What 12ga ammo for home defense?

K

KC9LDB

New member
What do y'all use? I have a 500 with a 18in. No clue what to use for HD. Currently have Remington SPBBX2
 
http://www.shadonet.com/?cat=35


buck_fed_00_classic_b.jpg
 
In a 12 ga. I like 00Buck, in my .410 ( last resort for HD for me personally) I like slugs. Nothing against the .410, just not what I grab when there's a Colt 12 ga. pump right next to it.:cool:
 
This is going to be a long thread with much chest beating about personal preferences. Truth is at home ranges inside the house with a 12 gauge it won't make a lot of difference. The question is where do you live because excess penetration may be a factor in your choice of ammo. For that reason I use #4 shot in a 20 gauge. Where I lived before and I was alone 2 rounds of 00 was my choice backed up by slugs backed up by a 357 mag revolver or my 45 ACP 1911 pistol. I wouldn't dare do that now with my crippled brother and my blind sister living in the house with me.

Now get ready for the 3 1/2" mag with slugs down to the the 1 3/4" mini-rounds proponents to come out of the woodwork. Few believe it is an individual choice made on your living circumstances, their way or no way.
 
Agree with Old Grump. The search feature will yield a boat load of threads dedicated to HD shotgun loads. The factors you need to be aware of is how your house is layed out, kids and neighbors. We have a 3 and a 5 year old. My 500 is loaded with a reduced recoil 4 shot, that groups well and hope won't kill the kids. There are some careless shooters on the firing line that have stated they doubt the load "x" will over penetrate without truly knowing....the fact is you would be held liable for harming your neighbors no matter how far fetched.

Pattern your gun, become proficient with it and go with the best load to suit your application.
 
gnarly looking crimp on that swat stuff.


avoid Wolf and Sellier & Bellot for anything but practice, especially ina Mossberg. It's been my experience they feed horribly. Don't pat over 25-50 cents a shot for Wold or SB loads either.
 
Anything that can kill a Deer or wild boar will do the trick.
Just try not to get "elephant-shot" stuff. Its overkill.

Personally, i think that 00 Buck and some Slugs and Sabots, will do nicely in home defense situation. Of course, the matter is, what you are defending against.


But, really. If you can, take a pistol and a rifle. If you can take a SMG, then take one. If you can have an Assault Rifle too, then you will not be able to defend your home, only in a War.;)
 
These here go bang every time and I can't count the number of deer my teeth sunk into that fell to these el' cheapos from El' Marto D Wal...
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Brent
 
I prefer Federal LE12700 just because of the nasty tight patterns it throws. In reality though any 00 buckshot would do in my circumstances inside my home. If I lived in a split floorplan home or an apartment I may consider a lighter loading due to overpenetration/collateral damage concerns. As it is I prefer to use 00 and the Federal is by far the best I've patterned.
 
I guess the 12 count is either "un-00" a little smaller or it is the 3 inch...

I am not wanting to increase the recoil more than I must so I use the 9 count shell. I do live in a split plan so I just have to make dang sure my payload is slowed by a torso before hitting a wall...;)

Nothing mitigates the risk of over penetration like a squishy BG torso...:D
Brent
 
Winchester has a couple of new offerings for self-defense now.

LINK

I've seen a couple of different releases on these, The slug load is described differently. Don't know which one is right.

DC
 
hi people sorry to be eaves dropping in your conversation but i own a mossberg 500 12gauge smooth bore and i use the wolf rifled slug 1oz 2 2/4 and it has enough power to knock someone down. i think thats more than enough for home protection!
 
The public forum is for folks to eaves drop and contribute if they wish!;)
Welcome aboard the TFL forums!

The only reason I do not use slugs is the risk of the slug doing a quick in and out on a soft, thin section of BG will still have tremendous energy needing shaved off to render it less lethal.
But each of us have the responsibility of using what is best for our needs...
Brent
 
it has enough power to knock someone down
Click to expand...

If it truly had that type of power, it would also knock the shooter down, (Newton)...:D

Slugs and buck are all well and good, but the OP needs to try a few different brands to see which works best in HIS gun.
 
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