What 12ga ammo for home defense?

KC9LDB · December 6, 2009, 11:25 AM

What do y'all use? I have a 500 with a 18in. No clue what to use for HD. Currently have Remington SPBBX2

noyes · December 6, 2009, 11:36 AM

http://www.shadonet.com/?cat=35

SilentHitz · December 6, 2009, 11:40 AM

In a 12 ga. I like 00Buck, in my .410 ( last resort for HD for me personally) I like slugs. Nothing against the .410, just not what I grab when there's a Colt 12 ga. pump right next to it.

Old Grump · December 6, 2009, 01:57 PM

This is going to be a long thread with much chest beating about personal preferences. Truth is at home ranges inside the house with a 12 gauge it won't make a lot of difference. The question is where do you live because excess penetration may be a factor in your choice of ammo. For that reason I use #4 shot in a 20 gauge. Where I lived before and I was alone 2 rounds of 00 was my choice backed up by slugs backed up by a 357 mag revolver or my 45 ACP 1911 pistol. I wouldn't dare do that now with my crippled brother and my blind sister living in the house with me.

Now get ready for the 3 1/2" mag with slugs down to the the 1 3/4" mini-rounds proponents to come out of the woodwork. Few believe it is an individual choice made on your living circumstances, their way or no way.

robfromga · December 6, 2009, 03:46 PM

Agree with Old Grump. The search feature will yield a boat load of threads dedicated to HD shotgun loads. The factors you need to be aware of is how your house is layed out, kids and neighbors. We have a 3 and a 5 year old. My 500 is loaded with a reduced recoil 4 shot, that groups well and hope won't kill the kids. There are some careless shooters on the firing line that have stated they doubt the load "x" will over penetrate without truly knowing....the fact is you would be held liable for harming your neighbors no matter how far fetched.

Pattern your gun, become proficient with it and go with the best load to suit your application.

Magi · December 6, 2009, 04:16 PM

I use ESTATE S.W.A.T. reduced recoil 00 Buck in my SD/HD Moss 590A1 (on right).

colostomyclown · December 6, 2009, 04:48 PM

gnarly looking crimp on that swat stuff.

avoid Wolf and Sellier & Bellot for anything but practice, especially ina Mossberg. It's been my experience they feed horribly. Don't pat over 25-50 cents a shot for Wold or SB loads either.

rickyjames · December 6, 2009, 04:59 PM

anything with a 00 in front of it.

Spartan23 · December 6, 2009, 05:27 PM

Anything that can kill a Deer or wild boar will do the trick.
Just try not to get "elephant-shot" stuff. Its overkill.

Personally, i think that 00 Buck and some Slugs and Sabots, will do nicely in home defense situation. Of course, the matter is, what you are defending against.

But, really. If you can, take a pistol and a rifle. If you can take a SMG, then take one. If you can have an Assault Rifle too, then you will not be able to defend your home, only in a War.

wnycollector · December 6, 2009, 07:59 PM

I use fiocchi OO low recoil buck because it patterns well in my shotgun plus its inexpensive so I can practice with it more.

hogdogs · December 6, 2009, 09:50 PM

These here go bang every time and I can't count the number of deer my teeth sunk into that fell to these el' cheapos from El' Marto D Wal...

Brent

rantingredneck · December 6, 2009, 09:57 PM

I prefer Federal LE12700 just because of the nasty tight patterns it throws. In reality though any 00 buckshot would do in my circumstances inside my home. If I lived in a split floorplan home or an apartment I may consider a lighter loading due to overpenetration/collateral damage concerns. As it is I prefer to use 00 and the Federal is by far the best I've patterned.

556A2 · December 6, 2009, 10:36 PM

Federal 2 3/4" Vital-Shok 00 buckshot.

USMCGrunt · December 6, 2009, 11:00 PM

Which do you think is better, 9 pellet or 12 pellet OO buck?

hogdogs · December 6, 2009, 11:20 PM

I guess the 12 count is either "un-00" a little smaller or it is the 3 inch...

I am not wanting to increase the recoil more than I must so I use the 9 count shell. I do live in a split plan so I just have to make dang sure my payload is slowed by a torso before hitting a wall...

Nothing mitigates the risk of over penetration like a squishy BG torso...

Brent

.45 COLT · December 6, 2009, 11:44 PM

Winchester has a couple of new offerings for self-defense now.

LINK

I've seen a couple of different releases on these, The slug load is described differently. Don't know which one is right.

DC

mtnman · December 7, 2009, 06:02 AM

Regular hunting loads of #4 or 5 shot will work just fine.

Rigo · December 7, 2009, 07:55 AM

hi people sorry to be eaves dropping in your conversation but i own a mossberg 500 12gauge smooth bore and i use the wolf rifled slug 1oz 2 2/4 and it has enough power to knock someone down. i think thats more than enough for home protection!

hogdogs · December 7, 2009, 09:54 AM

The public forum is for folks to eaves drop and contribute if they wish!

Welcome aboard the TFL forums!

The only reason I do not use slugs is the risk of the slug doing a quick in and out on a soft, thin section of BG will still have tremendous energy needing shaved off to render it less lethal.
But each of us have the responsibility of using what is best for our needs...
Brent

oneounceload · December 7, 2009, 10:15 AM

Quote:

it has enough power to knock someone down

If it truly had that type of power, it would also knock the shooter down, (Newton)...

Slugs and buck are all well and good, but the OP needs to try a few different brands to see which works best in HIS gun.

rantingredneck · December 7, 2009, 01:12 PM

Quote:

Slugs and buck are all well and good, but the OP needs to try a few different brands to see which works best in HIS gun.

EXACTLY!

rantingredneck · December 7, 2009, 01:15 PM

Quote:

I guess the 12 count is either "un-00" a little smaller or it is the 3 inch...

Brent,

Way back when there were "magnum" versions of 2 3/4" 00 buck loads. I still have a few stray Federal shells in such a configuration. They were 12 pellet 00 loads in a 2 3/4" hull, but loaded at lower velocities IIRC. Not sure if there are still any such loads produced, but I know they existed at one point in time. Now it seems as if you see 12 and 15 pellet 3" loads, 15 and 18 pellet 3.5" loads, but all the 2 3/4" loads I find are 9 pellet (or less).

RR

.45 COLT · December 7, 2009, 04:22 PM

Remington, Winchester and Federal all still make a 2 3/4", 12 Pellet 00 Buckshot load. They are all what hogdogs refers to as "un-00", running arouns .317". SAAMI is pretty loose on Buckshot specs, 00 is .33", +/- .015". They run them small so they will stack by 3s inside a shotcup.

DC

JerseyDrez · December 7, 2009, 09:53 PM

S&B Triple Buck.

LanceOregon · December 8, 2009, 05:38 AM

Quote:

What do y'all use? I have a 500 with a 18in. No clue what to use for HD. Currently have Remington SPBBX2

Despite what folks here may say, BB shot is going to have a devastating effect at home defense ranges. Especially if it is harden with copper plating, or in one of the tough Tungsten alloy non-toxic versions.

You might want to switch to using ammo that is exclusively BB shot, though, and not a duplex load that also includes #2 shot.

#2 shot is devastating on small game like fox and coyotes at close range. But BB shot would be much better suited for shooting a human being.

.

December 6, 2009, 11:25 AM	#1
KC9LDB Senior Member Join Date: February 22, 2009 Location: Woodridge, IL Posts: 147	What 12ga ammo for home defense? What do y'all use? I have a 500 with a 18in. No clue what to use for HD. Currently have Remington SPBBX2

December 6, 2009, 11:40 AM	#3
SilentHitz Senior Member Join Date: February 28, 2008 Location: Ms. Posts: 1,984	In a 12 ga. I like 00Buck, in my .410 ( last resort for HD for me personally) I like slugs. Nothing against the .410, just not what I grab when there's a Colt 12 ga. pump right next to it. __________________ Guns don't kill people, husbands who come home early do. http://k5fv.com/

December 6, 2009, 09:57 PM	#12
rantingredneck Senior Member Join Date: January 12, 2007 Location: North Carolina Posts: 4,728	I prefer Federal LE12700 just because of the nasty tight patterns it throws. In reality though any 00 buckshot would do in my circumstances inside my home. If I lived in a split floorplan home or an apartment I may consider a lighter loading due to overpenetration/collateral damage concerns. As it is I prefer to use 00 and the Federal is by far the best I've patterned. __________________ NRA Member NC Hunter's Education Instructor PCCA Member (What's PCCA you ask? <- Check the link)

December 7, 2009, 06:02 AM	#17
mtnman Senior Member Join Date: May 23, 2009 Location: WV Posts: 151	Regular hunting loads of #4 or 5 shot will work just fine. Last edited by mtnman; December 7, 2009 at 06:16 AM.

December 7, 2009, 09:53 PM	#24
JerseyDrez Senior Member Join Date: August 26, 2009 Location: Hmmm? Posts: 510	S&B Triple Buck. __________________ "I don't know what situation you'd be in where you'd be facing a bad guy and he'd have the time to notice your laser shaking and evaluate you as having low confidence. "

December 6, 2009, 11:36 AM	#2
noyes Senior Member Join Date: December 27, 2008 Posts: 1,032	http://www.shadonet.com/?cat=35

December 6, 2009, 01:57 PM	#4
Old Grump Member in memoriam Join Date: April 9, 2009 Location: Blue River Wisconsin, in Posts: 3,144	This is going to be a long thread with much chest beating about personal preferences. Truth is at home ranges inside the house with a 12 gauge it won't make a lot of difference. The question is where do you live because excess penetration may be a factor in your choice of ammo. For that reason I use #4 shot in a 20 gauge. Where I lived before and I was alone 2 rounds of 00 was my choice backed up by slugs backed up by a 357 mag revolver or my 45 ACP 1911 pistol. I wouldn't dare do that now with my crippled brother and my blind sister living in the house with me. Now get ready for the 3 1/2" mag with slugs down to the the 1 3/4" mini-rounds proponents to come out of the woodwork. Few believe it is an individual choice made on your living circumstances, their way or no way. __________________ Good intentions will always be pleaded for any assumption of power. The Constitution was made to guard the people against the dangers of good intentions. There are men in all ages who mean to govern will, but they mean to govern. They promise to be good masters, but they mean to be masters. --Daniel Webster--

December 6, 2009, 03:46 PM	#5
robfromga Senior Member Join Date: January 9, 2009 Location: Augusta, Ga Posts: 240	Agree with Old Grump. The search feature will yield a boat load of threads dedicated to HD shotgun loads. The factors you need to be aware of is how your house is layed out, kids and neighbors. We have a 3 and a 5 year old. My 500 is loaded with a reduced recoil 4 shot, that groups well and hope won't kill the kids. There are some careless shooters on the firing line that have stated they doubt the load "x" will over penetrate without truly knowing....the fact is you would be held liable for harming your neighbors no matter how far fetched. Pattern your gun, become proficient with it and go with the best load to suit your application.

December 6, 2009, 04:16 PM	#6
Magi Junior member Join Date: July 5, 2009 Location: Earth Posts: 127	I use ESTATE S.W.A.T. reduced recoil 00 Buck in my SD/HD Moss 590A1 (on right).

December 6, 2009, 04:48 PM	#7
colostomyclown Senior Member Join Date: February 22, 2009 Posts: 613	gnarly looking crimp on that swat stuff. avoid Wolf and Sellier & Bellot for anything but practice, especially ina Mossberg. It's been my experience they feed horribly. Don't pat over 25-50 cents a shot for Wold or SB loads either.

December 6, 2009, 04:59 PM	#8
rickyjames Senior Member Join Date: July 5, 2009 Posts: 558	anything with a 00 in front of it.

December 6, 2009, 05:27 PM	#9
Spartan23 Member Join Date: November 23, 2009 Location: Athens, Hellas Posts: 75	Anything that can kill a Deer or wild boar will do the trick. Just try not to get "elephant-shot" stuff. Its overkill. Personally, i think that 00 Buck and some Slugs and Sabots, will do nicely in home defense situation. Of course, the matter is, what you are defending against. But, really. If you can, take a pistol and a rifle. If you can take a SMG, then take one. If you can have an Assault Rifle too, then you will not be able to defend your home, only in a War.

December 6, 2009, 07:59 PM	#10
wnycollector Senior Member Join Date: April 22, 2007 Posts: 1,996	I use fiocchi OO low recoil buck because it patterns well in my shotgun plus its inexpensive so I can practice with it more.

December 6, 2009, 09:50 PM	#11
hogdogs Staff In Memoriam Join Date: October 31, 2007 Location: Western Florida panhandle Posts: 11,069	These here go bang every time and I can't count the number of deer my teeth sunk into that fell to these el' cheapos from El' Marto D Wal... Brent

December 6, 2009, 10:36 PM	#13
556A2 Member Join Date: February 17, 2008 Location: Asheboro, NC Posts: 57	Federal 2 3/4" Vital-Shok 00 buckshot.

December 6, 2009, 11:00 PM	#14
USMCGrunt Senior Member Join Date: February 27, 2000 Location: Somewhere in 14T NT Posts: 730	Which do you think is better, 9 pellet or 12 pellet OO buck?

December 6, 2009, 11:20 PM	#15
hogdogs Staff In Memoriam Join Date: October 31, 2007 Location: Western Florida panhandle Posts: 11,069	I guess the 12 count is either "un-00" a little smaller or it is the 3 inch... I am not wanting to increase the recoil more than I must so I use the 9 count shell. I do live in a split plan so I just have to make dang sure my payload is slowed by a torso before hitting a wall... Nothing mitigates the risk of over penetration like a squishy BG torso... Brent

December 6, 2009, 11:44 PM	#16
.45 COLT Senior Member Join Date: May 18, 2004 Posts: 308	Winchester has a couple of new offerings for self-defense now. LINK I've seen a couple of different releases on these, The slug load is described differently. Don't know which one is right. DC

December 7, 2009, 07:55 AM	#18
Rigo Junior Member Join Date: December 7, 2009 Location: los angeles california Posts: 7	hi people sorry to be eaves dropping in your conversation but i own a mossberg 500 12gauge smooth bore and i use the wolf rifled slug 1oz 2 2/4 and it has enough power to knock someone down. i think thats more than enough for home protection!

December 7, 2009, 09:54 AM	#19
hogdogs Staff In Memoriam Join Date: October 31, 2007 Location: Western Florida panhandle Posts: 11,069	The public forum is for folks to eaves drop and contribute if they wish! Welcome aboard the TFL forums! The only reason I do not use slugs is the risk of the slug doing a quick in and out on a soft, thin section of BG will still have tremendous energy needing shaved off to render it less lethal. But each of us have the responsibility of using what is best for our needs... Brent

December 7, 2009, 04:22 PM	#23
.45 COLT Senior Member Join Date: May 18, 2004 Posts: 308	Remington, Winchester and Federal all still make a 2 3/4", 12 Pellet 00 Buckshot load. They are all what hogdogs refers to as "un-00", running arouns .317". SAAMI is pretty loose on Buckshot specs, 00 is .33", +/- .015". They run them small so they will stack by 3s inside a shotcup. DC