At my old job, I made sure to make friends with the receiving dock clerk. He was always interested in seeing what I was getting.Originally Posted by rob_s
At my old job, I made sure to make friends with the receiving dock clerk. He was always interested in seeing what I was getting.
From Older Offspring after a discussion of coffee:
"If it doesn't come from the Kaffa province of Ethiopia, it's just hot roasted-bean juice."
I think this says a lot, and while my sample size is waaayyyyyyyyy smaller than yours, I notice the same. The old FFC loads in general work better than the new FFC loads.
Your point is also well made that there really isn't a need. What we have works very well. While "more optimal" may theoretically exist, It is kind of the difference between a 10 megaton nuclear bomb and a 15 megaton nuclear bomb. Put them in the right place and the city block we are trying to vaporize will still be very much vaporized. Or something like that.
Indeed.
Closest and best I've found so far is the ephemerally available Spartan "00" 20-ga which is actually loaded with 8-pellets of #1. It is buffered and about 1200fps. It shoots acceptably well from a Mod choke in my wife's 870 Youth. Keeping all 8 pellets on a B8 out to 20y with a set of Williams Firesights bolted to the vent rib. This is strictly an inside the casa/across the front yard gun. I wish I has bought more of this stuff when I could find it. As is, I may have to swap to either Aguila #2 buck or Winchester's Defender #3 plated stuff in the near future and spend the time configuring the chokes to get one of those two to shoot well.
A consistently available 8-pellet #1 buck load that was buffered and low recoil would be a 20-gauge god send.
Is there a price point or other feature set that 20 ga 8-pellet #1 load would need meet? I'm assuming plating and buffering plus whatever else to get tight patterns, and I wonder how much that would have to cost to make it worthwhile.
Per the PF Code of Conduct, I have a commercial interest in the StreakTM product as sold by Ammo, Inc.
What would be attractive to me about such a solid 20 ga buckshot load would be the trimmer and lighter shotguns.
“Remember, being healthy is basically just dying as slowly as possible,” Ricky Gervais
Double Tap.
20ga buck costs the same as 12ga already, so not really.
It's the lighter, trimmer, gun as JHC mentioned. My wife is 5'2" and finds larger and heavier 12s a bit more to run efficiently. She can handle the recoil fine, but runs and shoots the 20 like a raped ape.
Here's Mrs RR's 20ga 870 next to my 12ga 870 that I am building up.
Even in this configuration with side saddle, sling, light, and extension tube, the 20 is about a pound and a half lighter.
Bingo. Right now the 20ga provides a lighter, handier gun, which even a big strong guy like me appreciates. I've used a couple of mine as student guns when I'm dealing with folks who aren't big and/or strong. But that comes with a recoil penalty, as the average 20ga load has the same velocity and payload mass as a low-recoil 12ga, so you get more felt recoil in the little 20ga. And while that doesn't bother me a bit, I'm also as mentioned a large mammal and have a bit of experience with managing recoil. A true reduced-recoil 20ga load with good patterning, that could match the recoil impulse of RR12ga from a 12ga shotgun, could be a great boon to smaller-statured shotgunners, especially less experienced ones that are just starting out. Think of it as the gateway drug to gauges.20ga buck costs the same as 12ga already, so not really.
It's the lighter, trimmer, gun as JHC mentioned. My wife is 5'2" and finds larger and heavier 12s a bit more to run efficiently. She can handle the recoil fine, but runs and shoots the 20 like a raped ape.
Here's Mrs RR's 20ga 870 next to my 12ga 870 that I am building up.
Even in this configuration with side saddle, sling, light, and extension tube, the 20 is about a pound and a half lighter.
Matt Haught
SYMTAC Consulting LLC
https://sym-tac.com
Indeed. A 3/4oz or 7/8oz load of buck. Currently the Winchester Defender is 20-pellets of plated #3 at 1145fps. That's about a 1-ounce load of buckshot. A tad bit lighter than a 9-pellet 00 load, but not so much you'd actually notice.
That's what's great about that Spartan load of #1 (that's SA2000 - if anyone finds some for sale, I need all of it you can buy). It's 9-pellets (I misremembered when I said 8-pellets) of #1 or about .84oz shot load at 1200fps that's about 1/3rd of an ounce lighter than 9-pellet 00. That makes it a true "20-gauge load" of buck.
At least there is a good slug load. Brennekke THD, 308gr (.70 oz) @ 1200fps.
Being that FliteControl seems to be impossible to find, does anyone have anything to say about Federal Force X2? I know that it’s unique feature is 00 buck that’s designed to split on impact but how does it pattern? I figure the ultimate load would be the X2 buck in a FlightControl wad!!!
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