Buckshot Choke

[Blood Trail]

Whatever you reload, add buffer. That’s a game changer for me.


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[Cap'n Morgan]

The folks that always pushed open chokes for buckshot must have been using it for home defense. in the south, we have been shooting buckshot through full choked guns forever.

It's a common misconception that chokes work "Just like a garden hose"...

Warning, another long-winded explanation coming up!

Chokes work by changing the velocity of the shot column. When the column meets the choked part of the barrel it's squeezed down in diameter,
this lengthens the column, and at the same time increases the velocity of the shot in front while slowing down those in the rear.
- just like a bunch of people leaving a movie theater. In the rear, people are bumping into each other but out in the front people are walking briskly
(does anybody use the word "briskly" anymore?) Anyway, the same thing happens to the shot; the strung out column reduces contact between the
individual pellets, which is what spoils our patterns -even if the pattern only consists of six or nine pellets.

This old commercial ad for a shot wad clearly illustrates the point. You can actually see how the rear of the skeet load is forced into the front part
(which is slowed down by air resistance) pushing the pellets outwards. Compare this to the trap load where the stringing is already obvious a few feet
from the muzzle.

[longbow]

Yes, I was thinking stacks of 3 00 buck pellets would be good but they'd likely deform going through a choke since they wouldn't likely flow well like smaller shot. Stacks of 2 in shotcup should allow for squish and flow to suit a choke and benefit from the choke.

Currently I only have cylinder bore (2 slug/buckshot guns) and fixed choke (1 slug/buckshot gun with I/C choke and several fixed full choke guns). Screw in chokes would be nice! And make it easier to test and tune.

Maybe it's time to buy a Mossberg 500 combo!

Longbow

[Wilderness]

I have been trying them all. Stacking by two's shoots a little tighter groups than the stacking by three's

I am using 14 pellets of SSG buckshot (7mm/.280") in 20 ga. These stack two per layer in Rem SP wad. Case is straight sided skived plastic, powder 24 or 25 gns Blue Dot. Both barrels (M&F) pattern well, but full is better - full can just about put the lot on a medium sized pig at 25 meters.

I find SSG much better on pigs than SG/00. My first experience of this size was about 1970 with some (then communist) Polish Pawam paper case ammo with fibre wads and 7 mm shot. The red roll crimp cartridges had a picture of a boar on them. The first big boar I shot dropped like a stone, and the spent shot was all under the skin on the far side. That ammo put plenty of rubbish out the front when it went off too, so much so that a friend opined it was "wadded with the skins of political prisoners". But it was good ammo and the lesson on shot size was taken to heart.

[longbow]

BT:

On the buffer comment, my reloading manuals say not just to add buffer unless the recipe calls for it as it may raise pressure.

Have you checked pressure of loads with and without buffer but otherwise the same?

Do you just add buffer to existing recipes not calling for buffer or do you work up loads using your pressure trace system?

Longbow

[Blood Trail]

BT:

On the buffer comment, my reloading manuals say not just to add buffer unless the recipe calls for it as it may raise pressure.

Have you checked pressure of loads with and without buffer but otherwise the same?

Do you just add buffer to existing recipes not calling for buffer or do you work up loads using your pressure trace system?

Longbow

Yes, I should of clarified, as it may not be common knowledge for beginners. What I’ve found in my testing is starting a couple grains less is usually a great starting point for existing data.

Since I load buckshot in a lot of different wads with no buckshot data, I use the payload weight and reduce from from there.


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[longbow]

And your using the plastic shotgun buffer? Granulated? Spherical?

Any recommendations?

I have to get my butt out slug shooting then I want to load up vfc some 00 buck and give it a go. I better see if I can find a barrel with screw in chokes or spend some money on a new Mossberg combo.

I have been working a bit lately so consider that toy money!

Longbow

[Blood Trail]

And your using the plastic shotgun buffer? Granulated? Spherical?

Any recommendations?

I have to get my butt out slug shooting then I want to load up vfc some 00 buck and give it a go. I better see if I can find a barrel with screw in chokes or spend some money on a new Mossberg combo.

I have been working a bit lately so consider that toy money!

Longbow

I use BPI’s original and #47. #47 mainly for rb’s


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[longbow]

Good to know! Thanks.

Longbow

[RMc]

With screw in chokes the Extra Full chokes, .685./.690 diameter, seem to be the best performers for everything from 0 Buckshot to Tri-Ball.

With the smaller buckshot sizes from #4 Buckshot to #1 Buckshot, .675/.680 diameter perform the best.

Of the various specialty chokes, the Kicks Buck Kicker has been stellar.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

Perchance, have you patterned any Tri-Ball buckshot through your Kicks Buck Kicker choke tubes?

[recumbent]

Modified screw in choke

[Blood Trail]

Perchance, have you patterned any Tri-Ball buckshot through your Kicks Buck Kicker choke tubes?

For my double and tri ball loads, my tightest patterns I got, I used a mod choke. Anything tighter blew my patterns at 50 yards.


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[Hogtamer]

FWIW….I tested a fixed 30” full choke barrel on an 870 vs a screw-in full choke 28” barrel on the same gun. The screw-in choke results were a tighter pattern every time with buck or shot loads. Kinda surprised me.

[LeonCarr]

Perchance, have you patterned any Tri-Ball buckshot through your Kicks Buck Kicker choke tubes?

Yes I have, through the Light Full, the Standard Full, and the Extra Full Buck Kicker. The Standard Full has been the best, patterns about 2-3 inches at 40 yards. The Light Full about 5-6 inches at 40 yards, and the Extra Full puts two within 2-3 inches and slings one out about 2-3 from the two, IME an indicator of too much choke. Also IME the choke porting reduces the muzzle flip, but does not do a whole lot for felt recoil.

I still get the best results from the Carlson's .685 SS Sporting Clays Extended Choke. That is why you pattern test your shotguns, sometimes a 20 dollar choke tube works better than a 70 dollar choke tube .

Just my .02,
LeonCarr