shotgun for predators

[bojangles]

i have a mossberg 835 dipped in camo with a screw in extra full choke. i've had 2 people in a week tell me not so send double ought down the pipe, as it could damage the choke.

 

what think ye?

[JLW]

no need for 00... #4 is plenty.

I have read that 00 can damage an extra full choke, but I'm no expert. what I read said it could cause swelling of the threads and or strip them out.

I use a modified choke and sometimes full choke and I am golden out to 45yds with 3" #4 buck.

Ask standman or twowindy what they reccomend... they put a bunch of fur on the stretcher!

 

James

[standman]

I use copperplated #4 shot. Just a regular turkey load that I reload. . A lot of people will say that is too small but out to 40 yards I like it. I use an xxxfull choke. Farthest shot I killed with it is 75 yards, coyote. I don't know anything about 00 buck. I can't get it to pattern out of my gun no matter the choke. Most people use #4 buck with a modified or full choke. They all say not to use a tight choke with the buck shot.

 

Brian

[elpepe25]

I shoot 3" lead BB with fantastic results out of a .675 (FULL*) choke. However when I run 4 buck I drop to a modified choke. I do not do this for fear of damage to my gun, I do it because out of my gun those options pattern the best. In my experience the larger the shot size the more open the choke. This is due to a tight choke compressing and deforming shot and therfore opening patterns. I do extensive pattern testing with my guns and loads to determine what patterns the most even and dense at the distance I intend to shoot.

 

The only way to know how a given load will perform is to pattern it. Test out your chosen load through several chokes from IC to Full or more. Beg borrow and buy chokes to do your testing and find out where your gun shines.

 

The way to cover your tail is to speak to the manufacturer of your choke and discuss maximum shot size with them.

[bojangles]

thanks!

[pwrguy]

Brian, I think like the other posters. #4 or #2 is plenty big, if you want more range or devistation than that go with a scoped ceterfire

[standman]

/>Brian, I think like the other posters. #4 or #2 is plenty big, if you want more range or devistation than that go with a scoped ceterfire

Haha! A scoped center fire? What is that? Is it some new shooter up device?

 

Brian

[oz31p]

i have a 835 ultra mag and i have sent every type of buck including 00 down it. all thru an ultra full turkey chock. i also think #4buck is perfect.

[Fulch]

+1 on #4 buck, Remington Express 3" mags pattern much much better from my 12 ga than Federal Vital Shock, every shottys different though. I like the Carlson Dead Coyote choke, cost effective and looks sweet.

[coues7]

#4 or #2 buck (not shot) is the the only way to fly. Definitely go out and pattern your shotgun. Don't think just because you have a scattergun (shotgun) you can hit anything and everything....you won't and you can't! PATTERN YOUR SHOTGUN.

 

I shoot Kicks Chockes. My chokes restrict the bore diameter by approximately 0.050-0.060". Their site makes recommendations and they are pretty accurate.

[twowindy]

I use #4 buck for coyotes.I shoot the 2 3/4 inch shell with 27 pellets.The lighter the load the more velocity you have.More shot is not always a good thing.A 1 1/4 ounce load is all you need to knock a coyote off his feet at 45 yards.

[Fulch]

I use #4 buck for coyotes.I shoot the 2 3/4 inch shell with 27 pellets.The lighter the load the more velocity you have.More shot is not always a good thing.A 1 1/4 ounce load is all you need to knock a coyote off his feet at 45 yards.

 

Good point, never considered this. I had always though more pellets = better chance at fatal damage. I'll have to give it a 'shot', cheaper also.

[bonecollector]

I use the Black Cloud #4 1 1/4oz knocks them dead.

[Scooter]

I have the same gun, and buffered loads of 00 buck are fine in there, won't hurt the barrel if you have your choke screwed in all the way and keep it tightened properly. You run the risk of deforming the large pellets though which can and will create "flyers" and ruin the pattern.. With only 9 (per 2.75" shell) or 15 (per 3" shell) .33 caliber pellets, that can translate to a missed or wounded animal pretty quick. Running an extra full choke you'll still get some pellet deformation and flyers with #4 buck, but you'd have more pellets (27 in a 2.75" shell and 41 in a 3" shell) of .24 caliber in the sweet spot of the pattern- so you're less likely to miss or wound an animal because of the superior pattern density.

 

Ideally, if it were remotely affordable, I would run nothing but the Hevi-Shot Dead Coyote loads... Perfect matrix of pattern density and shot size, and patterns excellent and precisely to point of aim out of my 835 with a Carlson's Dead Coyote choke- but it's brutally expensive at $4-$5 per round and a hundred bucks plus shipping for the choke. at least the choke is useable for other loads.