I taught two shotgun classes on Saturday, February 8th at KR Training – Defensive Shotgun 1 – Fundamentals, and Defensive Shotgun 2 – Manipulations. In our Fundamentals class, students bring their self defense buckshot loads and pattern those loads at 7 yards, 15 yards, and 25 yards (if their 15 yard patterns give us any confidence that all their pellets will stay on an IPSC target; most sporting goods store off-the-shelf buckshot fails this litmus test miserably). I typically demo FederaI’s FliteControl 00 buckshot load during this portion of class in order to give students an idea what “the gold standard” looks like, in comparison to the usually vastly inferior performing ammunition they brought. In the interest of preserving class time, the day prior to class, I performed some comparative testing of two 00 buckshot loads through my two primary shotguns, which yielded some very interesting results.

Shotgun #1 is a Beretta 1301 Tactical, which is my go-to gun; shotgun #2 is a pump-action Mossberg 500 with a standard 18.5″ “security barrel” that I’ve probably had for well over a dozen years.

Federal FliteControl 00 buck is known to be an outstanding performer with respect to pattern tightness.

Hornady produces 00 buckshot loads with the VersaTite wad, which is designed to minic the performance of the FliteControl wad.

I shot both the Federal and Hornady loads through each gun at the same distances and measured the results:

	7 yards	15 yards	25 yards
Beretta 1301-T Fed FliteControl 00 buck 8 pellet	12 gauge hole (.729″)	3.54″ max spread	9.375″ max spread
Mossberg 500 18.5″ Fed FliteControl 00 buck 8 pellet	12 gauge hole (.729″)	2.2″ max spread	4.55″ max spread
Beretta 1301-T Hornady TAP (VersaTite) 00 buck 8 pellet	1.5″ max spread (estimated)	6.75″ max spread	13.25″ spread
Mossberg 500 18.5″ Hornady TAP (VersaTite) 00 buck 8 pellet	1.7″ max spread (estimated)	6.875″ max spread	not measurable 8th pellet not on target

One note about the testing: I wanted to use a single target for each gun/load combination, so the 25 yard shots are intentionally low on the target so as to not result in any overlapping patterns.

I fully expected the FliteControl load to vastly outperform the Hornady load, and Federal did not disappoint. At 7 yards out of both guns, FliteControl produces a 12-gauge (roughly 3/4 inch) hole; the Hornady load already demonstrates clearly evident pellet spread.

Comparing the two loads from the same shotgun (Beretta 1301), by 15 yards the Hornady pattern is nearly twice as large (3.54″ vs 6.75″). At 25 yards, the Federal FliteControl pattern is a relatively uniform 9.375″, which still fits cleanly within a USPSA/IPSC target “C” zone, while the Hornady load produced a “flier” which was very nearly off the target entirely.

The results took a surprising and unexpected turn when I compared the FliteControl pattern from the “cheap” Mossberg pump to my “Gucci” Beretta 1301. The Beretta produced nice, tight patterns that matched my expectations. The Mossberg produced outstanding patterns approximately 1/2 the size of my Beretta; At 25 yards, my Mossberg shot a pattern that fits within the “A” zone of a USPSA/IPSC target.

Also noteworthy, there was no real difference in pattern size of the Hornady load between the two shotguns; however, at 25 yards out of the Mossberg, the Hornady load shot a “donut”, meaning that if I was aiming at high center chest vitals, it’s likely to hit everything but the area I’m trying to get pellets into.

Key takeaways:

• Shotgun barrels are like snowflakes: every one of them is different.
  It is paramount that you pattern YOUR defensive load, in YOUR gun, to see what its capabilities and limitations are (see below).
  
• “Rule 4” still applies with shotguns!
  At what ranges are you fully confident in your ability to hit your intended target with every single projectile? With the Mossberg shotgun and Federal FliteControl 00 buck, I would be very confident in my ability to engage bad guys 25-30 yards away and ensure that every single pellet hits what I want it to hit (you are accountable for every single projectile that leaves your gun.) With my Beretta and Federal FliteControl 00 buck, my maximum engagement range is still easily 20-25 yards, depending on target profile (full value target facing towards me, or a side profile target? Big wide person or skinny meth-head?)
  
• Federal FliteControl is still King.
  Switching to the Hornady load, my maximum engagement distance is substantially reduced to 15-20 yards, depending on the target profile. Past this distance, I likely to need to use a slug to ensure all my projectiles hit what I am aiming at; usage of slugs introduces its own set of “Rule 4” problems due to a slug’s tendency to massively over-penetrate.