Rifleman Q&A: 00 Buckshot In 20 Gauge?

by
posted on December 10, 2024
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
00 Buckshot In 20 Gauge
Photo by Forrest MacCormack. Ilustration by David Labrozzi.

Pellet Diameter chart graphic comparison buckshot sizesQ. I’ve been asking my local retailers for 20-ga. 00 buck shotshells. Their response is “good luck finding that.” Were these shells ever made available by any company?


A. Major shotshell manufacturers do not load 00 buckshot in 20 gauge for the simple reason that so few of the large pellets can be loaded into a 20-ga. hull. They do, however, offer 20-ga., 2 3/4" loads that contain enough No. 3 buckshot—20 pellets on average—to provide sufficient energy for lethal hits.

A 2 3/4" 12-ga. hull will hold only nine 00 pellets, which illustrates how few a 20-ga. shell of similar length would be able to hold.

Latest

smith and wesson mp 22 right-side view on table indoor shooting range
smith and wesson mp 22 right-side view on table indoor shooting range

Rifleman Review: Smith & Wesson M&P 22 Magnum

One of Smith & Wesson's recent additions to its M&P handgun line is the M&P 22 Magnum, and there's a lot more going on in this gun, technologically, than it appears at first glance.

New For 2025: Beretta BRX1 Ranch

Beretta has expanded its BRX1 straight-pull action into a "ranch rifle" configuration, providing a handy, lightweight platform that still includes some of the groundbreaking features of the original BRX1 rifle.

Ruger Buys Anderson Manufacturing

Ruger announced on July 1 it has acquired all assets of Anderson Manufacturing, a recent top 10 producer of firearms in the U.S.

Favorite Firearms: Anticipating Answers

Everyone has a favorite gun, but not many have a story quite like the one from NRA member Jim Schollhammer.

Rifleman Report: Safe Passage

While the phrase “tools of the trade” may refer to specific items that a worker uses to ply his or her vocation, it could just as easily be a reference to the firearms, knives and other everyday carry, or EDC, gear that the average citizen uses to ensure his or her safe passage through the course of an uncertain, sometimes dangerous, daily existence.

I Have This Old Gun: Star Model 1914 Auto Pistol

The Spanish/Basque city of Eibar is one of Europe’s great arms-manufacturing centers, with a history in gunmaking dating back to the 1500s.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.