What 12gauge load for HD?

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I know this will make me look like a freak but I like Dixie triball. I all so like the Winchester PDX1-12 but I like the triball more.

Nothing like 3 60caliber balls to stop some one.

I feel I need to mention I would not recommend this if you have neighbors.
 
Distance is very important to consider here. Large open rooms (or outdoor/garage situations) might require #1 or 00. In my apartment building (and many small homes), 20ft is much farther than any realistic shot. Heck, 6 ft is probably farther than any defensive shot would be in my tiny apartment. Now, at that distance, I don't think there is a commonly sold 12ga round that would not drop a man with a center mass shot.
 
"I know this will make me look like a freak but I like Dixie triball. I all so like the Winchester PDX1-12 but I like the triball more.

Nothing like 3 60caliber balls to stop some one.

I feel I need to mention I would not recommend this if you have neighbors. "

I've never used the tri-ball, but I usually stuff a round or that Winchester PDXI-12 in between some 00 Buckshot when I have to clear the house. I don't think that it's strictly necessary (as in, I probably won't need anything more than the buckshot), but you never know.

The PDXI-12 will pretty much incapacitate someone, like...NOW. There is something to be said for that, home invasions aren't super common in my area, but when they happen it's usually someone hoped up on meth or crack, I don't need them to stay standing long enough to put two 9MM's in my chest. It is hard to beat a 1 ounce slug plus 3 rounds of plated buckshot when you need them down now.
 
If you know a reloader who will make up some loads for you, Buck and ball is an excellent HD load. ​
Using reloads, or exotic loads, for HD may be effective; however, with liberal attorneys, you may be opening Pandora's box. I'd use a factory load that duplicates what your local LE uses.
 
Stop to think

Military and police use of shotguns have different tactical considerations than those of the average homeowner. If over penetration could be a problem, that rules out large buckshot such as "0", "'00" or "000". At typical distances within the home, even #4 shot (not #4 buck) is very deadly. A standard load of #4 buck, in 12 gauge, has 27 pellets, each of .22 caliber. Going back to #4 shot, a two-ounce turkey load of #4 shot will blow a hole in someone large enough to see through.

This topic is beaten to death just about every week. If you center the pattern on a home invader, it pretty much won't matter what size buckshot you use. You'll need private cleaning contractors who specialize in crime scene cleanup to remove the bloody mess from the walls, ceiling and floors.
 
Smaller shot is safer for innocent family members and Bubba as well. If you want to turn your shotgun into a spittin' distance weapon, that's your call. Many feel that way.

00 buck works just fine and always has, and is effective at any range likely encountered in the average home. It will also defeat certain cover, such couchs and chairs.

It's a trade off. Make your choice, understand the avantages and disadvantages, and take your seat.:D
 
#6 birdshot. The same as you hunt bunnys with. It won't go through a wall and hurt a neighbor or family member in the same manner a slug or Buckshot will.
If you have any doubts about birdshot, go fire a shell or two into a gallon jug filled with water at 7 yards or less. Buck and slugs are TOO powerful to use inside your home. Birdshot is fine. Test it.
 
You'd think that and yet there is a fairly decent list of people who have survived a shotgun blast in the torso and even head at that range and survived. In pretty much every one of those stories, the shotgun was loaded with birdshot.
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I appreciate the info, but NONE of those stories prove your point. Many of them are lacking important details like range or the angle of the shot. 2 were with a .410. One appears to have been close range, but was a shot to the jaw so I can only assume it was from a side angle (the shot destroyed her jaw and the murderer killed at least 2 other people with one shot each in the same house).

I actually know 3 people personally who have survived 12ga birdshot, but that proves nothing because they were all at much much greater distances than a home defense situation.
 
Instead of swapping stories, we can just look at birdshot vs buckshot penetration tests.

12 gauge Wound Profiles

Its abundantly clear from the above test results that birdshot is inadequate for defense. There are also several other tests that can be found on the net, all showing the same kind of results.

A very small percentage of people continue to insist that bird shot is adequate for defense. Although they have no evidence to support their claims.
 
Hey, use slugs, buckshot, a .308, .300 Magnum, hell, use a grenade if you will.

I'm concerned about family in the next room, neighbors, liability, etc., not "Internet tests". My "evidence" comes from the field, not the internet...LOL! I have hunted and trapped my entire life and have seen what birdshot can do at close range (under 7 yards) out of a 12 Ga shotgun, so I'll stick with my birdshot. ;)

Turn off your laptops this weekend, go out to a gravel pit, and SHOOT a load of birdshot at 4 or 5 yards (avg. living room distance might be closer to 3 yards), into a gallon jug filled with water. Test #6 birdshot out of a 12 Ga at close range. No, its not a slug or buckshot load, but it WILL leave a big, NASTY rat hole. You may just change your mind about what you read on the "net" from some Mall Ninja, or at least question as to if the person posting spends more time online than on the range. :rolleyes:
 
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Really? Which one of those do you think would have survived the same shot with buckshot?
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Don't try and change the argument. You're saying that 12ga birdshot is not deadly at less than 10 feet. NONE of those stories even come close to proving that.

I'm sure there are tens of hundreds of people who have survived buckshot wounds too, but that doesn't prove crap.
 
A very small percentage of people continue to insist that bird shot is adequate for defense. Although they have no evidence to support their claims.
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Sir, please look in the link you yourself posted at the #5 birdshot. I'm skeptical about how far away the barrel was from the gelatin in order to make a wound channel over four inches wide, but either way, that's a recipe for death. Almost all of the pellets penetrated 7-9 inches.
 
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