Should I use a choke for Buckshot?

[MosinRedwings]

I have a smooth bore slug barrel without a choke and am planning to hunt with Buckshot. Do I need a choke?

[God's Country]

Can't say I've ever shot buckshot through a smooth bore. Tried it once in a full choke and went back to slugs. It's easy to pattern. Try it and let us know.

[Tomcat088]

I suppose that I have a few questions before I offer any answers. What will you be hunting with the buckshot? What are some of your possible distances?

[SharpShooter88]

You are probably going to want a choke....The shot is going to be really spread out....It may be alright though....Depending on what you are hunting/shooting with it and at what range.

[Lycanthrope]

Smoothbore slug barrels are usually choked relatively light. If it's below a full choke a dime wont fit down the bore (12 gauge).

Pattern it.

My skeet choke shoots buckshot really well.

Lycanfindoutwonthurtthrope

[MosinRedwings]

I will be hunting deer in michigan. mainly brush country. The shots may be out to 30 yards, maybe more.

[BUCKMARK]

Are you allowed to use a rifle, slug or AT4 in Michigan?

Do the deer a favor and kill them quickly with as much respect as you can.

I have seen a few deer killed with buckshot, and it isnt pretty. Use something else if you can.

[Tomcat088]

I would say that you're probably going to need some kind of choke, if you're shooting deer out to 30 yards. The best way to find out, as others said, is to pattern it, from maybe 10-30 yards, and see what the pattern looks like. If you're getting a pretty tight pattern that is shooting where you want it to, then you could use it. I'm guessing that at 30 yards though in the smoothbore, it's gonna be pretty spread out and NOT what you want to humanely and as cleanly as possible kill a deer with. I'd personally try out some slugs, I imagine at 30 yards you wouldn't have too much trouble placing one right where you need to. Either way, pattern the shotgun to know what it's doing.

[WMG]

1st off we know to use plated shot and you will simply need to pattern your gun and load , odds are you might not want tighter than a mod choke as too tight can make your pattern worse , there are some chokes out there with buckshot in mind , trulock is a company that i think makes one and also there is another one but for the life of me can't recall the name , the choke selection will not so much increase your killing range as it will tighten up your pattern , I know at 1st that seems to make little sense and i guess what I mean is the pellets wont become any more lethal , just closer together

[Montell C. Williams]

I hunted deer in NJ for 40 years with buckshot and with a modified or full choke 12ga gun at 30 yards buckshot is fine. Pattern your gun with #1,#0 and#00 to see which it likes best also a lot of guns blow the pattern if you use magnum buckshot loads so dont think they are always better it is how tight it patterns at deer distance not how much shot you are throwing.

The old rule of thumb was it takes 3 #00s in the chest to kill quickly but more is better.