Home defense round

[mjoekingz28]

When I got my 12 gauge, the gunsmith said something about a home defense round. I forgot what shot he was talking about, and he even told me why it was a good home round. I forgot that part too.

I stocked up on #7.5-8 shot since it was cheap. Is one better than the other or does it really even matter.

00- deer
4-turkey
8- bird
and a few in between


Its for a 20" barrel pump action

 

[cshaynes2000]

Only use turkey and bird loads if you are expecting those critters to break in the house. oo buck works wonders and really doesnt penetrate anymore than a standard 9mm round. slugs work too, they have a very large frontal area and when they strike they slow very quickly due to that. stay away from bird loads for a defense!!!

 

[Boomer]

If you shoot a slug in your house, it will go through a person, through the wall and probably the house next door, especially if you live in an older house with vinyl siding where styrofoam was used instead of OSB . Not smart. BB size shot makes a good home defense round for a shotgun.

 

[bubbatime]

BB shot works good at under 12-15 feet. Anything farther than that requires bigger shot.

#4 Buckshot, #1 Buckshot, and #00 Buckshot are all fantastic for home defense.

There is a lot of info on the net about how #1 Buck has more damage potential than the other rounds. It has 16 .30 caliber pellets. They are somewhat hard to find and are only made in small batches a couple times a year.

I use the low recoil 00 buck myself.

 

[G-MAN]

Originally Posted By: Boomer
If you shoot a slug in your house, it will go through a person, through the wall and probably the house next door, especially if you live in an older house with vinyl siding where styrofoam was used instead of OSB . Not smart. BB size shot makes a good home defense round for a shotgun.


True. A face full of BBs fired from a 12 gauge is likely to deter most home intruders.

 

[Colt45ws]

#1 buck for a shotgun is probably the best compromise. Offering more lead down range than 00 because it packs tighter yet maintains minimum penetration.
But it is hard to find, so 00 buck is next best.

 

[Solo2driver]

I do not recommend any "wounding" round...when someone is in your home intending on doing you and your family harm, a shotgun is not used as a "deterrent", you want to STOP the threat.

Can't remember the company but there is a "defense round" for 12ga and .410 that includes different size shot and 3 large discs for stopping/knockdown power. They are like $19-$25/box.

I paid $3/box (5 rounds) of 00-Buckshot and that'll do just fine.

 

[pcoxe]

Just racking the slide on a pump shotgun is quite a deterrent!

 

[Unearthed]

Just don't use target or bird shot...if you've never seen it basically it's like heavy sand.

 

[tmorris1]

Originally Posted By: G-MAN
Originally Posted By: Boomer
If you shoot a slug in your house, it will go through a person, through the wall and probably the house next door, especially if you live in an older house with vinyl siding where styrofoam was used instead of OSB . Not smart. BB size shot makes a good home defense round for a shotgun.


True. A face full of BBs fired from a 12 gauge is likely to deter most home intruders.

It will also like deter them from breathing if they are within the confines of your house.

 

[jorton]

Originally Posted By: Solo2driver
...when someone is in your home intending on doing you and your family harm,


Burglars come to your house when no ones at home. If there's an intruder when you're at home sleeping, you're screwed. You may be gassed before you wake up, or maybe the intruder is something worse than an burglar. Either way you don't get a chance to defend yourself.

Get a powerful floodlight for your home defense shotgun because you need to identify the target before you fire. Practice at close range because you'll only have time for one shot. Blasting away in the dark just converts a shotgun into a noisemaker.

 

[UncleS2]

I'm gonna add one more to the "no birdshot for defensive purposes" chorus. I consider #4 buck a little small myself, but it would be fearsome at close range, if a little shy on penetration. Right now there's 00 in my 20" cyl bore Maverick pump. #1 should be OK.

However: The one that no one mentions any more is the old standard 0 buck(aka "single ought") load- 12 pellets of .32 cal, IIRC. If you can find it, don't hesitate to buy some & keep a magazine full of it for "just in case".

 

[mjoekingz28]

Will #1 or #0 have just as good of a spread as bird shot or be more 'centralized mass'?

Not saying I'm as blind as a bat, but a good spread is an advantage of a short barreled shotgun and I'd think it'd be wise to take advantage of that in 'panic' mode.

 

[bigmike]

I guess I didn't put much thought about ammo in my Winchester 1300, but I currently have 000 Buck shot in it. When shooting 8 rounds for fun, it'll knock down a small tree at around 15 feet.

 

[tdpark]

Hornady makes a home defense round that was mentioned before with some discs and pellets.

 

[Drew99GT]

Originally Posted By: jorton


Burglars come to your house when no ones at home. If there's an intruder when you're at home sleeping, you're screwed. You may be gassed before you wake up, or maybe the intruder is something worse than an burglar. Either way you don't get a chance to defend yourself.



Not if you have a good dog. My dog barks when the neighbor farts.

 

[bingoh]

Federal Premium Law Enforcement Tactical 00 buckshot is very nice. It's a slightly lower power round so it doesn't kick as much but still has more than enough power on the business end to take care of unwanted guests.

Birdshot is useless as a home defense round. At best, you'll wound an intruder. At worst, you'll do just enough damage to make him really angry. If you're justified in shooting someone, you want to take care of them quickly and with authority. Birdshot will not do that.

As for a slug, it's unnecessary at home defense range. A slug is really for slightly longer shotgun ranges. At home defense range, buckshot will give you at least as good a result power-wise and you won't have to be quite as accurate as you would with a slug (such a scenario is highly stressful and your accuracy will suffer).

 

[bigmike]

Originally Posted By: Drew99GT
Originally Posted By: jorton


Burglars come to your house when no ones at home. If there's an intruder when you're at home sleeping, you're screwed. You may be gassed before you wake up, or maybe the intruder is something worse than an burglar. Either way you don't get a chance to defend yourself.



Not if you have a good dog. My dog barks when the neighbor farts.


That's a bonus. My dog barks when she farts. At least you know when someone passes gas.

 

[Spazdog]

Why not use a combination?

If the first two Glasers from my revolver don't discourage a home intruder, the next 4 jacketed hollow points should.

 

[UncleS2]

Will #1 or #0 have just as good of a spread as bird shot or be more 'centralized mass'?

At home defense range, I doubt that "Spread" will enter into it. You won't cover a wall- or even a washtub- with shot.

Try this- first measure the maximum inside-the house distance that you might shoot. I suspect it'll be no more than 30-35 feet/10-12 yards. Go to a shooting range with some buckshot, a few rounds of birdshot, and butcher paper, or paper sacks, or cardboard boxes, etc. Then try a few comparison shots at the same range with buck & bird. Say, 5-6 feet, then 5 yards, 7 yards, & 10 yards. Your question & comments make me think you'll be surprised at the size of the patterns, even at 10 yards.