Anyone have experience with rubber buckshot?

[hotSAUCE]

So thinking about home defense, I currently have both 00 Buck and Rubber Buck.

Which one would be better?

Read More

 

[misplacedtexan]

I can't speak to the rubber buck, but I have been shot, and have shot a man with a rubber slug. bubblegum hurts. Period. Back in Texas a man came to my door late at night banging everything around, told him to leave, then convinced him with the rubber slug. Cracked a rib, and took his wind away for a good 15. Cops showed up before he got up.

I currently keep a rubber slug in the chamber followed by Winchester PDX. I honestly feel a lot less anxious about shooting some one with the rubber slug than I would with the PDX ammo. Though it is 'LESS-lethal' and not non-lethal.

 

[Nick Burkhardt]

I keep one on the side saddle, because I don't want to get Theodore Wafered.

Here is the testing I did with Fiocchi Less Lethal rubber buckshot:

No recoil and a minimal report. One of the other shooters was concerned that all of the powder did not ignite, but the shell was clean. At 7 yards the 15 rubber pellets left a wide circular pattern 18" high and wide. Not like the tight patterns from 00 buck. Sorry my pic was too blurry so see the holes since the box was rocking in the wind.

I took the second shot without hearing protection and experienced no discomfort. The pellet dispersal was nearly identical to the first shot.

Finally it was time for "The jug of truth" I set up a plastic milk jug filled with water on top of a tall box and shot it at 7 yards with rubber buckshot. Only 5 or 6 of the pellets and the wad struck the jug at that distance due to the spread. The pellets went into the jug but none exited the back. The jug stayed on the box and slowly leaked, unlike the one we shot with birdshot which was blown off and emptied of water instantly.

Other observations, the Fiocchi are longer and harder to load into the action than normal shells.

 

[Mark W.]

7 yards ? You have a very big house. Our living room wall to wall is 23 ft. with furniture and layout you can't get more then 17 ft away from anyone. can't get more then 13 ft from the front door. If I stand in the Laundry room shoot through the pantry, kitchen, and across the living room to the front door I can get a 39 foot shot. Course I can't imagine how or why I would be in that position.

Home defense takes place very close up. Practice at 1 to 4 yards

 

[Lange22250]

You may only have one shot is a defensive shooting. Why are you going to use a piece of rubber?

It's your life and family but that seems like a bad choice to me.

 

[BillM]

Really mixed feelings about "less lethal" shotgun rounds in a defense
situation. If it gets to the point that I feel that I or my loved ones are
in immediate danger of death or serious injury, I think I want to stop
the threat NOW--so I'm leaning toward real ammunition.

I have played with the Fiocchi rubber buckshot and ball ammo out of a
single shot 12 ga to discourage deer in the vegetable garden. Rubber
buckshot didn't do much. The single ball did get their attention.

Warning---The stuff I had rusted up the bore a bit. Almost acted like corrosive
primers. If you shoot the stuff you might want to clean and oil the bore.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

Legally if you are justified to shoot you are very foolish to use something that can get you return fire. The law will judge you the same and also the question will come up that if the situation required a lethal self defense weapon why did you use less lethal ammo in it? Did you realize you would not be justified? I can see lawyers using this against you. Also, a well placed 00 lead buckshot load will drop a bad guy or send him outside to fall on your lawn, 99.9% unlikely to ever testify his sob story to a civil jury. I load my HD shotties with a Federal 15 pellet 00 in the chamber, and 12 pellet loads in the tubes

If you figure to do a clean self defense shoot and eventually want your gun back you had better not load it with corrosive ammo, you'll get back a rust bucket