Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Correct choke for buckshot?

I grew up hunting with shotguns and buckshot too,we always used full choke guns with 00 or no. 1 buckshot.

I shot for the lungs with 00 buck,my dad would aim for the neck with no.1,and I dont recall either ever losing a deer.

With buckshot it's best to keep shooting until the deer goes down,one shot may not always do and buckshot does not damage meat like a rifle so a quick but aimed 2-3 shot burst is the best.

I have experimented the modern extended and ported chokes from Kick's.

The paterns were unreal,pretty much every pellet in a circle of about a foot at 40 yards.


Just like turkey loads,every shell,choke tube,and barrel respond differently.You have to test a few to find the sweet spot. But the results can be amazing with super deadly patterns at 50 yards and even more.

If I were really serious aboout buckshot,I'd get one of the turkey guns with adjustable sites or optics and order some of the custom buckshot tubes for it.

Buy winchester and federal's best loads in no. 1 and 00 buck and see what works.

The maximum distance at which you can put half a dozen pellets in an 8 inch circle is where you quit.

As far as penetration,00 will penetrate better than no. 1 at forty yards but not by a lot.

At that range 00 will often exit or be under the offside hide on lung shots,no.1 will often stop inside the ribs on the far side of the critter. Both will get all the way through lungs or break the neck at forty yards IME.