Posted on 11/05/2001 5:07:23 PM PST by 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.
Mossberg posted an article in their magazine about the diff. shells for home defense. They did differant tests with each shell, and at 10 feet away, bird shot will NOT penetrate 2” of flesh. This means bird shot does not pack enough punch to hit the vital organs to shut down the body. The preffered shell is buck shot.
Is that article posted on-line? If so, do you have a link? Thanks!
Deer slugs, 00 buck or #4 shot.
Between the three, it will get the job done. I have a ammo holder on the side of my receiver that holds five shells. I have a mix of 00 buck and deer slugs.
If you have a Mossberg 500, you can extend the tang on the elevator to hold a lot more ammo if you use Aguila MiniShells with buckshot. The field grades don’t work.
Threads like this always bring out the newbies.
What’s with you guys?
Birdshot is NOT a defensive load.
Another newbie. Get to a defensive course now before you hurt yourself.
A good defensive course can teach you to change out ammo in a split second. There isn’t a reason not to know which type of shell is going to be fired.
You’re an accident waiting to happen.
lol I know that is always the alarming force that is supposed to scare someone to deat ... I prefer to keep one in the chamber and let the BOOM and immediate impact of 5 shot put the intruder down .... and hopefully hard.
Nothing worse than a P’O’ed intruder ... or one that is momentarily scared .. you never know what to expect.
Only John Wayne had the ability to shoot a gun, knife, weapon out of the bad guys hand ... I sure as Hell am not John Wayne and I don’t want to take any chances. Going down and hopefully hard the first shot.
Be mindful that lights, like tracers, work both ways. My son uses low power LED’s for nightlights. You can always toss the flashlight down the hall.
Describe this sound.......and how you ended up with this load.
Thanks....I await your answer.
You don't need the chamber empty to cycle the loader.
for many the 590 is an excellent choioce ... ultra dependable, healthy magazine and won’t mess with your 401k dollar wise. But then again most 12 gauges with a 28 barrel are good.
However .. in my case ... I live in an ancient 17 room circa 1851 house with many adjacent doorways, nooks, crannies and short hallways ... maneuvering in the dark of night with a “long” gun makes for quite a chore ...
I’ll stick with my 1911.
I like my Browning BPS. Maybe a little heavier than the others, but smooth as glass and works in either hand.
My favorite is a 20 gauge, single shot, 18” long. It has a pistol grip and an ever so slightly modified barrel length. I put a #8 bird shot in it. It has one purpose only. If you want to find out what that is, just crawl through the window after dark. I also keep a .357 magnum pistol and Maglite flashlight that has a t-handle so it can be used as a night stick.
...and if that doesn’t work, I do sleep naked.. :)
I will vouch for never forgetting being shot with rock salt... (midwestern boy caught cow tipping meets biz end of farmers double barrell) :)
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