First for HD a shotgun is probably the best weapon (wait for flak). Second if you want to use bird shot make wax slugs they are devastating at close range but there could be legal implications so stick with 00 buck and a good alarm system.
Home Defense Round: Bird Shot?
- Thread starter dewey
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Protected One
Member
Yes, my home defense round is bird shot...if I'm attacked by birds!
Otherwise it's a Hornady Critical Defense round; fired from a Glock 23.
Otherwise it's a Hornady Critical Defense round; fired from a Glock 23.
F75gunslinger
Member
8 rounds of 00 buckshot from my Mossberg 500, followed by 8 rounds of Hornady .45 hollowpoints from my Sig 1911, followed by 5 rounds of +P .38 from my 642. If you get through that..we'll talk some more.
#4 shot OK, birdshot not so much.
Protected One
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elpac3
Member
If you have to stand and fight - end it quickly before you get hurt or killed. Go for the center of mass with a round that give adequate penetration. Personally I would go with a 200 or 240 hp load.
Springfeildkid585
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If you fell the need for a scatter gun, get a scatter gun and put buckshot in it. I see your point of a hit being better than a miss, so I say get a hit that will count. Get a shotgun, load it with buckshot. If you're committed to a handgun, I've heard good things about 000 buckshot in the Judge, but can't speak from experience.
Cpo1944
Member
I think you would be very displeased with the pattern out of your revolver.
My Home defense is a .44 magnum S&W model 629 with Crimson Trace laser grips and a small but very bright flashlight jury rigged to the underside of the barrel. I have both good light to get a POSITIVE id of the target and the red dot to place my shot. I have been using this set up for many years and I practice with it often. Needless to say it is not loaded with bird shot!
My Home defense is a .44 magnum S&W model 629 with Crimson Trace laser grips and a small but very bright flashlight jury rigged to the underside of the barrel. I have both good light to get a POSITIVE id of the target and the red dot to place my shot. I have been using this set up for many years and I practice with it often. Needless to say it is not loaded with bird shot!
jlrhiner
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ZOMBIE THREAD!!! ZOMBIE THREAD!!!
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Unless you are being broken into by Tweetie Bird and his friends, I would NOT load Birdshot in a Home Defense gun. I like 2 3/4" #1 Buck for HD use.
+1
Keep the bird shot for birds.
Gulfecho
Member
jack the toad
Couldn't agree more, bird shot is for the birds!
Couldn't agree more, bird shot is for the birds!
jtcarm
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I've loaded .44 special shot rounds, and I wouldn't use it on birds. The patterns were so weak, you could miss a sitting duck at 5 yards..
On the other hand, a 12 gauge load of 7 1/2s is devastating at home defense ranges (unless you live in a really big house.). Even buckshot can penetrate drywall.
Last edited:
Gulfecho
Member
Protected One
Why do ammunition manufacturers produce buck shot for HD?
There are no 7 1/2 birdshot loads manufactured for HD to my knowledge. Can birdshot be effective for HD? Can a .22? Play devil's advocate. Its fun!
Why do ammunition manufacturers produce buck shot for HD?
There are no 7 1/2 birdshot loads manufactured for HD to my knowledge. Can birdshot be effective for HD? Can a .22? Play devil's advocate. Its fun!
Doug M.
Member
They can be effective. They are suboptimal at best. The .22 should only be used if you have no ability to shoot a more serious round (which likely includes my wife) or nothing else available. As for birdshot, hell no. Although the shot will be very close together and one must in fact aim, the penetration is inadequate. An offender wearing any kind of coat is far too likely to have ineffective wounds.
Over-penetration is generally not at all the problem that has been portrayed, at least if one is using duty ammo that meets the standard and has been tested and proven to do so. If you are really concerned about the risk in a residential setting, the best answer out there (other than "don't miss") is 5.56X45 duty ammo.
Over-penetration is generally not at all the problem that has been portrayed, at least if one is using duty ammo that meets the standard and has been tested and proven to do so. If you are really concerned about the risk in a residential setting, the best answer out there (other than "don't miss") is 5.56X45 duty ammo.
Protected One
Member
This is over three Years old... I hope the OP has made his decision by now!!!
Gulfecho... How did you find this Zombie thread???
Topics that are on "old threads" are not old to everyone - there are new members joining us all the time.
It's not difficult to find a old thread. Just go to the "search" pull down and type your subject in the window.
Topics that are on "old threads" are not old to everyone - there are new members joining us all the time.
It's not difficult to find a old thread. Just go to the "search" pull down and type your subject in the window.
It's a "no win" situation.
If you bring up a dead thread you get criticized for it. If you start a new one on the same subject you get told that has been discussed a million times so use the search or my favorite: "Google is your Friend"
I am 99.99% sure that there is not one topic or question that has not been asked and not on the interweb somewhere.
The internet is now closed!
gman51
Member
It isn't uncommon while doing a Google search for the search to bring up a thread/post on a forum that is many years old. I have seen several searches that brought up articles from 2009. The prices and other things made me look at the time of the post.
Double-O-Dave
US Veteran
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
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
digiroc
Member
That's for the birds ...
Birdshot is for birds, rats, and snakes. And even for them buckshot is more humane.
digiroc
Birdshot is for birds, rats, and snakes. And even for them buckshot is more humane.
digiroc
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