buckshot through full chokes.

[Howie1968]

does anyone shoot buckshot through a full choke? I have a lot of coyotes on my place and plan on taking a few out. if you do use buckshot what size? if it will harm my choke or gun I wont use them, I know some peopl3 who use full chokes on modern firearms, trying to understand my limits and limitations with my 12 gauge. both bores are bored full to extra full

 

[Stumpkiller]

Shouldn't hurt anything. An ounce of buckshot is the same to the barrel as an ounce of #6 shot.

 

[Howie1968]

thank you sir

 

[Eterry]

It wont HURT anything, but may not HURT the coyotes either.
The larger pellets compress to a larger degree than smaller pellets when ran thru a choke, which i believe has the opposite effect of a jug choke.

Here's what i know... my father had a 36" full choke 12 ga. You couldn't hit a coffee can with OOB at 25 yards, but I have personally killed cottontails at 70 yards with 1 1/8oz of #8.

His Ithaca 37 preferred #4 buck, i killed my 1st coyote with it.

Also....1000s of police riot guns have cylinder bore and use OOB, and they are accountable for every pellet.

Best advice I can give... hit the pattern board.

 

[BrownBear]

Speaking only from the modern perspective, it paid off for me to shoot different sizes of buckshot through different chokes. Full choke never resulted in the tightest patterns with any buckshot but #4 buck. All the larger buckshot sizes preferred a MOD or IC choke for tightest patterns. I'd sure experiment with different buckshot sizes in your full choke, with my bet being that the smaller the buck the tighter the pattern, and the larger buck the more open the pattern.

 

[Eterry]

I completely agree Brownbear... dad's Ithaca 37 had a modified choke and did not like double-ought buck as well as it did number four buck. The best patterns it ever gave was with number 2 lead but that's pretty hard to come by nowadays. I shot competition combat silhouette for about 15 years and after every match we had a specialty event which usually involves a shotgun with either slugs or buckshot, birdshot was not allowed. Then combine 23 years of Law Enforcement qualifications and I've shot CASES of buckshot through many different shotguns and the one conclusion that I have for buckshot is the tighter the choke is the More The Buckshot scatters.
I still have more than a case of OOB 12 pellet and one of #4 buck..., like i said... the pattern board will tell much more then we can.

 

[Sidney Smith]

I shot a doe once with a 3 inch mag OO buck load out of my mossberg 500. Deer was about 25 to 30 yards away. 3 pellets struck the deer, the rest missed. When I checked the gun(it has the old C-lect choke), I had the thing turned down to full. It did not hurt the gun at all, but I do think it affected the pattern somewhat.

 

[Col. Batguano]

This is a discussion board about traditional ML'ing firearms. Please keep the anecdotes and references to modern firearms relevant to that. That said, generally historical ML'ers were not choked, except for jug chokes to facilitate loading bore sized wads and getting good seals.

 

[curator]

I have found that any choke larger than "improved cylinder" actually makes patterns worse with #4 through 000 buck shot in my muzzle loading shotguns. I pattern all my smooth bores at 35 yards. I have tried plastic and paper shot sleeves, buffer, Sky-chief loads and "magnum" shot but nothing shoots better than 2, 1/8" over powder card, lubed 3/8 cushion wad and 1 & 1/4 to 1 & 3/8 volume of power to buck shot (volume) and little to no choke.

Eight, 000 buck shot should make a 36" spread at 35 yards in a 12 gauge smoothbore if the powder charge is right. In a 12 gauge I recommend 70 to 80 grains of FFg. Some of my muzzle loading shotguns have removable choke tubes which is a big plus.

Chokes do not appear to improve patterns n buckshot loads in my experience, Plastic shot sleeves, on the other hand, actually do if loaded correctly. I cut the "gas-seal" and "cushion" section off and load over traditional over powder wad and cushion wad for best performance. You have to experiment with your shotgun to find what works best!

 

[Eterry]

This is a discussion board about traditional ML'ing firearms. Please keep the anecdotes and references to modern firearms relevant to that. That said, generally historical ML'ers were not choked, except for jug chokes to facilitate loading bore sized wads and getting good seals.

Oops, my bad...

I completely agree Brownbear... dad had a modified choke and did not like double-ought buck as well as it did number four buck. The best patterns it ever gave was with number 2 lead but that's pretty hard to come by nowadays. I shot for about 15 years and after every match we had a specialty event which usually involves a shotgun with either slugs or buckshot, birdshot was not allowed, and I've shot of buckshot through many different shotguns and the one conclusion that I have for buckshot is the tighter the choke is the More The Buckshot scatters like i said... the pattern board will tell much more then we can.

There... Sanitized.

 

[Eterry]

BTW, I don't think Jug Choking has ANYTHING to do with facilitating bore sized wads and getting good seals... they have EVERYTHING to do with tightening the pattern while using bore sized wads.

EVERYONE knows if you want a good seal you take a can of English peas and pour them around a hole in the ice...

When the seal comes up to take a pea you kick them in the icehole...

 

[Col. Batguano]

Ok, then I have to ask the question; if you have a barrel that is choked similar to the way cartridge guns are today, how do you get a bore sized card or wad through the restricted muzzle (relative to the chamber size)? A jug choked bore allows the bore to be parallel sided (except the jug section which is wider) from breech to muzzle.

 

[Howie1968]

you turn it sideways push it down then use yor rod it seems to level out and seat properly I haven't detected any leakage yet

 

[Eterry]

Ok, then I have to ask the question; if you have a barrel that is choked similar to the way cartridge guns are today, how do you get a bore sized card or wad through the restricted muzzle (relative to the chamber size)? A jug choked bore allows the bore to be parallel sided (except the jug section which is wider) from breech to muzzle.

When i bought my full choke 10 ga i asked ken the man who made it how he loads it. He takes the wads and using a small pliers bends the "corner", less then 90 degrees. He pushes the bent side in, then as Howie said uses the loading rod to straighten and seat it. Of course, this won't work for a 1/2" fiber wad.

A jug choke is not visible from the muzzle... it begins and ends inside the barrel, a few inches before the muzzle...
Have you ever seen one?

 

[Sidney Smith]

This is a discussion board about traditional ML'ing firearms. Please keep the anecdotes and references to modern firearms relevant to that. That said, generally historical ML'ers were not choked, except for jug chokes to facilitate loading bore sized wads and getting good seals.

I am fully aware of the content of the board sir, I was just trying to make a point regarding full chokes.

 

[curator]

Col. Batguano is "mostly" correct about historical muzzle loading shotguns not having choked barrels. Never say never--I have an 1850s Ward & Sons (London fine twist) 14 gauge SXS percussion shotgun that is definitely choked at the muzzles. Right side is "improved cylinder" at .688" and left side is modified choke at .683". Once past the choked portion 14 gauge wads (.695") slide right down with only the weight of the loading rod. Loading wads in a choked muzzle loader is a bit of a problem. For best results I load the two .125" over-powder card wads on edge using the loading rod to straighten it in the bore then being careful to turn the second wad 90 degrees so the damaged edges don't line up wiht the first and affect the gas seal. Fiber or cushion wads usually need to be loaded one-half at a time in a similar fashion. The slightly damaged edges allow for trapped air to escape as well insuring the wad-column is properly seated.

 

[Howie1968]

When i bought my full choke 10 ga i asked ken the man who made it how he loads it. He takes the wads and using a small pliers bends the "corner", less then 90 degrees. He pushes the bent side in, then as Howie said uses the loading rod to straighten and seat it. Of course, this won't work for a 1/2" fiber wad.

A jug choke is not visible from the muzzle... it begins and ends inside the barrel, a few inches before the muzzle...
Have you ever seen one?

Recently I did see one and understand a lot better now. ill be on the prowl for another 12 gauge with cylander bores. I love my shotgun all full/ extra full choke of it but I really want to fire big roundballs out of a sidexside smoothbore. ive got my pedersoli Kodiak 72 but its rifled. my shotgun I have now is 8lbs. may not be able to shoot a big rb out of it but im gonna come up with a buckshot load or buck and ball load that works at close range

 

[Howie1968]

I have found that any choke larger than "improved cylinder" actually makes patterns worse with #4 through 000 buck shot in my muzzle loading shotguns. I pattern all my smooth bores at 35 yards. I have tried plastic and paper shot sleeves, buffer, Sky-chief loads and "magnum" shot but nothing shoots better than 2, 1/8" over powder card, lubed 3/8 cushion wad and 1 & 1/4 to 1 & 3/8 volume of power to buck shot (volume) and little to no choke.

Eight, 000 buck shot should make a 36" spread at 35 yards in a 12 gauge smoothbore if the powder charge is right. In a 12 gauge I recommend 70 to 80 grains of FFg. Some of my muzzle loading shotguns have removable choke tubes which is a big plus.

Chokes do not appear to improve patterns n buckshot loads in my experience, Plastic shot sleeves, on the other hand, actually do if loaded correctly. I cut the "gas-seal" and "cushion" section off and load over traditional over powder wad and cushion wad for best performance. You have to experiment with your shotgun to find what works best!

so you would recommend 000? alls I want it foir is for 15 yards either shooting a hog or going into a thicket to find one ive shot

 

[Howie1968]

Speaking only from the modern perspective, it paid off for me to shoot different sizes of buckshot through different chokes. Full choke never resulted in the tightest patterns with any buckshot but #4 buck. All the larger buckshot sizes preferred a MOD or IC choke for tightest patterns. I'd sure experiment with different buckshot sizes in your full choke, with my bet being that the smaller the buck the tighter the pattern, and the larger buck the more open the pattern.

ive got 4 buck 2 buck 0 00 and 000 coming

 

[Col. Batguano]

What would be considered a "maximum load" for shot / buck shot in your chosen gauges?