pattern out of my 18.5" HD shotgun (Rem 870 express mag, ImpCyl). Now by tight I mean consistently 5 inch patterns at 15 yards. This is about the longest distance in my house and then some.