Fifty five yard deer kill with Flite Control 00B

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About what I would have expected. While I've never killed a deer that far away, I've seen/dressed a number of them said to have been killed at that distance. Generally the hunters involved used 3" magnum 000's for shot like that. I haven't hunted really for several years and copper plated buckshot was just starting to become availabe. Most people just used plain ol' lead.

He didn't say what choke he used I don't believe, but it looked to be a slug barrel, and may have been an open choke. I've always used modified choke but I know a lot of hunters who use full. I never knew anybody to use an open choke slug barrel. At least not more than once.
 
The load was identified as Federal, 9 pellet 00B - full power, with Flite-Control wad fired from a Cylinder bore.
 
Back when I used to deer hunt I saw many similar kills, and that was about 40 years at least before anyone ever dreamed of Flite Control wads. I would be interested in seeing some real pattern testing of FC wads versus something/anything else with the same loads and the same barrel performed by an impartial party.
 
The creator of that video is a member here and has posted a number of his videos here as they were completed - including the one linked in the OP.

Once again, FliteControl was specifically developed to be used with OPEN CHOKED smoothbore shotgun barrels. Using it with MOD or tighter chokes will likely yield more open patterns than a straight CYL or POLICE CYL choke.

I've used Federal LE 127 00 (9 pellet 00 buck at 1325 FPS, with FliteControl) since it first became available, and it is IMHO the best thing currently available as far as buckshot is concerned - in open choke shotguns. This after literally YEARS of experimentation and testing with various barrels, internal barrel geometry, choke tubes, loads etc. on my own hook, paying every bit of my own way.

Objective? Nope, not at all - I'm biased in favor of tight patterns and full bore performance as far as buckshot is concerned. If painting my shotgun purple and pink would make it pattern tighter, I'd be toting a pink and purple shotgun, guaranteed. I don't care WHAT makes buckshot patterns reliably tight - that's my bread and butter.

And FliteControl WORKS. Naturally, it is still subject to the vagaries of all shotgun barrels being different, so patterning is STILL necessary for your individual barrel. And one more time, use it in CYL or POLICE CYL chokes for best results.

There are reduced recoil loads of buckshot with FliteControl available, but I don't use them - I want full velocity for maximum terminal effect. I don't hunt with a shotgun any more at this point, so my only concern with all this is strictly for defensive use. And my aim for years has been to eliminate the so-called "B Zone" and extend the "A Zone" to the maximum distance possible. For a good "old school" discussion of all this, see http://www.frfrogspad.com/shotgun.htm.

I tried for a while to push effective buckshot range to 100 yards ... and managed to do a reasonable job of that at one time, with a particular load and an expensive, complicated choke tube that limited the shotgun's ammo to buckshot only. That was too much of a price to pay IMHO, however, so I abandoned that particular experiment.

FliteControl does what I want it to do, reliably and dependably, and the open choked barrels it works best with impose no ammo limitations on the shotgun. IMHO ANY extended range buckshot or slug shooting is better done with sights of some kind, but if you are young, or just have good eyes, you might well be able to do all you need to do with just a bead.
 
I don't shoot buckshot, but I do waterfowl hunt, and I have heard all these tales about Flite Control wads, but I have yet to see any nice simple statistical data. Some years ago I shot several thousand patterns, and I was also looking for as tight as possible, and I was able to get my best with Ballistic Products components.
 
Very Well done vid. I agree with the narrator's conclusions.

While the deer did expire after one hit, it also ran 150 yards. No big deal in an open field, but in thick woods, recovery could have been a problem.

If I were to use buckshot on deer, My maximum range would be where I could be reasonably assured all pellets would end up in the boiler room.
 
Excellent excellent video.

Fred, did you also try the equivalent Hornady 00 buck?

I ask because it patterns very well in my shotgun. Both tha Hornady and Breneke reduced recoil home defense slugs shoot poa poi out to 25 yards. With that info I stopped looking. Curious what else you tested and found.
 
The load was identified as Federal, 9 pellet 00B - full power, with Flite-Control wad fired from a Cylinder bore.
Click to expand...

In that case, I'm more impressed. I've never seen an cylinder bore gun that carried buckshot worth a hoot, but I'll admit I've only fired a few rounds through one.

But I wouldn't shoot any load that didn't have the maximum number of shot I could get for the size shot I was going to use. My preference was alway for 3" shells (15 No 00) and if I had to use a 2 3/4" shell, I wanted "short magnums" with 12, 00's. I've never even owned a 00 shell that only held 9 pellets. They were outdated back before "the day".

That was the reason I always prefered No 1 buck. A slightly smaller shot, but a lot more of them in the pattern. I always kept a few bigger shot shells in my vest, like 00, or 000 but I don't think I ever used them.
 
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First off- Dude, awesome accent. I love it.
I wish CT had a cool accent. Instead we just sound... boring.

Second- I have no idea about hunting as I don't hunt. I know people go on and on about a deer being "DRT" when shot with effective loads. In the vid you mention the deer falling over and dying 150 yards from where it was shot. That seems to me like a decent distance to cover when having taken a load full of 00 buck to the chest. Might a different buckshot load such as 3" 000 buck have made for a more humane/faster kill? Or perhaps had the deer been closer?
 
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CajunBass said:
In that case, I'm more impressed. I've never seen an cylinder bore gun that carried buckshot worth a hoot, but I'll admit I've only fired a few rounds through one.

But I wouldn't shoot any load that didn't have the maximum number of shot I could get for the size shot I was going to use. My preference was alway for 3" shells (15 No 00) and if I had to use a 2 3/4" shell, I wanted "short magnums" with 12, 00's. I've never even owned a 00 shell that only held 9 pellets. They were outdated back before "the day".

That was the reason I always prefered No 1 buck. A slightly shaller shot, but a lot more of them in the pattern. I always kept a few bigger shot shells in my vest, like 00, or 000 but I don't think I ever used them.
Click to expand...
Federal also makes a 00B FliteControl 3" round with 12 pellets.
 
Fred, did you also try the equivalent Hornady 00 buck?

Yes, I used red hull (full power) Hornady TAP 00 for a while, but the last batch I got, the star crimps were so ragged they drooled grex (granulated plastic buffering material) all over the place, and I quit using them.

I was happy with their performance/patterning however.

That was the reason I always prefered No 1 buck.

The only Federal FliteControl load of #1 buck I know of so far is a reduced recoil load, and I refuse to use reduced performance shotgun shells save in a high volume of fire training environment (shotgun class). See http://www.policehq.com/Products/FC-132LE.1B#.U6ZQYsJOWhw for details, note the 1100 FPS velocity.

If Federal or anyone else offers a full velocity load of #1 buck in a FliteControl wad, I'd be all over it to try it out. And if they'd do it in #1 buck HeviShot, doubly so. Even though it would likely cost $2/round or more.
 
Thanks for the link. Very good video. Yes, the deer died. But it ran 150 yards; that is too far. The penetration demonstrated in the video seems insufficient for a clean kill. Thank you for showing us buckshot should not be used passed 50 yards when shooting in the boiler room. Still, I wonder, what about a headshot at the same distance with the same load? Given that particular deer's presentation, it would also have been an option.
 
Brobee223 on Youtube is BrobeeBiter here on the highroad.

Way back in August 2013 he came on the shotgun forum to outline what he wanted to test and what he wanted to learn. He asked for suggestions. He wanted to use all four (4) of his shotguns in the testing. He was looking for results with modern shotgun loads for water foul and deer. You should go back to the thread and follow all the threads. His 4 barrels covered cylinder thru modified (and maybe full). He would do pattern board testing at up to 4 different distances for EACH gun, with each load, and near (like 10 ft or less) and far (like 25 yard) ballistic gelatin testing. The Youtube vid posted here, as Fred said, is the hunting results he got from the early season testing.

First Thread:
27 Aug 2013 Shotgun Ballistics Gelatin and Patterning Testing - Protocol??
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=726909


He put a lot of time and money into this testing. Thankyou, Brobee. You should read the threads here and watch all the videos connected with them at:
Brobee223 http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=726909
 
Sometime back, I was looking at the Hornady's shotshell line and noticed there was never any mention of the use of a buffer material. So I sent the following inquiry to Hornady:

"Are your shotshell loads, Buckshot, Coyote and Turkey, buffered?
Your online catalog and website make no mention of the use of buffering material."

This was their reply:

--------------------------------------------

From: Hornady Manufacturing, Inc
Sent: Monday, February 11, 2013 8:39 PM
To: tech
Subject: "Technical Inquiries" Contact

We make no reference to the buffering because we do not use any in our factory turkey, buck, and coyote loads. We appreciate your inquiry and your business.
Thank you

--------------------------------------------

Hornady then, depends entirely on the VersaTite wad, high antimony content pellets and in their Heavy Magnum Coyote and Turkey series, the addition of nickle plated pellets to deliver tight patterns.

However, Brobee223's excellent long range penetration testing video of Hornady's 12 Gauge Heavy Magnum Coyote BB round documented a great deal of set-back pellet deformation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smJRQHss26w
 
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If the deer ran 150 yards the kill is poor, should have gone about 15 yards max.

The hunter should put the animal down as quickly as possible with the least amount of suffering.
 
jaguarxk120 said:
If the deer ran 150 yards the kill is poor, should have gone about 15 yards max.

The hunter should put the animal down as quickly as possible with the least amount of suffering.
Click to expand...
Even smallish Texas Whitetails with their hearts spit into chunks by 30-06 can go 150 yards. Depends on if the heart is relaxing or compressing, therefore, if it's full or not of liquid.

A deer has and humans too about seven seconds of oxygen in its brain to run on. Add an adrenaline dump and a deer can easily make 150.

The video was good info.

Thanks Brobee.
 
Even smallish Texas Whitetails with their hearts spit into chunks by 30-06 can go 150 yards.
Click to expand...

Well, those Texas whitetails sure are tougher than our 200 lb whitetail bucks. I witnessed true heart shots only very few times, two were mine. Those deer never ran 150 yards, ever. One fell right where it was standing the second before (100 gr. blackpowder, 295 gr. .50 muzzleloader hollow point, 40 yards), the other jumped and made it ten yards away (only with a puny .270 Winchester, 150 gr. soft point, at 25 yards). Imagine, they were not even shot by the holy .30-06 Springfield! ;)
 
The hunter should put the animal down as quickly as possible with the least amount of suffering.
Click to expand...

I concur. I would also add that like so many other things, it does not always end up exactly as planned. That is why I consider tracking an essential hunting skill. Like many hunters who are only human, I sometimes missed the perfect shot I thought I had. :mad:
 
While I agree that a hunter should make every effort to put an animal down quickly, (shoot again, that's why we use repeaters), the only three deer I've ever seen killed with something besides buckshot, (1 slug, 1 30/30, 1 25/06) all three ran at least 100 yards after being shot.

In the case of the one shot with the 25/06, I tracked that one myself for 100-125 yards, before I found a drop of blood. The deer was DRT a few yards farther. The shooter was convinced he'd missed.
 
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