Ever tried shooting Buckshot out of a rifled barrel?

[Redlg155]

I did and was very surprised at the results.

At my last range session with my 21" rifled barreled 870 I decided to see exactly what a load of buckshot would do to the target at 15 yards. That was of course after zeroing with my slugs.

The results? With a 2 3/4" load of S&B 00 Buckshot I had absolutely zero hits on a man sized target at 15 yards. That's right...zero. Just to make sure I wasn't losing my mind I immediately shot a sabot slug and hit dead center.

I had been told about the rifling making a large hole in the center of the pattern, but to completely miss a silhouette at 15 yards? Almost unbelievable if I hadn't seen it with my own two eyes.

Anyone else try shooting buckshot out of rifled barrel just to see what would happen?

Good SHooting
RED

 

[HSMITH]

Yup, at about 20 feet you cover a man sized target with #4 buck. Would work nicely at bedroom distances, but has little value outside of that.

2 ounces of #4 birdshot covers a man sized target as well, a surgeon would look you in the eye and tell you to pray if you were shot with that already prepped and on the table. Fun to play around with but useless.

 

[Rugerfan]

I assume centrifical force spins the pellets outward at a fast enough rate to miss the target. Hastings makes a "Wadlock" replacement barrel (I have one for my Rem 1100) that has straight rifling. The purpose of which is the keep the shot column perfectly straight throughout the barrel. This is to guard against an imperfection in a typical barrel catching the wad and starting it on a slow spin that would lead to pellet flyers. Interesting concept anyway.

 

[skeeter]

Now you tell me. I just sold my smooth bore 18" barrel to Steve and bought a rifled barrel and lots of OO. Maybe I can aim to the side? Never heard this before. Am I right in assuming that 00 buck in a rifled barrel patterns like buck in a 10" barrel?

 

[Al Thompson]

Skeeter, what you planning to use the OO for? If it's HD, you may be fine. Best thing to do is to pattern your combination - measure your longest shot in the house and add a yard for GP/Murphy.

 

[C.R.Sam]

Seems to get rediscovered at least once per generation.

Probably started with musket shooters transitioning to rifled big bores.....used to being able to use shot loads with the smooth bores and wondered why their ol standby shot loads wouldn't stay in the county with the new fangled rifled thingys.

Sam

 

[skeeter]

Gizmo99 I don't think 00 would even work for HD in this barrel ( factory Rem. rifle sights rifled). I tried the new barrel today. Does work well with rifled slugs as I expected it to. But using 00, T shot and BB's at 30 feet produced only 1 or 2 holes on a 12" by 12" target. I found the shot holder-wad about 10 feet in front of the muzzle and the fingers were pushed back about 90 degrees. This barrel is totally useless for any shot. Anyone want to buy it? I am going to buy a smooth bore rifle sighted barrel. I would rather lose a little accuracy and be able to use shot than have some more accuracy and not be able to use shot at all. Any one know how much accuracy I will lose? I figure that since I will never use a scope it won't make a big difference. I do not hunt and it is for defense only.

 

[Dave McC]

Skeeter, there is a loss of accuracy, but the disadvantage is more theoretical than real. With proper load selection, darn near all shotguns are capable of minute of deer shots at 50 yards or more IF the gunner is also capable.

And lots of deer get killed within that range every year.

I've taken deer with a half dozen or so slug guns since the 70s. None were rifled, all did their part if I held up my end. Probably the longest shot made was around 65 yards. Average was half that or less.

Current slug shooter give groups of a little over 4 inches at 100 yards with the slug of choice. It has a rifled choke tube in it. My chokeless HD 870 puts its slugs into less than an inch more, same distance.

HTH....

 

[HSMITH]

Skeeter, shoot me a PM with price for the barrel.....