Tri-Ball Buckshot Scores!

[LeonCarr]

The short and sweet of my first deer taken with buckshot:

11/06/17 0706 hours Whitetail Doe walks out at 28 yards, two pellets entered shoulders, one pellet entered lungs, all pellets exited, Doe was DRT PDQ.

For the Gearheads:

Shotgun: Remington 870 Express Magnum 12 Gauge, 28 inch barrel, with Magpul Buttstock and Remington Factory Trap Trigger/Sear Spring (This alone dropped the trigger pull from 7 pounds to 5 pounds, really helps with precision placement of tight patterning buckshot and turkey loads) and Carlson's SS Sporting Clays .690 Extra Full Choke.

Ammunition: Handloaded copy of 3 Inch Dixie Slugs Tri-Ball Buckshot using James Gates' data posted on this forum. Three .600 hard cast lead balls cast from a Double Cavity Lee Mold using an alloy of WDWW with 2% Tin added. Balls weigh an average of 318 grains each. The above shotgun/choke gives one hole patterns at 17 yards, 1.5-4 inch patterns at 40 yards, 6-8 inch patterns at 55 yards, and 10-12 inch patterns at 75 yards. This stuff is the B-52 Stratofortress of Buckshot...Speed, Range, and Payload.

I started casting just to make the hard cast round balls for this load. 99% of my shotgun shooting is with buckshot and slugs and none of the buckshot on the market even comes close to Tri-Ball Buckshot.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

[Hogtamer]

Don't imagine there's anything in this country that load won't put down. Congratulations on your home rolled success!

[dverna]

Well done and very informative post. If it is the load I am thinking about, it kills at both ends.

You do know you only have to kill a deer once? LOL Any one of those balls would have done the job.

[Rattlesnake Charlie]

Congratulation on your harvest. Always makes one a little more proud when you do it with one you loaded yourself. And thanks for the details on the load and performance, including the details on the shotgun and choke. Helps others know what works and what doesn't.

[LeonCarr]

Thank you all for the great feedback.

Yes Mr. dverna they are pretty stout. I usually pattern them by standing up and resting the shotgun on a tripod type shooting rest instead of sitting and shooting from the bench. Going from Remington 3 Inch Magnum 000 Buckshot to Tri-Ball Buckshot was like going from a Roman Chariot Race to the Indianapolis 500.

Just my thanksagainforallthegreatcomments .02,
LeonCarr

[RMc]

Thank you all for the great feedback.

Yes Mr. dverna they are pretty stout. I usually pattern them by standing up and resting the shotgun on a tripod type shooting rest instead of sitting and shooting from the bench. Going from Remington 3 Inch Magnum 000 Buckshot to Tri-Ball Buckshot was like going from a Roman Chariot Race to the Indianapolis 500.

Just my thanksagainforallthegreatcomments .02,
LeonCarr

Outstanding report! Yes, a standing rest is the way to test heavy 12 bore loads.
And that is a fantastic analogy!

[Blood Trail]

That's outstanding, brother! I see we both live in the DFW area. I haven't had much success with the Triball load recently. My balls keep blowing through the basewad. I starting to wonder if it's because my shotgun is over-bored?

Anyway, I'll give it another go once hunting season is over. I'm almost tagged out and aint even picked up a firearm yet. Waiting for the ducks to come down next.

[LeonCarr]

Mr. Blood Trail,

There is a good chance the overbored barrel could be causing that.

A buddy has a 3.5 Inch Winchester SXP that we tested Tri-Ball loads in. It has a .740 overbored barrel and the Invector Plus Choke System. The balls weren't blowing through the basewad, but the skirt around the base of the basewad was heavily damaged, like it was expanding to fill the extra .010 of space but there was not enough material in the wad skirt and it would start to rip. I could imagine that shooting them in something like a Mossberg 835 Ulti-Mag with its .775 overbore would make the wad damage even more pronounced.

The next step in my testing will be using different materials inside the orange wad to determine if the extra cushioning from something like styrene cut from meat trays or cork might be beneficial for both better patterns and keeping the wad intact. I have done some limited testing comparing the OS20 card wad inside the orange wad vs. OS20 styrene cut from meat trays. The styrene OS20 kept the wad virtually 100% intact, but patterns were larger than the cardboard OS20. The load used to take the Doe used the cardboard OS20, and the wad was intact but showed incipient signs of the bottom ball almost blowing through, but no cracks or openings.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

[Blood Trail]

Mr. Blood Trail,

There is a good chance the overbored barrel could be causing that.

A buddy has a 3.5 Inch Winchester SXP that we tested Tri-Ball loads in. It has a .740 overbored barrel and the Invector Plus Choke System. The balls weren't blowing through the basewad, but the skirt around the base of the basewad was heavily damaged, like it was expanding to fill the extra .010 of space but there was not enough material in the wad skirt and it would start to rip. I could imagine that shooting them in something like a Mossberg 835 Ulti-Mag with its .775 overbore would make the wad damage even more pronounced.

The next step in my testing will be using different materials inside the orange wad to determine if the extra cushioning from something like styrene cut from meat trays or cork might be beneficial for both better patterns and keeping the wad intact. I have done some limited testing comparing the OS20 card wad inside the orange wad vs. OS20 styrene cut from meat trays. The styrene OS20 kept the wad virtually 100% intact, but patterns were larger than the cardboard OS20. The load used to take the Doe used the cardboard OS20, and the wad was intact but showed incipient signs of the bottom ball almost blowing through, but no cracks or openings.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

Where about do you live? I’ve in Lake Worth.


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[LeonCarr]

Where about do you live? I’ve in Lake Worth.


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North Fort Worth 114/35

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

[Blood Trail]

North Fort Worth 114/35

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

Ok. You’re up there by Grapevine Lake and the speed way. I️ used to fish back in Denton Creek when the sand bass run. I️ would Park in Briarwood.


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[Pioneer2]

Any loads available for 2 3/4" shells?

[SuperBlazingSabots]

Greetings LeonCarr, I really enjoyed reading your post, would love to see the load setup in a pictures like this:https://imgur.com/hssTVbG

Please keep up the good work and I can't wait to see more, brother ! !

Best regards,
Ajay Madan

[anotherred]

Awesome!

[1988-4551]

Looks like a winner. Not a buckshot legal
State here unfortunately but may pattern them just for the out of state hog hunts we keep talking about.

[Smoke4320]

Congrats on the load and the kill .. meat in the freezer is a good thing

[anotherred]

For the love of you shoulder, these calculate out at 73 ft/lb recoil.

[725]

I'll echo both, the congrats on a good load and the query about a 2 3/4" comparable load. I'd like a "tamer" tri-ball load to try.

[RMc]

For the love of you shoulder, these calculate out at 73 ft/lb recoil.

See below:

https://www.beartoothbullets.com/rescources/calculators/php/recoil.htm?bw=945&bv=1050&cw=28&w=7.5

Recoil Calculator

Enter Bullet Weight in Grains:
945
Enter Bullet Velocity in fps:
1050
Enter Powder Weight in Grains:
28
Enter Gun Weight in Pounds:
7.5

Recoil Energy of 46 foot pounds, and Recoil Velocity of 20 fps.

[anotherred]

I want say I calculated around 7# gun, 1250 fps, 29 gr powder and what ever weight the ones I cast came in at. Now I haven't cronoed yet, just going off the data I found. I hope mine figures are wrong, as my shoulder would appreciate your calculations alot better.

[RMc]

I want say I calculated around 7# gun, 1250 fps, 29 gr powder and what ever weight the ones I cast came in at. Now I haven't cronoed yet, just going off the data I found. I hope mine figures are wrong, as my shoulder would appreciate your calculations alot better.

The only recoil aspects not taken into account, were the actual weight of the wad and buffer.
Velocity was based on a 20 inch barrel. My usual 26" barrel + extended choke tube usually adds between 20 and 30 fps.


See post #14 below:

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?43463-12-bore-load-question

[jmort]

^^^ Thank you
Makes sense

[Moonie]

I load these and they do kick pretty hard, just as hard as my 15x00 2 3/4" loads. I do not think it is possible to load tri-ball in a 2 3/4" due to the length of the shot column, 3 .60 balls stack pretty long. It requires a wad that is all shot cup, a steel shot wad from BPI.

[SuperBlazingSabots]

Greetings Moonie, after reading your comments, this chart of powder to hull space comes to mind.
https://imgur.com/YLWx85Q
Hope it helps.

Best regards,
Ajay
SuperBlazingSabots

[toot]

BUCK SHOT has finally been outlawed in my state, RI. be cause of all of the gut shot deer that got away and died a horrible death according to the state biologists. a slug either hits and kills or misses. a hunters prayer- o lord please let me kill clean or miss clean. being the smallest state we can use slugs but not any rifle.

[Moonie]

BUCK SHOT has finally been outlawed in my state, RI. be cause of all of the gut shot deer that got away and died a horrible death according to the state biologists. a slug either hits and kills or misses. a hunters prayer- o lord please let me kill clean or miss clean. being the smallest state we can use slugs but not any rifle.

To compare the tri-ball load to conventional buckshot loads isn't really fair. The tri-ball load is 3 .60 caliber balls, they penetrate like you wouldn't believe as they must be cast very hard. It's more like shooting 3 slugs in 1 shell.

[RMc]

Attached comparison of Dixie TriBall buckshot with an equal weight of 00B and 40 yard pattern.

[longbow]

Has anyone tried two 0.610" RB's in a 2 3/4" hull?

I have a recipe for two 0.690" RB's in (IIRC) 2 3/4" hull but haven't tried it. I got it off nitroexpress.com. Cross referencing to very heavy shot loads it looks acceptable but...

Two 0.610" RB's is not bad for weight at all at around 650 grs. depending on alloy. Not a Tri-Ball but it should do okay I'd guess if loaded in similar fashion.

Just curious. It may be worth buying a Lee RB mould just to check it out.

Longbow

[LeonCarr]

Yeah, it has been a while since I posted, but the Tri-Ball Buckshot testing has continued.

The Remington 870 has moved to the back of the safe and the Benelli Novas and Super Novas to the front. The rotating bolt Benellis seem to be handling the pressures better. I like the 870 but I have grown to love the Benelli Pumps.

Started testing 3.5 Inch Tri-Ball Buckshot. The 3.5 Inch Tri-Ball Load Data Mr. Gates posted on this forum calls for 32 grains of Steel powder. In my shotguns 32 grains is HOT, as in primers flowing into the firing pin hole and having to mortar the shotgun to eject the round. Loading 31 grains of Steel powder made the load much more manageable, and still offers about 75 fps over the 3 inch version. The biggest improvement I have seen is in group size when shooting the 3.5 inch load in 3.5 inch chambers versus the 3 inch load in 3.5 inch chambers. The 3.5 inch shoots an average of about an inch tighter at 40 yards. The individual shooter will have to decide if the extra recoil is worth it. One shot put all three balls into one hole at 40 yards. Ya'll probably think I am full of Bovine Fecal Matter, but it was witnessed.

I still think this is the best buckshot load there is, and plan on hunting with it exclusively this upcoming deer season.

More to come.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr