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Reading my most recent issue of Shooting Illustrated (Sep '25) and they have an article comparing 00 Buck to #4 Buck.
It's something I've already seen for GURPS.
SEALs In Vietnam gave us stats for #4 Buck because it was exceedingly popular in 'Nam with troops who toted a shotgun.
00 Buck is the GURPS 4e default damage for a shotgun; it does 1d+1 pi, 40/800.
The smaller pellets of #4 Buck do 1d(0.5) pi-, 30/600; but you get three times as many pellets (27 v 9). That gives a better chance to hit.
At 15 yards vs average VC mook:
00 Buck from your Ithaca model 37 can bang out two shells per turn, slinging 18 pellets down-range.
With a skill of 12, -5 to hit for range, +4 for the number of pellets, net 11 to hit.
With a rcl of 1 that means two pellets will hit on an average roll and do 9 points of damage which is a major wound.
#4 Buck sends 54 pellets for a +6 and a net 13 to hit.
That means that 4 pellets hit on an average roll and will do, on average, just 5 points of damage. Just barely a major wound.
This seems to agree with the conclusions in the article.
This GURPS!
Based on patterning out of typical 20" cylinder bore shotgun barrels I like #4 buck. Vietnam Vets generally seem to have pretty common sense reasons for their preferences.
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More pellets means more chances to hit with something. The problem is that more pellets means smaller pellets at the same velocity because shotgun loads are amazingly consistent about velocity.
DeleteSmaller, thus lighter, pellets have less penetration and are, therefore, less effective individually.
We know a lot more about this now than we did in Vietnam, and the fact that #4 Buck for 12ga and the 40mm M576 round (which used #4 pellets) were dropped point to us learning.
No. 4 shot will not penetrate a chest webbing with AK 47 magazines. Onsite observation. No data concerning 0 or 00 Buck.
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