Question on T shot, BBB, or BB

John Gorman

John Gorman

New member
hey folks, we have a few areas around me that are shotgun only (no single projectiles allowed) and im wondering a few things from the folks who have killed a good number of yotes with a shotgun. I have a binelli nova, will take up to 3 1/2" shells....

i have an undertaker choke, and it patterns pretty tight out to about 50 yards with 2 3/4" federal BB shot.

my question is, would i be better off shooting a 3 1/2" shell, and would T or BBB be better than BB? i know i will have to pattern both shots and compare them all, but im looking for killing power and distance.

i had a yote come in today, nice stand but he hung up at 60 yards and i didnt pull the trigger using my 2 3/4" BB, just didnt think that would do the trick.

any help appreciated, thanks.
 
Last edited:
3 1/2 has more shot in it and more power behind it (most times).

Shoot anything but steel shot.

Lead or tungsten shot in 2, b, bb, and on up to buck shot will all work.
 
Last edited:
Good call on not taking the 60 yard shot! Most guys get trigger happy and try to be a hero.

Anyways, I can tell you first hand that you have to pattern your gun to it's needs.

I just got a new 870 and I have been painstakingly trying to dial it in using various loads and choke combos. Believe me; your shoulder will be sore and ammo isn't getting any cheaper.......

Good luck.
 
I think you exercised good judgment today. Especially if you aren't shooting tungsten. Where would you get BBB lead or tungsten loads? Stay away from steel, most especially if you want killing power at a distance. If you want the best loads use tungsten denser than lead BB or T-size shot and pattern to learn what your max distance is. But remember, a shotgun is a shotgun and no amount of wishing makes it a rifle.
 
60 is just 10 more than 50. If your gun is patterning tight at 50 ya shouldve shot him if you had a broadside shot. Hard to kill a coyote at those distances head on.
 
Get yourself a Limbsaver! My shoulder was black and blue and I felt like I got kicked by a mule patterning my Nova. Should be called lifesaver, it's that good. My best results out to 50 yards were Hevi Shot T 3" 1st (by a mile) Winchester Supreme Elite B 3" non toxic coyote/waterfowl 2nd (same thing, different box) and good old #4 Buckshot 3" 3rd. This was with a Carlsons .675 turkey choke. 3" copper plated BB shot was ok, but 4th out of 4 in my tests. Good luck!
 
Originally Posted By: rynokronGet yourself a Limbsaver! My shoulder was black and blue and I felt like I got kicked by a mule patterning my Nova. Should be called lifesaver, it's that good. My best results out to 50 yards were Hevi Shot T 3" 1st (by a mile) Winchester Supreme Elite B 3" non toxic coyote/waterfowl 2nd (same thing, different box) and good old #4 Buckshot 3" 3rd. This was with a Carlsons .675 turkey choke. 3" copper plated BB shot was ok, but 4th out of 4 in my tests. Good luck!

I have tried six different loads using three seperate chokes in my 870.

First place goes to the factory Remington Full with the Hevi-Shot "T" with an average of 15 hits on an 8inch circle @40 yards.

Second place goes to the Dead Coyote choke with the "T" load with an average of 14 hits@40 yards.

Third place goes to the Remington Turkey choke with the "T" load with 12 hits@40 yards average.

Lesson Learned this week; My 870 hates any and all #4 Buck for some reason, best pattern was 9 hits@40 with the full choke.
 
It's all in speed
Feet per second!! Thats what kills dogs. A 3 1/2, 2 oz load of #4 buck going 1250 fps Is not as lethal as a 2 3/4" 1 oz load of BB going 1700 fps. The 2 oz load can get you more pellets on the coyote but if they can't penetrate winter hair and hit vitals it doesn't kill. You need as big a pay load and as fast as you can handle,period!!! A very tight choke and a fast load of #F lead is very capable of killing them out over 70 yards, you just need to be able to hit them with the best part of your patern... Don't use steel of any kind just doesn't kill,Hevi-shot or lead !!
 
im noticing everyone is saying stay away from steel, i have couple boxes of BBB shot 3 1/2 inch and 1650 FPS compared to a lot of the 1300 FPS shells.

i will def go get some lead or tungsten, though there's a lot of copper for sale here at bass pro.

thanks for the feedback everyone i appreciate it!
 
Originally Posted By: Arizona BushmanOriginally Posted By: rynokronGet yourself a Limbsaver! My shoulder was black and blue and I felt like I got kicked by a mule patterning my Nova. Should be called lifesaver, it's that good. My best results out to 50 yards were Hevi Shot T 3" 1st (by a mile) Winchester Supreme Elite B 3" non toxic coyote/waterfowl 2nd (same thing, different box) and good old #4 Buckshot 3" 3rd. This was with a Carlsons .675 turkey choke. 3" copper plated BB shot was ok, but 4th out of 4 in my tests. Good luck!

I have tried six different loads using three seperate chokes in my 870.

First place goes to the factory Remington Full with the Hevi-Shot "T" with an average of 15 hits on an 8inch circle @40 yards.

Second place goes to the Dead Coyote choke with the "T" load with an average of 14 hits@40 yards.

Third place goes to the Remington Turkey choke with the "T" load with 12 hits@40 yards average.

Lesson Learned this week; My 870 hates any and all #4 Buck for some reason, best pattern was 9 hits@40 with the full choke.

From the web..

T= .20". #4= . 24"

Did it pattern better because there's more pellets for the T??
 
Originally Posted By: Fling-a-arrowOriginally Posted By: Arizona BushmanOriginally Posted By: rynokronGet yourself a Limbsaver! My shoulder was black and blue and I felt like I got kicked by a mule patterning my Nova. Should be called lifesaver, it's that good. My best results out to 50 yards were Hevi Shot T 3" 1st (by a mile) Winchester Supreme Elite B 3" non toxic coyote/waterfowl 2nd (same thing, different box) and good old #4 Buckshot 3" 3rd. This was with a Carlsons .675 turkey choke. 3" copper plated BB shot was ok, but 4th out of 4 in my tests. Good luck!

I have tried six different loads using three seperate chokes in my 870.

First place goes to the factory Remington Full with the Hevi-Shot "T" with an average of 15 hits on an 8inch circle @40 yards.

Second place goes to the Dead Coyote choke with the "T" load with an average of 14 hits@40 yards.

Third place goes to the Remington Turkey choke with the "T" load with 12 hits@40 yards average.

Lesson Learned this week; My 870 hates any and all #4 Buck for some reason, best pattern was 9 hits@40 with the full choke.

From the web..

T= .20". #4= . 24"

Did it pattern better because there's more pellets for the T??

I don't think so because my Mossberg gets better patterns with the #4 and the tighter Dead Coyote Choke.

Shotguns are like women; emotional and have different tastes!
 
Originally Posted By: Arizona BushmanOriginally Posted By: rynokronGet yourself a Limbsaver! My shoulder was black and blue and I felt like I got kicked by a mule patterning my Nova. Should be called lifesaver, it's that good. My best results out to 50 yards were Hevi Shot T 3" 1st (by a mile) Winchester Supreme Elite B 3" non toxic coyote/waterfowl 2nd (same thing, different box) and good old #4 Buckshot 3" 3rd. This was with a Carlsons .675 turkey choke. 3" copper plated BB shot was ok, but 4th out of 4 in my tests. Good luck!

I have tried six different loads using three seperate chokes in my 870.

First place goes to the factory Remington Full with the Hevi-Shot "T" with an average of 15 hits on an 8inch circle @40 yards.

Second place goes to the Dead Coyote choke with the "T" load with an average of 14 hits@40 yards.

Third place goes to the Remington Turkey choke with the "T" load with 12 hits@40 yards average.

Lesson Learned this week; My 870 hates any and all #4 Buck for some reason, best pattern was 9 hits@40 with the full choke.

Sounds like we have pretty similar results. I'm happy with mine. Even though the #4 buck has less hits it's a bigger shot size. My opinion is 8 or better hits in an 8" circle is decent enough. Mine favors the rediculously expensive Hevi Shot T with 18-20 hits on a paper plate at 40 yards. That's with a .675 turkey choke. the factory Benelli full and a Dead Coyote choke were not nearly as good. Took a little time and $$, but I think I found the sweet spot.
 
i shot a yote that i trapped today, about 40 yards, all i had was 3 1/2" federal steel high velocity. dropped him, then he sat there head up looking around, so i quickly finished him with my Ar-15.

i patterned these steel shot out of my shotgun today, binelli nova with a Undertaker choke extra full, at 40 yards im not impressed at all. on paper i had 13 holes in 8" circle (most where on the outer edge of 8", only 3 shots inside around center area), not sure if that's good or not. was shooting off sturdy shooting sticks.
 
The reaction of the trapped coyote to the steel shot is evidence of it's poor terminal performance. Look elsewhere for more effective predator hunting shotgun loads and there is a ton of very reliable information in the archives here.
 
yup, i agree. like i said, that's what i had on hand figured it's the perfect opportunity to field test it (had my Ar-15 right next to me) at 40 yards it didnt do much so i immediately put him down with a 55 grain bullet.

anyone reading that doubts steel being inferior, it doesnt get much more real than that.
 
If you're having pattern problems with #4 buck, try a more open choke. Sometimes it helps a lot, sometimes it doesn't matter much, but it's definitely worth a try. My 870 likes an improved modified choke much better than full. Yours might even like a modified, all depends on the gun. Having bad patterns with large shot is common though, if you find a gun/choke/load combo that patterns buckshot consistently, consider yourself lucky.
 


Write your reply...
Back
Top