Roskoe

I did a bunch of patterning with buckshot back in the 1980's. Best choke restriction, at least in the Remington 870 I was testing, was a .705" - which in normally called "light modified". Any tighter caused erratic clusters. Maximum range for reliably hitting a 6" circle with one pellet was about 40 yards - using the 9 pellet premium buffered loads. The 18 pellet shells must kick like an elephant gun.

matt068

Use a slug just too many great slugs being made for both smoothbore barrels as well as rifled barrels

elgallo114

Usually I hate when someone asks a question and people tell him he's crazy for doing it. In this case, I have to agree though. I wouldn't use pellets for deer. As someone pointed out, there are countless deer running around with shot in them. I've harvested some of them.

Anyway, you got your answer. Sounds like you better keep it inside of 40 yds. Also sounds like you might want to just go with a slug.

HighDesertWolf

from my experience the over bored barrels (.775" bore dia.) of the mossberg 835 do real well with buck shot. those 18 pellet 3.5 inch loads in my 7 lbs mossberg feel like a .470 nitro out of a 9 lbs gun. with a accu mag steel extra full T and F choke which has a bore constriction of .742" ive gotten excellent 50 yard paterns Ive always had atleast 30% patterns or better inside a 12 inch circle. the deer I took was hit with 8 pellets 5 were in the vitals 2 in the neck and one in the shoulder. that deer collapsed within yards of being hit.

Id have to agree with most of you that buck shot may not be or isnt the best of choice. But I know what I did with buck shot and will likely use it again on deer.

LOUISIANA WHITETAILS

Yea man I mean I shoot both just wanted to see what yall thought. Slugs are definately the way to go. I have seen some crazy damaged done to deer (close range) with slugs.

DANTHEHUNTER

This just amazes me , everyone on here talks about bullet prefomance and expansion ect... I have to have a steroid hyped up rifle but then you actully shoot a deer with buckshot !!! I think it should be outlawed I have seen some killed with it but more times then not they are running off to the next county. First off most of the guys who stop by to shoot at my place cant judge 40 yards to 70 yards. It is hard for me believe if a buck of a life time is standing in front of you at 100 yards you arnt going to try the shot. I dont know about all on here but I dont think I want buckshot in my gun at that time !! If you could actully hunt with it like you are bow hunting maybe but I recommend a slug.

HighDesertWolf

well Dan if you ever get the chance to hunt the swap lands around the lake charles area in Lousiana. the deer are not that big, a monster buck down there might weigh 100 lbs. not like the horses we are used to there in central and northern misosuri that can weigh 200 lbs easy. I would never consider using buck shot on a missouri whitetail. but in the deeeeep!! south marshes and wetlands of most of the southern portions of lousiana the deer just arent very big.

retrieverman

There are people of here that think buckshot should be made illegal, but I have killed 15-20 deer over the last 25 years at distances out to but no further than 40 yards. I would keep my buckshot range about the same as my bow range. Some guys may lob an arrow 75-100 yards, but that is just not wise. Buckshot is great when used properly. I do like 00 buck too.

LOUISIANA WHITETAILS

Its not just that our deer are smaller like dessert wolf said, but we dont have massive plains and feilds to hunt. Hell your lucky if the woods your hunting isnt to thick, besides the woods im in, the only way to rifle hunt it is withopen sights.

SwampCollie

Where I grew up, the only way to hunt was with a shotgun and buckshot. We ran dogs on our farm and our club was made up of nothing but farmers who had little else to do in the winter but damage control on soybeans and peanuts. Our 40 member club has killed over 400 deer each season as long as I have been alive. And the firearms season runs from the Saturday before Thanksgiving until the first Sat in January. With 40 guys hunting everyday, on nearly 75,000 acres between them, with some of the best deer hounds anywhere, you are bound to be succesful. We have on more than one occasion, killed more deer in one afternoon than the number of hunters on that drive. Its a very effective way to control the deer numbers. Also a great social event. We are the states largest contributor of vension to Hunters for the Hungry, and give lots of meat to locals and friends.

I have shot litterally truck loads of deer with buck shot. I have tried every concoction, choke, load, gun etc etc etc that has been put out. And over my years, I have learned some lessons about buck shot. Humor me a moment if you will.

1) You can kill deer at 100 yards with buckshot. Absolutely, dead as a stump. However, what you don't hear about from the boys that kill deer at that distance, is how many deer they have "missed" that year.Seldom are those misses just misses. If you hit enough golf balls in one day, you are bound to find the fairway sooner or later. Same with buckshot. I remember my dad shooting a deer at 65 yards when I was 6 (I killed my first deer about 30 minutes later). He hit it with one pellet, right between the eyes and knocked it out cold. Had to cut its throat. But, he killed it. That was the longest shot dad ever made, or attempted, and he will readily admit that he wouldn't try it again.

2) 2 3/4" loads are faster, and therefore retain more energy, and allow for longer shots. If you take a MAX dram load, it doesn't matter how many pellets you put in front of it, thats the most amount of ummph you are going to get out of shell. Now, what is going to be faster, 9 pellets or 18 pellets? Simple physics. But that still doesn't mean you can shoot 100 yards. The single most popular gun at our club is a Rem 1100, 2 3/4". Some like 000 some like 00. But of those 40 members 30 of them shoot 1100's. The rest either have A5s or 870s. There is one Benelli and one 390. I personally watched a load of 3.5" #1 buckshot BOUNCE OFF a deer that the shooter swore was 40 yards away (I know better, but it should have killed that deer, it was acctually 76). And this guy, a friend's guest, probably went hunting in the rain and got his shells wet, who knows, but hey, I saw it.

3) Differnt stand locations call for different size shot. If my longest shot is going to be 30 yards, I put in #1 buck. At close range, nothing beats it. I put in my IC tube and let it eat. I have killed a lot of deer like this. However, much past 40 yards, and #1 buckshot might as well be #9 shot. It loses its energy VERY fast.

4) Super Xtra Double Full might work great at the firehouse on Tuesday nights or in the spring time, but this ain't #6 shot. I have NEVER seen a gun shoot a full choke the best out of the alternative (unless its a fixed constriction choked gun, some of those are DEADLY). Often, Imp. Mod is the best, sometimes Modified.

Finally, I'll share the set up that works best for me. I shoot a Rem 1100 with a patternmaster choke tube. I prefer 2 3/4" Rem Premier Nickle plated 00 buck. At 65 yards, I can put every pellet inside a 40" circle, with at least 3 in a 10" circle EVERY TIME, assuming no user error is involved. All this, at the expense of lots of time, $, effort and error. But, hey, rifles, muzzleloaders and slugs are verboten in those parts. i have killed one deer at 55 yards with buckshot, and given the chance again, I'd leave her walk. Most of my deer at taken inside of 20 yards.