Link to video of test for phones
12 gauge Remington #4 buckshot (27 pellet) fired from 18.5" barrel Mossberg 500A cylinder bore into calibrated 10% gelatin.
BB: 590.5 fps, 3.7"
Impact velocity: 1,245 fps
Min penetration: 11.0"
Max penetration: over 14"
Pellet weight: 19.2 gr
Pellet diameter: 0.249"
*Note: 7 pellets exited the back of the 14" block. That
means that 62.5% of the pellets that were captured in
the block exceeded the 12" minimum requirement.
Thanks for the information. That is better penetration than I would have expected.
Agreed. We've been told that #4 buck is not sufficient for defense but in my entirely inexpert opinion I'd say it's just fine if barrier performance isnt a priority.
DocGKR: "Shawn is right on the money--with adequately hardened, possibly plated shot and good buffering, a #4 buckshot load might work adequately. Of course, a properly designed, LE oriented reduced recoil #1 buckshot would also be very good."
I personally would go with #4 for home defense.
I have seen one dude hit with 4 buck, he caught 25 out of the 27 pellets of old school plain Winchester. He collapsed like a building that imploded, out cold, never moved a bit, and his heart quit beating shortly after that. About half of those pellets exited, but he was kinda skinny.
OTOH, we had one OIS where a screen door slowed down 100% of the pellets from a patter of #4 enough to cause none of them to reach an effective penetration depth on the bad guy shot in that incident. Shot was from across a front yard through the screen door, full value target.
Was it s security screen? Clothing?
I'd bet that #4 buck wouldn't perform nearly as well through barriers and at more than a few paces distance. My HD weapon is a suppressed SBR but our shotgun remains loaded with Federal low recoil 00 buck. Still, I think #4 buck could be a legitimate choice for apartments.
Back in the 70's I accepted the then cutting-edge wisdom that #4 buck was the way to go. I still have some of those shells. And I think for inside-the-house work, it is still a good way to go. Overall, #1 might be better, but I have found it harder to buy (at least at the bargain prices I try to find) and as this video shows, #4 still has a lot to recommend it.
Regular old school screen door. Clothing was jeans and a work shirt, normal every day stuff.Originally Posted by Andrew Wiggin
Maybe more about the distance than the obstacle?
Maybe both, but under 20 yards shouldn't be much of a stretch for a buckshot round. I think the 4 buck is just barely on the OK side of effective for anti-personnel use, and anything that gets in the way tips it to the other side. A single #4 buck pellet has less mass than a .22 short bullet
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