Does anyone have a recommendation on 12 gauge ammo for home defense with an 18.5” barrel? I’ve been looking into low recoil options that may be easier to handle for me or my wife but I'm open to suggestions. I plan to get out this spring so we can see what works best for us. At most, I’d probably have 20’ of distance to cover in my house although 10’-15’ is more likely. I appreciate any experience and advice you can share. Thanks!
Can you tell us about the environment? Type of construction, proximity of neighbors? Any shotgun shell will work at 20'. 00 Buck is always the first choice, provided you don't have any neighbors within 200 yds, and are good at fixing holes in drywall... I use #6 birdshot in mine cause i have neighbors within 50 yds. But even 7.5 would work at 20'.
Fiochhi makes a light recoil buck shot I believe. There is the rhodesian Bush shell. Which is a mix of smaller shot and buck shot. They also gave rounds specifically for home defense. Or you can get some mid range shot, use the perk if the spread of the shot. I know red dot also sells less than lethal. You can always have the first round be a bean bag. It's not like the other guy will know when you fire it.
Thank you for the quick replies. I live in a subdivision (built in the 90s, drywall, aluminum siding) with some houses nearby. I plan to keep the shotgun in my bedroom which I think has a good layout to defend the bedroom door. Facing the door, I’ll have 120 degree range without any houses directly in line. It’s just an open field followed by a bunch of mature trees and then a small golf course back there before the next neighborhood. I'll have to confirm the distance but I think 200 yards is a safe bet. (FYI - I've had some good results in the past patching large holes in drywall.)
(01-27-2015, 06:12 AM)doubleCheese Wrote: [ -> ]FYI - I've had some good results in the past patching large holes in drywall.
What about body disposal?
hmmm... You should always have a couple of bags of quick lime... useful stuff... But the best bet would be to dump the body in something like molten steel or add some cement shoes and pick a deep lake. Think Tony Saprano and Big *****... Not Grass lake...
Although just burying it where no one will ever look is always good too...
And as to patching drywall holes, better the hit the target and not have to worry about it.
(01-26-2015, 11:43 PM)BelieveIn308 Wrote: [ -> ]I use #6 birdshot in mine cause i have neighbors within 50 yds. But even 7.5 would work at 20'.
I use #6, as well. I've seen some people use dove shot, the #7.5 that Believe mentioned, in their home defense guns, too. Remember most home defense situations are going to be more of an issue of feet than of yards, most home defense shootings happen at an average of 8 feet. Anything that can maintain a tight group at short ranges will work. Your best bet as always is to test different rounds and see which you feel the most confident with. Keep in mind that standard types of shells are going to be less costly than the so-called home defense shells and be just as effective, at the ranges we're talking about, out of the muzzle of a 12 gauge. Here's the exact load I use in my defense gun, a modified Remington 870 Express Tactical w. 18.5" barrel:
http://www.reddotarms.com/shop/ammunitio...-load.html
The local shop I get it from charges $6.50 for a box but $6.99 is still a good price for 25 shells. I don't think it kicks very hard but then I'm 6' tall and 235 pounds of muscle and learned to fire shotguns with an old single shoot unchoked 12 gauge that kicked hard enough to knock you on your butt if not properly bracing yourself. My family had liked to have you learn on heavy recoil stuff so the lighter rounds don't bother you. I learned true hand-gunning, and not plinking with a .22, with a S&W model 27 .357 magnum. My grandfather decided that his model 29 might have been a bit much for a 12 year old.
I have mine loaded with #6 also. I have a belt attached to it and i have half a box of #6 and and another half box of 00 buck. I wouldn't worry too much about other houses with 00 buck, but others that may live in the same house. Once the shot would have went though an outside wall, the velocity would be mostly dissipated by the time it left my house. Since I'm an empty nester now, and my shotgun is in our 'SAFE' room, all i have to worry about is where my wife is. If she was with, and behind me, I would get rid of the #6 and use 00 buck if the time allowed it.
One of the advantages of the shotgun is that it loses momentum after passing through a solid object, if it makes it through. That's one of the reasons some experts recommend a shotgun for home defense instead of a handgun or rifle, which in most cases can pass through a drywall wall without much of an effect on its velocity.
00 buckshot will easily go through 2-3 walls.
That depends on what the wall is made of. For drywall I have no doubts that it can penetrate. I can put my hand through a sheet of drywall if I throw a punch and buckshot would be moving with a lot more velocity and force than my fist would. The walls of my house on the other hand were built in the 1800s and the outer walls contain nothing but hard woods. Even buckshot would have a hard time penetrating the outer walls. With my house I'd be more worried about penetration through the windows than through the walls with a shotgun.
Thanks to everyone that has replied. I appreciate everyone's input and I look forward to testing some of these options soon (at a range).