So, I'm gathering that nowadays #4 Buck (even plated and hardened) is considered inadequate at near point blank range. I completely agree that it is a lousy general purpose load. I thought it might be fine if used at indoor ranges with the added benefit of reduced ability to penetrate through a home's exterior wall however.
Back in October I took the defensive shotgun class at Firearms Academy of Seattle. During our "learning lunch" we watched a video Marty Hayes made when FAS was still at an indoor range in the actual Seattle suburbs, in which the penetration of many different shotgun loads was demonstrated. The "target" he used for this was a wooden box with three layers of .75" sheetrock, and multiple (eight, I believe) layers of .75" plywood. (This was intended to simulate typical construction of a modern house, not a ballistics testing target.)
#4 Buckshot penetrated all three layers of sheetrock, and one layer of plywood.
EDIT:So did#4 Birdshot,although it did not have as muchhad some damage to, but no penetration of, the plywood. (Realized I had misinterpreted my notes.)
#1 Buckshot penetrated all three layers of sheetrock and 2 layers of plywood.
So if what you are looking for is simply less over-penetration #4 Buck penetrates less than any other buckshot, but even #7 1/2 and #8 birdshot had some penetration of all three layers of sheetrock.
Last edited by Drang; 04-06-2016 at 11:38 AM. Reason: Edited to correct error.
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With no barriers, #4 buck at near point blank range will almost certainly be effective. You increase that near certainty with #1 and OO buck, and in addition they will deal with barriers better than #4. So going with #1 or OO makes sense, but if you find yourself with only #4 by all means use it.
I one shooting I saw with #4 buck, in which the bad guy was hit with 25 out of the 27 pellets of full power Remington, left only about half of the pellets inside the bad guy. I've killed a number of coyotes with it as well, and while they aren't a thick target, it's rare to not have the pellets exit.
At closer range I'm not really worried about lack of penetration with 4 buck, I think it's enough. I do think it's a poor choice for police duty use, but in the house I wouldn't have a problem with using it.
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#4 will work very well on an unobstructed frontal shooting; if that is the only shot one would ever have to take there is not much to worry about #4. But what if the suspect has an arm raised, or is a very large individual, or is at an oblique angle, or is behind some object? In those cases #1 has a lot more going for it. However, if all one has is #4, don't loose too much sleep over it--just keep making accurate hits until the threat is over....
Last edited by DocGKR; 04-08-2016 at 05:54 PM.
Facts matter...Feelings Can Lie
To be clear, I'd choose #1 or 00 over #4 buck any day given the choice unless something weird was going on. When I lived in an apartment, as an example, I had 4 buck in the Mossberg I kept at home, made me feel better about the risk of a shoot-through on a bad guy, and I knew the limitations of the loading.
I am the owner of Agile/Training and Consulting
www.agiletactical.com
Thanks for the input DocGKR. My concerns of living in the 'burbs these days mirror yours Mr. Haggard. The extra chunky size baddie is a really valid point... Ok, first 1 or2 rounds #4 then #1.