I was an ER nurse for many years, and so quite a few gunshot wound victims during my tenure. I remember during the early 1980s several gun writers were advocating the use of bird shot in shotguns for home defense. The primary benefit was supposed to be causing a serious wound with a limited possibility of over penetration.

I also recall a young man who decided to kill himself, placed the muzzle of a loaded 12 gauge shotgun against his belly, and then reached down and pressed the trigger. Yep, he had loaded the piece with a round of 7.5 shot - though I don't know if he had ever read, or heard about the recommendations from the gun writers. His actions created a surgically irreparable wound, and he lingered for a while before finally expiring. This happened in a small, rural Texas town, and the police, with the quiet agreement of the district attorney, stated that the kid probably accidentally shot himself while cleaning the shotgun (this was done to spare his family any further pain from their loss).

My conclusion was that bird shot is fine for birds, but as far as for antipersonnel purposes, I'd stay with buckshot - preferably #4.

Regards,

Dave