what kind of damage would a shotgun do?

Question

let me be specific...a 12 guage cylinder choke...shooting a 3" 00 buckshot shell from about 30 feet. would it actually penetrate through a person? through a wall? deer? car door? please give me an idea...just want to know for self defense purposes.

Answer 1

While shotguns have enormous energy, the indivual pellets themselves auctually have very low penetration compared even to a pistol bullet! (deffinately to a rifle!) It can tear through a car door easialy, but not both doors, and contridactary to its name it is not really even intened to kill 'bucks", just prettymuch anything under 120 pounds! Basicaly 00 buck is the equivalent of getting hit by 9 severly underpowered .32 pistol bullets, so at close range it will easialy rip a persons chest out, but farther away if the only get hit by 1 or 2 it wouldn't be very effective at all, especially since they lose energy fast due to bad balistics!
So in awnser to your question, it would be VERY effective against a person at close range, or if theyre just behind one wall or car door! But if they're behind heavier cover you should use a 12 ga deer slug, they hae great penetration as well as power!

Answer 2

As the others have said with the exception of that one goober, you will blow a hole through the interior walls and pelt anyone in the other room. I would recommend 2 3/4 in 7's. At 10 to 12 feet that will still turn a human into a spaghetti-strainer. At least the 7's won't go through the wall as badly and you won't believe how badly the muzzle flash from a shotgun looks in a dark room, not to mention the effects on hearing and eyesight. Try it out in the field one night and you'll see what I mean.

Save the buck shot for the bucks. (Although I prefer hunting with a rifle.)

Good Luck

Answer 3

I did some sample shooting just to see what was what before I loaded mine that rests under the edge of the bed. Remember too that the average close encounter happens at a distance of 12 feet. I shot at 15 and then 20 feet and found that 7 shot would blow a hole the size of a basketball through one inch plywood, as would 6 shot. So I loaded my home persuader with 6 shot; knowing that I won't have to worry about a stray slug taking out the neighbor's plasma TV or something; but any uninvited guests will be praying for first class running shoes.

Answer 4

The shot pattern does not begin to spread until after 25-30 ft., so even if you are using 7 1/2 birdshot, you cand get a shot pattern of about 8-10 inches on the target. This means that you can tear that person up pretty good with birdshot at that range. With 00 buck, you could cut him in half.

Answer 5

It will go completely into the chest enough to enter the heart, or into the belly all the way through to the kidney, but probably not out the back side. Two thicknesses of sheetrock aren't much to stop it, though studs will; and it'll go through one layer of sheet metal but probably not through sheet metal+glass+interior lining. The person is going to have quite a few pellets at that range, but most self-defense shots are in a lot closer, where the plastic cup and chunks of clothing are found deep in the wound channel. Give me a nice, neat pistol wound to treat any day compared to a shotgun blast.

Answer 6

dont know where this magoo guy comes from or where he gets his info but thirty feet with a shotgun shooting3 inch shells would sloughter a deer at thirty feet heck the patern of the shot would only be about as big as a beach ball.thirty yards must be what he thought you said.thirty feet it would go through the wall if sheet rock and kill many feet away on the other side

Answer 7

hi there
on a drywall inner wall yes it will go through,on a person yes some pellets would go right through, on a deer the same is possible, on a car door,with the window up,there is a good possibility some would get through.

Answer 8

A LOT of damage (Common sense)...You planning on getting attacked by a wall,deer or car door? This has nothing to do with self defense..,You wanted specific..You got specific....

Answer 9

a buck shot.. hell yeah itl kill a person, maybe not a deer, and itl go through dry wall like paper, u might not want to use a choke from my personal experience, and yeah itle defanetle go through a car door

Answer 10

Yes to all, however I recommend you use number 4 shot , thats all you really need for your purpose.*