Mountain Lines
by Nelson Haas
My Life With Double-Aught Buck
The written word: double-aught buck, comes from the old English word: naught, meaning zero. The “n” was dropped and it became aught. It is also written: ought.
The origins of shot measurement is unknown. Some astute mathematician discovered that 17 minus the shot size designation equals the shot’s diameter. The reason for this is also unknown. Buckshot measurement is different from “bird”-shot measurements.
Double-aught buck shot measures .33-in., (8.38mm) There are 9 pellets in a 2 3/4-in. 12-guage shell. Each is moving at over 1300 FPS.
My first introduction to double-aught was forced upon me when they made southeastern Pennsylvania a buckshot-only area. Deer shot at 30-40-yards never took another step. I was made a true believer.
In Vietnam, you were detailed to “walk point” on a rotating basis. You could choose your weapon and the knowledgeable, “farm boys” picked a pump shotgun loaded with double-aught buckshot. My Sergeant always said: “It took the worry out of being close.”