"Shotguns for Home Protection"

[streak]

This whole thread is about a shotgun for home defense. Y’all actually have a 25 yard stretch in your house that you need to contain your shot for? I’m looking at my place and if I stretched it I could maybe find a place that’s 15 yards. But in reality I’m looking at barricading myself in a room to fight from and more like a 3-5 yard shot

 

[Getintouch98]

^^ Well I don't have any nearby neighbors so that's not a concern. And if you think you don't need to aim a shotgun, well... OK.

There are plenty of good, defensive .223 rounds that have been proven to penetrate LESS than common defensive handgun rounds. Sometimes we need to update our knowledge base just a little bit.

And, BTW... Most home burglaries occur during the time frame of approx noon to 4pm...when most people aren't at home. Not at night when people are at home. Mostly because they don't want to get shot by a homeowner.

You’re completely right that most burglaries do not happen at night. However, what we are starting to see is that instead of the lone burglar they are coming in pairs or even groups. Day and night. That definitely makes things a little more complicated and dangerous.

 

[TerryP]

Actually the article the OP posted for discussion mentioned the home defense role, use by the police, use by the military and how the pattern relates to engagement distance.
For me I kinda view subjects like this in broad terms. For example if I needed to be outside my home, in the yard or streets due to some circumstances. It’s just information someone might be interested in.

 

[Firpo]

Y’all actually have a 25 yard stretch in your house that you need to contain your shot for?

Yup, just paced off 26 yards. You guys do have me thinking that a field test is in order. My expectation of my genuine Winchester Riot ‘97 with a Cylinder Bore is that it’s going to open up a lot more than a fist size at 15’-20’ with 00 Buck but I don’t have the proof to back it up. Report to Follow.

 

[retrieverman]

I’ve killed A BUNCH of deer and pigs with 2 3/4” 00 buckshot out to 30 yards (but I prefer keeping my shots inside 25 yards), so I have absolutely no problem using it on a person in a self defense situation.

These BS tests on paper and ballistic gel don’t mean much to me. If you want to really test your sh*t, take your shotgun pig hunting. If you can kill one of those tough SOB’s, it’ll dang sure work on a human target.

 

[CHenry]

I stand by my statement, #4 buchshot at 3-5 yards, to the face, will take a mans head close to off. Otherwise, if not, hes blinded and incredibly disabled and his buddy will run for the hills.

 

[CHenry]

I unfortunately now live in a tight neighborhood, I dont wanna kill my neighbor if I miss, when hes standing behind his refrigerator.
I jest, I dont think 00 buck would penetrate through 2 windows and a fridge but I dont wanna test that, maybe the milk jug would help stop them pellets. lol

 

[Shadowrider]

I stand by my statement, #4 buchshot at 3-5 yards, to the face, will take a mans head close to off. Otherwise, if not, hes blinded and incredibly disabled and his buddy will run for the hills.

Not really. Below is why I use #1 or 00 exclusively.

Case in point…this person was the recipient of two blasts from a 12 gauge shotgun loaded with #4 buckshot and there are twenty five plus pieces of buckshot lodged in their face and neck, all resulting in superficial injuries, EXCEPT FOR the injuries he sustained to the eyes, which resulted in immediate blindness due to the ocular damage. Eyes are a superficial structure…it doesn’t take MUCH to render them inoperable.

But, like in so many cases I’ve seen before, the, “psychological stop,” that occurs with a significant facial injury isn’t to be overlooked. People get into a mindset of singular purpose (retreat and seek medical care) when they’ve taken a round of any kind to the face, and that is safe to say, vocationally generic! Good guy, or bad guy, when people get shot in the face, they most typically break off the attack! A rare exception to that I can think of is superhero Jared Reston. His case is rare though. I see a number of these patients come through the surgical service at my work and they most always change their tack, as soon as the round hits!

So something to consider and think about. I am not a fan of #4 buckshot for defensive purposes as I think that the pellets lack the mass to penetrate once they encounter tissue resistance. The hollow bones of the face don’t resist ballistic attack well; they most always perforate or fracture and let whatever is coming in, come in! In this case, nearly all the wounds were superficial, and except for the few that were removed with digital pressure or a small forcep (think popping a BIG zit) the rest were left in place, as many are adjacent to vital neurovascular structures that would be potentially hazardous or further debilitating to remove.

Full article: 12 Gauge #4 Buckshot to the FACE!

 

[CHenry]

Not really. Below is why I use #1 or 00 exclusively.

That article pretty much backed up my statement, with a "rare exception".
I'd actually shoot more towards the throat. Hes not getting up, hes laying in the floor bleeding out within about 20 seconds.

 

[RickN]

Only thing I know is I am thinking of selling one of my 9s and buying a 20ga HD shotgun. I may have to get someone to load me some custom duplex shells for it but I have a lot of faith in a good shotgun. Besides a shotgun is one of the best multi-use firearms if the SHTF.