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Joined: 18 Nov 2008 Posts: 5 Location: Houston

Went back several pages, didn't see a topic on this. Any idea where to locate 16g #1 buckshot? Online providers were all out of stock.

Member Joined: 02 Oct 2007 Posts: 1975

http://www.ableammo.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=73701
http://www.ammo-sale.com/proddetail.asp?prod=169

Joined: 23 Jan 2008 Posts: 224

Factory loads are getting hard to find. I have a 10 pellet single 0 Load that I just had tested and will be sending to the LPG. It shoots better than the factory 12 pellet #1, is faster...etc. It shoots best in a full choke. I'm still working on a 12 pellet #1 load for reloading. I have a 10 pellet double 00 load, but the pressures where way to high. I'm going to try a different powder, as this load performed outstanding.

Joined: 28 Oct 2005 Posts: 126 Location: penna

Just curious here....but what do you do with #1 buckshot?
I have shot #4 buck into a few varmints, effective.

Joined: 23 Jan 2008 Posts: 224

#1 Buck is primarily the deer round in the 16 ga. For years, it was the only buckshot factory round available in the 16. Now, I don't think anyone makes it, as I believe Winchester dropped it from their lineup last year. Most people use 12 gauge for buckshot with deer, because of the greater capacity of the shell, and shell availability. I did kill my first deer using a single barrel Stevens 16 and an old Remington #1 buck shell. It is also useful for varmints and predators.

Member Joined: 26 Aug 2004 Posts: 120 Location: FL

Federal still makes the 16ga. buckshot load, they have them at Sportsman's Guide.

http://shop.sportsmansguide.com/net/browse/browseammo.aspx?c=97&s=942

Joined: 30 Nov 2006 Posts: 93 Location: Ohio

Sir

I have two older boxes of Remington and Winchester number one buckshot. Both boxes are 25 round boxes. Also have several 5 round boxes of number one buckshot in remington and Winchester. send me an email if your interested. Price would be $20 each on 25 round boxes and $4.00 each on the 5 round boxes. All are 1 1/8 ounce loads leffler2@bright.net Thanks Kelly

Joined: 28 Oct 2005 Posts: 126 Location: penna

At what distance would constitute a safe/sure killing range for deer with buckshot ?
I assume broadside? And when hit adequately do they go right down from the shock?
Normally get full or partial penetration?....just curious....never did this.

Member Joined: 08 Nov 2005 Posts: 3438 Location: Illinois

If possible put up a few large sheets of paper and pattern the buckshot--IMO these are limited range shells as the pellets strike where they will/may --kinda like a spot/turkey shoot luck has a lot to do with it.I would rather use a slug with proven and quick killing ability.

Joined: 23 Jan 2008 Posts: 224

Buckshot for deer is basically designed for shots at 50 yards or closer, although some people have killed deer at 100 yards. That is mostly luck...I say mostly because it depends on the gun, the choke, and the type of buckshot. My dad shot a deer at 80 yards last year using his Model 37 16 gauge and a factory winchester #1 buck. That was pure luck, as #1 Buck in a 16 gauge tends to spread a lot much past 30 yards. Buckshot is designed for shooting a running deer from a man drive or when running deer with dogs. It is also required in many counties in southern states because of close housing, and because they use dogs. My county in VA is a buckshot only county...no use of slugs, and no rifles. They did make an exception for the use of muzzleloading rifles during the general deer season a few years ago.
Does buckshot work. Absolutely when under 50 yards. I shot a deer yesterday with my Sweet Sixteen and put the whole 10 pellet load of O buck directly behind the shoulder. The deer dropped like a rock, kicked a little and that was it. This was the first deer I shot with my reloads I just designed, by the way...and I am very pleased. Of course, I designed this load to shoot very tight. The deer was about 20 yards from me, at a flat run. About 1/2 my pellets went all the way through the chest. The other half stopped in the opposite shoulder from impact.

Joined: 28 Oct 2005 Posts: 126 Location: penna

Thanks for the first hand account, impressive, more than I thought possible.
I like to experiment with shotguns, I load a special number consisting of a AA wad inverted over another AA wad with the compression cup cut off....sort of like a canister load.Place the AA wad with the cup cut off inside the main AA wad, the shot(#7 1/2 is best) forward force and air pressure keeps the front AA wad over the shot canister.
Not bad....resonable accuracy with massive hitting force....like placing a shot gun muzzle against the target! Nearly vaporized a woodchuck. I keep a couple loads around for home defense, I feel secure!

#1 buck is effective out to about 30 yards and no more. Even double and triple odd buck requires multiple hits in the vitals to anchor a deer.

A single pellet of any sized buck shot just does not hit with enough energy to knock a deer down--even one through the vitals. I've had well hit deer run off with a well placed .45 caliber round ball in them. #1 buck is .28 caliber and is far smaller than a .45 round ball. On top of that, most guns simply will not pattern buck shot inside a 10 inch circle past 30 yards or so.

Buck shot is for close range wingshooting at a moving target like a jumped deer running close by past a concealed standing hunter. Past 30 yards, stick to slugs and pick your shots. Shooting at a running deer past 30 yards in the woods is mostly a waste of ammo and time. Ambush them quietly from a well located stand and you'll do better. 50 yard buck shot kills are mostly hot air. 100 yard kills are pure fantasy. Don't be fooled by braggers and yarn spinners. We've all heard about the magic buck shot pellet that dumped a buck at 100 yrads or more. Some of us realize it's pure malarky and a damned unsporting thing to try. Please have more respect for the deer. thanks

Joined: 23 Jan 2008 Posts: 224

16gaugeguy is right about #1 buck. It just doesn't pattern very well past 30 yards. I'm experimenting with some #1 buck reloads, but the patterns are not much better than factory loads. I'm not sure if the open patterens are because the pellets stack by 3's, or because they are not really a tight fit in the shell. My guess is because they are not a real tight fit.

I will dissagree and say that a 50 yard shot with buckshot is very doable. However, that shot is typically for 12 gauges using OO or OOO buck shot. You also need to know how your gun shoots...meaning you have patterned it and know what choke to use. I pattern all my buckshot at 50 yards when testing...including my 12 and my 16 gauges. I have patterened my 12 gauge citori at 80 and 100 yards to see what would happen. With the appropriate choke, the patterns hold together very well with no drop in the overall pattern. The big pellets like OO and OOO tend not to spread much if the choke is right for the pellets. I will say that I am not recommending anyone shoot at deer past 50 yards with buckshot. I used to do it when I was a teen and didn't know any better. I killed a few deer around 80 yards, and it was pure luck. Taking a shot at that distance just isn't right. I do not recommend it.

However, 50 yards and under is a good shot. Most of your misses or wounded deer at that range come from one of three things: 1) Failure to properly lead the animal, 2) shooting through brush, and 3) Not knowing how your gun aims. I'm sure all you bird hunters understand what happens when you don't give enough lead. Brush has a remarkable ability to eat shot of any size. And you would be surprised at how many people don't understand how to aim their particular gun. 50 yard shots with buckshot are best taken in open oaks or in fields. IF you are in a ticket, it is best to let that deer go...just as you wouldn't try and shoot a bird through a bush.

Now, I have designed my 16 gauge 10 pellet O buck loads to shoot at 50 yards and under. I would not hesitate to shoot a deer with that load at 50 yards. At 50 yards, my A-5 Sweet Sixteen usually places 5 pellets in a softball size cluster, 7 to 8 pellets (that includes the previous 5) in a 10 inch circle and the remaining pellets outside the pattern, at about 20 to 24 inches. Of course, this is a reload I made for that gun, and it is a full barrel...very full as it measure .625. I have shot the load through a regular full, (A trulock choke, measuring .640 and a A-5 invector barrel) and the overall pattern contracts slightly in size with a more even distribution of pellets.

Joined: 16 Nov 2006 Posts: 367

for deer in Michigan.
There if I was walking / Still hunting thru cover, the first shell in my 97 was buck, the mag was loaded with slugs. If I sat for a bit then swapped out the buck for slug.

Member Joined: 15 Mar 2007 Posts: 601 Location: Virginia

My years of experience hunting deer with buckshot and dogs in Southside Virginia leads me to believe that buckshot should be used within 30 yards, no matter the size. I now use 000 exclusively, preferably the plated stuff, but I pass up shots that are beyond my self-imposed limit. Within that range, every deer I've shot has gone down as if sledgehammered.

Dan