The Firearms Forum banner

Shotguns For Home Defence

7K views 55 replies 24 participants last post by  Duckhunter76 
#1 · (Edited)
I have been considering buying a shotgun for the Zombies that may try to get into my house. Then I started considering different gauges. When I grew up We had a 16 gauge double barrel made by Stevens. It did the job for pheasants and ducks. But, thats was for small game and not Zombies.

So, I started looking into the different shotgun loads. Whats the best load for Zombies? Slugs, #4, 00, or 000 shot, or BB loads? And, what is the best gauges for each? Or, could this be considered excessive use of force?

What do you folks think?
 
#3 ·
For Zombies I perfer an AR-15. But, if you have your heart set on a shotgun for home defense then the Kel Tec KSG 12 GA Tactical would be my choice.

Here is why.

1. Its light weight. Tips the scale at about 8 pounds loaded. It won't slow you down when you have to move fast.
2. It's short. Over all length is about 26 inches. The barrel is a legal minimum of 18.1 inches. This makes it maneuverable and easy to get through doorways with in case them zombies get into the house.
3. It can load a variety of shells from 1.75 to 3 inch magnums. ( Wait 3 inchers yes... Magnums? Not sure )
4. It has a large magazine capacity ( For a shotgun ) 6+6+1.
5. It has a downward eject so you don't have to worry about the spent shells coming back to hit you in the face.
6. It uses the picatiny rail system so mounting a light or a laser sight is easy. Mounting a front grip is also easy.

Its a little pricey but it will get the job done.

Is it excessive force? There are three or four bad guys kicking you door down. When they get into you house they are going to rape your wife and daughters while they make you watch. Then they are going to take all your valuable stuff and as they leave they are going to put a bullet in your head and maybe take a razor knife to your wife's face.

In that situation I don't think a mini gun would be excessive force.
 
#4 ·
I have been considering buying a shotgun for the Zombies that may try to get into my house. Then I started considering different gauges. When I grew up We had a 16 gauge double barrel made by Stevens. It did the job for pheasants and ducks. But, thats was for small game and not Zombies.

So, I started looking into the different shotgun loads. Whats the best load for Zombies? Slugs, #4, 00, or 000 shot, or BB loads? And, what is the best gauges for each? Or, could this be considered excessive use of force?

What do you folks think?
Just about any gauge will work. For home defence, I would suggest 00 Buck shot, but there is the problem of penetration thru walls. Do you have children at home?
 
#5 ·
and to add to this.

you can get one of those short kbar 'pistol' bayonets and mount it on a front rail of the shotgun giving you a close range poker if someone gets on you.. AND mount a tactical lamp and a lasrer ont he other side and top. thus you have a red / green laser dot to 'aim' with, illumination to the front, and a poker.

as for ammo capacity. load it with them short centurion/aguila shells and you can hold more like 8/8+1

for close range , repelling boarders, should be plenty of buckshot power.

For Zombies I perfer an AR-15. But, if you have your heart set on a shotgun for home defense then the Kel Tec KSG 12 GA Tactical would be my choice.

Here is why.

1. Its light weight. Tips the scale at about 8 pounds loaded. It won't slow you down when you have to move fast.
2. It's short. Over all length is about 26 inches. The barrel is a legal minimum of 18.1 inches. This makes it maneuverable and easy to get through doorways with in case them zombies get into the house.
3. It can load a variety of shells from 1.75 to 3 inch magnums. ( Wait 3 inchers yes... Magnums? Not sure )
4. It has a large magazine capacity ( For a shotgun ) 6+6+1.
5. It has a downward eject so you don't have to worry about the spent shells coming back to hit you in the face.
6. It uses the picatiny rail system so mounting a light or a laser sight is easy. Mounting a front grip is also easy.

Its a little pricey but it will get the job done.

Is it excessive force? There are three or four bad guys kicking you door down. When they get into you house they are going to rape your wife and daughters while they make you watch. Then they are going to take all your valuable stuff and as they leave they are going to put a bullet in your head and maybe take a razor knife to your wife's face.

In that situation I don't think a mini gun would be excessive force.
 
#6 ·
ZOMBIES??????? I would probably think if there was a zombie a barret 50 cal would be the ticket or a rocket launcher. I wouldn't play around with a damn pea shooter. Good thing zombies only exist in movies eh?
so... a zombie is attacking and you want a round that will overpenetrate? useless.

in close quarters with ++ numbers. a shotgun with buckshot is the ticket. if you have room to maneuver and turn and shoot and or high ground to shoot from. then a rifle capable of clean thru heat shots at 100yds is all you need.

rocket launcher? really? ok.. so you are holed up in your bedroom and the door starts beating in., you are gonna use a rocket launcher? really? i guess blowing up and burning vs being ripped apart is the best of the 2 bad choices.. but I'd rather not blow myself up because i stupedly chose a poor, poor, weapon for defense. :confused:
 
#7 · (Edited)
The 55 grain HP .223 has less penetration than any of the other ammunition tested. (rounds tested were .223, .40, and 12 gauge slug) Based on the results of this testing, there appears to be no basis for concern regarding the over penetration of the .223 [HP] round. In fact, it seems even safer in this regard than .40 S&W handgun ammunition. parentheses mine. http://www.olyarms.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=15&Itemid=26
 
#8 ·
The 55 grain HP .223 has less penetration than any of the other ammunition tested. (rounds tested were .223, .40, and 12 gauge slug) Based on the results of this testing, there appears to be no basis for concern regarding the over penetration of the .223 [HP] round. In fact, it seems even safer in this regard than .40 S&W handgun ammunition. parentheses mine. http://www.olyarms.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=15&Itemid=26
I shot several 55gr 223s thru 3/4 steel at nearly 100 yards...just sayin...
 
#10 ·
Has anyone here seen what a 12 gauge will do to the walls in a house. My brother in law had an AD with his 870 in his bedroom. It blew the wall out between the bedroom and his living room then hit the outside wall. What a mess and a lot of damage. When my sister got home(his Wife) man was she mad.
 
#12 ·
My choice is 20 gauge with #4 shot. I have people in my house besides me so buckshot and slugs are out and 16 and 12 gauge are probably more than I will need. I have seen what 4B does from a .410 so I know my 20 will be adequate.
 
#15 ·
I think a Youth model 20 GA with a short barrel would be the ideal home defense shotgun. I couldn't imagine lugging around a 28" Remington 1100 down and around the stairs.
I would want something small and nimble.
The market needs more scary looking bullpup shotguns with overall-lengths just over the legal limit, like the KSG. But still with a length of pull suited for most adults.
 
#16 ·
I think a Youth model 20 GA with a short barrel would be the ideal home defense shotgun. I couldn't imagine lugging around a 28" Remington 1100 down and around the stairs.
I would want something small and nimble.
The market needs more scary looking bullpup shotguns with overall-lengths just over the legal limit, like the KSG. But still with a length of pull suited for most adults.
2 3/4" shells fired in a house at ranges under 8 yards will be quite sufficient, all the magnum will get you is a little more shot in the shot string, more muzzle flash, more 'BOOM' and more recoil.
 
#17 · (Edited)
2 3/4" shells fired in a house at ranges under 8 yards will be quite sufficient, all the magnum will get you is a little more shot in the shot string, more muzzle flash, more 'BOOM' and more recoil.
I think this was meant for soundguy's post... Because I'm all for a low-recoil, small, lightweight, maneuverable weapon for home defense. I see no reason for a 3" magnum 20 gauge.

After checking out a few Youth model shotguns on some manufacturers websites, it seems they aren't actually much shorter Overall than regular models. Most have shorter length of pull and slightly shorter barrel... Still, turning around a corner with a barrel over 18" seems cumbersome
 
#18 ·
I keep a Remington 12 guage 870 pump shotgun by the door for the "Zombies". I've had a hard time finding 12 guage shells with shot bigger than #7 or #8, however. Finally I found a bunch of boxes of Remington shot shells with #2 shot. But they are #2 STEEL shot. I don't know whether #2 STEEL shot is good fodder for my 870 pump, because the 870 has a full choke. Is a full choke compatible with #2 steel shot??? Or will it likely damage the end of the tube where it chokes?

If steel isn't safe to shoot through a full choke barrel, I guess that I can give the shells to my son who has a cylinder bore Browning No. 5 automatic 12 guage. What d'ya all think?
 
#19 ·
Has anyone here seen what a 12 gauge will do to the walls in a house. My brother in law had an AD with his 870 in his bedroom. It blew the wall out between the bedroom and his living room then hit the outside wall. What a mess and a lot of damage. When my sister got home(his Wife) man was she mad.
If you have to use any shotgun or any fire arm in a house to repel " Zombies " the mess is going to be considerable. Even if you are using soft nose hollow points or anything that does not give a through and through wound the mess will require professional cleaning and most likely a new carpet a paint job and some new furniture.

Even if the " Zombie " does not bleed all over the inside of the house when a person dies... " Again "... Usually the last thing they do is pass water and stool due to the relaxation of the mussels that normally control that sort of thing. Then there is the splatter effect some rounds will cause and I am pretty sure a shotgun at near point blank range is going to cause quite a bit of splatter. Even a little 410.

Yeah even if there aren't big holes blown in the wall I think I would want that wall replaced. There is no way it could ever be clean enough to suit me. In truth stopping the bad guys... Sorry Zombies... and protecting your family is just the start of a very long process.
 
#20 ·
so... a zombie is attacking and you want a round that will overpenetrate? useless.

in close quarters with ++ numbers. a shotgun with buckshot is the ticket. if you have room to maneuver and turn and shoot and or high ground to shoot from. then a rifle capable of clean thru heat shots at 100yds is all you need.

rocket launcher? really? ok.. so you are holed up in your bedroom and the door starts beating in., you are gonna use a rocket launcher? really? i guess blowing up and burning vs being ripped apart is the best of the 2 bad choices.. but I'd rather not blow myself up because i stupedly chose a poor, poor, weapon for defense. :confused:
Zombies ok are fictional characters. They don't exist. If they did exist however I sure as hell wouldn't be holed up in my house waiting for the bastards to come eat my brains. They're going to get taken out. Now some living breathing non-fictional character comes breaking into my house then they're going to be sucking on some 9mm bullets. No need for 50 rounds of ammo because the likely hood of more than two people trying to rob a house is pretty slim so 8 rounds should do it.
 
#21 ·
I think this was meant for soundguy's post... Because I'm all for a low-recoil, small, lightweight, maneuverable weapon for home defense. I see no reason for a 3" magnum 20 gauge.

After checking out a few Youth model shotguns on some manufacturers websites, it seems they aren't actually much shorter Overall than regular models. Most have shorter length of pull and slightly shorter barrel... Still, turning around a corner with a barrel over 18" seems cumbersome
i believe a tactical pump, like i referred to in my post would fall into small, light weight and easy to maneuver.

and lets face it. 20g anything is going to be low recoil. :)

I shoot 20mag when my buddy brings his to the range ( browning ).. my browning is a light 20.. WISH it was a mag...
 
#22 · (Edited)
Zombies ok are fictional characters. They don't exist. If they did exist however I sure as hell wouldn't be holed up in my house waiting for the bastards to come eat my brains. They're going to get taken out. Now some living breathing non-fictional character comes breaking into my house then they're going to be sucking on some 9mm bullets. No need for 50 rounds of ammo because the likely hood of more than two people trying to rob a house is pretty slim so 8 rounds should do it.
your simply not thinking outside the box.

take the blinders off.

unbind your feet...

what is a zombie...? a zombie is basically a target that responds EXACTLY like a........ : human.

if your weapon of choice works good on a zombie. guess what else it works good on?

It's alot more politically correct to discuss zombie eradication that discussing eradicating things they may be equivalent to.

don't feel bad. sometimes it takes a while to figure out how to talk about things that many people won't talk about. :cool:
 
#23 ·
I like big bullets! I don't care if it's a hand gun, a shot gun, or a rifle. Bigger is better! 12ga Remington 1100, first two loads out the barrel will be 00 Buck, followed by a slug, then 00 Buck, another slug, etc. My intentions are simple, shoot till the threats stops!
 

Attachments

#25 ·
I keep a Remington 12 guage 870 pump shotgun by the door for the "Zombies". I've had a hard time finding 12 guage shells with shot bigger than #7 or #8, however. Finally I found a bunch of boxes of Remington shot shells with #2 shot. But they are #2 STEEL shot. I don't know whether #2 STEEL shot is good fodder for my 870 pump, because the 870 has a full choke. Is a full choke compatible with #2 steel shot??? Or will it likely damage the end of the tube where it chokes?

If steel isn't safe to shoot through a full choke barrel, I guess that I can give the shells to my son who has a cylinder bore Browning No. 5 automatic 12 guage. What d'ya all think?
Itll be fine. Most all ducks are shot with full choked steel shot. and as long as your 870 has been made within the last 3 decades it will be safe to use them.
 
#26 ·
I saw some 12 guage loaded with 2 discs that were attached together with a wire.Id have to say that would do some damage.I carry hornady Zombie max in my 45 for conceal carry.The only difference between that and hornady critical defense is the plug in the end is green instead of red.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top