I cover this in more detail in Part I, but just to recap, a shotgun is best used as a short-range weapon that allows you to take some shortcuts in marksmanship through its spread pattern.
The Stakeout is best suited for a hallway, a vehicle, or other short-range urban encounters. Its compact size makes it easy to maneuver inside and around my car, and its brutal payload gives me enough power to fight my way out of a BLM riot. I can also use it to skip buckshot into a mob of thugs trying to “kill whitey” or into the legs of a carjacker on the other side of my vehicle. Within its niche, it is a devastating weapon.
To get the most out of your Stakeout, you need to have ammunition that maximizes its utility. Here are four more loads that I patterned at 3, 5, 7 and 10 yards.
Load 5: Federal Premium Personal Defense 9 Pellet #00 Buck, 1145 FPS
This round obviously had a very tight pattern.
Load 6: Fiocchi Exacta Nickel Plated Buck Shot 27 Pellet #4 Buck, 1325 FPS
I liked the patterns this round produced; they were wide and rather uniform. The only drawback is that this round has notably stronger felt recoil than other rounds I fired. This surprised me, considering the round shouldn’t have been going faster than any other 27 pellet #4 Buck rounds that I tested.
Load 7: Fiocchi Exacta Nickel Plated 9 Pellet #00 Buck, 1325 FPS
I didn’t perceive the felt recoil as unusually high and found it easier to shoot than the Fiocchi #4 Buck. However, its pattern was tighter.
Load 8: Nobel Sports Law Enforcement 27 Pellet #4 Buck, 1325 FPS
I really liked how this round patterned in the Stakeout. The pattern is uniform and very wide—some might say almost too wide (although I don’t). The only downfall is that it’s roll crimped, so the Stakeout will hold one less round. For me, that was a deal-breaker. If it weren’t for the roll crimp, I may have chosen this as the ammo I carry in my Stakeout.
To see what round I did choose for my Stakeout ammo, as well as three other loads, you’ll have to wait for Part III.
To purchase a Suarez International Stakeout Shotgun, click here.
Photos by Terry Thompson.
Eric Tull is the Suarez International Staff Instructor for Iowa.
Find out more about training with Suarez International here
Great reference.
I think another interesting load wouod be Winchester Super X 16 pellet #1 buck. It patterns wide and uniformly in my Mossberg 590 and I am a little more comfortable with the penetration than #4 buck.
Posted by: Paul | Friday, August 25, 2017 at 11:54
Does the the Nobel have the newer GT wad or is it a normal plastic wad? The GT wad is also not see thru and looks like the picture here
https://www.sgammo.com/product/12-gauge-ammo/250-round-case-12-gauge-nobelsport-ammo-275-inch-1325fps-27-pellets-number-4-b
And if it is a generic wad you can see the buckshot in the Shell like this pic
https://www.cheaperthandirt.com/product/nobelsport-law-enforcement-12-ga-275-4-buck-10-rounds-837913000878.do
Thank you
Posted by: Jonathan | Friday, March 30, 2018 at 23:34
IIRC, it was the normal plastic wad in the second link.
Posted by: Eric Tull | Sunday, April 01, 2018 at 14:31