whats a good home defense ammo for a 12 gauge shotgun?

Question

the gun accepts 3 inch shells too by the way.

the one that wont go through the neighbor's house.

Answer 1

As several have already advised, you want to use small shot and relatively low powered loads. Extensive testing has been done with all variations of shot and shell that you can imagine for both law enforcement and civilian use. I have reviewed and participated in many trials using typical housing materials and human ballistic compatible materials to simulate the effects of many different weapons, including shotguns, in a home environment. Even with low brass, target or inexpensive field loads (#7 - #8 shot), the terminal effects were devastating within 2-15 yards.

In this range the shot pattern has very little chance to open up more than a few inches and thus most of the pellets and energy of the round is concentrated in a very small area of the target. Total penetration of the pellets depended slightly on clothing, but typically ranged from several inches to more than 8". In many of the trials the ballistic simulant was either cut in peices or turned into mush. The small, soft lead shot also had a lessened tendency to penetrated both sides of a typically constructed home interior wall after passing through the target. Most of the energy that remained after exiting the target was dissipated when the pellets hit the building materials and deformed due to their soft consistencies.

Steel shot and even larger soft lead shot, proved to be much more apt to over penetrate or ricochet than small, soft lead pellets and I would not recommend steel, hardened or large diameter shot for home defense. It is important to note that even small,soft lead shot can't be called safe when discharged inside a building due to many known and unknown factors. Known factors include, but aren't limited to pellets that miss the target and strike walls or ceilings without first passing though the intended target, weakened or varied building materials that the pellets may strike, distances and number of walls between bystanders and simply the innumerable dangers posed by discharging a weapon in such close proximity to others in an uncontrolled situation.

With that said, if choosing to use a shotgun for home defense, I would stick with small shot and low powered loads. There are even several rounds available in less than 2 3/4” sizes for all gauges of shotguns that provide ample terminal effects, but help reduce collateral damage even further. Please remember that no matter what weapon you choose or what ammunition you pick, any can and will be lethal to humans under the right circumstances and should always be treated as such. The opinions I have expressed here are simply to demonstrate how you might choose a relatively "safer", but effective loading than others mentioned in other answers to your question.

Again I emphasize that that there is no load that is truly safe and could be relied upon to not seriously harm or kill another person either intentionally or unintentionally. Even low powered loads and small soft lead pellets, can travel though walls, windows or any other housing material and still kill a person on the other side. Make sure you get some training and advise of a Certified Firearms instructor not only to increase your safety and proficiency with your weapon of choice, but to help you with the weighty legal aspects of this topic as well.

Answer 2

A double barrel Coach shotgun has the most paralyzing countenance on a viewer, as the media has given it an aura of being the ultimate defensive protection. Also it cannot jam. We hope. And Psychologically, "having" a semi-auto weapon, or to a lesser degree any size magazine for several lever-or-slide action shots, often causes the classic "A-Team" response of filling the air with lead but hitting nothing. A double seems about perfect for enforcing seriousness onto aimed shots, with but one backup. This is different from using a 38 Special handgun for it's low recoil and just holding on target and keeping on pulling the trigger, for often more reliable success than a magnum which spends most of it's time pointing at the ceiling!

Answer 3

Bound's hubby here:

For home defense stick to 2 3/4 inch shells, not Magnums! If you are in a single family dwelling, number 4 buckshot would be the smallest shot that I would trust for self-defense.

If you are in a multi-family dwelling, I would not consider a shotgun at all. In a multi-family dwelling I would stick to a handgun or a carbine shooting a single projectile. For a handgun round I would suggest a .38 wadcutter... anyone on the receiving end will get the message fast and the chance of a stray round is greatly reduced. In a multi-family dwelling you need to be certain that the round goes exactly where you want it if you must shoot.

Realistically, a dog in a multi-family dwelling is better protection with less likelihood of harming a neighbor.

Answer 4

Listen to Bound's Hubby. Sage advise. Consider also the .380 auto with 90 grain Hydra Shok. This way you get more than just six quick shots out of a .38 or .357 Mag. w/.38 wadcutters. Otherwise #4 shot in 2 n 1/2" shells is a good choice.

H

Answer 5

At short range, typical in a home defense situation, it is usually preferable to use a small shot like 7 or 8. The reason is that there is less risk of overpenetration than if you use 00 or slugs. Small shot is more than effective enough with the tight shot pattern you get at close range.

Answer 6

#4 Buckshot. Not birdshot - it will not penetrate deeply enough.

For instance, if you shoot and the offender has his/her arm in front of his/her body, and your shot strikes the arm, birdshot may only penetrate an inch or so into the body.

If they've still got a gun in their other hand, they'll have plenty of time to use it.

This will not penetrate walls and still retain a lethal capability - even for apartments.

Try both 2-3/4 and 3" shells to see which ones feed the best and how much of a wallop they have.
I've tried both, and the Winchester 3" with 15 00 pellets makes my shoulder hurt for a couple of days - so I'm using the 2-3/4" with 9 pellets. I usually load it buckshot, buckshot, buckshot, slug, slug.
(My closest neighbor is 1/2 miles away)

For handguns, I've seen .38 wadcutters loaded backwards,
which makes for a huge tumbling hollowpoint.

And, of course, keep shooting (as long as you're hitting them). Don't shoot once and wait for them to fall down.
Once they're down, it's generally best to stop.
It could appear bad if they have more bullets in the them than a single loading of you weapon can contain also...



However, if you're dead and have shot the neighbor in the process too:

A. You should have practiced more.
B. You can apologize to him later - when you see him in the afterlife (if one believes in that).
C. You don't have to worry about him suing you.

Basically you need 5-6 inches of flesh penetration for a incapacitating shot. Going through a beefy arm has used up almost of all of birdshot's penetration ability

Answer 7

1

Answer 8

Waterfowl loads( made of steel not lead) less dense=less weight =less penetration=living neighbors=no law suites

Answer 9

just about anything. 00 buck to 7 and a halfs

Answer 10

Buckshot followed by a rifled slug should do the trick.