What Is The Best 12 Gauge Shotgun Load for Home Defense?

Me ^ | November 5, 2001 | NoControlling LegalAuthority

[NoControllingLegalAuthority]

I would like opinions on the best shotgun shell load for use in a 12 Gauge Shotgun when being used for home defense. I have heard of using bird shot, buck shot and slugs - standard or magnum loads. I have heard of progressive loading such as first round-bird shot, second round-buckshot, third round-slugs.

Considerations seem to include whether you want to blow the door or wall down in the process of stopping the intruder.

[Adrastus]

low brass no 8 field loads. Little or no colateral damage, low recoil and hits a primary target like a chain saw. Very effective.

[PrairieFire]

A strong argument can be made that OOBuck is the best load for protection. Think about it. Each shell contains 9 projectiles each of which are 33 cal. If you shoot from 10 to 15 feet away (which is likely in your home), the pattern should be sufficiently close to do real damage. The muzzle velocity is also very good.

I would also recommend that you have only one type of load in the shotgun at any given time. That way you will always know what is coming out of the business end next.

Just for what it's worth.

[borntodiefree]

If you have wife/kids, I'd recommend the first 3 as #7 shot then the last two at 00buc. If he doesn't go down after being turned to minced meat by the bird shot, he is probrably on drugs and you should try to remove a limb with the 00 buck. The bird shot looses "most" of the force going through the two pieces of sheet rock.

If you live alone, I'd recommd the first 3 be Remingron Hypervelocity bird shot and remove the birdshot and replace it with 1" flechettes. Great spread, great penetration and very little clean up except for the blood!!!!!!!!!

[Pern]

Ouch!! Good one.

[MarkL]

If you can find it, there's a "Law Enforcement Only" Remington load that is very low recoil, but I found that it cycled in my Benelli Super 90 with no problems (notorious for jamming on reduced loads). It's 00 Buck shot, which may be too much... I've been told that #4 Buck is a good load & doesn't overpenetrate.

Either way, if the range is going to be less than 20', try to use an open cylinder (no choke).

Mark

[Poohbah]

My personal preference is #4 shot--good tradeoff of lethality and avoiding over-penetration.

[GlesenerL]

The current issue of Guns & Ammo (pg. 36) states that between 5 & 7 yards ("A" zone), it's all about the same from 000 buckshot to No. 9 birdshot..."virtually a solid projectile".

This means AIMING IS VERY IMPORTANT!

I don't have any rooms in which I would be situated more than 7 yards from the target!

[Vision]

Single, double, buckshot. Could back it up with a slug, but a slug will just go through a guy. Buckshot will do the same at close range but still have lots of room for error out to 40 yards.

[tom paine 2]

Rottweill magnum 12 gauge Deer slugs in a Remington 870 will open em up like a can of cat food.

[MarkL]

As far as bet gun, HK Bennelli M-1 is the only autoloader to trust with your life. Remington 870 rules as a pump.

As the owner of a Benelli Super 90 Defender, you may want to keep in mind that it's recoil operated, which means that the felt recoil is actually a bit greater than that of a closed breach (i.e. pump or single/double barrel), and it's very sensitive to light or even field loads.

Mark

[ATOMIC_PUNK]

A BARREL FULL OF NICE THIN AMERICAN DIMES WILL DO NICELY IN A PINCH

AND THEY MAKE A WONDERFUL SOUND AS THEY FLY THROUGH THE AIR TO THEIR TARGET !!

[SBprone]

Shotgun fighting is an art, and the guru of the shotgun is a South African fellow named Louis Awerbuck. With a pump shotgun such as the Remington 870 or Mossberg 500 he stresses the importance of being able to used different types of ammo as conditions require. For home defense I would load one or two birdshot rounds on top of a couple of 00 or 000 buckshot rounds. If I lived in SA I would add extra buck and slug shells in a six-round "sidesaddle" carrier mounted on the receiver.

The beauty of this system is that you can just rack the slide and eject a birdshot shell if it seems inappropriate for the moment.

[BigBlueJon]

Never, ever tried that. Do the dimes fly all over the place, or do they keep a nice pattern?

[thorshammer]

Check out www.deltaforce.com and www.firequest.com. Both have great selections of home defense ammo for the 12ga.

[ATOMIC_PUNK]

I have a Mossburg 500 with a 8 round magazine, loaded with squirrel shot.

That would be nice if you wanna piss me off if you wanna stop me you better get a barrel of deer slugs

[LibWhacker]

Here's my favorite shotgun home defense article, posted a while back by Willie Green. It's an oldie, but goodie.

For me, the ONLY thing that matters is stopping power and not killing my neighbors. IMHO, any damage that might be done to the house while repelling an intruder can be easily fixed and is not terribly important.

[Libloather]

You want it for protection against a perp that wants you dead or are you more concerned about saving the paneling and drywall?

A Mossberg 12 gauge Maverick Security 88 (http://www.mossberg.com/maverick.htm) with pistol grip and 00 buckshot can help save you and your family. Something smaller may end up scratching the paint but cost a funeral - yours...

[govols]

I like 3 inch "T" shot in my 870. I would stay away from the slug rounds, U gotta aim them. Also, remove the plug. Oh BTW "T" shot is steel and not lead so U don't have to worry about all those after action EPA reports.