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.

[wooly_mammoth]

hehe

It would definitely be handy for scaring someone. I loaded it just to see what it would do. Never considered using it but it would work for vicious dogs or some such. Never tried it with real big chunks of rock salt. Now a 10 guage with 1/3" chunks...

[DBrow]

"It might cause you more trouble in court and using what the police use is very good advice. "

Hear, hear! Very good advice. If you actually kill someone with a handload of razor flechettes or a commercial round named "Terminator", the cops will probably let you go.

But, any time for the next seven or eight years, the wife, girlfreind, kids, or bookie of the dead burglar can sue you in civil court for wrongful death, loss of companionship, hardship, and lots of things only a lawyer can dream up.

You will be on the stand years after the event explaining to a scowling civil jury just why you loaded up your Mossberg 590 ASSAULT WEAPON with nine rounds named "PerpShredder II".

Standard, OTC hunting rounds are better from a legal defense standpoint.

[logos]

Dang! I forgot to tell you the most important thing about those Model 97s...

If you can't do it yourself, get a gunsmith to check it out before you fire it. Quite a few of them were made to fire the old 21/2" shell instead of today's 23/4" shell. I think you can still get those shorter shells from some company in France; the gunsmith should be able to tell you that, too.

Also, you'll have to go to the Winchester webpage to get the phone number, but you can call in with the serial number, and they'll tell you if that particular gun has any special value. Some of them do.

[bobbyd]

A Loaded One!

[logos]

Now a 10 guage with 1/3" chunks...

Now there's an idea for the next goose hunt. By the time one of those high flyers hits the ground, he'll already be preserved...

:^)

[wooly_mammoth]

#00 buck probably wouldn't even go through the first layer of a cinder block. A slug might but it wouldn't go through the second layer. Not something you'd want to experiment with at close range :(

[culpeper]

Indoors I would always prefer my Colt Combat Commander, however if the need arose outdoors I would prefer 3 inch 00 buck or Remington 3.5 inch Nitro Steel with BB shot.

[webster]

Webster's favorite ;-) Franchi SPAS 12

http://spas12.com/ for more info

[RIGHT IN SEATTLE]

I like to mix them up for suprise. #4 down to 00, 000, slug.

The slug is when they hide behind conventional construction------------it is a startling suprise!

NOTHING, AND I MEAN, NOTHING SOUNDS LIKE MY FRANCHI SPAS 12, (FOLDING STOCK WITH ARM HOOK) IN OPTIONAL SEMI AUTO MODE, WHEN THE BREECH CLOSES!

The other mode is pump!

http://spas12.com

[BigBlueJon]

Right. Thanks for the info. I hope I never have to prove it in the home, but like Dad always said, "It's better to have it and not need it then to need it and not have it."

[RIGHT IN SEATTLE]

check post # 89!

[Kevin Curry]

If you can't do it yourself, get a gunsmith to check it out before you fire it.

Definitely. I'm not a gunsmith, although I'd love to learn. I would never shoot an old firearm that hadn't been throughly checked by an experienced gunsmith.

FWIW, my father has two old relics that probably are worth some money (but not fireable). One is a battered .44/40 Henry rifle (he actually bagged a mulie with it in central Idaho in 1945, using a box of bullets that had been handed down with the rifle). The other is a 10 gauge extra-long double-barrelled damascus twist shotgun. I haven't looked at it in over twenty years, and I'm not sure of the make. It's a handsome piece, though.

[fatboy]

For those of you on a budget, I recommend the Remington 870 Express. I have 2 of em', a 12 ga and a 20. It is IMHO, the best deal for the value conscious consumer. Game loads are also a good value and you will probably achieve your objective even if your aim is off.

However, the best advice has already been given, call 911, try to get out of the house, let the police do the shooting.

[wooly_mammoth]

Only got a 5 honkers this season. I wait till they're landing (about 1 foot off the ground) and aim for the head with #6 shot at around 25-40 yards. A long time ago I lived near the St Lawrence River in upstate NY. Those were the good old days. Hundreds of honkers flying over the property (we lived next to a small river) on many days. No need for blinds or decoys.

[Riley]

Perhaps a blunderbuss with a barrel full of broken glass...

I use ant-shot. Makes a big cloud and a loud noise. Its hell on ants, but scars the counter-tops. :-)

[logos]

Odds are the shotgun is a Parker or an L.C. Smith, both of which could be worth the big bucks. If it's a Winchester 21, you might be able to retire. If it came with a Henry, it's likely he stayed "American" when he bought his guns.

My grandfather had one of those old Parkers, which disappeared when he died... [sigh]

[logos]

Uh, oh... hunting stories... :-)

My most memorable goose story was sneaking up on a huge flock of snows feeding in a winter wheat field in northwest Missouri. Two guys with me, both shooting autoloaders; me with my double, so we had eight shots when the whole flock suddenly lifted up and flew right over our heads about 15 yards up. We dropped 13 geese.

Uhh ... you ever been under 5,000 geese right after they take off? Having fed on winter wheat? Let's just say that we all turned green.

[Chop Farwood]

Where I live, the average response to a 911 call is over 50 minutes. If they respond at all. I've personally called 911 regarding an ongoing beating I was watching in the street. Over one hour later the police called to ask if it was really necessary for them to drive all the way here or not. A friend accidentally hit the button on her phone to dial 911, and hung up almost instantly when she realized what she had done. They investigate hangups to 911 here. Fifty-four minutes later, they pulled up at her door to ask if she was okay. Here, you call 911 after it's over. If you can't take care of yourself, you're dead.

[Kevin Curry]

About the Henry .44/40 and my dad's mulie. When he tells the story he likes to say, "That buck was about 100 yards away. I pulled the trigger and had enough time to put down the rifle and finish a cup of coffee before the bullet hit the deer."

I guess velocity was not the .44/40's strong suit.

[better_dead_then_red]

Having slugs loaded up with the buckshot or on the side saddle gives you some options. I would hate to find myself with someone shooting at me out beyond fifty yards, and all I have loaded is #00. With a slug, I can drop em out at 100 yards. Yes you have to aim slugs, which is why my 870 has rifle sights.