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Old July 15, 2011, 01:46 PM   #1
Slugo
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I may have asked this question here before, but...

what is a good 20 gauge home defense round!?!
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Old July 15, 2011, 01:49 PM   #2
hogdogs
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Locally the largest ball I find in 20ga is #3 buckshot. I know #2 buck is commonly produced but not stocked everywhere.

I also own a snot load of slugs but I buy those intending to poke big holes in deer or swine for food but wouldn't hesitate to load 'em up for defense if I run low on buckshot which would require quite a firefight to occur.

Brent
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Old July 15, 2011, 02:14 PM   #3
Dave McC
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2 buck if you can find it, 3 buck is more common.

The little 870 20 here has a second barrel. It's a 20", IC choke, open sighted barrel.

With Winchester 3 buck, it puts all of them into 20" at 25 yards, more open than I prefer. The barrel does like the Rottweil brenekke slug, but kick is severe in that light a gun.
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Old July 15, 2011, 02:24 PM   #4
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Dave, what choke would you recommend? IC/Mod/Full...
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Old July 15, 2011, 03:40 PM   #5
nutty ned
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It does not matter, if you think your only going to shoot across a normal sized room; even 7.5 shot will work.
Thing is the realities of shotgun shell performance isn't macho unless we talk buckshot.
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Old July 15, 2011, 07:00 PM   #6
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Something shotsize that ends with "buckshot."
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Old July 15, 2011, 08:41 PM   #7
Dave McC
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In a 20,I'd go with something like skeet or IC. Even 3 buck are large for that .615" bore. More constriction may mean more deformation.

It's been 20 years since I patterned 3 buck for the little 870 here. IIRC I did it with both a Skeet choke and Mod. Skeet gave smaller patterns.

Sometimes less IS more....

Do some patterning, whatever you choose needs to be tested.
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Old July 15, 2011, 08:56 PM   #8
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thanks Dave...
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Old July 15, 2011, 08:59 PM   #9
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Yea agree with above, My father and I headed out to the lease with both our 20's, his Rem 870 with chokes did the best with a I/C choke, with the modified coming in 2nd. My H&R 20 ga has a 26 in. full choke and shot horribly next to his, very open pattern. We shot both 3 in. #2 buck and the regular #3 buck, really could not tell a difference in the two. The distance we shot was somewhere around 20-25 yards.
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Old July 17, 2011, 11:31 PM   #10
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#1 or 0 is probably the best but any buckshot is good. Do not use birdshot, it does not have the penetration needed.
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