[default14845]

Seriosly get your mom out of there

 

[dcruthis]

00Buckshot is NOT appropriate for home defense!

It shoots through your walls...and then through your neighbors walls, and then into your neighbor.

Worst. Advice. Ever.

 

[Culvercreek Hunt Club]

7 1/2 shot...with Cyl bore choke.....as suggested to me by a badged friend...."isn't a doctor around that can patch up that many holes in time"

 

[chewithcigar]

00Buckshot is NOT appropriate for home defense!

It shoots through your walls...and then through your neighbors walls, and then into your neighbor.

Worst. Advice. Ever.

Allow me to qualify my previous comment. 00 buckshot is excellent... assuming that there's nobody on the other side of the doors/walls behind your target. I agree with Mr. Dcruthis, my Remington 870 is always loaded with 7 shot low base shells.

 

[Jeff]

7 1/2 shot...with Cyl bore choke.....as suggested to me by a badged friend...."isn't a doctor around that can patch up that many holes in time"

Go shoot an old leather jacket and see if you still use 7 1/2 shot. Unless it's still basically one mass at the distance you shoot it, you might start using buckshot.

People overestimate birdshot. Those small pellets have very little inertia to penetrate. It's all a matter of circumstance like how far away, what the target has for clothing, etc... but when you need it to stop someone you want your best chances.

 

[fullmags]

Go shoot an old leather jacket and see if you still use 7 1/2 shot. Unless it's still basically one mass at the distance you shoot it, you might start using buckshot.

People overestimate birdshot. Those small pellets have very little inertia to penetrate. It's all a matter of circumstance like how far away, what the target has for clothing, etc... but when you need it to stop someone you want your best chances.

+1 for 7 1/2 within 20 feet. It even goes through dry wall. SLUGS are over kill for home defense IMHO. Unless you live in a gymnasium sized home with no neighbors or other family in the house. Shotgun balistics Test 01.wmv - YouTube BUT back on topic. any decently priced shotgun works. Cheap is a relative word. How much do yo have to spend?

 

[Tifosi]

What people always forget about birdshot is how radically more efficiently it works when aimed low.
Femoral arteries are about 8~10 inches apart are roughly the diameter of your thumb and usually no harder to penetrate than a layer of denim and 1/4~1/2" of non~muscled fatty flesh.
20~30 or so pellets can shred one or both in one shot making for around an under 40 seconds death by bleedout.

And should you miss, they'll still have been castrated.

The only real hard and fast HD firearms rule I've always lived by:
Don't use a rifle in a trailer park or winnebago park~n~camp

 

[EnfieldGuy]

I personally like #4 for HD.

 

[Jetster]

Go shoot an old leather jacket and see if you still use 7 1/2 shot. Unless it's still basically one mass at the distance you shoot it, you might start using buckshot.

People overestimate birdshot. Those small pellets have very little inertia to penetrate. It's all a matter of circumstance like how far away, what the target has for clothing, etc... but when you need it to stop someone you want your best chances.

Now that you mention that,did you know for turkey hunting smaller BB's will penetrate there feathers better.Not sure what that means but its true!

 

[Noodles]

Go shoot an old leather jacket and see if you still use 7 1/2 shot. Unless it's still basically one mass at the distance you shoot it, you might start using buckshot.

People overestimate birdshot. Those small pellets have very little inertia to penetrate. It's all a matter of circumstance like how far away, what the target has for clothing, etc... but when you need it to stop someone you want your best chances.

Ditto. I once emptied two magazine tubes of birdshot into a printer from a relatively close distance, with no effect. I thought I had missed, but the surface of the printer was dimpled all over. If you have something that's not going to penetrate drywall, it's not going to penetrate bad guy, either. Look at Cheney, shot his hunting partner in the face and neck, and they didn't even bother pulling the pellets out.

I'm keeping 00 loaded in my bedside scattergun until I can find a suitable load for the AR. I wouldn't want to use anything less than #4 buckshot to defend my life, because it probably won't work as well as I had hoped.

 

[kuntryquesttsi]

Go shoot an old leather jacket and see if you still use 7 1/2 shot. Unless it's still basically one mass at the distance you shoot it, you might start using buckshot.

People overestimate birdshot. Those small pellets have very little inertia to penetrate. It's all a matter of circumstance like how far away, what the target has for clothing, etc... but when you need it to stop someone you want your best chances.

Didn't dick cheany (sp?) shoot someone in the FACE with bird shot and the gun is doing fine?

 

[Jeff]

I don't think dick cheney shot that guy at home defense distances but yeah, the dude is fine.

 

[Phlyan Pan]

Didn't dick cheany (sp?) shoot someone in the FACE with bird shot and the gun is doing fine?

That is correct...no problems with the GUN whatsoever

 

[Tifosi]

Birdshot or no, I'd still rather hunt with Dick Cheney than go for a ride in Ted Kennedy's car

 

[BIG flash]

i keep mine loaded with 3" 00 as that is the best thing I have found in my current situation,
shooting from my prefered defensive position within my house.

Though I have other options available if i'm not defending from that particular location.
I'm not shooting any intruder with typical 7-1/2 or 8 birdshot though, as others have said there is not much penetration value in those rounds.
If that was my only option for some reason, i would certainly do as Tifosi said and shoot low if they weren't wearing jeans ha.

I kinda like the old (i don't think they make them anymore as I got mine clearance) remington 2x4 and BB home defense rounds.
those winchester pdx plates are pretty nasty too, i don't know if they make 'em in 12 ga though.
and these are certainly more expensive than birdshot or even buckshot for that matter.

 

[ECU Pirates]

Didn't dick cheany (sp?) shoot someone in the FACE with bird shot and the gun is doing fine?

It was a 28 gauge. An aristocrat shotgun.

 

[RochPersDef]

You have to determine your need based on a lot of factors.

In general, #4 Buck would be advisable as the best overall shell.

 

[Guest]

Birdshot will work sometimes if used at contact distances. Otherwise only use birdshot on birds.

But seriously now, haven't we discussed this topic extensively in other threads? Is the Search function broken?

What's being considered here is about as serious a matter as there is, this about life and death.

Would you take advice from a layman about your own cancer treatment? Of course not! Then why would you solicit advice on this equally grave subject from laymen. Seek professional advice.

Dave (RochPersDef) is about as professional as you're going to get here. Take it.

 

[cooden]

I love these debates, they make me laugh. Who here wants to volunteer to let me shoot them with birdshot from 30ft away? Put on your leather jacket, your jeans, whatever makes you feel happy--just no body armor. Your usually not just shooting once, you would more than likely fire 2-3 rounds at the bad guy. Are there "better" choices? Yes. Would birdshot definitely ruin someones day if they got shot with it? Yes!

 

[dcruthis]

I completed "Defensive Shotgun Skills 101" at Rochester Personal Defense this Spring.
Rochester Personal Defense - SafeInRochester.com, Self Defense Classes, Firearms Training in Rochester New York

As RPD always does, at the end of the class the students were asked to share what they had learned.

I answered that I learned that I'd grab my Glock and/or my AR-15 waaayy before I'd grab my shotgun.

Go get some professional training. You just might learn something.