Home Defense/Invasion Preparation

[billybob123]

If you’re going to use a shotgun inside your home most definitely use bird shot some will disagree but it will stop over penetration. A lot of tactical teams are going to this for dynamic entries it reduces the likely hood of wounding someone in another room. Most gunfire exchanges inside homes will be very up close and personal and you can imagine what 2 oz of lead will do to the body at close range. High velocity 3 inch #5’s turkey loads or Heavyshot are the most ideal. Even if the bad guy lives and makes it to the hospital there want be a lot a surgeon can do for them if they are hit center mass (just too much shrapnel). This was recommendation that came from a trauma surgeon that was assigned to a Swat Team in a very large city on the east coast.

Great to see someone else advocating birdshot for inside the home. I've hunted for the better part of 55 years and seen what birdshot will do at 5-20 feet. You're going to put a 1 inch hole pretty deep into someone at that range. I showed one of my grandsons the other day and took my 16 gauge with 7 1/2 shot and put a hole clean through a 2x4 at about 8 feet. That is going to make one heck of a mess if the person would survive. It's not going to be fun for a surgeon to dig out 400 lead pellets if the person does make it to the ER.

[billybob123]

I love all the people who advocate for using bird shot for HD.

Yet they are the first one's who have to use T-shot or BBB for goose hunting.

I'd love to see someone shoot and KILL a deer with bird shot. A deer's hide isn't as thick a good jacket, so if your pellets can't penetrate a hide, what makes you think they'll penetrate into a BG's CNS?!

First off when you're hunting your shots are usually 30+ yards not less than 20 feet. Next issue...kill a deer with bird shot....been there done that. A number of years ago we were rabbit hunting, 7 1/2 shot. Our beagles jumped a few deer and they charged right at my brother about 15 feet away from me. He waved and yelled and one doe kept charging. He put a load of birdshot right into her head and she fell graveyard dead right at his feet. The shot was less than 20 feet away. So before you go claiming this that or the other thing you might want to sit back for a second. I'll make you the same offer I've made a million times. Let's stand at home defense distance...on average 15 feet. I'll take my 12 gauge magnum and give you any gun you want. We both wear street clothes. I will load up one shell and it will be a 3" magnum, 1 7/8 ounce of #4, 5, or 6 shot, you choose. I get the first shot and you get to shoot afterwards. I'm not worried because your head will be scattered for 20 feet behind you and your brains are going to be all over the place.

[tornadochaser]

#8 birdshot at 1170 fps will penetrate 2 layers of 1/2" sheetrock at 21 feet. So with larger birdshot sizes, you're obviously still getting the problem of pellets passing into the next room, less overall badguy penetration vs. buckshot, and a pattern that opens up faster allowing for more chance of a stray pellet getting past the target. Professionals don't use birdshot. I shoot with numerous local swat guys, and occasionally 1 or 2 US marshals. Nobody they work with load up their shotguns with turkey loads when serving warrants in residences. They use tight patterning loads of #1 or 00 buck. One uses the frangible Hevi-shot Tungsten BB, but only after extensive testing and patterning.

Any round fore defensive purposes is better than throwing a phonebook at an assailant. I' won't argue that. But i find it laughable when fudds continue to yammer on about bird shot in sizes smaller than lead BB is the real deal and all of the evidence debunking that is wrong or misguided. Feelings vs facts....I know which one I'm basing my HD ammo selections on.