Favorite Shotgun Load for Home Defense?
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This times a million.
If anyone does start IDPA just go ahead and buy a reloader now. Fair warning.
I use #4 bird shot. Since I have a 930 Mossberg W/7 in the tube I think I'm ok.
But my go to is the g30 sf, no time to open the safe and grab the shottie.
But my go to is the g30 sf, no time to open the safe and grab the shottie.
I bought one of these with the sole purpose of seeing how good it is and how much abuse it can take. I paid something like 200 bucks for it 4 or 5 years ago. It's been tossed around in the woods and in the back of the truck, ran every time of ammo I could find through it, thousands of cheap bird shot, expensive slugs and buckshot, different brands and sizes, and I've never once taken it apart to clean or lubricate it. And yet it goes bang every single time. Never once had even the smallest hiccup. Gotta say I'm damn impressed. It still looks good and functions flawlessly after all that.
I personally would do a cut shell. You can use burden of, costs nothing extra and has been used for 100 years.....
My Mossberg tactical 12 gauge has #4 buckshot.
I have used them before on our duty shotgun (which was the Remington m870) and they were lethal. My 20 gauge has #1 buckshot.
Not sure why people stagger different types of rounds(buck/slug/babyshot,etc) That is a huge waste of time and in the heat of the moment not knowing what round is chambered can be an issue. Slugs nor birdshot will never get put in my gun for HD.
I have used them before on our duty shotgun (which was the Remington m870) and they were lethal. My 20 gauge has #1 buckshot.
Not sure why people stagger different types of rounds(buck/slug/babyshot,etc) That is a huge waste of time and in the heat of the moment not knowing what round is chambered can be an issue. Slugs nor birdshot will never get put in my gun for HD.
My Mossberg tactical 12 gauge has #4 buckshot.
I have used them before on our duty shotgun (which was the Remington m870) and they were lethal. My 20 gauge has #1 buckshot.
Not sure why people stagger different types of rounds(buck/slug/babyshot,etc) That is a huge waste of time and in the heat of the moment not knowing what round is chambered can be an issue. Slugs nor birdshot will never get put in my gun for HD.
Well I would ask you why you think you can neglect aiming if you are just using buckshot over slug? If you are aiming then it won't matter what round you are using for you, but it will to the other guy. If you don't feel like you can aim accurately in the heat of the moment then you need to train more. In stress shoots you have mixed loads and you load the type of round from one pocket or the other based upon the instructor's command.
The only reason to use a shotgun for home defense would literally be because you don't own any other weapon... but if you're going to use one, at least use 00 buck. Nothing says F'-Off like nine 9mm pellets flying through the bad guys body with one trigger pull.
Ironically enough, I sold my Beretta 96A1 to buy my Mossberg. It's proven but not guaranteed, a shotgun at close range is more accurate in the hands of an amateur compared to a hand gun.
I'll be picking up a couple of hand guns i. The future, but, I'll still use my shotgun as a main defense.
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It's all about training and practice. I can't stress it enough.
As someone who has actually been in a gun fight in my house, I can honestly say that I have no idea why people would use a shotgun for home defense. A huge majority of shotguns are too long to allow you to turn around in a hallway or stairwell without raising or dropping your point of aim, off a potential target and slowing target acquisition times. It very difficult to safely and stealthily clear doorways, hallways, windows, etc. Plus they have a huge amount a recoil and very low ammo capacity. Also, almost every shotgun cartridges will push projectiles through wall just the same as a 9mm JHP... if not more so.
If you want quality home defense weapon and do not have fighting rifle training, stick to a 9mm, 40S&W, or 45ACP double-stack handguns. Get training.
If you have fighting rifle experience (or if you get training), nothing beats a 300 Blackout SBR with 7.5" barrel, a suppressor and a 30rnd mag with JHP sub-sonic rounds. If you want to step it up a bit (depending on training and experience) add a tac-light w/laser and HWS like a Venom. Please don't add a tac-light if you don't know how to use one. Walking through your dark house with the flashlight constantly on makes you an easy target.
Tactically speaking, even a standard size M4A2/A3 platform rifle with .223 defense rounds would be a better choice than a shotty for home defense.
Depends on what you're using the shotgun for. It's tough to beat one holding down a position, such as crouching behind a bed and aiming at a door. Can't say I'd be interested in hunting an intruder throughout my house.
I always liked #2's in lead.
I keep a DP12 loaded with #7 birdshot for HD, among other things...
I also keep an MPX and FNP45C nearby. The rest of the collection is locked up and hidden.
I figured the .50 would be impractical for home defense.
I had to pull a rifle on a potential home intruder back in 2010. You should have seen the look on the dirtbag's face when I pulled the blinds and pointed a PSL at him. At the time, it was all I owned. Dude was trying to climb in through my window at 2AM. He yelled a certain expletive and ran off into the woods. That same week, several houses in the neighborhood were burglarized- it was around Christmas and I recall our neighbor telling us that he had bought laptops for his kids and the laptops were stolen...
I also keep an MPX and FNP45C nearby. The rest of the collection is locked up and hidden.
I figured the .50 would be impractical for home defense.
I had to pull a rifle on a potential home intruder back in 2010. You should have seen the look on the dirtbag's face when I pulled the blinds and pointed a PSL at him. At the time, it was all I owned. Dude was trying to climb in through my window at 2AM. He yelled a certain expletive and ran off into the woods. That same week, several houses in the neighborhood were burglarized- it was around Christmas and I recall our neighbor telling us that he had bought laptops for his kids and the laptops were stolen...
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I appreciate the info.
I would not chase someone through my house. I'd remain stationary while having a gun that scatters rounds in a larger area vs a single bullet.
In my case, the front down is down a set up steps, so I'd have the high ground if someone entered. A .40 cal will probably travel farther than a 00 round from a shotgun.
8 rounds is more than enough and our house is not huge by any means and has a lot of open spaces.
I plan on getting training but I feel a lot more comfortable with a shot gun.
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for home defense? saiga. Or a glock 20.
This is typically the best advice in most cases. If its an option, hunker down and hold a room... call 911 and let them know you have a home intruder... you are armed and where in the house you are.
That wasn't an option for me. Three young guys kicked in m y front door in the middle of the day and I had 5 other family members scattered around the house that I needed to protect.
No, unfortunately. All 3 got away.
The worst part of the whole experience was that fact that a city cop was parked in a patrol car at the corner just 2 houses away and that coward didn't do shit. He heard the gun fire. He saw me chase the kids out of the house with a rifle in my hands and the bum just sat there. He was more than happy to take the report though.
The worst part of the whole experience was that fact that a city cop was parked in a patrol car at the corner just 2 houses away and that coward didn't do shit. He heard the gun fire. He saw me chase the kids out of the house with a rifle in my hands and the bum just sat there. He was more than happy to take the report though.
Where did I say anything about neglecting to aim?
There is no reason to use a slug for home defense. Slugs over penetrate including what you hit and they continue to travel. There is too much of a liability in a home defense scenario when using slugs.
It is one thing to be on a firing line in a controlled environment using mixed loads going off a firing command compared to the average homeowner who is in the heat of battle with their family around and not sure how many shots they have gotten off and what load is chambered in that gun. That is why many instructors are never for staggering buckshot/slug and birdshot in any home defense shotgun.
Why would it be a problem staggering unless you are not taking accurate shots? Those who stagger have stated whether it matters in their current environment including me, where I can fire off any round and not have to worry about my surroundings. You fire any round out of a shotgun and if you are taking well aimed shots then your target is not going to be having a good day. If you miss center mass and hit the guy in the leg or arm with a slug, he's still not going anywhere or he is running out off your property with a severely mangled extremity.
I live at work and have 2 acres of property full of cars to protect so slugs are precisely what I need if I grab that over my AR or pistol that are both next to my bed. I've had a number of run-ins here with thieves and burglars so this is something I'm always going over and planning.
Obviously, if you have family home you are going to have to have a much more intricate plan then just your shotgun load, but those of us who don't have to worry about it can load any way you wish.
But if you are not trained enough to where you can go on the offensive in your own home and will likely be faced with going condition black in panic mode then you need to have a lot more contingency in place. You need to have a plan in place that allows you to barricade yourself while your kids have a predetermined place to hide that is de-conflicted with the target zone you will be firing from in your barricade. Much much more important than if you are going to use slug or buckshot.
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