What is the Best 12 Gauge Shotgun Ammo for Home Defense?

[Stomper]

Aww, Stomp, yore just ashowin' off yore purrdy , matchin' shotguns!

Why yes, yes I am.

 

[mjbskwim]

I used to say that bird shot was just fine. The intruder is going to stop what he is doing when you plant ANY 12ga round on his chest.....inside most distances in a house.And I linked the video of Hickock45 shooting maple branches off with birdshot.
But my buddy shot a coyote at about 10 yards.Yeah the thing ran across the road and stopped and waited to get shot. It went down,pushed itself off the road and then I heard my dog in the truck whining.He ran back across the road. No blood no foul.Again this was at 10 yards,probably as long as most hallways.
You really need to pattern your shotgun to see how it shoots with a given load. Some bird loads pattern well while others spread out pretty fast.
Most of any bigger shot loads will do very well,but then you have to start thinking about over penetration.
2 shot is a good choice. 4 shot may not do much more than bid shot. Any buck shot will work but that's when the OP starts.
And don't believe the wives tales that the sound will scare them away.With enough drugs in your system,even that won't scare you

 

[Raidingtime]

I keep these upgraded 500's stuffed with OO and on deck for me and my wingmen...

View attachment 237568

Mossbergs and Remington pumps have been ending lives successfully for awhile now. The only thing I see between choosing one or the other is a steel/aluminum barrel and safety position. The Mossberg has two extractors vs one in the Remington. However, the bolt is easier to put back into the Remington from my experience..... Both Americans made. I suppose its good to support team USA.

I got the one with the steel barrel They're so much fun to shoot at 100 yards with slugs!

 

[bolus]

Dragons breath.

Honey, someone is breaking in, Im BURNING THE HOUSE DOWN!

 

[Certaindeaf]

Brenneke or Hexolit steel slugs. yea, it's an eleven shot elephant rifle

 

[soberups]

Before deciding on a load, I would figure out where you are likely to be deploying the shotgun from and what is behind the walls you are most likely to be shooting thru. I would also look very carefully at the box 'o truth penetration tests before trusting your life to birdshot. Birdshot pellets are simply too small to penetrate adequately for home defense in my opinion. Your choice of #4 buckshot seems like the ideal one to me for your situation. I load mine with 00 buck but I would feel perfectly well protected with #4 buck instead.

 

[Stomper]

Mossbergs and Remington pumps have been ending lives successfully for awhile now. The only thing I see between choosing one or the other is a steel/aluminum barrel and safety position. The Mossberg has two extractors vs one in the Remington. However, the bolt is easier to put back into the Remington from my experience..... Both Americans made. I suppose its good to support team USA.

I got the one with the steel barrel They're so much fun to shoot at 100 yards with slugs!

I'm sure you were talking about (and meant) steel vs aluminum receivers, not the barrels. I've never heard of an (all) aluminum shotgun barrel.

 

[Raidingtime]

I'm sure you were talking about (and meant) steel vs aluminum receivers, not the barrels. I've never heard of an (all) aluminum shotgun barrel.

yep that's what I should have put. Whoops. Thanks for the catch! Crazy what multi tasking does for you

The finish on the two shotguns are different as well which allows for even more controversy among choosy people. Armed forces tend to gravitate towards the moss berg. I like the Remington more though.

 

[Stomper]

I like the Remington more though.

I forgive you.

 

[salmonriverjohn]

#4 buck for me.

 

[RicInOR]

@OP Asking questions good idea.

Too little information provided.

Are you in the country, with longer distances to protect / cover?
Are you in the city where the next house is about touching distance away?
Do you have other firearms available?
Would they be in your "safe" room?
Is it just you?
Does your significant other have to use the firearm(s)?
Do you have small children, or the infirm to have to protect?
Do you have anything else - even a fire extinguisher (spray 'em with the white powder, bash 'em with the red can) ?


I recommend you take a Clint Smith course - in person or, on video. (Thunder Ranch)
Then revisit the original question.

 

[ikemay]

Like any other firearm, get samples of several different types and see how they perform in your shotgun and how you like them. Then make a decision on firsthand experience. Having said that, in my Winchester 1300 Defender 18.5" barrel I like:
Fiocchi 12 gauge 00 Buckshot Low Recoil 12FLE00B
Federal 12 gauge 00 Buckshot Low Recoil 8 Pellet Buckshot FliteControl Wad ammo LE13300

Both pattern well and are not hard on my shoulder.
Mike

 

[Dbltap]

I actually did same test as above using a 8×10 as a room size #4 buckshot went thru first wall 8 more feet some went thru first panel of sheetrock none went thru 2nd but there was some penetration. My first 2 are birdshot rest is a ½in slug with 6 buckshot load patterns nice out of my moss 500

 

[Dbltap]

I am however interested to see actual results of rubber and bean bag at 10 ft

 

[Certaindeaf]

4 buck is a .24 pellet/ball weighing 20 grains of lead. They've been around a long time and have been discounted by law enforcement since forever. I wonder why?
If you wanna play pattacakes with someone that's trying to kill you, go right ahead.

 

[JamesRL]

A lot of police departments went to #4 buckshot because - as one report put it - "there are burglar-sized holes in the OO buckshot pattern beyond 25 yards."

Now, I don't have a big enough house to worry about what the pattern looks like past 25 yards - about the longest sight-line in my house (down the hall) is 10 yards. That said, the wallboard penetrating ability of OO buck and even #4 buck worries me. Not because of the neighbors but because of who might be on the other side of the wall (my wife and kids).

I load the "home defender" with coyote loads (T shot, 0.200" diameter); it won't go through two layers of wallboard with any power left over and it will penetrate deep enough to be extremely painful, if not reliably lethal.

I've seen people hit with "birdshot" (#8, typically) and it's rarely lethal, which might be a good thing, if you're worried about the aftermath of a lethal shooting. The "T" shot in coyote loads (I use Hevishot) will go a bit deeper, but will also "sting" quite a bit. My rationale for using coyote loads is that they will be plenty lethal at close quarters but will be "less lethal" further out while still delivering a stunningly painful wound.

I like the idea of loading the shotgun so the first round is rubber shot - this might be a real life-saver if the "intruder" turns out to be a drunk relative (e.g. teenage child).


Jim

 

[Certaindeaf]

A lot of police departments went to #4 buckshot because - as one report put it - "there are burglar-sized holes in the OO buckshot pattern beyond 25 yards."

Now, I don't have a big enough house to worry about what the pattern looks like past 25 yards - about the longest sight-line in my house (down the hall) is 10 yards. That said, the wallboard penetrating ability of OO buck and even #4 buck worries me. Not because of the neighbors but because of who might be on the other side of the wall (my wife and kids).

I load the "home defender" with coyote loads (T shot, 0.200" diameter); it won't go through two layers of wallboard with any power left over and it will penetrate deep enough to be extremely painful, if not reliably lethal.

I've seen people hit with "birdshot" (#8, typically) and it's rarely lethal, which might be a good thing, if you're worried about the aftermath of a lethal shooting. The "T" shot in coyote loads (I use Hevishot) will go a bit deeper, but will also "sting" quite a bit. My rationale for using coyote loads is that they will be plenty lethal at close quarters but will be "less lethal" further out while still delivering a stunningly painful wound.

I like the idea of loading the shotgun so the first round is rubber shot - this might be a real life-saver if the "intruder" turns out to be a drunk relative (e.g. teenage child).


Jim

A 9mm in your hand (ooh, what's that under my shirt?) that puts out 500fpe per shot pretty much trumps sharks with laser beams.

 

[Certaindeaf]

And James, "went" is indeed the operative word.. once upon a time. Are you kidding me? lol

 

[JamesRL]

And James, "went" is indeed the operative word.. once upon a time. Are you kidding me? lol

I believe I did use the word "went" - I don't know of any that use #4 buckshot today, but there may be some. At one time, there were a lot of departments using #4 buck - it was a "fad" in the 1980's.

Jim

 

[salmonriverjohn]

4 buck is a .24 pellet/ball weighing 20 grains of lead. They've been around a long time and have been discounted by law enforcement since forever. I wonder why?
If you wanna play pattacakes with someone that's trying to kill you, go right ahead.

Not sure I would consider hallway or bedroom to backdoor distances as patty cake range? The overall shot weight between 00 and 4 buck is pretty much the same and I know they both spread about the same at those distances from my Remington, dead is dead with either I'd believe, but then again I'm a 9mm guy so what do I know?