new to forum and shotguns M4 ammo???

[nethinim]

hi

been shooting 5 years, new to shotguns just picked up an m4 11707.

 

ammo for breaking in???? , ammo for range???? , and ammo for self defense?????

 

 

slugs?? what type?? slugs, buckshot, #4 ?????

 

slugs for smooth bore and rifled bore???

 

i understand it takes about 100 rds to break in before feeding and ejection issues clear (from some posts on this forum).

 

cleaned and oiled.

 

any other suggestions before i take it to the range would be appreciated range will re-open in feb.

 

if i am lucky i will get to shoot it before i have to bury it under the bushes in the back yard.

 

thanks

[jsn124]

Congrats on the new purchase! I'm also a new M4 owner although I'm still waiting for it to get shipped to my FFL hopefully any day now. Still don't have it in my hands yet

 

But I'd also like to see what recommendations folks have. I went ahead and picked up some Federal 00 buck with Flight Control for home defense. I'm thinking about loading up some more of this as I've seen prices slowly go up over the past few weeks.

 

I'm looking to take a course eventually and wondering what type of shells to use: including both buckshot and slugs. I'll probably need 150+ shells mixed buck/slugs.

 

And like you I'm wondering what a good range ammo might be recommended. The local range (indoor) I go to only allows buckshot or slugs, no birdshot.

 

Thanks all in advance.

[XTrooper]

Good range ammo = cheap range ammo. Also, if you're going to have a heavy day of shooting, reduced recoil loads aren't a bad idea either as long as they reliably function in your gun.

 

Though it patterns tighter than any buckshot loads I've seen, I don't think the FliteControl ammo is the best buckshot for home defense because its plated shot acts very much like FMJ pistol bullets and penetrates very deeply in ballistic tests. If you want to use buckshot for home defense, I think a load that patterns tightly and utilizes un-plated shot might be a better choice. I keep my M4 loaded with Remington TAC 8 for HD duty. My favorite slug loads are Federal Hydra-Shok, Federal TruBall, and Remington Slugger.

Edited January 3, 2013 by XTrooper

[nethinim]

hi x tropper

just ordered some fed trueball and some LR trueball, (and some fed 00 buck "loaded to LE specs" 175 rds for $130) according to cabelas.

 

about cheep range ammo, i guess the best question is what i cant/should not shoot through the M4 with the standard choke. steel?????

 

i have seen some cheaper stuff that was #7 1/2 and #8 is that ok.

 

i also read somewhere someone was using #4 for HD??

as i read on this forum i plan to run the first 100 rds of slugs and 00 through before the cheaper stuff

 

thanks

[XTrooper]

Most ranges don't allow the use of birdshot (it's very tough on target stands and backers), but if yours does and your M4 will cycle it, that's the cheapest way to go. If not, buy the cheapest buckshot and/or slugs you can find. Forget steel, there's nothing cheap about it and no reason to shoot it in your M4.

 

Yes, some use #4 buckshot for home defense. Others prefer #1 or 0 buckshot. I use 00 buckshot because that's what I'm most familiar and comfortable with and I'm more likely to get all 8 or 9 pellets on target with it. Most any buckshot load will get the job done and I wouldn't say one size is necessarily "better" than another.

 

Hopefully it will only take your shotgun 100 rounds before it starts cycling the cheap birdshot. My M4 wouldn't cycle it till around the 300 shell mark. Lucky me!

[12508]

After owning a few of these, one thing I have learned is to break them in with

the oil that is in the box with the gun. It will run happy on birdshot with that stuff.

[L84Cabo]

For range and break in, WallyWorld is always a pretty good option. Whatever full power 00 and Rifled Slugs they have should do you fine. After a good break in, you can move on to low recoil and bird shot.

 

I haven't found anything that my M4 won't feed but others have reported some issues with various low recoil rounds. Keeping your gun properly lubed helps.

 

For defense I'm a fan of the Federal Tactical 00 with Flight Control Wad. They make this in an 8 pellet and a 9 pellet and I've found that the 9 pellet shells are just a tad longer and limit capacity by one round in my Carrier Comp extened tube. YMMV. The 8 pellet is fine. Like any of the low recoil stuff you will want to test them out before you buy a ton in case it doesn't feed in your gun.

 

Prices and sources vary so it's always best to search the interwebz for supply and best current prices. But as I said, WallyWorld is always a pretty reasonble source for range ammo if they have it in stock.

 

Double check your choke to make sure it's tight before you shoot. And you may want to check it periodically if you're shooting a lot of rounds. Make sure the gun is unloaded when you do this.