Rossignol's Profile
For the purpose of these reviews, all pattern testing was conducted with the Mossberg 590A1 12 ga. 20" cylinder bore heavy walled barrel.
I've been constantly shooting and re-evaluating 00 buckshot for some time now. There are several reasons I prefer 00 over other loads.
Law enforcement agencies use 00 buck because it is the only load that consistently performs and meets agency standards for ballistic gelatin penetration, being 12". The next suitable load would be #1 buckshot, because it delivers enough payload and each pellet is invidually dense enough to penetrate deeply enough. But until Federal Premium makes the #1 buck available in FliteControl loads, I'll stick with 00!
00 Buck is readily available virtually everywhere ammo is sold.
It can be found for .410 shotgun or handgun loads, 20 ga. shotguns and most commonly 12 ga. shotguns. The 12 ga. shotgun is the most widely used HD (home defense) and SD (self defense) gun in existence and additionally 12 ga. is prefered over any other shotgun by LEO's (law enforcement officers) and military. This is important, becuase of the popularity of the 12 ga. shotgun, there is huge aftermarket support to customize the gun to fit your specific needs! From short LOP (length of pull) stocks to receiver mount rails and MRDS (micro red dot sights). The 12 ga. can be customized from muzzle to heel of the stock!
So what does this have to do with buckshot? Because of the aftermarket and custom market for the 12 ga., there are also many more load offerings to choose from for 12 ga. shotguns chambered 2 3/4" or 3". There is some very basic buckshot, which is little more than a plastic disc and cardboard wad, to fairly advanced loads like the Federal FliteControl low recoil LE132 9 pellet or LE133 FliteControl low recoil 8 pellet and the Hornady TAP, Tactical Application Police with the VersaTite wad low recoil 8 pellet. There are also "military grade" 00 buck loads. Dont be fooled into paying a premium because the "military grade" stuff is loaded the same as the stuff on the shelf at WalMart but packaged differently with an OD green hull and a phosphate black steel base or case head. The Winchester Ranger (Law Enforcement) ammo is decent stuff though, also available in a low recoil load.
Something to remember! Most Law Enforcement ammo is commercially and publically available to civies like myself, loaded the same as the LE stuff but labled as something else. I'll try to put together a list as I go, but here are a couple examples;
Winchester Ranger Low Recoil = Law Enforcement
Winchester "WinLite" = Civy load
Federal Tactical LE Low Recoil= Law Enforcement
Federal PD (Personal Defense) = Civy
These are the same loads and at least in the case of the Federal, the part numbers are the same, "xx132" or "LE132" and "PD132", just the prefix is different.
The specialty loads, as I'm referring to the LE and military loads as "specialty", can be more expensive than their WalMart off the shelf counterparts... unless you know where to look. I often find the stuff at gun shows but there are places online that sell the stuff at a reasonable price, but dont forget to factor shipping into the individual cartridge or shell cost when ordering that way! Shipping can turn a $3.85 box of (5) LE low recoil shells into a $12.85 box of (5) LE low recoil shells!!! When buying online, try to buy in bulk! The obverse side of that coin is that the civy load choices for the same ammo is generally more expensive.
At HD and SD ranges, say 5 to 7 yards, there will be little noticable difference in 00 buck patterns from a 12 ga. Depending on your specific firearm and load of choice, you may start seeing a difference this close, but more than likely, actual discernable patterns will begin to emerge around 10 yards. (I'm generalizing, its imperative to conduct some degree of patterning on your own to gain an expectation of performance from a given load) The most common HD/SD 12 ga. used is 18 1/2" to 20" barrel, smooth bore/cylinder bore (essentially open choke) pump action. (again generalizing) The Pump Action 12 ga. SG is simple to manipulate, requires minimal practice to cycle the action (which does not equal proficiency) and is down right reliable under even some of the most dire circumstances. (I will still advocate routine cleaning and maitenance to assure proper function, feed and extraction)
On to another point. There is a misconception (generalizing!
) among some, of the shotgun being a "scatter gun", point and shoot firearm. Not so. There are sights on there for good reason! They should be used! The shotgun can and should be aimed. A bead sight is common on an SG. You simply look across the top of the receiver to the bead and put it together on target. Each gun is a little different, and each load a little different. After selecting a load which produces acceptable results for your situation, load up the magazine and put the bead on target! You may see the pattern a little low and left, or right or whatever. Not a big deal and completely common, even expected! Now you start making corrections, whats called your "hold over" on the target. So if your gun and load prduces a pattern that is centered 2 inches towards 8 o'clock of the bull, then your hold over is 2 inches towards 2 o'clock of the bull. Repeat the process a few or several times to be certain, but be comfortable of what you choose. A shotgun absolutely must be aimed! (ok, i concede there are forms and styles which rely on practice and proficiency rather than actually aiming)I continue to mention the SG as part of the formula. The shotgun is so intrinsically linked to the performance of any load, so inherently a part of the equation!
So, in the next posts, we're gonna get to the meat and potatoes of buckshot performance! For now, a short video!!!
