Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Predators and Varmints 12 ga loads for coyotes

I just picked up a Mossberg 835 Ulti-mag that I plan to use on coyotes. I'm looking for some suggestions for an economical and effective load to use. Are there any good lead shot loads out there? Can't afford Dead Coyote.

#4 buckshot or Federal Copperplated BB's 1 7/8 oz.

AWS

Federal 3" #4 copperplated buckshot does well and is affordable if you can find it locally.

Federal Premium makes a couple of inexpensive dandies, the No. Four Buckshot and the plated lead BB's both work very well. If you want to pony up more money then the Hevi-Shot Dead Coyote T's or the Remington Wingmaster HD-BB's work exceptionally well. Winchester and Federal also have denser than lead predator loads, but I have no experience with them.

I am a fan of the Copper Plated, number 4, 3" Buck.

I killed my bobcat at about 30 yards with lead 3" #4 buck. I recovered about 12 pellets from her.

I shot a fox at about 50-55 yards yesterday with Copper plated. Recovered one pellet, that hit him in head.

BLACK CLOUD

I can't imagine shooting steel shot when there are so many better choices available.

Today's steel shot is a whole new animal. Faster, better patterns than lead. Speed kills, sails right through bones that lead would flatten on. If the price ever comes down to where it should be, I'll even be switching my sporting clays load to steel.

right and the earth is flat.

I like black cloud for ducks but without starting an argument i would be using lead if it were legal..cheap or not...anyway, around here T shot is the largest legal shot without there being a gun deer season open. i use, if you can find it, the remington nitro magnum #2 lead in 2 3/4 or 3". remington is supposed to stop producing that load so i bought three boxes of 2 3/4 today $19.99/box. i have killed coyote at yardages i wont even try to get you to believe with my browning gold with a full choke

LOL... I ain't buying it either.

sab308, I'll also steer you towards the Federal Premium #4 buck in the 3" offering. Stay away from BBs and the like, Montana coyotes are a different species (my opinion, not based in fact, but we average 40Lbs and its not uncommon to see a male over 50)

I can't get the schitt in Kalispell... You can mail order it from several places.

Oh, and since MOGC won't take the credit for all his work... Hop on Predatormasters and look at the thread (its a sticky) on chokes and patterning predator shotguns. The best load in the world won't work past 30 yards with the wrong choke...

Thanks for all the advice folks. I think I'll stick with the #4 buck. A friend of mine hunts coyotes regularly and that's what he shoots too. Thanks again.

I been using T-Buck because I have about 350-lbs! It works for us and the price is right let me tell ya. All this high dollar shot shell business is for the birds.

#4 buck, don't not work.

BTW - #4 3" magnum buck in an 835, is going to get your attention......... to put it mildly.

Not to worry, I've shot 3" magnum buck out of an 870 before. It doesn't kick as hard as the 3" mag 1 oz slugs did. I also shoot a 444 Marlin with 300 gr. bullets going about 2100 fps. I don't think the recoil will bother me .

sab308

The 870 is a puzzy cat to the 835. Mossberg screwed a LOT of pooches with that stock design, IMHO.

That mossberg gun WILL get your attention...

As to steel, it certainly patterns REALLY well, as good or better than hard plated lead shot because it doesn't deform.... but it lacks energy. I used to shoot all my ducks with 2.75 and lead #5s. I'm now running 3 inch #2 steel to get the same performance almost.....

Black cloud is a joke though, I've shot enough of it to know its no better in MY guns than a standard Kent or Federal high speed load. Doesn't pattern or penetrate any better and its a buck a shot almost.. for that money I'd take hevi shot and reload my own any day.

Supposing the recoil is too severe, would the 2 3/4" #4 buck(27 pellets) load work?