Shooting a 12 gauge shotgun in dark enclosed space

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RikYoungf

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I've been researching home protection options and I've read that shooting a 12 gauge shotgun in a dark enclosed space (like my living room at night) is equal to setting off a flash bang grenade and can disable the defender so they cannot take an accurate follow-up shot, if needed.
I've looked for web videos of shooting a 12 gauge shotgun in a dark enclosed space to see how valid this is but I could not find an example.

Can anyone with experience validate or debunk this claim?
 
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I have fired 12 gauge shotguns in near darkness many times while duck and goose hunting. It is pretty, not disorienting. I have been in indoor ranges when shooters next to me fired 12 gauges qualifying as armed security guards. It was no worse than the .44 I was using, but I was wearing ear and eye protection. It will definitely be loud, but it will be a lot louder for the person on the opposite end of the gun.
 
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A 12 ga 2 3/4 with 18" bbl is about 160 decibels , a flashbang is about 170 decibels. That being said either will hurt your ears without protection if you are within 5 ft of the "blast". The light of a flashbang is at a higher intensity than the light of a 12ga. But!!!! that could be changed with different powders, Flash retardant powder vs Bullseye!! Also the sound of the shotgun is directed away from shooter, flashbang is 360 degree "theoretically" . Having shot 12 ga 18" barrels at night " it can be very dark in the UP " It was not disorienting, but, I knew when it was going to happen, outdoors, and I was not on the receiving end of oo buckshot. Many factors will determine your response, the noise would not be as much of a problem for me due to my hearing loss. Try it safely if you can, outdoors or range. Be Safe,
 
Heck, .22 fired in a dark enclosed space will flash and bang, but neither severely enough to disorient you like a flashbang.

I am always a bit amused over folks worried about potential damage to hearing in a self-defense situation. Which would you prefer -- death, or some hearing loss?
 
I've never heard of a law enforcement officer who fired a shotgun at night and became disoriented by it. Yes, it will be loud, but your brain can and does shut down noises during stressful situations. It might sound like BBBBBBBAAAAAANNNNNGGGGG to one person at some time but to the shooter it might only be BANG. Law enforcement officers might hear their own rounds only being "pops" while in-coming rounds are the loudest thing they've ever heard.

Don't worry about it.

Frank
 
gruntdeputy said:
I've never heard of a law enforcement officer who fired a shotgun at night and became disoriented by it. Yes, it will be loud, but your brain can and does shut down noises during stressful situations. It might sound like BBBBBBBAAAAAANNNNNGGGGG to one person at some time but to the shooter it might only be BANG. Law enforcement officers might hear their own rounds only being "pops" while in-coming rounds are the loudest thing they've ever heard.

Don't worry about it.

Frank
Click to expand...

Agreed. Stressful or exciting. When I'm duck hunting and shoot my 12 gauge, I do not use ear protection because it doesn't hurt my ears or make them ring. However, target shooting at home kills my ears. I always wear ear pro if I'm target shooting.
 
Be nice to your ears

Shooting indoors does not let the pressure disburse and seems twice as loud. Sound is in pressure waves. Every 3 decibels is a doubling of total pressure.
ViperMD said a 12 guage is 160 decibels and a flash bang is 170 decibels. Which means a flash bang is over 3 times louder, or 3 times higher pressure than the 12 gauge shotgun.

Shotgun Decibel Chart. Note that an 18 inch barrel 410 is twice as loud as a 26 inch barrel 410. A 12 gauge with 18 inch barrel is almost 4 times louder than a 410 with a 26.
FreeHearingTest.com - Gunfire Noise Levels

Unless you live in a drug gang infested area with a high homicide rate. In that case load the same way local police load. Usually they have a lower recoil 12 gauge load with the biggest buckshot.

One friend of a friend loaded his house shotgun with spent primers to reduce wall penetration between him and neighbors.

I do not generally tell people but a .22 magnum rimfire is a rifle cartridge and out of a short revolver shoots out more bright fire than anything else. Lots of unburned powder lighting up the night from 15 or more inches of pure flame that should have been inside a rifle barrel pushing the bullet faster. Lots of wasted energy but harder on the eyes at night than anything I have seen. If intruder looses control of his bowels the police are not going to clean it up. And if your dog has not been gun trained he might hide under the bed whenever you reach for a gun.
 
Delos said:
I do not generally tell people but a .22 magnum rimfire is a rifle cartridge and out of a short revolver shoots out more bright fire than anything else. Lots of unburned powder lighting up the night from 15 or more inches of pure flame that should have been inside a rifle barrel pushing the bullet faster. Lots of wasted energy but harder on the eyes at night than anything I have seen. If intruder looses control of his bowels the police are not going to clean it up. And if your dog has not been gun trained he might hide under the bed whenever you reach for a gun.
Click to expand...

^This^. I can read a newspaper by the light from my NAA .22 magnum derringer (and sound a plenty). That is, until the recent advent of short barrel .22 magnum ammo. Someone would think I had a real gun!
 
I appreciate the responses and the shared knowledge.
I apologize if my description of the situation was unclear. I'm not concerned for the vision or ears of anyone on the receiving end of a defensive shot. I was asking if the combination of noise and flash from discharging a 12 gauge shotgun in an enclosed space where your vision has tried to adjust to the low lighting conditions could overwhelm the shooter's ability to make an accurate and safe second shot at a threat. I'm mostly interested in ways to prepare for this or reduce the potential effect on the shooter's ability to make an accurate second shot; such as shotgun barrel length, ammunition selection and training. I especially appreciate the comments from ViperMd and Delos.
 
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My choice for hd shotgun is a Mossy 20 gauge loaded with #3 Buck. Less bang, less flash and I've read 50% less recoil but 75% as "effective" as 12ga.

Max distance I'd have to use it would be about 21 feet.

Best!
 
Pisgah said:
Heck, .22 fired in a dark enclosed space will flash and bang, but neither severely enough to disorient you like a flashbang.

I am always a bit amused over folks worried about potential damage to hearing in a self-defense situation. Which would you prefer -- death, or some hearing loss?
Click to expand...

I would prefer to flip on a light,and be 100% sure of the target.
I once discharged a .22 rifle within a room,at a rat outside in the yard.I was amazed how loud it was,and my ears remembered it for quite some time..
 
Delos's explanation is spot on, and the info I gave is from the link that he provided, definitely worth looking at. fdw choice of mossy 20 ga is a very effective way to go, I have seen chests opened with # 6 from 20 or 12 and with out counting pellets you will not know which it was, the same as the perp. Be Safe,
 
Big "boom's" in enclosed spaces

Having been a tactical trainer for over 25 years training SWAT / Spec. Op teams in building entries, room clearing, etc. using live fire in shooting houses I can offer you this.
Any firearm fired inside a enclosed space will "rock your world". I have shot everything that is " man portable" inside shooting houses and been in rooms when flash bangs have been fired off. I always wore sonic ear valves and peltor tactical muffs.(and still incurred permanent hearing damage)....if I had not my ear drums would have been ruptured.....the DB level is a definite factor, but the concussion (over pressure) from rifles, shotguns and flash bangs in enclosed spaces are felt clear through your body...even when wearing tactical body armor.....it is INTENSE.
Today tactical operators who are going to do any kind of entry in the real world (practice or live) use some kind of electronic hearing protection....so that they can communicate, but still protect their hearing in enclosed areas.
And yes, muzzle flash is also a huge factor, particularly in dark rooms, particularly with short barreled long guns ( especially 12 ga. short bl shotguns).....As part of my home defense gear that is within arm's reach of my bed, is pair of Peltor electronic tactical muffs, they amplify sounds so that my hearing impaired ears hear better, then attenuate the db level if I have to shoot inside the house.
 
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I suggest you get a tritium front sight so that you know where the muzzle is.

The noise and muzzle flash of a 12 Ga. 18" bbl can be disorienting, but a load of #00 buckshot in the solar plexus is much more so.

Quit fretting and go out and practice shooting your shotgun in the dark. Practice-practice-practice.

Shoot two rounds. Reload two rounds shoot two more rounds. Repeat. That will give you what you need to know to knock a can of a stump in the dark, and reload in the dark.

This is not patty-cake. Practice until you are good at it. I can assure you that your home invader will not have spent as much time practicing as you have.
 
fdw said:
My choice for hd shotgun is a Mossy 20 gauge loaded with #3 Buck. Less bang, less flash and I've read 50% less recoil but 75% as "effective" as 12ga.

Max distance I'd have to use it would be about 21 feet.

Best!
Click to expand...
Got our double barreled 20 gauge coach gun loaded with #3 buck. 20 .25" lead pellets per barrel are hard to ignore.
 
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