Shotguns for the house

[Rock Ape]

Which would you recommend I load up if I heard a suspicious noise downstairs/outside and was concerned about defending my home? 00 shot or slugs?

How much skill at arms do you do ?

How confident are you in general ?

Which would YOU rather use (that's actually the more important question when you have the choice)

--Dave

[oldman34]

Which would you recommend I load up if I heard a suspicious noise downstairs/outside and was concerned about defending my home? 00 shot or slugs?

3" #00.

These are magnum loaded shells. They will penetrate sheetrock and still do damage.
These loads can kill a Grizzly Bear. I have seen it done.
A slug can overpenetrate and lowers your hit percentage.

Make sure that your gun can shoot 3" shells though.

[vigilus]

Yeah. But we mostly use them for breaching.

We're not alowed using them on people, only doors and **** like vehicle engines. I think they consider it inhumane.

3 inch 00buck is my favorite shotgun round.

[TM]

I alternate 00 buckshot and rifled slugs. 3" magnums. Know your field of fire.

[SpringHeeledJack]

If you're worried about penetrating walls, Mossberg has you covered:

The model 500 HS410, or "Home Security" model, is only available in .410, and is specifically designed for defensive use. It comes with a youth sized stock, a vertical foregrip with, in some versions, a built in laser sight, and a special muzzle brake and spreader choke on an 18.5 inch (47 cm) bead sight barrel. The .410, while by far the least powerful common shotgun chambering, still generates energy in excess of a .357 Magnum, and the spreader choke produces wider patterns, as well as less chance of wall penetration, in the short ranges to be expected in a defensive situation. This model is targeted at the novice user, who needs a simple, easy to use yet effective defensive weapon, and is packaged with an introductory video covering use and safety.

yeah, 410s are small, but they'll still blow faces off at close range.

Personally, I have a Mossberg 500 special purpose 8-shot pump loaded with #00 buck. If you're in the next room, too bad.

[Jim_Jude]

At home defense ranges, you don't need anything more than #4 buckshot. At such short ranges, the pattern will be so tight, it won't matter, you won't need a choke. Go down to Big 5 and get a Mossberg M590, load it up with #4 buck. Over-penetration is barely an issue when you compare it to 00 Buck.
In 2.75" 12 gauge shells, you've got eight .36-inch shot in "#000 buck", compared to 27 .24-inch balls in #4Buck. "Real-world Lethality" estimations for #4Buck shot is estimated from 80% to 90%, compared to the 88%-96% for your average #00 Buck.
Of course, keep in mind that if you're hitting center mass, you're hitting with nine #00 Buck rounds at .33 cal, or you could be hitting with TWENTY SEVEN .24" BALLS.
ALL THAT WITH LITTLE ISSUE OF OVER-PENETRATION WHEN COMPARED TO THE POPULAR "TACTICAL LOADS". The FBI has had great results over the years with 2.75" #4Buck (12gauge). The real world numbers don't lie.
Oh, & get a Knoxx Compstock.


Sometimes, less is more. Know your tools, but also know your environment.

[meataxe]

There was a website on wound ballistics research with fairly comprehensive analysis on defensive shotgun rounds. I think this was it: http://www.firearmstactical.com/wbr.htm

Their recommendation was for #1 buck. The rational was this:

- more pellets = greater wound path = more damage
- pellets have to be large enough to penetrate to vital areas

So, the ideal load is the smallest pellet that will give adequate penetration. That gives you #1 buck. Apparently #2 doesn't give quite enough penetration, depending on target, clothing, etc.

One other thing: If the round penetrates and passes through the target, then that round failed to transmit all it's energy to the target.

As for shotgun vs. handgun, I recall on rec.guns a number of years back that many were of the opinion that a shotgun was a liability for anyone without training, due to lack of mobility in a confined space. And the old story of the racking pump gun scaring of the bad guy is BS. Then again, that was just rec.guns.

[Jim_Jude]

...Their recommendation was for #1 buck. The rational was this:

- more pellets = greater wound path = more damage
- pellets have to be large enough to penetrate to vital areas

So, the ideal load is the smallest pellet that will give adequate penetration. That gives you #1 buck. Apparently #2 doesn't give quite enough penetration, depending on target, clothing, etc.

Non-magnum #4 buck has 7" penetration in ballistic gelatin tests. More than enough.

[meataxe]

Non-magnum #4 buck has 7" penetration in ballistic gelatin tests. More than enough.

I think the article was taking clothing and/or ribcage into account. There were some articles on the validity of ordinary ballistic gelatin tests too. I read it a while back (8yrs?), so the details are fuzzy, but I'm sure about the #1 buck. Not my first-hand research obviously, but it did strike me as a fairly rigorous analysis and the principles seem sound. I'd like to see if someone has done any more recent work.

[Jim_Jude]

Well, it's a tool box.