MidwayUSA had Hornady buckshot advertized in their #282 catalog. When you try to order it Product # 194-248 .... it's gone. I sent in an inquiry.

When you go to Hornady's website .... they now only list a few odd buckshot sizes ... and send you to distributors for those. 32 caliber isn't even listed now. Try to make a simple e-mail inquiry ... and they ask for your blood type, food preferences, and shoe size. I know ... I had to fill in all that crap just to send an e-mail ... along with my phone number .... 555-5555. When a company asks for your e-mail addy ... and asks that you confirm it .... and gets the request by e-mail .... why would they think you wanted to be interrupted and called to the phone? Especially when someone has already read the e-mail ... and just has to hit return.

I fully suspect that we are going to find out that some new genius has decided that we no longer need the buckshot sizes we want anymore.



Gary

Gary I checked out their website and found buckshot in 0, 00, 000, 0000, and roundball in 32 caliber .310. I found the buckshot in reloading under shot/slugs and the .310 roundball under blackpowder bullets. They also listed 36 caliber roundball.

HI Joe,

I searched buckshot several different ways. Each time, I came to the same page ... just had three odd sizes. I will check again. Odd co-incidence that it disappeared from Mid-Way and Hornady the same night for me.

Gary

Hi Joe,

We're looking at something different.

I get to reloading .... and there's nothing about "shot/slugs" anywhere I can find.

I can go under the heading of "Ammunition" ... and get a pull down for "buckshot" .... where they show a few odd sizes and say ... go to a retailer.

Still cannot find 25 cal ../. or 32 cal. Can't even find where they will let you order any size ... but they are sending us to look up some shop near us.

I can be missing something ... but this isn't the same site I've used ... and it's certainly not simple or clear.

Gary

I didn't check the decimal diameter of the buckshot Gary, just that it was available in all four sizes. I assume that the smallest is .240 and the the largest is .375. The 32 caliber I found was Hornady Roundball not buckshot.

Hi Joe,

Hornady single O buckshot has always been listed as .320". They don't list it now. .310 round ball is different - and too small. They also show a .315" round ball ... which they have never shown before. That's also too small.

What's always been there ... and worked perfectly .... was their single O ... which they said (and measured) as .320. It's gone. They used to have about 8 sizes. They had roughly .230 ... .250 ... .270 ... .320 .... .350 .... and a few others. The .250 ... I think it was called #3 ... is what I turned on all the 25 shooters to.

Years ago ... Hornady buckshot was terrible. Nearly square. Wouldn't shoot for crap. Then, all the sudden ... it became perectly spherical. I called them ... went thru several people .... spoke to an engineer. "What did you do?" .... They said ... Huh? .... They seemed to have no idea. They spoke about new boxes that maybe didn't beat it up in transit as much.

If you look at their site now .... you will see that they brag about how spherical their buckshot is now. But - I think now they've dumped the sizes of 25 and 32.

Gary

Also .... if you go to "Bullets" now .... they list buckshot.

They list only 3 .... .230 ... .330 .... .350"

On the buckshot page linked elsewhere ... they don't even tell you the sizes anymore. Just list them by number .... but there's no single O or #3.

Gary

Hey gary you may be right, I just went back and found no single 0 buckshot and the number four is .240. The first time I looked I did a search on google for buckshot and my have got an old page. I did find .350 ball but no .250. Maybe it's just a production thing and they will have it back in stock

If that were the case .... they would say it was "back-ordered" or something like that.

They now list something they call "hardball" ... and say 32 caliber is .310 or .315" ... and they want $10 for 100 of them. You used to get five POUNDS of the stuff for $23 .... it was quite a few hundred. 500-600+ or something.

I very much suspect somebody hired a new business wizard.

Gary

All of our 25s and 32s that shot like a laser with buckshot ... just got shot in the buttstock.

I tested that Hawk action this evening. It shot the 32 buckshot at 850+. Wow. That was Ranger specs. I came in to order a big ole bunch of buckshot. My "feel good" was pretty shortlived. I smelled a rat when Midway's product number from two weeks ago didn't even get a hit on their search engine.

Gary I just did a search on Google and found the old page listing the #3 buckshot and it says discontinued by manufacturer. Man that is a bummer, I'm glad I bought two boxes when I did, now I wish I would have bought 10.

Hi Joe,

Yeah ... it's a bummer. Especially when I've got a dozen people waiting for guns to shoot both of those sizes in 25 and 32. Even if I could find a few boxes to squirrel away ... what's the point? These customers are not going to be able to get it.

No point in me testing with it or using it. I just went out Saturday and shot those 32 ball into cloverleaf groups at 34 yards with a pistol. All the while, not knowing the whole thing was a joke - you can't have it anymore.

I simply cannot imagine the number of things that can bite you in the butt in this business. 98% of them have nothing at all to do with me. Yet - I get the long faces to deal with. Gee ... it's a wonder EVERYBODY isn't making airguns ...



Gary

midwayusa.com replied to my inquiry. They inform me that Hornady no longer makes the products.

Hornady replied to my inquiry. They asked if I was sure I wasn't taking about loaded ammunition. I have written back with a couple of pics. Let's see. Maybe they will drag the production line back in from the dumpster, just to make some more for us. I'll bet they do.

Gary

Well there's some poop in the punch bowl... The maverick loves those #3 at 75 yards or less as we saw on the woods walk at Kent's. We can make the slugs of course but for non-stop plinking the ball was great.

The Mystery Deepens.

Check this page please ..... [www.hornady.com]

Various links, throughout the Hornady site, brings you to this page. As you see .... no 25 or 32 shot is shown.

midwayusa.com responded to me that hornady was discontinuing those sizes.

Now ... a buddy of mine named Tony ... called cutomer support ... who claims they still make it. And a sales rep., who says they make it. So - sort that all out. I'm not nuts. But something's screwy.

Gary

Additional:

I called Hornady ... customer Service. And you know I hated that.

I spoke to Gary. He told me all was well. Sort of chuckled at the idea.

And so ... I asked him to pull up his site and search Buckshot. And, he got the page above ... which shows only three sizes. And he didn't know why.

Then ... I told him about midwayusa.

And now ... he's researching. Saying ... IF they discontinued it ... he doesn't know. And most of the people are not at the SHOT SHOW. But he'll find out and call me back.

Gary

My Hornady rep. called back.

He learned, after researching my questions and anomalies ... that it has indeed been pulled. The company reps, customer service, and sales staff ... simply did not know this.

I asked what the logic was. He says he learned that the company considers that there is absolutely no demand for it.

It's another version of what we have discussed many times. Suppliers are not going to endlessly stock products for activity that never takes place.
What little bit we've used, hasn't been a blip on the screen.

Gary

HI Shooters,

Will the 00 buck at .330 load and shoot through the 32's barrels? If not, what was the starting buck for the "buck slugs"? is that still available?

0 buckshot has 714 per 5# box at the $24 plus shipping.

An option for the 25 is round ball at 800 for 14.95, and it's shiny copper coated. The current 5 lbs box of #3 buck 1495 rnds goes for 24 plus shipping.

25 cal Kodiaks are 600 pellets for 26.25.

Of course the pellets and slugs do give better accuracy, but for the fun factor tossing the round ball into the breech and letting fly onto the steel or thru the dancing can can't be beat. I just can't wait to start shooting those shiny copper balls! Why the copper? Probably because it is repackaged from shotgun use ammo supplies to help with deformation at shell firing. Any thoughts on whether copper coating will hurt spin?

Kent

Hello Kent,

The buckball could was made from .350" ... see examples shot today thru Jim's Victory, in my "Shop Day" post. However; this buckball has to be tuned, in size ... for individual generations of barrels. Where the ball has a very short drive band ... a buckball will have a long parallel sided drive band. It will be like a swagged bullet - and thus, size will be critical. I shot the same slug today and it actually stuck in the barrel of a different gen. barrel.

Where are you finding this copper covered ball? And, is it just an electroplate? If so ... it should cut easily. 800 for that price is quite a bit different from the 100/9 or 10 bucks I've seen in round ball.

[www.ballisticproducts.com] Here's another company that makes buckshot. They even have some nickel covered buck in some sizes. However; it came highly recommended about 5 years ago. I was developing a 19 caliber barrel at the time, and bought a couple of 8 pound jugs. This .190" product was not very round. Therefore; I can't say if their 25 or 32 product would be or not. But - they do list 8 pounds for $34. That's dirt cheap ... but it has to fly.

I'm also always making and testing slugs. I have some more - no size slugs - in the pipeline now. They will either work, or be a waste of time. Part of the expense of custom slugs is all the handling work of cleaning, sizing, sorting, etc.

Gary

BTW ... I'm sure the .330" would make the traditional "sausage" buckslug. I didn't have any today. The .350" offered enough resistance to the .317" die .... that it upset the bottom ... and the finished shape was a bullet head shape. They flew fine though.

If anybody remembers my 34 caliber barrel I once tested on the Ball resivore gun ... I made those buck slugs from .350" ... and they came out with a sausage shape ... and flew really fine, even out to 50-60 yards.

There's always something to shoot. It's just a bummer when the cheap, easily available stuff goes away and makes more work for you.

Well ... it's been a thrill packed thread for a few of us!

Gary

pyrimid air has the round ball remember buy 3 4th is free at 4.95 ea graphite coated is $9 ????

Here's some other info

[www.muzzleloadingforum.com]

Kent

I'm not paying $4.95 for a 25 round ball, even if they do give you a free ball for every three balls you buy!



Gary

Well, I can't speak for them myself, but I've read plenty of threads on different forums about the ballistic products 000 (I think) that measures .360 as being an awesome 9mm projectile. If I remember right Tofazfou has written of them. If I'm wrong about that, please let me know, but I know for sure I've read rave reviews by a few folks.

Thanks Griffin,

That's good to know. Tofaz did write of .360" ball. I didn't remember the manufacturer though. Might be. Maybe he will drop in again.

I'll have to get some. Bummer that the .190" was rough. Might just be the Gary luck. haha.

Gary

Maybe Jerry can talk them into selling their old production machinery to him. He's halfway into the ammo business as it is now anyway!

Ohoooooooh .....

What you said .....

Half way ..... .... as in ... incomplete .... inadequate .... not up to snuff .... improvement needed ....



Let me just step over here ... behind this rock .... .... while the bullets start flying ....

hahah

Gary

Man, I can't catch a break around here lately!