Tuesday, January 21, 2020

Choosing the Right 12 Gauge Buckshot for Your Home-Defense Shotgun

A very small, tight pattern with 000 or 00 buckshot is quite effective, but the smaller the pattern, the greater the possibility of a complete miss. I once set out to determine the longest-possible shot that might be required in typical in-house defensive shootings. We went completely through a typical three-bedroom home and measured possible maximum shooting distances.

best buckshot for home defense

When using guns off the range, it is the user’s responsibility to know the final resting place of every projectile that leaves the muzzle of the gun. That means every pellet needs to be accounted for in the aiming solution. The 12 gauge generates a lot less recoil than the 10 gauge, and 2¾-inch ammo has more than enough power for defense. In fact, Federal’s nine-pellet Personal Defense 00 buckshot load delivers 1,575 foot-pounds of energy at the muzzle, which is about three times the energy of a .357 Magnum round. We felt we should test at least one 3-inch shell to give some scale to the 2.75-inch loads. The longer shell nearly doubled the payload of the eight-pellet loads to fifteen 00 buckshot pellets.

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However, in one of the patterns, a pellet landed a full 4 inches away from the others. Because the other 26 pellets were in a 7.5-by-7.5-inch square, this isn’t a bad loading. 20 gauge is the second most popular type of buckshot. It’s not as common as 12 gauge, but it’s gaining in popularity. A 20-gauge shotgun can also fire a variety of different loads, from birdshot to slugs. Most commonly, buckshot comes in sizes of 00, 0, and #12.

best buckshot for home defense

Winchester 12ga 00 BuckshotFor defensive purposes, the most effective way to stop a threat is proper shot placement. Buckshot to the torso generates the highest percentage of one-shot stops at close range, according to Greg “GorillaFritz” Ellifritz’s research. So, with that said, we are coming at this from a 12-gauge perspective since it’s the most common caliber for defensive/tactical use. But, word of warning, you may find yourself frustrated at the lack of loads designed for defensive and tactical applications. Travis Pike is a former Marine Machine gunner who served with 2nd Bn 2nd Marines for 5 years. He deployed in 2009 to Afghanistan and again in 2011 with the 22nd MEU during a record setting 11 months at sea.

Remington Express #1 Buckshot 20624

The first was former or current peace officers and soldiers. The others were primarily hunters and those concerned with personal defense in the home. One might deploy the shotgun for emergency use in different situations and favored a cohesive pattern.

best buckshot for home defense

You don’t have to be a beginner to be nervous with a gun. You could be experienced, but the thought of aiming a gun at another person pulls your nerves apart and gives you the jitters. The ammunition you choose is important, and here’s why. Buckshot for home defense can be a complete game-changer, so let’s take a look at everything you need to know about it before you make a purchase.

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For this reason, No. 4 often spreads wide, and that’s not good for home defense. You want tight, controllable patterns that deliver consistent tight groups. It’s much easier to miss with a partial load of Number 4 buckshot than a tighter load of tactical 00. The main reason why you shouldn’t rely on number 4 buckshot for home defense is that it fails to reach acceptable standards of penetration through fleshy targets. In-gel tests, the majority of pellets from a 2.75 inch No. 4 buck load rarely reach the 12-inch minimum standards.

For example, I have some cheap Rio buckshot that only allows me to fit four rounds in a 5-round magazine tube. If you run into any issues with capacity, check the load’s crimped shell length. A tight pattern ensures you have the accountability of every pellet you’ve fired. A tight pattern also delivers a lot of damage to one area. Modern shot cups work to tighten the shot’s pattern and prevent deformation. Shot cups like the Flitecontrol and Versatite models produce incredibly tight patterns.

What size shot is best for home defense?

Just the same, the 00 caliber is there and so are multiple hits. This might be a good home-defense load for apartment dwellers, but more research on penetration in building materials is needed. These reduced-recoil loads are beneficial for home defense. Some feature a tighter pattern to allow officers to engage threats at longer-than-average shotgun range.

When patterning ammunition, I use a different target for each shot. Buckshot can pattern different from gun to gun, and it’s important you pattern your gun and study its patterns. I recommend patterning several different loads and see what works best for you and your shotgun. Shotguns like the Benelli M4 and Mossberg 930 SPX seem to have no issues with low recoil loads, but I can’t speak for every shotgun. Test it out, and if it doesn’t run, choose a different load. Second, it’s popular and easy to find 12-gauge loads.

Why Is It Good For Home Defense?

However, a slug can tear through a wooden support beam, while buckshot is highly highly unlikely to do so, even if you hit all your pellets on the beam. Buckshot is designed to kill bucks, as we know because the pellets are still lethal if you’re close enough while having the potential to stay intact. When you fire buckshot round, multiple pellets will spread out. The further away you are from a target, the most spread you’ll have on your shot. Buying a buckshot for home defense requires you to take a closer look at the product and make sure the following factors are checked. Travis Pike is a Marine infantry veteran, firearms enthusiast, and NRA certified instructor.

best buckshot for home defense

Depending on it not penetrate through drywall is downright silly. It’s a real concern that you should have, but it’s played up so much that people will compromise on their ammo selection. If you have a real fear of overpenetration to the point where you’ll choose a less effective round, then you should consider a AR-15. Hornady includes Number 4 buckshot in their varmint express line of cartridges for a reason.

THE BEST 4 BUCKSHOT FOR HOME DEFENSE

Combat shotguns and buckshot loads are used to increase terminal performance and not hit probability. To do that, the hit must be well-placed, the pattern must be fairly small and the pellets must penetrate deeply. For many years, the conventional wisdom was that a shotgun barrel that had no choke was best for use with buckshot. For new combat-shotgun shooters, the choke is a small section of reduced diameter at the muzzle end of a shotgun bore. Generally, the smaller the shot, the greater the effect of choke on the on-target pattern. Three rounds of a generic #4 buckshot load fired from a cylinder bore shotgun at 15 yards.

best buckshot for home defense

So, you need to choose a product that can be installed on your own with the least hassle. All the necessary accessories should come with the product so that you don’t need to buy them separately. And check the exterior finish closely to ensure everything conforms to your requirements. The exterior can have various finishes, and you should choose the one that matches other elements in the interior. Checking the dimensions of the product is crucial as it needs to fit the designated space.

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At 1226 fps, the American Gunner delivered a pattern of 4 by 5.5 inches. Interestingly, seven of the buckshot balls went into a group measuring 4 by 3 inches consistently, and the eighth ball opened the group. The effect was more pronounced in the Benelli, with seven balls in 4 by 4 inches, with the eighth lonely pellet opening the group to 4 by 7.5 inches. A lot of modern tactical loads are designed for cylinder bore guns. When the loads meet a choke, they tend to pattern wider, or even worse, unpredictably. Check your choke if you are having issues patterning your buckshot.

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