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The Benelli is gas operated and heavier than the pump action 870 used during the test. With some reduced-recoil loads, it was a joy to fire. In my opinion a large part of the problem is trying to extend the useful range of buckshot. Many if not all of the “tactical” and “reduced recoil” buckshot loads use plated pellets.
For example, finding No. 3 buckshot is easy…if you have a 20-gauge. If you have another caliber, you might find it difficult to find that load. Here are some of the buckshot sizes you will most likely encounter. Buckshot is a load of large pellets that vary in size, depending on your load. The name is derived from its ability to kill a deer. That’ll put a hitch in your giddyup.Despite the rumors, buckshot is not a net of death.
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For home defense we recommend the tightest patterning #00 buckshot loading. Our Pick is the Remington Managed Recoil #00 Buckshot RL12BK00This is an eight-pellet load. Reducing the payload by one pellet may tighten the pattern and also reduce recoil. This is a reduced-recoil load at 1109 fps in the Remington 870. The pattern was superb, without any drawbacks, at 1.8 by 1.5 inches.
Avoid deformed pellets by using not only carefully honed forcing cones and chokes, but also harder shot—either alloyed or plated—to resist deformation. No one should limit their choices to the loads I’ve discussed. The ones I prefer have simply been the ones that performed best for my needs in the guns that I’ve used. However, my experience over the last 30 years has shown that some of the low-recoil tactical loads have not been as reliable in semi-auto shotguns.
Winchester Super-X Buffered #1 Buckshot: Best #1 Buckshot
While Hornady’s execution of a #4 buck load is the best currently available, there are still some beneficial design features that they left on the table. Until someone optimizes the #4 buckshot load, it will be an unacceptably subpar solution for the defensive application of the shotgun. Stick with the high performers, and all the high performers right now are 00. If I get in coyote range with a shotgun, it’s likely moving, and as such, the spread of pellets helps make it easier to hit a moving target. Lots of little pellets increase my chances of taking the animal down.
A 12-gauge shotgun can fire a variety of different loads, from birdshot to slugs. Those trap and skeet loads run out of steam pretty fast in terms of effectiveness over distance. Function was good and recoil modest with this load. With more than 1200 fps in the Benelli and a 27-pellet payload of #4 buckshot, this has the greatest energy among the #4 buckshot choices.
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When you factor in greater velocity and penetration, this is the top #4 buckshot load. While we prefer heavier buckshot for personal defense, this load has much merit in the intended role of taking down coyotes and other predators. The only .410 shotgun I’ve used with buckshot was an S&W Governor. It patterned very tightly with Federal’s 000 buckshot Handgun ammo, and was an impressive close-range self-defense gun. The only buckshot load available in 16 gauge is a Federal Power-Shok loaded with 12 pellets of #1 buckshot, so there isn’t much of a choice. The Remington load uses 21 pellets, so recoil is the least of the #4 buckshot loads.
The total spread in the Remington 870 was 17 by 11 inches, with one pellet off the paper. However, 10 of the 15 pellets went into a group of 8 by 2.5 inches including four in one hole! We are certain this 3-inch load would offer devastating potential at 5 to 10 yards. Although the 10 shells that were fired never failed to function the Benelli, velocities ran from 807 fps to 1107 fps.
Remington 870 Tactical 12 Gauge
The copper balls are designed to be safe when firing at steel targets as close as 4 feet. The pattern is surprisingly tight at 4 by 6 inches, with two pellets sometime opening up the group to 4 by 8 inches. The load is advertised to function in gas-operated shotguns, but it did not work in the Benelli, with about 20% failures. Penetration in water was shallow due to the pellets’ light individual weight.
I fired one shot with each load at the head of a full-sized silhouette target 7 yards away, and one at the center of the target’s chest at 15 yards. Each load kept all of its pellets in the head at 7 yards, although the Super-X hunting load clearly shot the largest pattern. At 15 yards, the area of the pattern of the Federal load remained essentially the same as it was at 7 yards. The other loads shot patterns that were wider at 15 yards than at 7 yards, and the Remington #4 load increased the most in area.
Winchester 12ga 00 BuckshotFor defensive purposes, the most effective way to stop a threat is proper shot placement. Buckshot to the torso generates the highest percentage of one-shot stops at close range, according to Greg “GorillaFritz” Ellifritz’s research. So, with that said, we are coming at this from a 12-gauge perspective since it’s the most common caliber for defensive/tactical use. But, word of warning, you may find yourself frustrated at the lack of loads designed for defensive and tactical applications. Travis Pike is a former Marine Machine gunner who served with 2nd Bn 2nd Marines for 5 years. He deployed in 2009 to Afghanistan and again in 2011 with the 22nd MEU during a record setting 11 months at sea.
No. 4 will penetrate through drywall and also fail to penetrate through bad guys. No. 4 buckshot isn’t as wrong an answer as birdshot, but it’s still a poor choice for a fighting shotgun. We bought this load in a 25-shell box, which allows for cheap practice in controlling 12-gauge buckshot recoil.
We also calculated energy based on the common shot weight. As an example, #00 may be listed officially at 53.8 grains, but each pellet may range from 52 to 60 grains. If you are certain that the engagement will be static defense and that the range will be inside of 7 yards, none of the loads are at a particular disadvantage. There are a couple of other advantages to good ol’ 000 buckshot. One is range, where the bigger pellets tend to maintain velocity farther out. My shooting with several types of loads tells me that the oft-quoted “maximum-effective range” of 25 yards for 00 buck would go at least 10 yards farther with 000.
At 1065 fps, recoil is modest compared to some slug loads. The pattern with the slug in the center and the three balls radiating outward was 6.5 by 8 inches in the Remington. The Benelli gained 7 fps and narrowed the pattern to 4.5 by 4 inches. This is a hard-hitting load that will produce a complex wound. While it has merit, we would recommend buckshot for home defense, but perhaps having two of these in the magazine tube as the last resort would not be a bad idea. The Winchester load burns cleanly and proved reliable in both shotguns.
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