Buckshot and liabilities of stray pellets.

[txdpd]

The terminal distance of a .33 pellet at 1300fps looks to be around 850 yards.

From a height of 48", muzzle parallel to the ground, a .32" pellet at 1000FPS will travel about 130 yards.

Out of the common defensive platforms, buckshot has the least terminal range, but it's still fairly significant.

[willie]

I know of deer killed at 60 yards with 00 buck. The smaller 0 buckshot or lower velocity reduced recoil 00 loads might be safer for urban use than the regular velocity offerings.

[DamonL]

Now I am am wondering if it might be better to just use slugs.

[Erick Gelhaus]

It’s been a number of years, but in a Bill Jeans Morigan consulting class, he gave an example of a police officer killed at 50 yards or more by a single stray buck shot pellet.

I am aware of an officer killed by a stray pellet at about 60 yds distance.

At Gunsite and through Morrigan Consulting, Bill regularly used the example of the San Jose PD officer who was killed under those circumstances, I believe that GJM and DocGKR are both speaking about the same event.

Now I am am wondering if it might be better to just use slugs.

It depends. In my current cop role, considering the spectrum of tools I have available, my shotgun is loaded with slugs; however, that is for a specific role. As a private citizen I would not hesitate to use both 00buck & slugs.

[DocGKR]

Slugs are great against vehicles, large animals, point targets, longer range engagements (typically beyond 25 yds w/a shotgun), and when barriers must be defeated. #1 buckshot excels against close range encounters (generally under 25 yds w/a shotgun)--particularly indoors.

[Wendell]

Brobee223 has done some testing with various shotgun loads.

Here is one:



Here is another:

[scott]

ETA: Disregard this; sometimes I'm bad at math

[txdpd]

Just looking at the ballistics, a 00 pellet going 1300 from the muzzle will still be doing 600-something at 2000 yards (assuming .47 BC, 60 grains) if you could somehow get it that far. So this is kind of the obvious answer, but if a stay pellet hits someone, at any distance, it might kill them.

00 .33" round ball will have a BC around .065-.070. Not much better than a brick. Pretty lousy on paper, pretty good in the real world.

[scott]

00 .33" round ball will have a BC around .065-.070. Not much better than a brick. Pretty lousy on paper, pretty good in the real world.

I dropped a zero between estimating the BC and putting it into the calculator because I'm special. Thanks for catching that.

[Lester Polfus]

This is the sort of shit that can drive you crazy.

With buckshot out of a shotgun, I have pellets that while still capable of being lethal out to a couple hundred yards, are less likely to be. But there are 8 or 9 of them.

With a slug, I have a single projectile that is more likely to be lethal out to a longer distance.

With a rifle I have a single projectile that is more likely to be lethal to a longer distance yet.

Sometimes you just have to weigh the pros and cons, pick one, and rock on.