You need, without fail, to have enough penetration to get to the vitals, regardless of clothing and the like. #4 probably will not reliably do so; anything smaller is somewhere between a "not good" and a "horrible" choice. I have been issued 00; the Federal Flite Control was amazing even at 25 yards with our bead sighted 590s. My recollection is that a 5" circle of damage was the result. Put that in someone's center chest and the odds are good that the fight will be over and medical response pointless, especially since if you train enough you will get at least 2 and maybe 3 shots into the target before they hit the ground. Doc Roberts has been advocating the relatively new #1 Federal Flite Control, showing that the total impact (crush area) of those 15 pellets is greater than that of any other loading. I have not tried any since I am waiting for my new shotgun.

I have a good amount of 00 and 000 sitting around and would use them in the house (slugs are the default duty loads for LE, thanks very much, unless one also has a patrol rifle and then buck is a decent choice). Only one other person would be in my house, and probably behind me; the dogs might keep me from shooting, especially since Bozo attacks with an upward leap. For most purposes, I would prefer my AR in or out of the house, so the shotgun is a distant second choice anyway.

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NHI, 10-8.

I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say some are WAY over thinking this. I'm not LEO, I'm not ex-MIL, and I'm not an expert marksman. However, I know I'll be pointing an 18 1/2 inch 12 guage at someone less than 50-75 feet away.

Someone said I've got it backwards going from 7-8 to 4-6 to 00. I think I've got it just right.

I'll be shooting to give the MF a facefull of my Remington. I probably will have been awakened and not in the mindset to think about what's behind the perp. My first shot of 7-8 towards the head should freeze frame the situation and if it doesn't stop it, the perp will have moved closer and my next few shots of 4-6 game shot aimed again to hit the head should stop him. If not I've got 00 for the remainder of the 8 rounds. At that point, I believe, I won't be concerned with what may be in the background.

I may be wrong, and I may be dead, but I believe I've given myself the best chance to stop the perp with minimal risk of others in the neighborhood!

To me it's "did you hear me", "are you sure", and then "let me scream in your ear" tactics!

Let the "schooling" on my tactics begin!!!!

For what it's worth ...
In 1975-76 I was a USAF Security Policeman at Lowry Air Force Base in Denver. Some late nights, a friendly Denver detective used to drop by and chat with us SPs on the west gate.
He told us of an old trick they used for riot control: Crack open a 12-gauge birdshot shell, pour out the lead shot, pack the wad cavity full of Duxseal, a putty that doesn't dry out and become hard but retains its softness.
Close the case mouth back up.
He told us that they used it to knock down riot agitators out to 25 feet or so. "Hit a guy with this Duxseal in the chest, and it will knock him off his feet and not even break the skin!" the detective told us.
He carried a few rounds in his cruiser.
It would leave a big welt on the agitator's chest, and that's all.
I guess it could be considered one of the very early non-lethal shotgun rounds -- homemade!
This might be a good first-up round, especially if you live in the country where discouraging four-legged pests might be more common.
It would probably be useful as a warning against car bodies, when intruders refuse to leave your property. Probably make a small dent in the body, if that, but the sold KER-THUNK and gunblast would show them you're serious.

Myself, I keep my Remington 870 Youth Model 20-gauge pump shotgun nearby. It's loaded with standard Winchester No. 3 buckshot rounds. The cartridge carrier on the butt carries a few No. 3 reloads and solid slugs.
The Youth Model is small, scaled down to the 20 gauge shell's dimensions. Also makes a heck of a small game hunting shotgun.
I prefer the 20 gauge because recoil and blast are lesser than a 12 gauge, yet at self defense ranges it's just as lethal.
Some police departments now issue the 20 gauge shotgun to female officers or smaller-statured men. Its recoil doesn't bounce them around as much. I believe Remington still makes a high-capacity police version of the 870 in 20 gauge.

If I need a 12 gauge, I go to my Browning Auto 5 with slug barrel and rifle sights. Five rounds as fast as I can pull the trigger. It's my bear gun at my cabin in British Columbia, where black and grizzly bears are common. Cabin owners have had more trouble from the black bears than the grizzlies.
I load it with Brenneke slugs, which penetrate deeply in bear flesh.
The Canadians swear by 12 and 16 gauge shotguns, loaded with slugs, for bear.
Too powerful a load for the household, but if you're in bear country it's probably the finest remedy you can carry.

Federal le132-1b with fed le133-00 in the side saddle

J

Tactical Response Inc has a compelling video on youtube by James Yeager that advocates the use of slugs for home defense. Works for me. Although I rely on my S&W 625, 2 moonclips of PDX1...and my very protective german shepard to get me to my safe with the loaded shotgun. Figure if they survive 12 rounds of .45, my dog, and 8 Hornady 12 gauge sabot slugs.. They can have whatever they want.

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Want a toy? Buy a plastic gun

My Remington 1100 is loaded with Winchester standard velocity .50 caliber 1 ounce lead hollow cavity sabot slugs.

Federal LE132 00 Buck.

The bright line in these parts.

Issued more than any other round 12ga around here.

It works.....plain & simple.

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S&WCA # 2045

The best thing for you to do is get some good buckshot and pattern you shotgun. There is no specific short barrel shotgun ammo. As for slugs I would highly recommend against using them for a home defense role due to overpenetration.

I'm with GM272. the versatility of shotgun ammo suits just about any scenario and I like to mix and match. crowd control, aim for a manhole cover. non lethal rubber or bean bag to the groin will ruin someones day and make them reconsider their vocation. for inside, starting small with #4 buck or turkey loads and going up to 00 buck, Dixie tri-balls, slugs should work. wish I could find some factory loaded rock salt.

The Coroner is going to HATE you...

I use Federal Premium 00 Buck, Catalog No. F130 00. This is the best kept secret in 12 gauge buckshot ammo for self defense.

Federal Premium Ammunition - Shotshell

This highly efficient load packs 12, OO pellets into a 2 3/4" hull where normally you would only have 8 or 9. It patterns well in my riot guns and isn't too bad on the shoulder.

Whatever SG loads people recommend, I hope they practice with them. Preferably at an indoor range so they have some idea of the noise (even with ear protection) and recoil.

I prefer to mount 3 paper pie plates on a piece of cardboard backing at distances of 3 to 5 yards. Place one charge on each plate, one after another. Work up to it if you can't do all 3 right away. Use sheets of typing paper first if the plates are too small. You have to be able to fire a round and pump another into the chamber immediately to fire again. Start with lower charge skeet/trap type loads if necessary and work up to more powerful ammunition. Just having that gun in the closet is not enough.

How about some bigger game loads like BB for ducks? I find old lead #2 and such at gun shows all the time. Can't use them for water birds any more, so often they are cheep-(er)

I would suspect a blast of high-base #2 shot, at typical indoor self-defense range (what..10-20 ft or so?)...would take the fight out of most bad guys.

-Jim

I currently keep #4 Buck in the bedroom double but prefer 000 buck or slugs for serious social purposes. If I have the option I wont use Buck past 25 yards. My father was negotiating with a barricaded subject back in the 70's when the guy came out of the house to talk with him. The guy was armed with a rifle and when the talk went bad he raised the gun and pointed it at my father. Another officer discharged 1 round of 00 Buck at the bad guy from about 40 feet from an Ithaca 37. All 9 pellets hit the guy center of the chest. The guy dropped his rifle and ran back in the house, all the way to the back of the house and was loading another rifle when he finally collapsed. My father never trusted Buckshot after that. He had the post-mortem picture of the guy and it was a nice tight group centered on the sternum.

That would be my definition of a bad day. If a round of 00 is not enough he really needs the second round too.

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Shoot fast & live long
Warren

Due to the configuration of our house , my longest shot would be exactly 36 feet ... so my first shot will be a 2 3/4 BB and the 6 others are no. 4 buck ... from my Remington 870, 18.5 cylinder barrel ... Tested this on 8.5 by 11 sheet paper .. blew them apart at that distance .. my side saddle contains 5 one ounce slugs ... i like the idea of Kaaskop49

I have used Federal LE132 #00 for many years, and it will still get the job done just fine, but after switching over to the new Federal FliteControl #1 Buck, I won't be going back for my house guns. 15 pellets of hardened lead with that FC wad is just what the doctor ordered...and after seeing many, many shotgun wounds in the area I patrolled for 17 years, I have exactly no use for birdshot except for birds.

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Run Fast, Bite Hard!

Given the requirement specified, just load up and use whatever 12 ga. load is available. Even with a wide open cylinder bore barrel, at across the room range there is no possibility that any human being can withstand even a mild skeet load to the torso.

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Hi:
My Agency's issue shotgun was Mossberg Model 590 A (?) with 14.5" barrel and Ghost Ring Sights. We went from #00 Buck, to #4 Buck, to Rifled Slugs.
Our tests indicated that at close range (inside a house) any 12 gauge size shot was deadly as the shot pattern had not opened up.