What is your preferred home defense shotgun ammunition?

What is your preferred home defense shotgun ammunition

  • Bird shot (specify what kind of shot and brand in a comment)

    Votes: 8 7.9%

  • Buck shot (specify what kind of shot and brand in a comment)

    Votes: 88 87.1%

  • Slugs (specify what kind of shot and brand in a comment)

    Votes: 5 5.0%
  • Total voters
    101
  • Poll closed .
20 gauge, #4 shot, 2 3/4" shell, not brand fussy as long as it is hi velocity turkey loads but most of what I have is Remington, Federal. Fiocchi and Estate.
 
Has anyone here ever touched off a 12ga. indoors without hearing protection? Speak up I can't hear you!
Click to expand...

No decent self defense firearm is going to be good for your hearing if discharged indoors without hearing protection. But a 12ga might actually hurt less than a .357 or .44 magnum...
 
12 gauge 2 3/4 Federal 000 with an internal hammer single trigger o/u
If I could find 3 inch I'd use it.

I'm considering having an extra shotgun handy, a Mossburg Slugster. Not sure on the ammo yet.
 
Hand load few pellets of 00 and then a tablespoon or so of Obsidian chips (from knapping, sharper than steel) it is something I wouldn't recommend to shoot much but 1 round of that will stop a moose.
 
@ Sport45...just kiddin' sort of...As being on the sending andreceiving end of mortar rounds in the late 60's in V.N.,I know what concussion can do to yr hearing , I also know what failure to act promptly can do . Maybe a little off topic, but I use 38spl Glaser Safety Slugs(compressed #12 shot in a hollowpoint) as my first response, out of a Ruger LCP W/Crimson Trace laser. Serious terminal effect w/out wailing through too many walls hurting the wrong people. If I used a shotty it'd be my S&W 916 A w/ # 4 spreaders applied as necessary,repeat if needed.
 
Didn't the FBI penetration testing come up with #1 Buck as the best load?

Seems that's what I remember reading. We spent a bunch of tax money on that research. It might be wrong, but I'd ask someone to explain to me how they screwed it up. I'm no ballistics expert myself.
 
The thing about surveys like this is they are too general to be meaningful. Best for whom; urban, suburban, rural resident on a hermit living in the wilderness. Do you live alone, with adults, or small children?
 
walmart has the winchester 1 oz box of 15 for $10 or so. remington also.

i have three 12ga mossberg 500 shotguns i cut to 20 inch barrel. all my ammo is 2 3/4". all my shotguns have the 5 shot carrier thing on the stock held in place with strips of bicycle tube like a big rubber band. on the other side of the stock i have 4 additional shells held long ways by the tire tube ban and out of the way of my face. and the 5 shells in the mag. thats 5 shells in the gun and 9 on the gun. each. plus a bandolier with 25 00 buckshot and 25 slugs.

shotgun one for in the house is loaded with 00 buck(remington or regular federal, or winchester).

second shotgun is loaded down with winchester pdx1(buck n ball) for really tough threats/outdoors that buckshot may not work on. according to tnoutdoors on youtube the regular 2 3/4" winchester slugs break up and penetrates around 10 inches of ballistics gel. the pdx1 buck n ball penetrates 19 1/2 inches! be careful!

third mossberg is to bring in the truck. i rotate federal flite control 00 buck and the winchester 1 oz slugs.

i'll post the buck n ball video in case someone has not seen it. you can checkout his other devastating 12 ga videos from there.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sg44jDOL8jo&feature=related
 
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Good old 2 3/4" 00 Buckshot. Wouldn't have a chest left after taking one of those. No brand preference, I've shot a bunch of different brands of 00 buckshot and noticed very little difference.
 
.00 Buck

I reload my own low recoil .00 buck shot 2.3/4 shells. I use 800X powder, Winchester 209 primers and a WAA12 wad clone and I usually reload federal top gun hulls. I buy them as field loads, reload them with .00 buckshot and stockpile for a rainy day. Then, rinse and repeat. In test after test of my reloaded ammo I am extremely happy with my pattern, shot column and minimal recoil and my cheap Mossberg Maverick 88 eats them like a fat kid eats cake.

Incidentally, I would recommend to anyone who enjoys shooting and likes to stockpile some ammo they learn to reload shotgun ammo. Forget the cost benefits they are not the real beauty of it. The real benefit is ammo quality control, customization, availability and self sufficiency.
 
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