12ga. #4 Buckshot for home defense

I've used #4 in shootings. At close range it's pretty good. I did dust a guy at about 50 yards. One pellet hit him in the forehead and slid up under his scalp, a second hit him in the wrist and skidded along the bone winding up in his elbow. The rest hit him in the chest. It was really cold and he was wearing a real heavy leather coat. Each pellet that hit his chest made a pimple on the coat and bounced off. I don't carry smaller than #1 at work or for home defense. I do live in the country so don't worry much about over penetration.
 
Packr, If I don't aim a shotgun at a non threatening clay target some 35+ yards out, why would I want to take the time to aim at a threat some 5 yards across a room. I am assuming that the threat has already been positively identified and needs to be put down ASAP.
 
you have several seconds, as vs 1/2 second in which to hit, and your pattern is 5-6 ft wide. At 5 yds, it's 5" wide, that's why.
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Try about a second from calling for a target and properly choked patterns are half of your 5-6 ft wide. That the target is trying to kill you is all the more reason not to take time to aim. As for the number of #7.5 pellets, I suggest it is not much of a factor. unless you have holes in your pattern.
 
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#4 Buck

#4 buck is what i use. Not all factory loads are created equal. The ammo with the plastic buffer will pattern much tigher. Maximum knock down range is 50 yards with my Mossberg 20" full choke tube barrel.
 
There are a lot of variables in using a shotgun for home defense. I will state what my wife and I do, THAT WORKS FOR US; (which may or may not work for you). I am 61 and my wife is 62, in our situation the 12ga is just too much gun. Specifically, I had a rotator cuff repair and a total shoulder arthroplasty (replacement) of my shooting (left) shoulder in 09/2008. Bottom line is that my days of shooting a 12ga are gone forever. As for my wife, she shoots several 20ga guns well; but that is her limit of endurance. Many folks, so called experts, state that shooting anything less than a 12ga w/00 or 000 Buck; handicaps the shooter. (To which I politely state "HORSE MANURE"!) I have shot far too many deer w/small (2, 3, & 4 buck) to not be impressed with it's knock down power.

My life's experience has taught me that bird shot is for birds, buckshot is for bad guys. The longest possible shot in my home is 31 feet. I'm loading buckshot in my home defense shotguns, and not slugs.

We (the wife & I), use three shotguns for defense of ourselves within our residence...............
• Remington® SPR220 (Biakal® IZH-43) 20ga SxS loaded with Remington® 2¾"20 pellets of #3 Buckshot (#SP 20-3BK)
• Mossberg®500 20ga Pump loaded with Federal® Power-Shok® 3" 18 pellets of #2 Buckshot (#F207 2B)
• Ithaca® 16ga SxS loaded with Federal® Power-Shok® 2¾" 12 pellets of #1 Buckshot (F164 1B)

Federal® has a new 20ga load, #PD256; that has 24 pellets of #4 buck that I haven't tried but hope to as soon as it becomes available.

I'm sure a 12ga 2¾" 27 pellet load w/#4 Buckshot the OP asked about will do fine. (When I was a WA State Correction Officer in the 1990's it's the load we used and it performed superbly.)
 
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Swan shot, like #2 (.15) and BB (.18, which cannot be had in lead anymore), including in the duplex rounds, especially BB and especially where overpenetration may be a concern, may be ideal for HD at indoors ranges. I'm talking up to 15 yards, at 15 meters, etc...

#4 Buckshot starts to suggest longer distances and less backstop concern.

#1 Buck and my personal overall favorite when you just don't know what or where you're gonna be, #0 Buck, open the guns capability to its maximum useful range including outdoor HD -- the longer ranges will require heavier pellets to maintain energy and deliver enough energy in multiple hits with decent penetration to perform as required. #00 Buck and #000 Buck are increasingly less effective, respectively, for any HD than the smaller but higher count pellet loads, plain and simple.
 
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I've shot #4 buck several times out of a 20 ga, never hunting but just messing around shooting at some trees and stuff, and it will do the job for sure on a 2 legged assailant. I even know someone who had to shoot an intruder and only had some birdshot at his disposal. While it didn't kill the man, it rendered him incapacitated. So yes, #4 buckshot will definitely do the job on an intruder. Ive killed deer with 12ga 00 buck, which is obviously way better if you are anticipating attacks from predators. It will penetrate the thick skin of a bear better, but in a home or apartment it is very likely that 00 buck will penetrate several walls putting children, or other people at risk. I would suggest a round or two of #4 followed by a few rounds of 00 just in case.
 
NYC, y Flite Control? A shotgun is supposed to SPREAD! Choose your pattern. Select your choke. Only your attorney, Officer Rambo, and folk who fancy themselves "innovators" taut the things. It is a marketing gimmick, a solution looking for a problem, w/a narrow niche.
 
Gehrhard, at typical HD distances, say 5-7 yds., almost any 12 gauge 00 buck will produce a 2-2 1/2" hole. The FliteControl shell does this, but also enables effective patterning at 30-40 yds., if necessary. The LE 132-00 Tactical Low Recoil, FliteControl, 9 pellet, 00 buck is the best HD shell I have ever used. If the rumors are true and Federal will introduce a #1 buck, 16 pellet version, I'm there.
 
9ballbilly said:
I keep slugs, #1 buckshot,and 00 buckshot on hand for home/camp defense in my Rem. 870.
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If you already have 00 and #1 buck, I see no reason to buy anything else. I can't imagine needing slugs for home defense. Camp defense for bears maybe, but none of those around my place.
 
NYC, an "effective pattern" for a shotgun at 30-40 yards, the standard intended one for any specified distance in fact, is 70% inside a 30" circle obtained, in this case, with an Improved Modified choke (probably: maybe Modified, maybe Full, YMMV). What are you referring to please?
 
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Yeah. So, that's a terrible shotgun pattern I know you know. Extra Full with small Buck would be in between. But, the good news is you don't need a shotgun anyway. OK. Have you considered the appropriate pistol or, better yet, pistol caliber carbine? You must already have a Longarm Lic. there...
 
I try to have, in order:

1. #1 buck
2. 00 buck
3. #4 buck

Since I have a difficult time finding #1 buck around here, I have quite a bit of 00 and #4 buck on hand. My 930 SPX fires all with equal aplomb.
 
WM, recoil is a function of mass and velocity, not shot size.

9 shot will work if you're close enough. Unfortunately, "close enough" may be just a few feet.

This has been well covered in the past here. I suggest mining the archives.
 
I load up my sawed off DB 12 Gauge (in legal lengths) with Winchester #1 Buck with two more loads in a butt stock sleeve.
 
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