Bird Shot in your Home Defense Shotgun

From first hand experience,I know that #6 12ga puts a fist-sized hole in an upper torso at close range that no doctor is going to put back together. They also take a human head apart like an exploded watermelon. Nobody will ever convince me that a 12 ga is inadequate for home defense since every confrontation during a home invasion/B&E takes place within about 25'.
 
I feel the same as Trimmer, and real-world experience tells me that anything coming out of a 12g at close range is a serious problem for the recipient.

First of all it shreds everything it hits. Second at extreme close ranges even the escaping gas provides a serious injury, and has a near explosive effect. Lastly consider the blunt force energy dump of all that lead in a tight little cluster at extreme speeds..its like bean bag, only the beans are made of lead and there is no bag.

If you consider the question as bird vs. buck, there are a lot of arguments you can make. If you consider a 12g with birdshot vs. your pajamas and a flashlight, certainly the gun is better.

At the very least, if I had to deal with a guy as he came through the door, or the same guy after sucking up a few #7.5s, Id prefer the 'after' guy than the before guy.
 
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The guy above got shot in the wrist with birdshot, then a 3" hole beside the nipple. The attacker moved the muzzle close to the victim's face, and he pushed the muzzle up. The birdshot acted like a slug at close range and cut a slot in his skull. He then fell down, the attacker left him for dead, and an off-duty police officer saw the victim walking down the street covered in blood.
So he was able to take birdshot to the chest and keep fighting.

Birdshot is very distance sensitive, and may or may not penetrate well. Of course, it will do a great deal of damage of some sort inside 10m.

 
I don't see any reason to use birdshot, unless that's all that you have.

In my experience, and that of some folks that I talked to that used it in anger, even #4 buckshot is a bit light beyond a short distance.
 
While never having been in a gunfight (and hope I never am!), over the past 20 years I've killed a lot of deer with 12 gauge shotguns. I've used all manner of slugs, 000 buckshot, 00 buckshot, #2 buckshot, #4 buckshot, and even hevi-shot's hog-wild duplex pumpkin ball load. I'd like to have tried BB at close range, however the hunting laws here in AB prohibit big game hunting with projectiles that have a diameter of less than .230, so despite being curious it's off-limits to me.

After having used #4 buck for two full seasons, I can say that I think 00 is a much more effective at killing deer and I would infer from this experience that unless you can guarantee your encounter is going to be at very short range (ie: 7 yards or less), going for smaller shot is a poor choice.




Cheers,

Brobee
 
Hi Brobee, I remember your video with flight control #4 buck vs deer at 23 yards, if memory serves, that would be about maximum range for #4. Keep up the good work, great videos!
 
Shooting at a range that mounted particle fibre backboards, I know very well what a fist sized hole bird shot makes in it. In fact the RSO had a rule that you could only use bird shot on backboards that were already shot to pieces and about to fall off- on new ones you were supposed to use only buckshot that made 9 tiny little holes. The shooting there was from about 20 metres to close up, if you were solo on the range.
 
It’s better than nothing and certainly not something anyone would want to be shot with, but why advocate for something that is not meant for its intended purpose?
Birdshot is made for.........birds.
 
ADK said:
It’s better than nothing and certainly not something anyone would want to be shot with, but why advocate for something that is not meant for its intended purpose?
Birdshot is made for.........birds.
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Because it's less likely to penetrate as many inner walls, but mostly because it's what most shotgun owners will have on hand.
 
Big Bad said:
Because it's less likely to penetrate as many inner walls, but mostly because it's what most shotgun owners will have on hand.
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I understand. However this just advocates, or enables if you will, poor planning.
 
Big Bad said:
Because it's less likely to penetrate as many inner walls, but mostly because it's what most shotgun owners will have on hand.
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Anything that wont penetrate walls... likely won't penetrate to the vitals and stop the attack. which if you are justified in shooting, you need to stop it RFN.

If you hit your target, buckshot is not going to leave the body. If you miss, well you sent a round downrange and you are responsible and the attacker is still a threat.

Personally, if i have to shoot, I want a one shot stop. Period. Full stop. If i have to fire multiple rounds, i have the wrong tool, or the POS brought their POS friends.
 
ADK said:
It’s better than nothing and certainly not something anyone would want to be shot with, but why advocate for something that is not meant for its intended purpose?
Birdshot is made for.........birds.
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Do you fear that bucks will break into your house? Are slugs ravaging your garden?
 
jparent said:
Anything that wont penetrate walls... likely won't penetrate to the vitals and stop the attack.
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Well stated.

The "Home Defense: Over Penetration Through Walls" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qw8IiRgSMFQ video on YouTube does have #4 buck not quite going straight through a house, and Brobee https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ie6dKLU_Bas has #4 buck penetrating to the vitals on a deer at 15 yards. So it is possible that #4 buck may squeak through as a reasonable compromise.
 
870P said:
I don't see any reason to use birdshot, unless that's all that you have.

In my experience, and that of some folks that I talked to that used it in anger, even #4 buckshot is a bit light beyond a short distance.
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This...If you watch the two vids I posted earlier in the thread he talks about the need to be able to have useful stopping power at the longest distance in your house, for me that's about 20yds from master bed doorway to rear entry. Also the effect over that distance or even much less of spread and possibility of hitting someone unintended with some of your pellets.
What would you prefer to have if the intruder was holding one of your kids as defence? Like he found in those videos the best compromise is likely some version of the flight controlled #4 buck.
 
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