and for jsut in case... 
Posted on 10/23/2011 9:17:13 AM PDT by marktwain
Shotguns, buckshot, SHTF
With all of the insane government spending going on, and the potential of nasty inflation hitting soon, I have been looking for things to buy that have utility, trading value, and long term storage life.
I have been heavily involved in the gun culture, grew up in it, studied it, and have been a professional for the last 16 years.
Almost everyone has a shotgun. Usually it is a 12 gauge, although there are plenty of 20, 16, and 410 shotguns out there. Most people have a box or two of bird shot. They might have a few slugs, maybe a couple of rounds of buckshot, but most do not have even a magazine full of buckshot or slugs. Worse, in this area, buckshot is not heavily stocked. I doubt if the local stores have a collective inventory of 200 boxes, for a population of 100,000.
I had a couple of boxes of buckshot and slugs. I did some research and came to the conclusion that buckshot was the best SHTF shotgun round to have, and that the type developed for sale to law enforcement was the best of the bunch, and not that much more expensive. With the best LE type buckshot, all the pellets will be in a 6-9 inch group at 25 yards, and it is likely that you would get multiple hits on a man sized target at 100 yards. It turns a small game and bird getter into a very effective militia/SHTF weapon.
Most people do not have buckshot because they do not use it regularly. I happen to know my neighbors and I trust them. If the SHTF, I want them armed, and I want them confident in their arms. I pondered the situation and decided on this course of action.
I ordered a case of what I think is the best buckshot out there, Federal LE 9 pellet 00 buck with the Flight Control wad. A person that I know well in a State Patrol said that they tested it extensively, and that it gave incredible patterns (about 6 inches at 25 yards). This is also a reasonably mild load at 1145 fps, works great in manually operated shotguns, but may not work in all auto loaders.
Having a box of factory ammo that says : FEDERAL PREMIUM LAW ENFORCEMENT AMMUNITION, TACTICAL, just might put a little more spine into a recently formed informal militiaman when they need it.
I will be giving a couple of 5 round boxes of this ammo to all of my neighbors who have 12 gauges this Christmas. I believe that it will be better received than fruitcake. They all know me as a firearms instructor, so that gives it a bit more credibility.
I was able to find a case of this ammunition on the Internet for $225 dollars for 250 rounds including shipping. Other brands can be had for as little as $150/250rds, including shipping.
Buck shot is a relatively heavy munition, it is bulky, and a shotgun is not my first choice for a SHTF firearm, but for a great many people, it is the best that they have.
I highly recommend getting to know your neighbors before the SHTF.
Do most Freepers who have shotguns have a good supply of buckshot?
Ditto on the mossy. I’ve kept at least one Mossberg 500 close at hand for that last 20 years. Reliable, predictable, affordable... Current ‘favorite’ is outfitted with Pachmyr Vindicator kit (pistol grip and fore end). Only loads I’ve use in all this time? Alternated 00-buckshot and deer slug in the full 8-shot mag tube; and two ‘quick to grab’ 50-round bandoliers loaded the same way. Excellent tools...
Most ammo, stored in a dry place that is reasonably cool (below 90 degrees F) will be in excellent shape for at least 50 years. I try to use up all my old ammo before that time frame. I have shot lots of ammo that is 50-60 years old, and it mostly works just fine. The problems arise from ammo that has been exposed to water or, worse, oil.
The NRA tested ammunition that was a bit over a hundred years old, and it generally worked very well.
If you are shooting old, questionable ammo, you do not have to worry about cartridges being overpressure and blowing your gun up (unless the cartridges are unknown reloads). What you have to worry about are squib rounds that stick a bullet in your barrel (shoot the next round without removing the obstruction and blow the gun up), hang fires that go click...boom, and misfires that do not work at all.
I do not worry about shooting old ammo, as long as it is in a situation that is not critical. I shot a bunch of 12 gauge that had gotten soaked and then dried, hunting dove. It nearly all was satisfactory, but I did get a few misfires and one hangfire. You just have to be aware, and do not shoot another shot until you check your bore, after getting a misfire or squib load.
Thanks. I’d heard that but still.
and for jsut in case...
Here on the East Coast everybody has a 12 gauge shotgun and we use buckshot and slugs because its common for deer hunting. We prefer #4 buckshot (sometimes hard to find) over 00 due to the fact that you get more pellets per round and as we won’t be using the shotgun over 25 yards. Over 25 yards all others get M-4 or AK-74. LOL!
Federal’s good ammo. We also use Remington and Winchester. We currently have our Mossberg 500 tactical loaded with the first two rounds being Federal defense loads and the next four in 00 buck as we have not been able to find any #4 lately.
When we bought the Federal defense loads a couple of mos ago the guy behind the counter at Pro Bass very quietly said “I wouldn’t put those on my Bass Pro Shop reward card and I would pay cash”. He looked like former military and my fiancee’ kind of looks like a shooter which he is. Plus he had his US border patrol hat on so we got the picture. I’m just passing this on to all you freepers. We take that to mean the Feds are monitoring all ammo purchases and probably making Pro Bass cooperate. Livin in the USSA. Ain’t it grand?
it's called Buckshot, but don't get caught with it in the field during deer season here in ny... slugs only
Thanks for the heads up. As I stated before, I am pretty high profile already. I do believe in cash, though.
Do you people never tire of bragging about all the guns and ammo you have cached? Let me break it down into plain English for you.
Only a complete idiot would post a detailed inventory of his firearms and ammo on the internet.
You haven’t see the deer in GA. Probably 100-120 Lb average. We have an overpopulation and they are thin. You can take 13 per season. 2 Per day.
Drywall stops buckshot too - if you're defending your family the worst outcome is accidently killing a sleeping child 3 rooms away...
i wish they'd let us thin the heard round here that way... there'd be a hell of a lot less people getting killed / cars in the shop from hitting the damn things every year
PING!
combined with 
are my favorite combination.
Are you going to carry both a rifle and shotgun with you? Go back and get your rifle? My ourdoor load would be first round a #4 birdshot 2oz turkey round. Also we have rattlesnakes around here, and that would work fine for that, as well as effective for self defense within 25 yds. Then alternate between slugs and #4 buckshot. If overpenatatration is an issue (neighbors close by), stick with birdshot or #4 buck. BTW, have you tested your rounds at 100 yds? I don't think any shotgun pattern is going to be effective beyond about 50 yards, even with a full choke, and buck is usually fired from an unchoked barrel.
drywall doesn’t stop buckshot, this test it went through 7 drywall boards. Birdshot went through drywall too
http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot3.htm
I was taught to aim just above and just to the side of the d!ck no matter what I am shooting.
It drops them EVERY time for 9mm on up...broken hip or pelvis...shortly to bleed out.
got plenty of mags for that taurus? cant have enough high caps.
got plenty of mags for that taurus? cant have enough high caps.
got plenty of mags for that taurus? cant have enough high caps.
I do not intend to be carrying a shotgun unless I am hunting. If I am otherwise carrying a long gun, it will be a rifle. It is certainly a good idea to pattern your individual shotgun with the ammunition that you have. At 100 yards, a 00 buck pellet has about the same energy as a .22 high velocity bullet at that range. From what I have read and heard from people who actually tested it, the Federal LE Flight Control 00 buck loads can consistently put multiple hits on a silhouette target at 100 yards. They seem to do best from a cylinder bore gun.
I am not saying that there are no applications for slugs. There certainly are. It is even more important to test fire your gun with slugs than it is with buckshot.
It is my belief that for those who are one of the many who do not shoot much, have a shotgun, and have the courage and resolve to help defend their neighborhood if the need ever arises, then buckshot is best.
Would I prefer that they be "well regulated" in the sense of a "well regulated militia"? Certainly. It is just a fact that most people are not, and will not put the time and effort and training it takes on the small chance that they see of needing those skills.
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