Using a 12-Gauge for home protection what shells are best? slug, bird, buck, swan etc?

At point blank range with a 12 gauge does it even matter?

Using a 12-Gauge for home protection what shells are best? slug, bird, buck, swan etc?
At point blank range, the type of shell you use is less important, true. However, really small birdshot still doesn't penetrate all that deeply, which can result in massive wounds that cause death, but that death may be minutes away when seconds count.



On the flip side, slugs have such great punching power they might end up three walls down.



The best choice seems to be a comprimise, buckshot. For indoor-outdoor useage, 00 buck is great. For indoors only, where the ranges are guarnteed to be shorter, 4 buck is the best selection.
Reply:BB is a good choice but most BB shot is steel and it will penetrate a wall much easier than lead.A #2 lead shot is easy to find and it will cause someone to have a very bad day if they are hit buy it.
Reply:what matters more is where you live......say... if you live in a Condo, your neighbors do not want a deer slug to pass on thru, so you would want to think about that.....

and even with bird shot, at point blank range, you are not going to have much spread so aiming is vital.......and also if you can cycle your pump action shotgun , that has a distinct sound that catches peoples attention...
Reply:Point blank....anything that comes out of that barrel is going to put some asshole on the floor...but if you want to make sure you hit them, use some 00 buckshot.
Reply:Number 4 BB shot is all you really need to get the job done.*
Reply:Nothing smaller than #4 shot. I use 00 buck. The animal (human) you are trying to shoot is about the same mass as a deer. If the goal is to disable, then do not use anything you would not use on deer. #4 shot may have penetration issues with heavy clothing or against a large person. Be wary of the direction you shoot, since nearly any firearm will penetrate interior walls.



I have since switched to an AR-15 Carbine for home defense. .223 does NOT penetrate through both sides of a interior wall due to its high velocity causing the bullets to fragment. .223 also penetrates body armor quite well, which our local homegrown home invasion artists have taken to wearing lately.



Make sure you have a good brihgt tactical light on your gun (Surefire G2 or such) to make sure you identify your targets before shooting. Also a bright light at night can be a great nonlethal weapon.



Keep the gun in "ready to go" condition. Racking the slide scares the bad guy off on TV, but in real life you have just let him know where you are and how you are armed. Stealth and defense are your one advantage, racking gives that all away, especially against an aggressive attacker. Carry extra ammo on the gun (stock loops or receiver plate) since you do not know how many shots it will take to win...
Reply:Even 7 1/2 birdshot is good for home protection. At 25-30 ft. the pattern is very tight [about 8-10"], because the shot does not begin to disperse until about 40 feet after it leaves the barrel. Birdshot is not overpenetrative, so you are not going to penetrate the wall and kill some innocent people in the next room.
Reply:If you really want to get your point across, shake and bake him with these.



12 GAUGE FIREBALL

FIREBALL PRODUCES AN ENORMOUS WALL OF FIRE AND SPARKS FOR 250+ FEET! THE INCENDIARY METAL CONTAINED INSIDE BURNS AT OVER 3000 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT WHEN FIRED, SHOWERING YOUR TARGET IN A MOMENTARY WALL OF FIRE. HAS BEEN USED BY U.S. FORESTRY TO START BACKFIRES AND POLICE SWAT TEAMS FOR DIVERSIONARY TACTICS. WARNING: EXTREME FIRE HAZARD!!! (COMPARES TO DRAGON'S BREATH). CAUTION MUST BE EXERCISED WHEN FIRING THESE ROUNDS TO PREVENT ACCIDENTAL BRUSH FIRES. IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT THEY BE USED AT AN APPROVED FIRING RANGE. CHECK YOUR STATE LAWS CONCERNING LAWFUL FIRING OF THIS AMMUNITION.

HV-0610 $17.95/PKG OF 3
Reply:How about high velocity tungsten or bismuth waterfowl loads in BB, B, or T shot.

http://www.ableammo.com/catalog/product_...

Should be just what you are looking for.



I would follow these up with buckshot.
Reply:2 3/4 #4 shot or #4 buckshot. Slugs are not good for home defence.

And what is swan? The bird? Or swan shot? Wonders....
Reply:#6 will take-down any intruder at close range as you will find in any appartment. Anything bigger is just risking overpenetration and the lives of your neighbors. No need for 12 gauge "magnum" shells either!



I seen the results of someone being shot with a 20 gauge loaded with #6, nearly ended the guys life!
Reply:I agree with cycling the shotgun. That is a sound that no one will misinterpret. Once they hear that, they will turn and run. No shots fired but feel free to stick your head out and remind them not to come back. Otherwise, if you insist on having that baby loaded and ready to fire, make sure you are protecting your neighbors too.



Note, children may not recognize the sound of a shotgun action closing... so if the 'intruder' keeps coming, announce that you have a gun. This may save an innocent life.
Reply:In my house, the master bedroom is at the end of the hall and the little one's rooms are on the left hand side, more towards the area from which an intruder would travel. Meaning, if I came out of my room and shot down the hall, the shot would pass by the door of my daughters' rooms. For this reason I've loaded the mossberg 500A with a #6 lead turkey shot rather than buckshot. The walls/solid wood doors would slow stray #6 much better than buckshot.



The good news is that as close range, with no barriers, any type of shotgun load could be lethal.



Here are a couple of websites you may find interesting. The first has specialty shotgun shells as an altenative to bird/buck shot and the second deals with the lethality and patterning of shotgun blasts.
Reply:buckshot
Reply:6 shot to bb shot you live in a apartment building slugs you will be shooting the neighbors to #6 - BBB will stop in the wall but will take down an intruder with a point and shoot you do not have to be dead on to hit
Reply:dude at point blank, u'll smile but the intruder won't.

anything is fine.

in an apartment stick with #6 birdshot.

if you prefer buckshot get some #1.

these may seem like oddballs but i would hate to see you imprisoned for shooting someone who is on the other side of the wall.

do not use slugs, use medium birdshot or small buckshot.
Reply:Buckshot
Reply:Load your first 3 rounds #4 Birdshot, and last 3 rounds #4 Buckshot. If you can't stop an intruder with the first 3 rounds, you will definitely stop him with one of the last 3 rounds. None of these should penetrate to a neighboring unit.
Reply:It seems pentration is an issue ofr you. You definitely don't wanna hit you neighbors. birdshot will do fine, unless its legal to shoot trespassers as they walk in. In my state, laws pretty much state he'll be within 10 yards, so birdshot will do just fine.

More ouch? then buckshot. 000 is really unneeded, 00 is fine. it'll shred your bad guy and shred any walls or furnishings between him and you, so watch where you shoot that.



And point-blank. I don't own a shotgun, but at the very least the attacker will get some serious burns from burning powder. I fired some shotguns before, it sure as hell won't blow anyone away (mythbusters proved that), but it will shred that person up really bad. He'll probably lose his head or similar body part (or have a giant gaping hole all the way thru). Anyway, you won't get much spread, but you will get maxiumum damage and lots of blood/gore.



Do Not take boker's idea seriously. It'll be a flamethrower, but you'll also burn the apartment down. And it wont cycle safe in many guns.
Reply:Double ot buck, high brass. It holds 15, 30caliber balls in one shell. It will go through or stop anything.
Reply:hehe, what the hell makes you think a pro would want to rob an apartment building?



Bird, buck, slug,buck, buck, buck, .......



**HOLY SHEET BOKER!!!!
Reply:if it was me... i'd you deer slugs. but thats becuase i live in quite a hick town and we doo do is shoot the **** out of everything.

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