Shotgun ammo, what to buy?

Timfoilhat

Timfoilhat

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I know the very basics like 8 pellet 00 flightcontrol for HD. Small high number birdshot is not for defense purpose, and keep it away from Cheney. Beyond that I'm clueless.

Should I buy any Critical Defense segmented slugs? Other slugs?

What's proper for 3 gun? I'm not a gamer, but there's a few non-competitive friendly matches at my range I might be interesting in trying.

Does ammo quality matter? I see a lot of brands/names I've never seen before in the pistol/rifle world. Are they good or garbage?

Theoretically this is for a 1301 tactical w/ no choke model. Rumored to be able to run anything 2 3/4" or 3" and low recoil or full power.
 
My advice on this is very non-technical and probably rather fuddish....

I think the standard answer of "test if out in your shotgun to ensure reliability" holds here. I've shot most of the brands from cheap to expensive and have really never found one to be any more or less reliable. However, I primarily shoot pump guns which aren't nearly as sensitive.

For hunting, yes, the smaller the animal the higher the shot size generally.

For "gaming" most shots are going to be relatively close in, so anything will probably work. I would go with 7 1/2 or 8's. People who are seriously into shooting trap/skeet may have preferred brands, but i've never noticed a difference. My point was either right or wrong, the ammo had nothing to do with the hit/miss.

Can't speak on slugs at all really as I have fired maybe 5-10 of them in my life. Never been in a situation other than one training class that I needed them.

If you are hunting, then fancy buckshot will make a difference as you may be extending your pattern range out far beyond what most would consider "self defense/home defense" range. So, the way I look at it is this: If you spend all the time and effort to get all the gear, the time off, and the physical exertion to go out and try to shoot something, don't skimp on the shells. When I duck hunt, I have my "good ammo" that I am willing to spend a good amount on, and I have my "cripples" ammo that is the cheapest I can find.

For self defense, which will generally be at sub 10-20 yard range, most buck shot will do the trick. Again, reliability is the main concern, and you wont know that until you burn a few boxes. The bad guy wont know if its 9 pellets of Monarch shotgun shells, or high dollar fancy pants shells that were kissed by an angel before packaging. They are lead balls moving with anger.

TL/DR: Buy the cheapest your shotgun can reliably shoot for playtime. Buy the best ammo you can for hunting.
 
you'll primarily want to match your ammo for your use. ranges might have rules on what type of ammo is allowed for a particular match.

a good load of high brass #6 pheasant loads is great for a multi purpose load, and my preferred load to have when i'm out on the farm. 8s is for dove & clays, buckshot of some variety for deer & defense. don't discount a good goose load for defense either, those are no joke. you'll find a lot of arguments about defense loads & wall penetration....
 
I can’t remember what brand but an off brand I bought had a funky crimp on a 2 3/4” field load that was just enough to long that (I guess QC wasn’t that great ???) when I went to load the 7th shell it was just a tad to long. It cycled okay (in a M1S90) but I was only able to load 6 instead of 7 about half the time. If you can before you buy a case of something you’re not familiar with I’d inspect a few rounds for crimp, primer, mid-shell bulge, etc … your eye might catch a variance that says “nope”.
 
For 3 gun, 7.5 or 8 shot 2.75" at 1150ish FPS shells would do most of what you need. I keep some 6 shot at 1300 in my bag for swingers and stubborn poppers.

You'll need some slugs, but not many. I think I'm still using full power 1oz slugs that I had a bunch of, but a reduced recoil slug would be fine.

I ran a cylinder bore (no choke) 870 for some time with good results, but it is a little tougher to make the long shots.
 
It’s been over a decade since I’ve looked into shotgun ammo, but at the time, these were the best HD options. The practice ammo is what has worked for me in multiple guns and is normally available for fair prices.

Cheap practice: WM 100rd bulk birdshot
Buck Practice: Rio, Fiocchi, Nobel Sport 00 or #4 buck, all high brass
HD buck: Fed 00 Flight control
HD Slugs: Brenneke KO 1oz
 
Frack N Cylons said:
You sure about no choke? It looks like the tactical takes optima hp chokes...


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Let me say it differently, maybe it's a Fixed Choke. I only know the barrel doesn't take interchangealbe chokes, so I call that no choke. I've ordered the discounted LE model and those are like a generation 1.5. They have the Gen1 barrel with the other Gen 2 revisions and upgrades.
I'm totally not a shotgun guy, so it's way possible that I'm misunderstanding or mispeaking based on my lack of understanding of the subject matter.
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For shotguns, you have to pattern your specific shotgun to the specific ammo you buy. Shotguns are kind of goofy like that. What patterns well in one shotgun may pattern poorly in another. Once you figure out what patterns best in your shotgun, stick with it. For me, that's Federal all the way. For slugs, 00buck and birdshot, all really liked Federal. Which is pretty consistently true for all of my guns. So when in doubt, I just get Federal and call it a day.

Critical Defense? Sure! If it patterns well in your gun. If it doesn't, try another home-defense oriented load. Good quality self-defense ammo in a self/home defense gun is always worth it - the rounds are individually tested to ensure reliability.

You won't know which brands pattern well in your gun without buying a few boxes of each and heading out to the range to try it. Try a pattern at 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 yards, and pick the load that maintains all pellets on target at the longest distance. For slugs, shoot five slugs of each brand through a chronograph and pick the one that has the lowest standard deviation.
 
Just watch for sales and you can pick up major brands … over here Fuquay Gun has 250 round cases (10 boxes of 25) of Federal 7 & 8 Ultra Clay for $99.99. I’ve seen Bass Pro have similar sales on Federal, Remington and Winchester … and I’d guess you have a LGS or 2 that runs ‘em also.
 
So I ordered 100 shells of Federal 00, but it's 9 pellet (LE13200). Also threw in 50 Federal 1oz slugs (LE127RS). The place I ordered from didn't have birdshot. Thinking I'll find that on the street in the brick and mortar somewhere. The activity where I'll need it specifies lead only, no bigger than 7.5. Guess I'll try to buy a few types of that.
 
Timfoilhat said:
So I ordered 100 shells of Federal 00, but it's 9 pellet (LE13200). Also threw in 50 Federal 1oz slugs (LE127RS). The place I ordered from didn't have birdshot. Thinking I'll find that on the street in the brick and mortar somewhere. The activity where I'll need it specifies lead only, no bigger than 7.5. Guess I'll try to buy a few types of that.
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That LE13200 is a damn fine 00 Buck 1145fps with FlightControl wads. I swear they are the same loads as the stuff Federal markets to civilians as Home Defense but less expensive. Some says they have had trouble cycling in semi-autos but my M1S90 loves ‘em. They are not field loads but they sure don’t thump like hunting 00 Buck loads I ran years back. TO ME that is a stack it deep load.
 
I will second testing it, we just went shooting yesterday and when my pal loaded a certain Winchester round into his M4 clone it fired all of them but did not properly eject any of them. Every round had to be cleared half stuck in the chamber. Not something you want to find out when it counts.
 
Home defense where wall penatration is issue goes with 7-8 shot. Penatration not an issue then buckshot. 12ga 8 shot at 10 yards will take someone out of a fight. Only thing I use slugs for would be deer hunting. Slugs will penatrate way more than rifle round will and I believe slugs can also be dangerous when hunting on the ground for same reason.
 
I love the shotty. I run improved cylinder and have great admiration for all shotgun rounds.. At short distances birdshot is devastating. to the primary layers and can be quite serious. Slugs and Buckshots are my go to depending upon what I wish to accomplish. Cover the end of a room.........Buckshot, reach out and crack some ribs or a car door.......... slugs, to provide a convincing degree of pain to expel people off the property..... rubber bucks and slugs (yes they are available, but lawd help you to get them on target. they spread wide and if you are lucky you can get 3 or four on the main torso at 10 yards). Frangible or birdshot for inside if I am concerned about over penetration. Inside twenty yards I can cover 8 C size targets in less than 5 seconds with buckshot spaced a couple feet apart. I love a Turkey load. They go deep and stay tight, but not a good option for staying within the room you use them.

Brands matter less than you think. Most I have tried appear to be fully adequate. I keep Hornady on hand always. It is just the one I like. I have a never had shotgun ammo fail that is a magnum shell. Not saying it can't happen.

I purchase ammo for SG based upon price. I use whatever brand I can get at a reasonable price. I have not been disappointed with any purchased locally. I have never had a Nelli M4 fail to run a standard load. I have had several M2 Nelli's refuse bird shot.

The 1301 is solid and I wish I had o few. All SG loads are effective if close enough.... even the non lethal. From what I can tell competition shooters run bird shot. I can knock a C size steel IDPA target on it's kiester with any three magnum loads and the manufacturer does not matter much.
 
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This works for me.

Not the most expensive OO, but patterns well out of a plain vanilla Mossberg 500 (18.5 CB). Tried a bunch of different loads and the only one that patterned tighter out of my shotgun was Federal FC. 2 rounds at 40’ threw 13 of 18 into 5.5”, total spread of 6.5”.
 
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Timfoilhat said:
Thank you for explaining that. :)
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Tons of similar charts out there…and even a few other choke options. But this gives you some idea of where the IC falls.

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Bigtig82 said:
Slugs will penatrate way more than rifle round will and I believe slugs can also be dangerous when hunting on the ground for same reason.
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I question this. I suppose it depends on which slugs and which rifle rounds. I do know that the old Foster slugs can glance off trees, flatten out a bit, and sail off in random directions like a very dangerous frisbee.

I know very little to nothing about the proper gear for 3-gun. I have shot a lot of Cowboy Shooting and used light 1 ounce reloads of #8 lead shot for the knock-down targets and for the Texas Star. The rules at our Cowboy range specify nothing larger than 7.5 shot. Bounce back from the steel targets even occur with lead shot and would be terrible with steel shot.

Functioning in your particular gun is essential. I have rarely found ammo from any maker that did not work satisfactorily. Try several brands and quite using a brand if it does not work to your satisfaction.

Patterning a shotgun is important for hunting purposes but should not be needed at home defense ranges. You are not worried about dropping a running deer at 40 yards but rather about stopping some bad person coming at you at close range inside your home. About any choke will do. Improved Cylinder is fine.

Buckshot is funny stuff. I don't think it matters very much which size you use at home defense distances. All sizes will penetrate and not be spread out very much at those short distances unless you have a really big house. If you want to use buckshot for gun games or for hunting, patterning different loads may be quite eye opening. Some loads in some chokes are terrible. I tried a whole bunch of different loads before I found one that patterned well in my Auto 5 modified barrel for deer hunting. It likes buffered Winchester 3" #4 Buckshot. I have a bunch of that load and put it in my home defense shotgun even though I have never patterned it in that gun.
 
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