Just bought some from PSA, haven’t shot it since I was a kid. Always good to have extra buckshot around. What choke are you suppose to use? I’m extremely ignorant on shooting buckshot so any help would be excellent.

Thanks
Matt

Whatever that throws the pattern you like best for the use.

Hunting ,,, full choke had always worked best for me . But I never used 2 3/4

How far can you kill a deer with 12ga OO Buck? 50 yards?

I have more money in buckshot chokes than in 2 shotguns. I have found that you can not beat the Kicks buckicker. Even with that I have experimented with various loads and have found a real good load for my 20" barrel that I carry on the Gator. My other guns seem to pattern buck shot better but I need the shorter barrel to swing into action faster from the floor mounted gun rack. I am loading 1 1/2 size swaged buckshot that I powder coat. I use 2 3/4' Fio for those loads with MG42 wads. I stack 12 of those 31 cal. pellets for a perfect stack. I have tried loads with more pellets but its not how many pellets in the hull. Its how many on target. My pattern board dont lie. I use them around the farm for bobcat, coons, coyotes etc. If I had not been so hard headed thinking that buckshot needed a more open choke, I would have saved a lot of time and money. My pattern board is at 45 yds and all are in 30" with 6-8 being in a 8" pie plate

I dont shoot deer with buckshot. But with a real good pattern, I would make 40 yds. my limit

Buy a few Kicks Buckicker’s for a few of my shotguns and pattern them? Then I’m good to go?

What would you gain out of 3 1/2in vs 2 3/4, 12ga 00 Buck?

one buckicker is all you need. I started with the full then went to the xtra full. The full does better on my longer barrels. I dont have a 3 1/2 but have tried 3" and tried other hulls and wads.. I am getting the best pattern from this load and I have done a lot of testing. I have a compnchoke with a .035 constriction that does well also. I load with 31 cal. buckshot because it stacks best in the wads that I use. Every shotgun is different, even the same brand, but the buckicker works in all mine. I was just determined to get my Gator gun to give a great pattern and I finally did. Good luck with your endeavor. By the way, I have a good many 3 1/2 hulls from when I did have one but I am not very close to you. also I use a buffer in my loads

Buck kicker for me as well. The factory full might do good too.

You have to pattern your gun and let it tell you what your max range is. I feel comfortable out to about 60-70, but I've spent a lot of time and $ to get there. With only 9 pellets in that load, I'd figure I was done at whatever range they wouldn't all stay in 15" or so.

Excellent information! I do not reload, prob should but can’t take on another hobby right now. I’m not necessarily wanting to kill deer with buckshot, but the thought of having a couple shotguns loaded with it for critters makes me smile. Also have a really short barreled 1100 I wouldn’t mind loading up and keeping by my back door or wife’s office. I’m just trying to learn this buckshot thing.

Hunting you'll want a full choke defense open choke or improved cylinder at tightest. Course you just launched 9 pellets@1300 feet towards the problem which tends to solve that problem.

Killed plenty with a Rem 1100 12g modified 2 3/4 0buck. All 12 pellets were in a paper plate at 50yds, that pattern is why I used the 0buck.

hurt shoulder . lol

if you cant handle heavy recoil leave the 3 1/2 alone

I have the same gun and for whatever reason it likes #1 buck.

way back when the 1100s with the 30" fixed full chock barrels liked ever thing . best buckshot guns there ever was imo .

I always use full choke.
I’ve seen deer taken at 100yds with it, but I personally wouldn’t shoot past 75yds (with 3.5”).

With buckshot, a 2-3/4 will kill as far as a 3.5, and a 3.5 will kill no farther than a 2-3/4. I see a ton killed inside 50 with most anything. I don’t see much get recovered if shot past 50, with anything. TSS changes that, but I don’t want to be in the same area on a dog drive with folks shooting TSS buck.

A broken collar bone.

Back in the 60s and early 70s I killed a 18 wheeler load of deer with buckshot. Lost a hit deer once in a while. Then one fateful weekend(1972ish) in Wilcox Co I hit and lost TWO damn big bucks. Both within 40 yards, both sparse blood trails. Haven't shot at a deer with buckshot since then. The stuff is just too imprecise for my tastes.

I shoot the 3" 15 pellet 00 Winchester Super X with a full choke. Killed a pile of deer with that combo. I feel comfortable shooting to about 60 yards. I have patterned it at 80 and can still consistently get hits on target but that is pushing it a bit, mainly because of velocity at that point. I have shot it though xxxfull comp-n-choke. It did great. Could put all fifteen in a 6"circle at 40, but it ruined the choke. Never fooled around with the 2 3/4 stuff too much.

i used the copper coated ones . might just be me but they seemed to kick a little less than the Federals.

i used the 000 in my BPS 10ga

Don't deer hunt with buckshot... BUT I shoot a lot of pigs with it under 50yds they are toast. Buck Kicker for 00 but I prefer #1 and #4 for the woods and use a Carlson Coyote and think it's better with #1 and #4 than the Buck Kicker. #1 will kill the crap outa something I don't know why it isn't more popular.

For me, I don't shoot the #1 because it gives wider patterns. And for the loss of energy at long range. Shot density will be about the same as 00 just wider.

Said it before but I will say again. Different guns even the same brand' pattern differently. If My Gator gun didnt prefere 31 cal. buckshot' then i would not go to the trouble to powder coat the pellets. I shot nickel plated, buffered loads from #2 to 000 with good results in my other guns. Some would like one load and some another. Sometimes one load would be outstanding for the first shot and fall short the next. I will say that : if you are going to hunt deer with buckshot, Then at least pattern at least 5 shells from that load and restrict your shots to a distance that you can be sure of a clean kill. I know that has already been said by another member but it need repeating. I want a clean kill on Even the predators around my place

From what I remember,
2 3/4 = 9 pellets
3” = 12 pellets
3 1/2” = 18 pellets

I cringe when I think about shooting 3.5” out of a pump. It’s tolerable in my SBE2 though.

A 3.5 throws 18 00 pellets a little slower than a 2 3/4 throws 9 or 12 pellets. If you're shooting the 9 pellet load that this thread was started talking about. It's like shooting twice every time you pull the trigger on a 3.5. Speed doesn't kill. Pattern density does. I've killed deer @ 70 yards with a 1050 fps load before I knew it shot that slow.

A lot of deer have been killed with a 2 3/4 and also a 3" gun. I spent a lot of time and $ to find a gun and load I'm happy with because I use it for 90% of my deer hunting. I've went back to the drawing board over a 14" 40 yard pattern or a 12" pattern that had holes in it. Whatever 9 or 12 pellets will do, 18 will do better. Under 40 yards on a wide open shot, it probably wouldn't matter. For a pattern that will still kill at 50, or 60 yards, or through light brush, I want all the help I can get.

I don't think it's bad through mine either (SBE2). I shot a 3.5" 870 a few times and it might have taken a few years off my life. Kicked me right in the face.

yeah i shot one a few times , ill stay with my 10ga pump . pushing that much lead out of a smaller hole makes a lot of difference .

We bought 3 new mossberg 3.5” pumps when they first came out in the late 80’s. Killed a lot of deer with 3.5” #1 buck, several out to 70 yards walking clearcuts. Yeah they kick just a little though.
We’ve always gotten better patterns with #1 buck and mod chokes.
Y’all got me wanting to try that choke though. I plan on shooting some pigs with buckshot this summer.

If you don't like it, they will swap it out for 30 days till you get the patterns you want. They make it in a Lt full, a full and an extra full.

i stocked up

10ga hammer

As far as 3.5 goes. I don't shoot it anymore. For one its expensive. 2 my accuracy isn't as good, 3 follow up shots are either slower and/or less accurate.4 3.5 hulls mess up if they're left in the tube too long. The hull will deform.

I'd rather double tap 2.75 than all 18 pellets in one shot.

2.75 shells can be bought on sale pretty cheap. That and the reduced recoil allows me to shoot more before / after season.

I have an 870 Express with the standard mod chole tube that patterns 000 buck into pie plate sized patterns at 40 yds and puts 6 of them in there at 50. 000 will break bones

I was always a #1 buckshot fan, always had/borrowed uncles or dad's guns, full choke 30" seemed what most everybody ran back in the day. That set up sure piled up a mess of them.