Best pb for 00 buckshot?

[Dirtshooter]

Hi all, is coww okay for 00 buckshot or mix of coww and soww? New to buckshot casting. Thanks Mac

[GhostHawk]

Straight COWW is as far as I know about perfect.

But I have cast buck from 50% COWW + 50% soft lead, added maybe 1% pewter.

Still pretty tough. But if you have the COWW to spare that is the way to go IMO.

[farmbif]

I have always used my softest lead for buckshot and sabots and black powder shooting. but need to do some testing to see how much soft lead shot gets deformed.
wish I had a way to nickel plate buckshot to add strength to the heaviest most dense shot I can cast.

[centershot]

I use a 50/50 mix of linotype and pure lead to make my buckshot. Lino is 84-12-4, so my alloy comes out at 6% antimony. That makes really hard shot, especially when I water-drop the pellets. BHN is around 24. Hard shot stays rounder than soft shot, ask the AAA trap shooters what they shoot, and why. Round shot pellets stay in the pattern, out-of-round pellets fly outside. Hard shot = tighter patterns.

[Dirtshooter]

Ok guys that is clear as muddy water. Some say hard, some soft. Thanks for the info though. Mac

[missionary5155]

COWW will not deform as easily as soft. Better penetration and will fly straighter if not deformed.
Air cooled is harder than factory buck and both will drop larger beasts if the range is not excessive for the load and still maintains sufficient impact velocity.
If I am going to pop corn crunchers under 25 yards and my barrel will group all my buck into 12 inches it will not matter what the buck is made off.
Past 25 yards buck starts loosing velocity fast and a harder ball that will not expand will penetrate deeper. Thus WW is a better choice for me.
If I am going to shoot WW buck I am going to be wanting an improved cylinder choke on a none steel barrel. Old shotgun barrels and thin ones will stress split.
My 1928 made Iver Johnson 32" Special Trap will never get WW buck shot through it.

[copdills]

I have always used coww's for my 00 and 000 buck works great

[Dirtshooter]

Thanks guys, I was just trying to find a use for the soww's.

[megasupermagnum]

Nobody who has done much pattern testing would ever recommend soft shot. COWW's are fantastic for buckshot. SOWW's are not.

[6pt-sika]

I’ve only cast 0000 , 00000 and 000000 . Seems to me I use straight WW’s and a couple times I might have added some Lino . But all my first try’s at 0000 and 00000 were straight WW’s water dropped then rolled . And my loads with 0000 and 00000 shot very well on paper from several Parker 10 gauge doubles as well as killing a deer or two with both sizes . The 000000 is just for my 8 gauge and while it is adequate on paper I’ve not fired it at a four legged brown cloven hooved rat , YET !

[nightwolf1974]

I cast my 00 & 000 buckshot from linotype, gets good penetration that way!

[Geezer in NH]

I prefer FREE for mine!!!!!!!!!!

[Dirtshooter]

Well Geezer you should have been the first to chime in!! All of my PB has been FREE. Why on earth would anyone have to pay for something like that??