Any recs for home def shotshells?

[Rommelvon]

I have a mossberg 590-A1, currently using 00 and 000 buck for home def loads, the past month there has been a criminal pervert breaking into homes, robbing and sometimes raping the females, I'm looking for something to cut him in half in one shot should he choose my home, I saw a shell in a store a bit back but cannot remember what it was called, the projectile looked like a red tipped missile....anyone familiar with this?....and what are your recs besides what I am using

[stash247]

My friend, a 'Dove and Quail' promotional load, of 7 1/2's, will do all you speak of, and more!
Buck is a 50+ yd load, and is percieved, by many juries, as willful intent to kill; use the birdshot, do the job, if you must, and sleep at home, every night!
As a sidebar, consider: 150 + pieces of small little pieces vs 30 some large pieces, who's the surgeon's choice? AND, who's the best surgical survival choice?

[Rommelvon]

Oh, make no mistake, if someone breaks into my home, I dont want to wound them, I want to send them to their maker, a wounded crack head can be more dangerous than a non wounded one......I hope the situation never arises, but if it does......dead men tell no tales

[Oneida Steve]

stash is right. Buckshot is not for in-house defense. I'd go with #4 shot rather than #7.5 shot, but at 10-15 feet it hardly makes a difference.

[Pistolenschutze]

Originally Posted by Rommelvon

Oh, make no mistake, if someone breaks into my home, I dont want to wound them, I want to send them to their maker, a wounded crack head can be more dangerous than a non wounded one......I hope the situation never arises, but if it does......dead men tell no tales

I don't disagree with your sentiments at all Rommel, but heavy buckshot for home defense is still not the optimal load. One of the biggest problems with the stuff is possible overpenetration . . . through the perp and through the wall on the other side! As Stash pointed out, correctly I think, don't sell a birdshot load short. It is often forgotten, but at across-the-room ranges, a 1 /18 load of 7s or 7 1/2s does not spread out more than an inch or two, even out of a straight cylinder barrel. A man hit with that much lead in the center of mass is going DOWN, right now and forever! A policeman, who might well be shooting at some distance and through barriers is a different story. For that sort of confrontation, buckshot does make sense. A really fun experiment is to take various loads out to the range and experiment with them. Measure off the greatest distance you might conceivable have to shoot within your home and do your experiment at that range. Pattern the various loads and note carefully the spread of shot. The results will likely amaze you.

[Rommelvon]

Thanks for the advice, I'll go today and get some bird shot, should I get lead or steel shot?....

[Pistolenschutze]

Originally Posted by Rommelvon

Thanks for the advice, I'll go today and get some bird shot, should I get lead or steel shot?....

Personally, I would go with lead, Rommel. As for shot size, almost anything from 4s through 8s will do, and any perp sure won't notice the difference! If you want a high-brass load with a 1 1/4 oz. charge, I would go with either 5s or 6s. For a lighter recoiling low-brass load, get some dove loads in 7 1/2 or 8 shot.

[Rommelvon]

Thanks Pistolenschutze, I'll pick some up and go do some test shooting this weekend, like thr R. E. Lee pic in profile, my GGG Grandfather was in the Army of northern virginia and was under Lee's command

[Lead Lobber]

All above true, but anyone getting near my women with a red tipped missle will be welcoming a severe beating from my hickory tipped pecker whacker, a custom club used for everything from beating yankees, to testing tire pressure.

LL

[Rommelvon]

Originally Posted by Lead Lobber

All above true, but anyone getting near my women with a red tipped missle will be welcoming a severe beating from my hickory tipped pecker whacker, a custom club used for everything from beating yankees, to testing tire pressure.

LL

LMAO......That's hilarious

[obxned]

00, low recoil 2 3/4" loads - it'll do the job!

[NY_GUNFIGHTER]

At home defence range, birdshot is actually better than buck...little chance of over penetration and it will shred anything in its path, and an easy swayed jury will not think it's 'an evil people-killing round' 7 1/2 shot would work just fine.

[polishshooter]

FYI, the 5 round sleeve on my '97 contains 3 rounds of #6 factory Remingtons, one round of Winchester 00B, and one Remington 1 oz Slugger...

Like many confrontations verbal or otherwise, I've found it's usually easier to be able to "step up" your approach, than to "step down....."

The Single Shot shotgun however that my WIFE would grab however only has 5 #6 loads attached...I don't want her fumbling


But then again, even though I preach shotgun-shotgun-shotgun for "Home defense," More times than not when my wife wakes me because the dogs are barking wierdly, or there is a 'bump," in the night, I seem to grab the .45, because it's a little more convenient, and maybe because it's easier to hide if necessary, and maybe to remove the temptation to shoot either of them (the ANIMALS not my wife! ) if I find out I was woken up from "the sleep of the just" at 3:00am because the dogs smelled a CAT....

[obxned]

There is an awful lot of test data on the 'net. Most seems to point to 00 as the best. Even #4 Buck is a disappointment.

[southernshooter]

Rom I really like Hornady's TAP. It says personal defenseso it would really help in court. Also I always mix my loads I load one TAP 00 and then one slug and then one 00 and then one slug.
Because if it turned into a hostage situation a slug is better than shot

[Rommelvon]

Originally Posted by southernshooter

Rom I really like Hornady's TAP. It says personal defenseso it would really help in court. Also I always mix my loads I load one TAP 00 and then one slug and then one 00 and then one slug.
Because if it turned into a hostage situation a slug is better than shot

Good point with alternating slug to shot, I like to be prepared for any situation

[polishshooter]

Alternating usually ISN'T a good thing because in a stressfull situation, especially if you have fired, it is pretty tough to remember under stress which is "up," although at living room ranges you STILL have to get a sight picture no matter what, any shot will only spread 1 " per 3 feet at close range, it's easy to miss at 10 feet...however I DO mix ball and JHPs in my Makarov when I carry it....it is a little small and suspect for BOTH penetration (car bodies?) and "energy transfer," so since both loads shoot to the same point of aim I imagine if I grabbed THAT I would be pretty desperate and shooting more than one round, so it wouldn't matter which one was up the spout when....now having one or two on the sleeve on your stock and practicing so you can quickly switch if needed I think is a better idea...which is why I have one buck load and one slug load after the three birdshot...I figure if I need to fire a FOURTH shot, then all bets are off, I NEED to "step it up...."


No the reason birdshot is more desirable for "home defense" than buck or ESPECIALLY slugs is overpenetration.....ANY buck, and even #2 through BB course shot, will go through both sides of a sheetrock wall with enough energy to hurt or even kill what's behind it (your kids?) and a slug from 10 feet will penetrate several walls, with enough energy to perhaps hurt or kill maybe your NEIGHBOR? Even possibly AFTER penetrating the suspect?

Birdshot at 10 feet (Remember, we are talking INDOOR, "across the dining room" ranges here, will be an amorphous "blob" about 2-3 inches across that will transfer ALL of it's energy (and a 1 1/4 or 1 1/2 oz birdshot load at 1300 to 1500 fps will have MORE energy than a "typical" 1 oz slug or buck load at the same speed) at the target, and not "overpenetrate" the target transfering even LESS energy, and in the case of the slug or heavy buck have enough energy to penetrate the wall and hurt something on the other side you don't want....

You can try it, I have, both experimentally and once accidentally birdshot at CLOSE range will NOT penetrate the SECOND sheetrock layer of an uninsulated wall, when the NEAR side wall has an ugly ragged 2-3" hole in it.....

Now there HAVE been tests which claim to show that if the suspect is wearing a heavy coat or jacket, the birdshot MAY not penetrate as well as buck, and then may not cause much internal damage, I won't dispute that, but is KILLING the perp the MAIN issue, or STOPPING him...Even if it DOESN'T penetrate enough to kill him, the IMMEDIATE stopping of that 1 1/2 oz of lead by his chest, coupled with the even massive SUPERFICIAL wound WILL stop him, even if it DOESN'T kill him. And most of those tests I have seen were conducted at 15 to 20 feet, not 10....you have to consider at THOSE ranges, the "spread" is 5-7," so the pellets are no LONGER transferring energy as one mass, but individually, which changes the equation, but you WILL have a better chance of HITTING him, maybe also BLINDING him, with a rushed or poor shot that with a slug may MISS...so even then all is not lost....

And the point I've made for years, that somebody wisely noted again above, is that you MUST consider the aftermath, i.e., your day in court AFTER the shooting...

Now some of us MAY be blessed with living in a "free" state, with a "castle doctrine," and/or common sense juries, BUT if I STILL lived in New York, or any of the NE states, or in ANY city, much less any of the big Liberal ones....I would MUCH rather be in court explaining how desperate I was to protect myself or my family that night that I had to shoot him with my RABBIT load from my HUNTING gun than why I had loaded "alternate loads of Buckshot and tactical slugs in my 'riot' gun..." much LESS why I had a LOADED 30 round mag in my AK or AR. or the 15 rounder in my "police" style Glock, all ready and LOOKING for trouble....(A good defense attorney defending the "harmless lovable family man who just happened to be drunk and in your house 'by mistake' that you MURDERED WILL make that claim, and it HAS worked in the past!)


It MAY mean the difference as to whether the dirtbag ultimately hurts YOU as much or possibly MORE than you hurt HIM....meaning keeping you from going to JAIL for a few years and/or hoping your HOMEOWNER'S INSURANCE will cover the LAWSUIT...

In this day and age that IS something you have to consider NOW, not after...


Which is another reason I either have stock hardball or my IPSC "major" SWC HG#68s handloads in my .45 at home....the hardball is available anywhere, and I don't have to explain WHY I needed JHPs, 'Glasers," or "Tactical ammo," and my "target handloads," far from being "mankillers" (Even though they would happen to do NICELY for that too, better than Hardball.... ) would allow me to testify the same way..."I was so desperate I had to grab my TARGET .45 and shoot him with my TARGET loads.... )

[pawn]

Under the bed, my mossberg 500 persueder is loaded with 5 rounds of 7 1/2 birdshot and then the last 2 are hornady tap 00 buck.

my sig p228 is in the nightstand with 15, 9mm 147gr hornady tap.

any potential home invader is gonna have a real bad day (or night)