00 or #4 buckshot.
12ga HD amo
Could you recommend some good 12ga ammo for home defense? Thanks.
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I'd say low recoil 00 or #1 buck.
#4 buck will do as well, but only--ONLY--at indoor distances--fifty feet or less.
00 or #1 will work better should the need for a longer shot come up.
Slugs have their place...but only if you've got plenty of space between you and the neighbors...and that place being, showing an intruder the difference between cover and concealment.
Birdshot has no--absolutely NO--place as a defensive round, no matter what some well-meaning but deluded folks may say.
#4 buck will do as well, but only--ONLY--at indoor distances--fifty feet or less.
00 or #1 will work better should the need for a longer shot come up.
Slugs have their place...but only if you've got plenty of space between you and the neighbors...and that place being, showing an intruder the difference between cover and concealment.
Birdshot has no--absolutely NO--place as a defensive round, no matter what some well-meaning but deluded folks may say.
+1 on the 00 Buck.... I have gotten some Remington and Winchester military and LEO reduced recoil loads from SGAmmo.com and SurplusAmmo.com for a good price. They both get good reviews from users, and seeing the pattern they give, I think they will do the job if needed.
I like the nickel-plated #4 buck from Fiocchi.
#4 buck or birdshot. I don't care what anyone says, 2 or 3 shots of birdshot will get the job done just the same as buck
00 is my choice.
That assumes you are granted the luxury of firing two or three shots...and that you will hit with all of them.#4 buck or birdshot. I don't care what anyone says, 2 or 3 shots of birdshot will get the job done just the same as buck
And we know what assume does.
another vote for 00 buck
00 buck
Birdshot to the face will stop anyone and in the short size of a room it does not spread out like people like to think it does...
Plus it won't over pen' into other rooms and hurt family members...
Plus it won't over pen' into other rooms and hurt family members...
Double ought or slugs, depending on the size of your house, and whether you intend to hit your attacker, or just shoot straight through the walls into your family members/neighbors.
Winchester or Remington 00 Buck in my 870. Also have 6 more shells in the side saddle. Just use a good quality 00 Buck and consider reduced recoil if you feel that's necessary for a HD setup.
I ran some of that through my new 870 tactical. Very pleasant shooting for 00 buck. I was surprised that after shooting a couple boxes my shoulder and back were not telling me I just fired 15 rounds of 00. Less recoil in a composite stock than if fired through my regular 870....I like the nickel-plated #4 buck from Fiocchi.
Last month I went thru a couple boxes of varying type and size of shells. #7 birdshot, 00 Buck in 2 3/4, 3 and 3 1/2 and 000 buck in 2 3/4 and 3 inch. I also fired some 2 3/4 and 3inch slugs to see how they felt. The gun of choice was a remington 887 tactical. The low re coil #7 was like a base shot to judge the others by. The 3 1/2 00 buck was the bruiser of the bunch. I could only manage 5 shots before giving up. My shoulder actually had a bruise from those things. The small 00 buck was my best choice since the 3 inch 00 buck had just enough kick to make my wife question her ability to control it. I didn't feel any difference between the 00 buck and the 000 buck. The same with the slugs. In a tight neighborhood I don't think the slugs would provide any advantage since they could probably go through three houses around here. I still have some of the 000 buck but its probably going to sit next to the 3 1/2 shells until the zombie apocalypse comes.
I keep the gun loaded with 2 3/4 00 buck for 2 reasons. 1 - my wife could handle it if needed 2 - more ammo in the tube.
I keep the gun loaded with 2 3/4 00 buck for 2 reasons. 1 - my wife could handle it if needed 2 - more ammo in the tube.
The shotgun in my car is loaded (on the stock) with Fed 2 3/4" low recoil 00 buck and one rifled slug.
In my house, it's all #4 shot. Read a good article that I agree with. 00 buck has way to much penetration for your home with family members inside. I'm going to test patterns today! Will do #6 shot (same price as wally bulk 7 1/2 and 8 shot, good for practice w/ Saiga 12) and some #4.
Some low recoil Rio 00 buck went through two 2x4's and into the 3rd. The Rio MG slug just made a giant hole through all of them and kept going.
Edit: Tested the #6 shot compared to #8 shot. Not a ton of difference. #8 is the 'sliver' of shot, that's for sure. #6 would be more like the splinter then, but still not a HD load. Like gauge, shot size is exponential I think. #4 is a bit bigger.
In my house, it's all #4 shot. Read a good article that I agree with. 00 buck has way to much penetration for your home with family members inside. I'm going to test patterns today! Will do #6 shot (same price as wally bulk 7 1/2 and 8 shot, good for practice w/ Saiga 12) and some #4.
Some low recoil Rio 00 buck went through two 2x4's and into the 3rd. The Rio MG slug just made a giant hole through all of them and kept going.
Edit: Tested the #6 shot compared to #8 shot. Not a ton of difference. #8 is the 'sliver' of shot, that's for sure. #6 would be more like the splinter then, but still not a HD load. Like gauge, shot size is exponential I think. #4 is a bit bigger.
Double-ought here, too - 2 3/4". I also like the new Winchester PDX rounds.
That's a big negatory. Even birdshot will penetrate walls just as easily as any other type of bullet will.Birdshot to the face will stop anyone and in the short size of a room it does not spread out like people like to think it does...
Plus it won't over pen' into other rooms and hurt family members...
Not being confrontational with you, but buy some 2x4's and sheetrock and try it sometime.
In the distance you'd be shooting within a room, even the wadding will penetrate and leave a gaping hole through 3/4" sheetrock.
This was shot about 20 yards away, multiply the effectiveness of being 15 to 20 feet.
Safety rule #3 Know your target and WHAT IS BEYOND IT
Doc Roberts:
12 gauge shotgun loads for LE duty use - M4Carbine.net Forums
He recommends #1 from Federal, but it's not at as easy to find as 00 buck. This is what I've stocked:
Ammo To Go : 25rds - 12 Ga. Federal Personal Defense Low Recoil 9 pell. OO Buck Ammo [PD13200] - $29.95
I have roughly 100 rounds of the LE132-00, but it's the same thing as the PD132-00.
Could go with the 8-pellet version. It's a little cheaper and would be just as effective and it's the LE version:
Ammo To Go : 25rds - 12 Ga. Federal LE Tactical Low Recoil 8 Pell. OO Buck [LE133-00] - $23.95
12 gauge shotgun loads for LE duty use - M4Carbine.net Forums
He recommends #1 from Federal, but it's not at as easy to find as 00 buck. This is what I've stocked:
Ammo To Go : 25rds - 12 Ga. Federal Personal Defense Low Recoil 9 pell. OO Buck Ammo [PD13200] - $29.95
I have roughly 100 rounds of the LE132-00, but it's the same thing as the PD132-00.
Could go with the 8-pellet version. It's a little cheaper and would be just as effective and it's the LE version:
Ammo To Go : 25rds - 12 Ga. Federal LE Tactical Low Recoil 8 Pell. OO Buck [LE133-00] - $23.95
Just to add:That's a big negatory. Even birdshot will penetrate walls just as easily as any other type of bullet will.
Not being confrontational with you, but buy some 2x4's and sheetrock and try it sometime.
In the distance you'd be shooting within a room, even the wadding will penetrate and leave a gaping hole through 3/4" sheetrock.
This was shot about 20 yards away, multiply the effectiveness of being 15 to 20 feet.
Safety rule #3 Know your target and WHAT IS BEYOND IT
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The Box O' Truth #3 - The Shotgun Meets the Box O' Truth - Page 2
Another good page with gel results:Birdshot as a Defense Load
I have had a lot of questions, summed up as follows: How effective is birdshot (#4, #6, #8, etc.) as a defense load?
We have done tests with various birdshot loads. Birdshot penetrated through two pieces of drywall (representing one wall) and was stopped in the paper on the front of the second wall. The problem with birdshot is that it does not penetrate enough to be effective as a defense round. Birdshot is designed to bring down little birds.
A policeman told of seeing a guy shot at close range with a load of 12 gauge birdshot, and was not even knocked down. He was still walking around when the EMTs got there. It was an ugly, shallow wound, but did not STOP the guy. And that is what we want... to STOP the bad guy from whatever he is doing. To do this, you must have a load that will reach the vitals of the bad guy. Birdshot will not do this.
In fact, tests have shown that even #4 Buckshot lacks the necessary penetration to reach the vital organs. Only 0 Buck, 00 Buck, and 000 Buck penetrate enough to reach the vital organs.
Unless you expect to be attacked by little birds, do not use birdshot. Use 00 Buck. It will do the job.
http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2010/02/robert-farago/shotgun-penetration-with-various-rounds/
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