Shotgun Training ammo

[rickp]

I don't do a lot of shotgun stuff so I need to defer to others for info here.
What ammo are you guys using to train with. Normally I use Federal 8 pellet 00buck and Federal Slugls, but what is a good choice for the bulk of shooting.

Thanks.
R/

[jcbfrntz]

Obviously it's good to use "real" ammo like slugs and 00-buck to train with, that way your used to how the weapon shoots with the ammo you will need in a real situation, but for a large part of your training (reloads, transitions, shooting and moving, etc.) birdshot will do you just fine, granted you don't get the same recoil so follow up shots and recoil management is different, but you get the same weapon manipulation and muscle memory that you would by firing slugs or buckshot at a fraction of the price.

My $0.02

[zk556x45]

I do almost all of my training with Federal 7 1/2 birdshot -- probably in the neighborhood of 90-95%. My defensive loads are all reduced recoil OO and slugs, so the difference between my training ammo and the good stuff is minimal.

Running a shotgun effectively is all about your comfort level with the battery of manipulations that you'll have to perform under stress -- especially reloads. Breaking the gun off target for a reload, reloading and re-engaging the target is exactly the same whether you're using relatively inexpensive rounds or the best that money can buy.

I recommend Federal by name only because I've had a lot of trouble with comparable Winchester rounds extracting reliably.

[ST911]

Federal LE 9-pellet OOB, truball slugs, and federal #6-8 birdshot. The birdshot is sufficient for handling, rhythm, and reloading drills. The rest for patterning, accuracy, etc.

[3 AE]

I use Federal #132-00, 9 pellet 00 buck moving at 1145 FPS in my HD shotgun. Nine 00 buck pellets weigh about 1-1/8 oz. For training when I don't want to use up all of my good stuff, I substitute with Federal, TGL12-8. It's has 1-1/8 oz. of #8 birdshot moving at 1145 FPS. Similar energy so similar felt recoil. This stuff is readily available at the big box stores like Wal-Mart, Bi-Mart, etc. for about $6.00/25.

[B Cart]

I use Federal #132-00, 9 pellet 00 buck moving at 1145 FPS in my HD shotgun. Nine 00 buck pellets weigh about 1-1/8 oz. For training when I don't want to use up all of my good stuff, I substitute with Federal, TGL12-8. It's has 1-1/8 oz. of #8 birdshot moving at 1145 FPS. Similar energy so similar felt recoil. This stuff is readily available at the big box stores like Wal-Mart, Bi-Mart, etc. for about $6.00/25.

This^^ And FWIW, I've seen the best performance from the LE 132 00 buck with the flight control wad.