20ga
Smaller southern coon.
What to get

And what choke for 25yd and under ?

You gonna break a tooth.

Full choke, lead #4's.

Have a combo 22/410, hit the wrong trigger on a trapped coon at about 20 feet with #4 lead, did the job, at close range at least...

They sell #2 & #3 buckshot in .20ga but I've never seen a gun pattern it well beyond about 10 yards.

LA or Chicago?

Smaller buckshot and full choke.
No 4 buck in 12 ga would be good.

buck shot 4 ,1 ,000 or 00

4 shot and smaller will be very very sadly not enough to do it fast past 20 feet once the shot is out of the wad it may kill it but not before it has time to walk away.

T lead witch is almost unobtainum of your DNR tries to pull the poop ours did
our state legislature fixed it , we can now have buckshot for fur-bearers.

I haven't tried lead BB because there is basically only Hornady making it and the 000 buck was a lot cheaper and more available to me I ordered a case of it , it is 9 pellets in a wad like bird shot , where 00 is 9 pellets not in a wad

I get better patterns from the buckshot in a wad

I am all 12ga but similar projectiles at similar speeds from a 20 will do the same

the first time I shot a coon with a shotgun it was a 20 ga , 7 1/2 shot and I could see the pattern hitting it but it would get right back up I had loaded shot then slug so after 3 shells of shot I got the slug and that was the end of it

tried the same thing with high brass #4 pheasant loads last year full choke and very similar gets back up results , hit them with any buckshot good and square and it puts them down right there. even multiple pellets in the rear will work , but shot just wasn't for me.

I am using a full extended buckshot choke , I bought it to try and it patterns shot and buck so well I use it for everything but slugs.

25 yds & under?....Full choke or improved mod and #2 lead would be my choice.

They also sell #4 buck for 20 gauge if thats what you are looking for. I have used 20 gauge TTT (F shot in USA) to shoot a good many coyotes behind hounds. Its readily available and will easily handle your raccons. There are 26 pellets in a shell.

full choke and only full, use 6 shot or higher and shoot them in the head and dont go past 30 yards. ive killed groundhogs which are tougher then coons with 8 shot and full choke at 25 yards, we have some chunky ghogs around here

#6 will do you. Ideally a copper or nickel plated full power load. Not a full on turkey load but more like a pheasant load vs a dove load.

#4 game load and cylinder bore

cylinder?? thats a choke made to just cover the threads, it dont have alot of range

You going to come calling with me?

.22 lr would be my recommendation

I've used my reloads with very good luck.
20ga federal 23/4" hull/ win 209/29.3 grn Blue Dot/ Rem rxp wad with pedals cut off/20 #4 buckshot home cast and powder coated.
Used in a Mossberg 500 with 24" barrel and modified choke.
Same load actually patterns well in my Mossberg Shockwave also.

I'd love to see the pattern at 25 yards. I never could get any factory buckshot to pattern well at that range from a 20ga.

I do have some 2 3/4" reloads of lead BB's I got from a friend before he passed that work very well.