Buckshot/Slug mix for Home Defense

i reload all my 12 gage shells with silver BB,s and you should see what they do to a man-size target at 20 yards -i call them shreader rounds they will take the trash out for sure

 

I have no neighbors and the way my house is configured, I dont have to worry about hitting any other family members. That bein said, I use buck and ball rounds. They work great and will end any threat quickly.

 

The great thing about a shotgun is it's versatility due to the many loads it can fire. Each size of shot is made to match what terminal ballistics are needed for the intended target. In a "home defense" situation, a bird will not be the aggressor. Bird shot need not apply.

As any hunter knows, you match the bullet with the game. An invading criminal is most likely to be an adult male... I'm 6'1" 270, but lets say he's a lean 180lb banger. You need a round powerful enough to stop such a threat.

If you are loaded with bird shot in an effort to limit your liability, you are also limiting your ability to stop a threat to your family. Bad guys are not made of wood, sheet rock, or even ballistics gel. They are people, with clothes, muscle, ribs protecting the vitals... and evil intent. 00 is your round for two legged varmints.

 

Any volunteers want to come to my house and be shot at 10' with a full load of magnum bird shot? Didn't think so.

Your mileage definitely did not vary.

 

1 x birdshot, 4x00 Buckshot, 4xSlugs and a butt stroking

From one very pissed off BTPost....hhhmm....you'd get no arguments from me! : O

As BT suggests...no need to rely solely on birdshot or buckshot...that is unless you only have a single barrel shotgun, in which case...you need to make a choice depending on what your perceived threat is.

 

Never use birdshot on someone trying to kill you or your love ones. Life is not like the old movies you are not trying to shoot his gun hand. You need to get it over with fast birdshot may work but please don't bet your life on it. #4 buck is the best all around for anti-personal work. 00 and 000 work great also but outside they lack range.

Just my 2 cents based on training and experience.

 

You volunteering to come to my house and get shot with magnum bird shot at 10' to test whether or not it will stop an intruder? Did not think so.

To each his own. Thanks for the input.

 

My two cents... one sheet of drywall isn't going to do much to limit the lethality of said round... so you have to be very aware of what is beyond your target...

as for which is better??? I'm not much of a shotgun guy so I leave that to the experts
Shotgun Home Defense Ammunition, .357 SIG -- A Solution in Search of a Problem?

 

This is really a case for "To each his own." The bird shot will stop MOST people. Never said it wouldn't. The pain would be terrific. Problem is, not ALL bag guys are pain compliant.

That is why you need the heavier pellets to penetrate deep enough to interrupt the function of the body.

I don't want my bad guy to be just "unwilling to continue."
I want my bad guy to be "unable to continue" want to or not.

My choice is lethality over liability, but that's just it. It's my choice. It is also my recommendation, but... To each his own.

 

You need to read all the posts. Understand that is not the only thing I load. It is my first few shots. After that we enter pain land.

 

I'll stick to my devestator slugs loaded with black powder.(hollow point filled with??,and capped with a rifle primer).
No worries about over penetration,becouse they explode on impact.
Now add a tactical laser,to lessen the chances of missing in the dark.
One of these will leave a cavity hole the size of your fist.
In other words the threat has been eliminated!They do create a bloody mess to clean up though.
Matt

 

Agree to disagree

While we all have our perfect idea of loads and the combination of those loads, lets all just agree to to disagree here about what is best. With that said, BTPost I strongly disagree with the 50 foot limitation on on a shotty.
Took an advanced shotgun course 2 years ago where we spent over half of one day, just learning to shoot slugs out to and exceeding 50 yards. I did poorly on this lane due to the limitations of the shot gun I was carrying, it was designed for in-house use ONLY.(Think short, no bead or front sight) However several of the smarter participants who owned full length 870's and 500/590's did very well out to 50+ yards. Our Instructor Rudy, was hitting targets out to 100 yards. Consistently.
But as you say
"Your Mileage may vary"..

Gafarmboy

 

Your results will vary by the choke.

Cylinder bore will put 80% of the pellets in a 30" circle at 20 yards. Full choke puts 100% at the same range.
At 30 yards cylinder bore puts 60% of the pellets inside a 30" circle and the full choke puts 100%.
At 40 yards cylinder bore puts 40% of the pellets inside a 30" circle and the full choke puts 70%.
Choosing The Right Choke For Your Shotgun

 

A standard Remington 2 & 3/4 inch shell with a 1 oz slug, will go out easily to 100 yds., only dropping 13 inches at that range....So, you can aim 13 inches above the perp's eyebrows, ( hard to see at 100 yds) and he'll lose his mind!
Now, if you happen to be aiming at his midsection at that range....He is NOT going to very happy about losing his "particulates"! But I doubt you'll have any serious threats coming at you from his general direction....just lots of garbled vocal noises!
Generally I don't/won't use my shotgun for anything further out than say 60-65 feet away...but that's mainly for hunting dove, quail, rabbit, and such small critters. If I need extra range, then I step up to 00buck or go to slugs.

 

Got my first 6 deer with slugs....100 yards and in....you are dead.

For the 2 legged varmints see my earlier post

If you pop for a Vang Comp system 35 yards is a dead zone with 00 buckshot. 2nd link is pictures - since I use an 870, I out that grouping pattern first

https://vangcomp.com/Pattern_paul.html

https://vangcomp.com/Pattern_dea.html

 

I just copied this off facebook

A dog in Utah may have created a new definition for “hunting dog” when he shot his human in the heinie during a duck-hunting trip. It was a real bull’s-eye, peppering his owner with 27 pellets of birdshot from about 10 feet away.
The man had gotten out of the boat they were in to deal with some duck decoys when the dog stepped on a 12-gauge shotgun and blasted his owner in the buttocks. It’s unclear whether the safety was on. My hubby, who knows about these things from his duck-hunting past, says a big paw could have tripped the safety and hit the trigger without too much effort.
The hunter’s injuries were not serious, thanks in part to the waders he was wearing. But I doubt that he’ll be sitting around and recounting the tale for the next few days. Standing? Yes. Sitting. No.
Source: AP story, via The Washington Post

I've seen dead people from bird shot, and I've seen live people from buck shot. I've even seen buck shot glance of the rear window of a 76 camaro and not break the glass.

Y'all do what you feel is best for yourself. Me, for SD it's 00 buck and slugs. YMMV

 

There are a few other chokes.

Extra Full which patterns with 73% inside the circle and a Turkey choke which patterns with 75% plus inside the circle.

Expert Advice

Probably, it is all in the name as the application of a Turkey choke to a turkey seems to be more fitting than extra full or cylinder bore..

Terminal ballistics share the "location, location, did I say location" trait with real estate.

 

OO for the old S&W tactical by the door. The 500 has #6s with OOs in the side saddle. Living in the country provides lots of things that do not need caressing with OO--but is there if needed.