BuckKicker choke tube

Rich Cronk

Rich Cronk

New member
My new Kick's BuckKicker X Full choke tube arrived today. I have already begun the testing. All testing today was done at range of 40 yards. Everything I shot through the tube today threw good dense patterns. I shot #5, #6, BB, #4 Buck, and #1 Buck. I only had enough patterning paper to measure one shot with Remington "Premier" 3" nickle plated #4 Buck. At 40 yards I got 13 hits in a nine inch circle. I have some Federal #4 Buck in both 2&3/4" and three inch fodder on order, so more testing to come yet.
 
Rich,
That sounds as if that is a improvement over the Patternmaster, correct? My Kick's Gobblin' Thunder .660 tube places 11 hits in an 8" circle at 50 yards with the three inch Federal 4 Buckshot load. BTW, that Federal load is on the way, shipped yesterday.
 
GC,
Yes it is an improvement over the Patternmaster alright. I don't think that it is gonna match your .660 tube, but we will find out real soon. I need to test it with other brands of shells yet.
 
Since turkey season is approaching, I went out this morning to find out if the BuckKicker X Full would be a good choice as a turkey whacker. I picked up a fresh roll of brown wrapping paper at the drug store on my way out of town. This paper works pretty well for pattern testing. The wind was whipping up some pretty strong gusts, so I set up in such a way that I could shoot with the wind at my back. I used 2&3/4" #5 shot that was nothing but reloads that one of my Ex-son-in-laws had loaded up several years ago. At twenty yards the pattern was so dense that it would almost certainly take the head clean off from a turkey. Thirty yard shot produced a pattern about size of a pie plate, and even a dang june bug could not have fit between any of the holes. At fourty yards, the BuckKicker still threw a pattern that would place about a dozen pellets into head and neck of a turkey. I tried one shot with a 2&3/4" win XX magnum load of #5's just for comparison. Yep, this tube is a keeper.

The REAL surprise came when I decided to take a fourty five yard shot using Remington "premier" nickle plated 00 Buck. This was the 2&3/4", twelve pellet load. I fired the shot and when I walked down to check the pattern, I found that all twelve of those big pellets had fell into a twenty inch circle. What was even more amazing was that when I drew a nine inch circle around most dense part of the pattern there were six big holes in there!

[This message has been edited by Rich Cronk (edited 04-04-2001).]
 
Rich--You're going to impress me yet, aren't you! What does that thing do with BB or 4 buck at 60-70-80 yards? Do you think there might be dead coyotes at 75 yards? Have you ever tried steel shot hunting coyotes? I have not, but apparently it doesn't "ball up" with fur enabling deeper penetration. BBB or T steel might be a real deal thru that choke. Would you consider shooting some steel shot loads thru your choke to see how they pattern, if you're interested?
 
Steve,
I have some 2&3/4" and three inch Federal "premium" #4 Buck on order that I will be testing soon. I havn't tested anything beyond fourty five yards yet. I may find a combo that will give sure kill range of 50 yards or so on coyotes but I don't think that 60 is in the picture. Steve, I don't think there is a shotgun made that will kill a coyote every time you shoot at him from 70 or 80 yards unless maybe you are using deer slugs. My shotgun is shooting so tight already that I have to aim it like a rifle and hold real steady. If I get the pattern any tighter, then I may as well use a rifle.
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Steve Allen,
I woke up this morning and got to thinking about those "Punt" guns the market hunters used in the early days. I also thought about those 4 gauge guns they use in England now. I have to back off a little and tell you that there really ARE shotguns being made that will kill coyotes at 80 yards or more.
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Rich--The reason I asked is because I hunt with a couple of guys that pattered and experimented with shotgun loads a lot in the past. They developed a 3" BB lead load in a 12 gauge that put every pellet inside a 30" circle at 40 yards. I have seen these guys shoot the heads off airborne pheasants at 30-40 yards with this load; also have seen them ground-ball running roosters dead at 60-70 yards. I guess I kind of measure all long range shotgun performance against their loads. Of course, both of these guys are seasoned veterans in trap shooting; thus, they miss so seldom that it almost makes the local news when they do. Problem nowadays is that lead BB for reloaders is difficult to find, and one pays dearly for it when he finds some. Both these guys have gone to Rem SP10 since steel shot; they have found that BBB, T, and F steel shot in the 10 gauge gives about the same long range performance on big birds (e.g sandhill cranes, big Canada geese) that the 12 ga. with their lead BB loads used to do. Don't know about coyotes, however.
 
Steve,
Yes if a man orders his components from an outfit like Ballistic products who have very hard lead shot and those full plastic wads that you cut your own slits in to control the pattern, it is possible to taylor a load that will out perform the factory fodder. I am not interested in shooting steel shot, but a reloader for the twelve gauge may be in my workshop soon.
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Steve Allen,
I have been busy turkey hunting, but I now have some Federal "premium" #4 Buck in both 2 & 3/4" and 3" length. I will be testing those real soon so stay tuned.
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Ok guys here is the skinny,
Testing this morning was done using Federal "premium" fodder in both 2 & 3/4" and 3" lengths. At range of 52 yards I put 10 holes within a 9 inch circle with the 2&3/4" shells and 9 holes within same size circle with the 3" shells. At 60 yards the number of holes in a nine inch circle dropped to five with both lengths of shells.

The results of all this seems to show that my shotgun is an honest 50 yard coyote whacker with any shot size from BB thru 00 Buck. Most 55 yard coyotes would die, but at 60 yards a few are gonna run off wounded. The Kick's BuckKicker X full choke gives me about ten yards greater range than I was getting with my Hastings .655" tube and BB shot. Later on I will shoot some more 00 Buck at the longer ranges and I also want to try some of the new Winchester "High Velocity" fodder.
 
Rich:

I remember you posting what kind of gun it was, but what is the barrel length that you are trying these chokes out with?

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one shot~one kill
 
Shotgun,
The barrel on my Browning is short, about 21" I think. It is the choke that determines pattern rather than barrel length though.
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Rich your results are pretty close to mine with my Kick's Gobblin' Thunder .660 tube. I'll put 11 hits in eight inches at 50 yards with the Federal Premium three inch 4 Buckshot, which has outpatterned everything else I've tried. My patterns with both turkey loads (Winchester Supreme Hi-Vel 1 3/4 ounce 3" no. 5's have patterned best) and Buckshot have been slightly center dense and very even, clean, pretty round patterns. With my set-up a fifty yard shot is rugged out fur, or smoked turkey! And, in the wide open unobstructed, I wouldn't hesitate to take one on up to 60 yards. That's not as far as some of the claims, but it's plenty far enough for a shotgun!

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"Doing the Right thing isn't always easy, but it's always RIGHT!"
 
GC,
You are exactly right sir. I like to get beyond the wild claims and search out the real truth. The famous Gerry Blair claimed 55 yard kills with his modified Ithaca Mag. 10 he called "moosedick". My testing has shown that a properly tuned twelve gauge can equal the big ten with lead shot.
 
Yeah, I just finished Gerry's book on predator calling. I think the key is putting time in with different loads and choke combinations on the range. Learning what your individual set-up is capabale of and then sticking to the range limitations of your combo. This requires time, the williness to take a pounding from the bench, and spending a little money to accumulate ammo and chokes. An understanding of ballistics is also important. At some point those pellets are going to run out of energy and fail to provide adequate penetration, thus sure killing power. This will happen regardless of the patterning ability of the load. I feel we always owe our game a humane harvest. Potshooting isn't a responsible approach to this game of sport hunting. IMHO
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"Doing the Right thing isn't always easy, but it's always RIGHT!"

[This message has been edited by GC (edited 04-22-2001).]
 
Rich:

I have been shooting tons of skeet, trap, and sporting clays for a dozen years or so, and I would like to propose that you call Briley and talk to Mike about choke tubes.

Heres the challenge: I'm so confident that they will out-perform the other chokes that you have been testing that I will bet you the price of a Briley appropriate choke that you can get better and more consistent patterns with the Briley. (And overall it will probably cost less too)....I'll even send you a box of bullets of your choice.
http://www.briley.com/shotgun.html



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one shot~one kill
 
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