Shot Size

V

VCinRI

New member
Most shotgun callers appear to be in favor of #4 buck. Have anyone tried copperplated lead BB, BBB, or T? Years ago when lead was legal for waterfowl,
I did some reloading for my 10Ga. Lead 2,s and bb,s where devastating on big geese out to 75 yards. They may not have the energy of a #4 buck at 50 yards, but do you think the multiple hits from the finer shot would overcompensate for it?

Vinny

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VCinRI,
I think that bigger is better, when you're talking about shot sizes for hunting. I know guys that use #7 1/2s for pheasants, but I've always used #4s or #5s.

"Hit 'em and hit 'em hard."
You mentioned a 10 gauge shotgun. Take a look at www.patternmaster.com and you'll see the shot sizes that they recommend with their choke tube. I've used Patternmaster choke tubes with 00 and 000 buckshot and get excellent long range results. Using my 12 gauge Benelli Nova w/ 26" barrel and a Patternmaster choke tube I can get a Federal Premium 2 3/4" 000 buckshot(8 pellets) at 60 yards the widest pellets are 21" apart and tallest pellets are 17" apart.

Great coyote medicine!

Patternmaster choke tubes are "pricey", usually $80 at Cabelas. However, Cabelas has a "Bargan Cave" section to their store that frequently has returned Patternmaster choke tubes for 10 gauge for around $60.

Hope this helps.
Good hunting, Bowhunter57

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Guns cause crime, like silverware causes Rosie O'Donnell to be fat.
 
VCinRI: Yes, I have used the "T" shot in a very fast load of 1 3/8oz. of "T" ahead of 42 grains of Blue Dot in the Fiocchi 3" new hull. This load is terrific, and it will kill the yotes dead. I have never chronoed this load, (don't have a chrono) but it is listed at around 1450+. Here is the data: Hull: 3" Fiocchi new and primed. Powder: Blue Dot 42gr. Gas Seal: BPGS (Ballistic Products Gas Seal) Wad: BP-12 (Ballistic Products 12 Ga. Shotcup) Cushion Wad: (1) 1/4" 20 Ga. Felt Wad (place in the bottem of the shot cup) Shot: 1 3/8oz. "T" Shot. Buffer: 20Gr. Ballistic Products Mix #47 (use a small vibrator to filter the buffer material into the shot column). Over Shot Card: 2 Tyvex 12 Ga. cards. Crimp: I use a 6 point crimp on this load. This is a listed load.......Pressure = 10,500.......... Try it, you'll like it!......."Ridge"

[This message has been edited by Ridgerunner (edited 03-10-2002).]
 
Welcome to the board Ridgerunner!

How's the coyote population in WV now?

They were getting pretty thick in MD when I left a year ago.

Jack

edit: How come I can't see misspellings until after I post it?

[This message has been edited by Jack Roberts (edited 03-10-2002).]
 
VCinri,
Copper plated and buffered #2 birdshot and BB's will indeed do the dirty deed on coyotes. For consistent kills past 40 yards you will need a very tight choke tube. All shotguns are a little different, so you should pattern your shotgun on large paper backstop. I tried Patternmaster but sent it back in favor of a "Kicks" Buckkicker X full. I will try to find the Buckkicker thread and bring it to the top for you. You will get a lot of opinions on this subject but I have tested a lot of guns in both 10 and 12 gauge. I deal in hard facts rather than opinion.

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Vinny for what it is worth from some field experiance using both copper coated lead BB's and #4 buck , the buck is a more effective killer.
Over the years I have killed probably well over 100 coyotes using the BB's and in some situations such as a straight frontal or straight going away, or when the range is a tad on the long side BB's will lack a little .
The buck is better, I switched and never have regretted it.
 
Craig; #4 buck is better I agree 100% It also breaks alot more bones. I've shot coyotes that had four broken legs when retrieved.
 
Rich,

Have you tried patterning Hevi-Shot yet? It seems to me this might be just the stuff for coyotes. It's expensive compared to lead, but if it's a lot better, it might be worthwhile.

-dan
 
Vinny, I also go with the 4 bucks. Lead T or TT would be good fox medicine and work well on coyotes at close range, but the 4 bucks is really better.
 
Jack: Thanks for the welcome. The coyotes are steadily increasing in population, especially in the mountains where a lot of ADC work has become necessary around the big sheep farms. I have landowners asking me to trap, where only a few years ago, I couldn't get permission to trap fox. The yotes are also cutting into the fox population. I believe them to be pretty much statewide. .......Not too sure about the southern part of the state.....They got chickens down there that are meaner than the yotes!! LOL "Ridge"
 
VCinRI: Bearing in mind what I wrote about the specialty loading in "T" shot,(and that is one fine load) the bottem line is still with the #4 buck. Hold up with the "T" shot at 40 yards on yotes. It all comes down to energy, therefore if you can find or modify a shotgun that will hold a killing pattern with the #4 buck, that is the way to get another 10 or so yards. "Ridge"
 
A little food for thought.......a few years back when I was still working for USDA ADC. Some of our biologists did a study on shot size vs kill/wound rate. At the time we were using Remington 870's and Benelli 12 guages. Most shooting on coyotes was done from 20 to 40 yards from a helicopter. The conclusion was that copper plated BB shot performed better than buck shot. The BB shot was found to penetrate to a much greater degree than the buck shot. Alot of times the buck shot (particularly non plated) would ball up in the fur and not penetrate into the vitals. We only used Federal Premium 2 3/4 in. magnum BB shot from then on. We did carry some buck shot and slugs for depredating deer/elk and bears. Later Jeff
 
Does anyone experience any holes in the patterns of #4 buck, say out at 40+ yards? Holes that an animal may get through?

Here in RI, I am limited to #2 shot anyway
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Just curious.

Vinny,
 
VCinRi, I have not pattern tested my shotgun on paper with #4 buck.

But I can honestly say that I have shot yotes from 20 to 45 yards and they dropped dead almost everytime. Only had to take a follow up shot twice in over 20 yotes killed with my shotgun. Only 4 moved around much after taking the load.

Plus where I work at I get alot of ammo for free and #4 buck is in good supply here. I would have to special order #2's or BB's if I wanted to really test them.
 
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