Which Shell for Home Defense # Buck 16 pellet or #1 Buck 24

[smcrea]

Hi,

I have have a basic 18" 870 tactical that I have in a shot lock for home defense.

HAving read many articles I'm convinced that #1 buck is the way to go for a home defense load.

However what I am not sure about is which #1 buck.

I am looking at Winchester because it is easier to get.

I'm concerned about recoil in tactical situation e.g. in the middle of the night under stress and in the dark.

I see #1 16 pellet which has a velocity of 1250ft/s

and

I see #1 25 pellet which has a velocity of 1040ft/s

This to me looks like it probably has the same charge but I'm only guessing

Can anyone give any advise on which one to get?

Thanks,

Steve.

[mercman]

I bet either would do the job.

[smcrea]

I have the choice so was wondering which would be better

The 16 pellet is cheaper?????

[mercman]

Go with cheap. I'm sure someone will come along and bury you in theory and suppositions.................

[smcrea]

How about the recoil from the 3" magnum shells?

Is it considerably more?

[Synchronizor]

I'm sure someone will come along and bury you in theory and suppositions.................

Reporting for duty!



First off Smcrea, I'm assuming you're talking about Winchester's magnum 24-pellet #1B load. #1B pellets are typically stacked in tiers of three or four in 12ga shells, and 25 isn't divisible by either.

Anyway, theoretical free recoil energy is proportional to the square of the total momentum (mass * velocity) of the ejecta (shot, wad, propellant gas, and so on). Since the shot accounts for the majority of ejecta mass from a shotgun, you can make a decent ballpark comparison of the recoil of similar loads using just the quantity of shot and their muzzle velocities, with everything else neglected, or assumed to be equal and canceled out.

(24-pellet recoil)/(16-pellet recoil) = (1040 * 24)^2/(1250 * 16)^2 = 1.56

So despite the lower velocity, the magnum 24-pellet #1B load should have significantly more recoil than the 16-pellet load. It sounds like you would be better off with the 16-pellet load. Less recoil, more per-pellet velocity, energy, & penetration, and nearly the same total muzzle energy:

(24-pellet ME)/(16-pellet ME) = (1040^2 * 24)/(1250^2 * 16) = 1.04

[smcrea]

Thanks Synchronizor!!

As an engineer I can relate to your answer!!

16 pellet it is!

[Synchronizor]

Cool, a fellow engineer.

If you're interested in a more slightly detailed look at recoil, SAAMI has a brief publication on the subject on their website. I don't think it's been updated since the 1970s, but it's not tough to follow, especially if you're familiar with the basic math & physics it's based on.

[DaveC]

Very late to the party, but I'd go with the 16-pellet 2-3/4" No. 1 buckshot shells... Oh wait! That's what is loaded in my S&W/Howa 3000 right this very minute!

Now that I live in the gritty old "big city" I've gone to No. 4 buck in the Rem. 870...

[ranbo1213]

its a 12 ga ..any cheap birdshot will do the job in close quarters and hopefully wont rip threw the walls to anyone on the other side in a worst case scenario..be safe.