Buck shot in 28 guage

[B.Habermehl]

No I’m not planning to hunt with buck shot in my 28 guage type G. I’m just curious, as to what size buck shot will nest in a three by three by three pellet column. We have a smooth bore weekend at our club and at least one target is shot with buck shot. The load must have only a limited number of pellets. Just curious if one of the members is mathematically inclined enough to figure this out. BJH

[Hungry Horse]

Pretty darned small, is the easy answer. If you wanted to shoot buckshot, you should have chosen a bigger bore weapon. If you divide 55 caliber by three, and allow for the curiture of the balls, what you have not buckshot at all. It’s probably going to be closer to #4’s than buckshot.

  Hungry Horse

[Pukka Bundook]

HH,

Wouldn't BB's work?
Yes, smaller than buckshot but still pretty big compared to # 4.

[Joe S]

#7 shot.

[JBJ]

Number 4 is the smallest "buckshot" size (.24 inches in diameter). Then shot sizes go to T (.20), BBB (.19), BB (.18), B (.17) and progressively smaller in increments of .01 until birdshot #7 is reached.  Size 71/2 is .005 smaller than #7 shot. Then it resumes the .01 diameter reduction down to #12 shot (.05). There is no size 10. As Richard suggested, it is going to be on the order of BB, B or even #1.
J.B.

[Joe S]

I’m just curious, as to what size buck shot will nest in a three by three by three pellet column.

#7 shot.

[Daryl]

.28 is about .54.  I have a .54 cal. bl. for my pistol, that does amazingly well with .350", what Hornady calls 000. 

Triple Ought is actually .36" but not from Hornady.

I used a patched .526" round ball, dropped 3 buck on top, then showed a patch on top of that to hold the balls inside.

I shot several 'patterns' at a B27 Silhouette target at 12 yards. All of the balls landed insid ether 8 ring, every time, with the full sized ball

striking centre 10 ring and the buck shot striking radially in the 9 and 8 rings in about perfect symmetry around the centre ball's hole.

Your army guys of the 1700's and 1800's used double the number of buck and ball compared to single ball loads in the muskets - are you allowed buck

and ball in this match or are you restricted to 3 small shot, buck size or smaller?

I would think that 0 buck, at .30 cal. might be about the correct size.  #3 buck is around .28" isn't it? That might be better yet- however they would make a VERY light load,

projectile, wise.

[Eric Laird]

#3 or #4 buckshot (.250 and .240 nominally) will stack three in a layer in a 28 gauge (.550) bore. #2 will stack two in a layer, and the larger buckshot will end up staggered to a greater or lesser degree. Hope this helps.

Eric

[Daryl]

Spot-on, Eric.  I was trying to remember back when I was a kid buying buckshot for fox shooting with myh 20 bore. I thought it was #3 & listed as .28 cal., but was obviously wrong - memory and all.

I then googled this and found this chart. Shot sizes do differ depending on not only the country, but the area or even the shot company making and measuring, in some instances.