Shotgun for HD

[Gunbuffer]

Smaller shot in 20 gauge will blow a hole in bad guy big enough to throw a cat through at 13 yards. No need to over penetrate walls and kill the friendlies.
Use what you need in your own house.
It’s your house.

Define smaller shot cause if you’re talking birdshot, that cat sized hole
Is a no imo

 

[JD8]

I have a 20ga 870 Tactical. It is loaded with Remington #3 Buckshot 2 3/4in shell w/20 pellets. From my front door to my bedroom is a straight 13yd shot. All the bedrooms are behind me, back wall by FD is garage. Tell me why I'm wrong or right with this set up, and tell me what and why you use for HD.

I have a Benelli M4 SBS that is ready, even wanted to do a short suppressed 300BLK AR, but it seems to me that in most situations I'm going to grab my pistol with a 20+ rd capacity. Tight corners, and the possible need to use my hands to fight someone off, grab kids etc have my priorities elsewhere. However, that is me, not you. Sounds like you've thought your scenario through completely, and that setup would definitely disperse some BGs, who am I to say you're wrong?

 

[tRidiot]

I have a Benelli M4 SBS that is ready but honestly, even wanted to do a short suppressed 300BLK AR, but it seems to me that in most situations I'm going to grab my pistol with a 20+ rd capacity. Tight corners, and the possible need to use my hands to fight someone off, grab kids etc have my priorities elsewhere. However, that is me, not you. Sounds like you've thought your scenario through completely, and that setup would definitely disperse some BGs, who am I to say you're wrong?

I think it's about having multiple options. Everyone in my house, including my 14 y/o, knows how to use the home defense weapons, and we have multiples around so any of us can grab what we need for the situation at hand.

 

[Cohiba]

I use to have a couple of Saiga 12ga with the round drums.

One I called ....perro asesino....and the other I called gato asesino

Now all I have is my Mossberg 590A1

 

[surjimmy]

Oh, I have thought of and have prepared for different scenarios. The one I keep coming back to is my #1 plan. After the first shot is fired, I will scream like a little girl, then soil myself grab my Wife throw her in front of me and run out the back door. It's hard to practice this in real life, since I want to surprise the Wife(She loves surprises) and I really don't want to soil myself unless I really have too. I don't need to practice running out the back door, I think that will come naturally.

 

[Mad Professor]

Oh, I have thought of and have prepared for different scenarios. The one I keep coming back to is my #1 plan. After the first shot is fired, I will scream like a little girl, then soil myself grab my Wife throw her in front of me and run out the back door. It's hard to practice this in real life, since I want to surprise the Wife(She loves surprises) and I really don't want to soil myself unless I really have too. I don't need to practice running out the back door, I think that will come naturally.

Be careful, you don’t want to lose the primary person obligated to wipe your butt if it doesn’t work out so well.

 

[Mad Professor]

Lengthening forcing cone can improve shot patterns in shotguns (as in tighter/uniform) , but has little to do with helping HD shotguns at close distances. For those of you that have shot a shotgun in the form of Rem 870 all your life its a great HD weapon. Dont let someone tell you that the heat of the battle will make you malfunction, short stroke, forget where the safety is, forgot to chamber, cant operate if one arm wounded, and the pattern is too tight for close range, etc blah blah blah. All that stuff applies to all firearms when real things go down.

I’ve seen dramatic results with Vang Comp mods, which I believe are back boring at lengthening the forcing cone. area. Results that show up at 7 yards even. I have several places in my house in excess of 7 yards. And a few in excess of 12 yards.

Mine is a pre-Wilson Scattergun Technologies. It was expressive against the 18” and 20” patrol guns during qualifying. There were a few form 1s filed and barrels changed shortly after that. Several years later, I shot it side by side a Vang Comp and it was better. Not enough to make me run out and get one. I wish I remembered exact numbers, it has been two many years.


Most people have never patterned their gun with their selected ammo. I’m guilty of not taking mine out and checking it. (Same lot of ammo from over 20 years ago)
And I’m guilty of not running my M2 through the same exercise.

 

[KurtM]

As for patterning, don't just go out and shoot 1 round and say there I know my pattern at various distances. You need to shoot at least 5 at each distance! You are going to be surprised just how much your pattern changes shell to shell. You are going to want to average it. Next, anytime you get new ammo, or even a different lot of the same ammo ya got to do it all over again because it is going to change. Maybe they use a different plastic for the hulls in this batch, maybe the wad isn't the same....all sorts of thing happen to make patterns change and by a bunch. Hell I've even had patterns change in the same case of shells due to the manufacturer switching to a different hull material mid batch! This stuff isn't even close to the consistency of metallic cartridges! In a word it is so sloppy being made that you would need hip waders if you watched it loaded Now does this matter for H.D. not so much because an errant pellet or two ain't that big a dea usually, but if you carry one on the job you better darn sure know where it hits and at what range you get fliers. Just remember you are Liable for every pellet!

 

[druryj]

Everyone has an opinion. As far as what @surjimmy is asking in the OP; I say he's good to go. I have a 12 ga pump stuffed with 00 buck and am fairly certain that will work for me cause I am quite familiar with the operation and won't short stroke it. The shotgun.

 

[KurtM]

Absolutely good to go! I like buckshot of any size! I don't need to worry about a drifting pellet, worst thing I would hit with a flier would be a water heater!​