What shotgun loads are best (and worst) suited to home defence?

Question

For defence are you limited primarily to buckshot or does birdshot also have a place?

Answer 1

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker

Do NOT use a slug. Birdshot will kill someone in your home with no problem. A slug will over penetrate and if you live in an apartment, will go through the walls like a hot knife in butter. You will be in a high stress situation also and the slug being 1 projectile, is all possible to miss. Buckshot, 00 contains 9 size .33 pellets, basically 9 38 rounds flying through the air. It will also penetrate walls of your neighbors. Bird shot is far less likely to penetrate the sheet rock. It doesn't matter on the pattern size, birdshot vs buckshot as they will both pattern the same at close range, basically 1 inch for each yard of distance so if you are shooting someone enterring your house, you will probably be within 10 yards which equals a 10 inch pattern. Birdshot will drop a man in his tracks at that distance, I know from numerous investigations. You'll probably get sued by the guys family. There is the possiblity that birdshot will look better as you only wanted to stop and wound him as compared to slugs or buckshot, I wanted to kill him theory.

Source(s):

Firearms Instructor 22 years
Retired cop 28 years

Asker's Rating:

Asker's Comment:

Very good answer, thank you.

Answer 2

a 350 is a bad ass. for home defence.

Answer 3

ask a lawyer

Answer 4

Personally, I would use slugs. That way, you don't damage any of your belongings. If you can't hit someone with a shotgun slug, you shouldn't be using a weapon at all. Slugs have more stopping power, and with shot, you run the risk of just injuring someone. Then they'll sue you for injuring them after they broke into your home. Police use either 00 buck or slugs. Bird shot will just piss someone off.

Source(s):

Corrections Deputy in the past, and many years of weapons usage.

Answer 5

Have monitored earlier questions of yours. I'm led to believe your UK based so wtf are you asking about home defence shotgun loads for.
Your a time waster.

Answer 6

Birdshot has the benifit of greatly reducing the chance of overpenetration of the walls and such in your home. However, birdshot also has the risk of not penetrating enough to stop an intruder cold. Sure, the closer the target the more penetration, but look at the guy Dick Cheney shot at 40 yards in the face...I'd not count on that kind of damage stopping a determined attacker (the less determined tend to flee after simply seeing the gun)

Slugs of course penetrate deply and do a lot of damage to human tissue, but they also bust through walls pretty well.

This leaves buckshot. While 00 buck is quite common and it will definately do the job, it too has a higher risk of going thorugh your walls. I personally choose #4 buck (NOT BIRD) because I think it gives a good balance between solid penetration against a human body at short to medium range, and while it doesn't totally eliminate the risk of punching through walls, it greatly reduces it.

Answer 7

Forget slugs, way too much penetration and wasted energy.

I wont use anything for home protection other than 2&3/4 buckshot. Forget birdshot, people will tell you that buckshot will penetrate walls. Well sure it will, and it will also penetrate ribs and the chest cavity.

Bird shot is for small game, and there is a reason for that. The chances of having to use deadly force are very slim, the chance that your buckshot is going to penetrate a wall and injure someone is even slimmer.

You want the intruder dead, and dead fast. Buckshot delivers, birdshot does not.

Answer 8

I am a believer in the doctrines of Col Cooper
He suggested that a short barreled 12 or 20 ga shotgun loaded with #6 bird shot was hands down the most effective home defense combination

At normal HD distances #6 shot will be devastating to flesh and
It will not penetrate walls

The intention in a defense situation is never to kill but to stop the attack
If you are going to bring up some cliche about ill mannered prosecutors I can guarantee that I will be able to defend birdshot as well or better than I can defend buckshot

I should also add that due to very good legislative and executive branches in Florida a good shoot is a good shoot
If justified I can not be prosecuted or sued

Cheney's victim was shot with a 28 guage loaded with 7 1/2 shot at a distance at least ten times that of the normal HD range
At the normal HD range of 15 to 25 feet that same 28 ga load will penetrate 1/4 plywood, definitely a suitable HD result
Now imagine what a 12 ga will do

Answer 9

If you're talking "up close and personal" birdshot,
or even a trap load has some advantage.
Each OO buck is roughly equivalent to a 32 pistol round.
It will shoot through walls.
Birdshot mostly won't. And at close range, (8-12'),
the impact of an ounce and a half of birdshot at
1400FPS will make a pretty good stopper.
(Shallow but massive wound channel lotsa bleeding.)

Answer 10

Unless you live in a sparsely populated area, you should use bird shot, either #8-#6 or #4 shot. If you have a 28 gauge or .410 caliber shotgun, use buckshot.

Buckshot can easily shred drywall or exterior walls, which makes it a penetration hazard if you live it in an apartment or non-detached home. You could hit your neighbors.

In a more open area, buckshot is the way to go. either #4 or larger birdshot, or 00 buckshot.

Never use slugs (unless .410) because it has a very serious hazard of over penetration. You could hit someone, even if you live outside the suburbs. They'll go thru drywall as if its made of cardboard.

Source(s):

I have a 20 gauge pump action shotgun. It doesn't have a choke (which wouldn't really matter unless target shooting or hunting).
I have #4 birdshot or #7.5 birdshot as home defense shells. They'll probably go thru a door, but I'm sure it will not exit an exterior wall and hit someone else.

Answer 11

Not smaller than #1 Buckshot, with 0 or 00 preferred. 00 Buckshot it probably be absolute best choice.

Some folks will spout crap such as "You don't have to aim a shotgun, just point in the general direction and you can't miss," or "Use #8 birdshot for home defense." Horse manure on both of those pieces of ill-advise.

At inside the house ranges, the spread of a shotgun charge is going to be no more than four or perhaps five inches. It is easy to miss with that small a pattern. Point carefully or you will endanger innocent bystanders or neighbors.

As for the #8 shot advise, leave the birdshot for birds. At less than 2 grains in weight, and a velocity of around 1300 fps, a piece of birdshot won't be able to penetrate to a badguy's vital organs, resulting in a nasty surface wound that might not be debilitating.

For good advise on shotgun ammunition, check out the Box of Truth's articles at:
http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot3.ht…