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MSM2019
PostPosted: Sun Dec 12, 2021 8:46 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 04 Mar 2019
Posts: 1819
Location: Central ND

I got an invite to go pheasant hunting from a friend. Knowing I would be driving a distance and realizing that I needed some more ammo I grabbed a bunch of buffered 1 1/4 oz. #6 loads that I had made up to pattern and play around with a bit. I figured I had about 5 - 1 1/8 oz. #6's for the first shot. BUT I also know that things don't always go to plan so I brought some backup.

I originally made the load for hunting spring turkeys and they had patterned very tight in my 870 with about .018" of choke using #5. I figured the #6's would pattern well and I am using .015" choke in my pheasant gun, so for the 2nd shot the load would work just fine.

Well, the first pheasant got up and killed it no problem with my regular load......but somewhere in the mix the buffered load ended up in the chamber. The loads are in two different hulls, so I have no excuse. All I can say is that I am so glad that the second bird was pretty much going away and climbing at about 25 yards, because the buffered load patterned a whole lot tighter than my regular load. Thankfully I didn't ruin any of the breast meat, but I can't remember hitting a pheasant that hard.

I guess I better pattern the buffered #6's and find out how they actually pattern. I have never used buffered loads on pheasants before, kinda guessing they are overkill unless the birds are past 35 yards or so.

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robp
PostPosted: Mon Dec 13, 2021 5:55 pm  Reply with quote
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Joined: 02 Feb 2007
Posts: 370
Location: mpls mn

I like buffered loads especially second shot out of my side x side that's choked improved improved

It consists of a
federal hull
1 oz of shot 5 or 6s
sg wad
24 grains longshot
psb buffer
clocks in at 1300 fps
I'd really like a 1 1/8 load that was similar not sure if it can be done
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MSM2019
PostPosted: Mon Dec 13, 2021 6:41 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 04 Mar 2019
Posts: 1819
Location: Central ND

I have a 1 1/8 oz. buffered bismuth load @ 1297 FPS and 1 1/4 oz. buffered lead load @ 1250 FPS. Both tested. I have posted both of them here, in the spring of 2021.

I do have a tested 1 1/8 oz. load in lead, velocity is 1210 FPS.

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WyoChukar
PostPosted: Tue Dec 14, 2021 8:04 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 16 Jul 2015
Posts: 2124
Location: Hudson,Wy

I'm certain I already mentioned this to you Mark, but when I clean birds I find a noticeable difference in the shot pellets lodged in birds, standard vs. buffered. Birds shot with standard loads typically are carrying shot with mild to moderate deformation while the pellets I pick from birds taken with buffered loads either exhibit slight deformation marks or none whatsoever. The pellets in my buffered loads are doing a much better job of staying round and dragging less feather into the meat.

So much for the theory of pellet deformation caused by impact with the bird. I might add that I use West Coast Magnum lead exclusively, thus the shot is of the same quality in either load.

And you are quite right Mark, there is generally no need for buffered loads under 35 yards. The notable exception being open chokes on the prairie, or the .410.

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MSM2019
PostPosted: Tue Dec 14, 2021 9:01 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 04 Mar 2019
Posts: 1819
Location: Central ND

Wyochukar,

Believe it of not, I have never used a buffered lead load before on upland birds. Buffered Bismuth quite a few times, but never buffered lead. Probably won't use buffered lead again until I actually pattern some of this stuff.

Like you I only use West Coast magnum shot. It has delivered some very good patterns, both in my buffered turkey loads and in my unbuffered upland loads. I use it for sporting clays also.

I have used Lawrence Magnum in the past, which gave similar patterns but lately West Coast has been all I can get and that is more than OK with me. When I lived in CT it was difficult to find West Coast so I always used Lawrence.

Yes we have had that conversation about pellet roundness after the fact. I have to be honest that I don't normally pick a bird apart looking for pellets, just the ones that might end up on the dinner plate, and I haven't ever examined them to any extent.

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MaximumSmoke
PostPosted: Tue Dec 14, 2021 6:22 pm  Reply with quote
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Joined: 01 Dec 2005
Posts: 1550
Location: Minnesota and Florida

I suppose most folks know Lawrence and West Coast have been made by the same company, Mayco Inductries, in the same place, Granite City, IL, for many years now, but except for the label on the bag, it sure looks like Lawrence Magnum lead shot is the same thing as West Coast High Antimony Magnum lead shot. The description on the company page does not quantitatively differentiate those two products, and I suppose the two brand labels still exist because of old regional customer loyalties even though the product is the same, but you folks can make up your own minds about that. https://maycoindustries.com/lawrence-brand-shot-and-west-coast-magnum-shot-proudly-made-in-the-usa/

Now that Winchester/Western/Olin and Remington 6% Antimony shot seem no longer offered to the handloader, West Coast and Lawrence magnum shot is probably the best lead shot available, and probably the equivalent of the hardest ever available, even perhaps than old Win-West-Olin Lubaloy Copper Plated lead shot, which was real pretty stuff, and probably had a better copper coating than any of the copper-plated offerings found today.

Cheers!
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MSM2019
PostPosted: Tue Dec 14, 2021 7:24 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 04 Mar 2019
Posts: 1819
Location: Central ND

Yeah Mayco has been making both for awhile now, gotta be close to 10 years or more.

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ashaffer3
PostPosted: Thu Dec 16, 2021 6:08 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 05 Nov 2021
Posts: 3
Location: United States

I didn't load them, but several years ago, I bought a flat of 28 gauge spreader load and a flat of what they call their gram cracker, which is a relatively light payload of #5 nickle plated shot with a buffer. I neede them because we were going to shoot preserve quail which got up close and then flew quite a ways. I was using a light 28 double with 30" barrels and just a whisper of choke in both barrels. I found that the spreaders worked as expected on close slow birds and didn't tear up the meat. The light load of buffered 5's surprised me. They were the hammer f Thor at about any distance I chose to shoot. It didn't seem to matter that they were shot from essentially a Skeet choke.
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WyoChukar
PostPosted: Fri Dec 17, 2021 7:09 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 16 Jul 2015
Posts: 2124
Location: Hudson,Wy

The first time I fired a test pattern with 3/4 oz. of buffered 5's through the skeet barrel of my 28 ga. I was amazed. It proved to be a very good sage grouse load as well.

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Jagdhund
PostPosted: Fri Dec 24, 2021 11:08 am  Reply with quote
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Joined: 29 Jan 2010
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Location: McPherson, KS

I have a CZ Bobwhite marked IC/Mod, but patterns more like Skeet/IC. Fine for quail with the right loads, but for the rare occasion I use it for pheasants with copper 7 1/2's to tighten the pattern as much as possible.

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