Gonna have the chance to go on a few dog hunts this year and was wondering what the best buckshot size is to use? Never shot any before, I’ll be using my Benelli SBE2. What’s my effective killing range? Any info would be greatly appreciated

Bout like anything else with a shotgun, you’ll have to pattern it to see. Pattern will determine your range, not effective killing power of 00 if you choose to use it.

Pattern master makes a good tube for 00.

I’ve killed a bunch of deer with 00 and patternmaster tube and 3” Winchester AA. Remington shoots good too.


Do they allow rifles where you are going? If so, a Ruger 44 Deerfield with a Fastfire 3 is a very good alternative to buckshot. I personally shoot a BAR 30-06 with open sights for my dog gun if I’m not shooting a 44 mag.

Thanks, it’s buckshot only

Will need to pattern your gun. My 1100 will scatter 00 but single 0 will put em all in a pie plate at 50yds. Barrel is 28" modified. Thats what I remember from the last time I did this in the early 80's. Good luck, hunting deer with dogs can be a lot of fun.

I always used #1 buckshot when running dogs. But as everyone has said you'll need to pattern it to see what shoots best.

I killed a pile of deer with my old Remington 1100 shooting 00 buck, but you need to get a box of #1, 0, 00 and 000 and pattern all of them with your shotgun.

My old 1100 with a 28" Modified loves some #1 Buck!

Like already said, it about what your gun likes.

Best 00 buck patterning gun I ever seen was my grandpas old 30” modified A5 with 2 3/4”.

That’s another point SJ. Try 2 3/4” and 3”.
I don’t like 3.5”, even if the gun is capable of it. The only gun I ever seen shoot it decent was an older Mossberg.

I always preferred no 4 copper coated in my dog running days

If I was gonna just go few times, I’d get me a couple boxes of 3” or 3 1/2” 00 or 000. Put in your modified choke, and anything inside of 40 yards shoot till it drops or you run out of shells.

Now with that being said, I shoot Remington 2 3/4 000 in my 1100, with a 28 mod barrel. It’ll fold em up inside of 50. Also use a Stoeger 2000, shoot the same round along with some 3” 00. It does good as well, that’s with a mod screw in choke. It’s not always the longest tightest pattern, lots of times your shooting a 130lb dove at 15 yards, on a road bed. You’ll be lucky to get off 3 shots at times. Biggest thing is to remember to aim at the nose Whalen they are running.

Remember to always place yourself about 30 yards from the crossing on the downwind side. A lot of people don’t realize that most the time when a stander turns a deer, it’s from the same thing that keeps a still hunter from seeing deer, their nose.

Also, you know how you can see the road when you are coming out of the woods? Guess what, deer can too. Don’t stand in the middle of the dadgum road, find you a bush to get up against on the side the deer is coming from, then shoot him in the ditch on the other side once he crosses.

I would advise you to use a rangefinder and find out what patterns to that range soon as you can and when you get to your stand range some trees. Try different guns or chokes depending on woods type. Thicker woods #1 open woods tighter pattern #1 or 00. 30-40 yds probably best range further not so good. I like the idea myself of more pellets is better if you can slow it down those dogs may catch it for you. Good dogs won't stop until they get the deer or someone catches them. 60 yards if too far sometimes looks a lot closer.

Every 3.5" gun I've patterned has shot the Remington 3.5" 00 the best. I shoot a SBE2 and have killed a lot of deer with it. Before you buy expensive chokes and spend a bunch of $ on different shells, try that Remington shell with the factory full tube. Mine will put all 18 In a 13" circle @ 40 yards every time, and 12-13 will be in 8". I've killed several deer @ 60-70 yards with this gun and load. I won't shoot a healthy deer farther than that, but I feel very confident @ that range.

3 1/2” 00 copper-plated will reach out and drop them...

No doubt. I've talked to a pile of people who never kill crap. Then you will see them standing on their dog box on a white truck parked in the wide open. Most of our best crossings have the bushes trimmed to about waist high to a man on a box about 30-40 yards from where they "should" cross.

Mine does too, but my 1187 likes triple ought.

This.

Dr. B

Always did 00 buck growing up. Sometimes 000 buck.
Not sure if you're familiar with their range, but I wouldnt really shoot past 75 yds max. I tagged a few back in the day that were standing in the middle of a soybean field and even then, you'd be lucky to get a handful of the 18 pellets to connect. Not saying you cant get one past that range, but I wouldnt call it "efficient" past 75 for sure.

Thanks for the info guys, I’ll have to pick a few boxes up and see how it shoots

Use No. 1 buckshot. I’ve used 000 and 00 for years during my dog hunting days, however, number 1 is ALMOST the size of 00 and the No. 1 has lots more pellets per round.