I gotta question. Why is #1 Buck so overlooked? I'm noooo way a buck guy. Have used it very occasionally. Did a lioness many years ago and the odd coyote here and there. My thoughts is #1 at moderate range is golden. 00 is big but very spread out, meaning some holes in the pattern. Yes?no?
I would guess the reason #1 is overlooked is that it isn't readily available. Being as buckshot isn't very popular, a wide selection is hard to find. Which in my opinion also makes it less popular. A lot of folks have had bad experiences with buck because they buy whatever they can find at the local walmart, throw it in an open choke gun and (because that's what they have read/heard) and either pattern it or just use it and see poor results. In no other use of a shot gun is patterning more important. Turkey loads even take a back seat in the "need to pattern" department to buck shot.
So to answer your question, poor performance leads to poor sales, leads to poor selection. Then poor selection leads to poorer performance, leads to internet buck shot "experts" condemning it's use (not speaking about 24 Hour. This has been a very open minded discussion).
If you can get a good pattern with #1, it would be a very good choice. I personally like larger buck shot and really like 00 and 000 if it patterns good and #1 would be the smallest I would personally use. In a tight patterning gun 00 won't have holes in the pattern. There are 18 00 in a factory 3.5" load. the gun I shoot will put them all into 13-14" at 40 yards, not much room for holes in that pattern. The same gun and load will shoot 20" 60 yard patterns, and I am very confident in it at that range. I have pattern pictures I could post, but don't know how with PB no longer working.
