Birdshot for home defense?

[meaty-btz]

Because not everyone is keen on taking a life? IDK, maybe I'm weird like that.

Then don't use a gun. Period. Done. Nothing else to do there. If you are not able and willing psychologically to take a life then don't ever lay a hand on a gun.

A good badguy will kill you or take your weapon and then kill you. Hide, beg, or capitulate.

What is bad:
Getting a gun for self defense and never training with it. This is Ignorant

What is Worse:
Getting a gun for self defense and loading it with an ineffectual round. This is intentionally wrong and thusly is an example why the user is deficient in the needed mental state needed to operate his weapon safely.

What is Worst:
Getting a gun for self defense, training in it's manual of arms, loading it with an effective round but neglecting the needed mental conditioning and psychological re-training needed to use it. This is the absolute worst because by this point you should be knowledgeable enough to know about the mental conditioning part. At this point your actions are grossly negligent in an intentional way. If things ever require you to use your weapon, it will go badly for you. You might win but you will be psychologically and emotionally scarred by the experience.

A warrior's best weapon is his mind, then his body, and lastly, his weapon. The weapon is a tool that does nothing on its own, is unguided with a hand but no mind, and only with the mind can the body that is trained be guided and the weapon that is keen accomplish it's purpose.

[TaoFlederMaus]

Unless you are using a single shot or double barrel, I don't see how using birdshot as the first load would be bad in a pump. A shot to the face or neck would be pretty disabling and if that didn't stop them, load progressively nastier rounds. Steel BB's are a good alternative load and easy and cheap to load replacing the small birdshot.

For everyone all gung ho to kill an intruder, ask someone who has been in that situation if they wish they had just injured the guy or were glad to have killed them. I think you'd be surprised.

[meaty-btz]

Unless you are using a single shot or double barrel, I don't see how using birdshot as the first load would be bad in a pump. A shot to the face or neck would be pretty disabling and if that didn't stop them, load progressively nastier rounds. Steel BB's are a good alternative load and easy and cheap to load replacing the small birdshot.

For everyone all gung ho to kill an intruder, ask someone who has been in that situation if they wish they had just injured the guy or were glad to have killed them. I think you'd be surprised.

We are never glad to have killed someone, we are glad to survive. We do what we must to survive, no more, no less.

Where do you get this idea that you will get a second shot? From the movies or from experience?

[therza2071]

We're not talking about being MORE effective... But you aren't actually listening anyway so..The spread out of your typical HD shotgun is what less than 3 inches at 5 feet or less and 4 inches at 10 feet, 5 inches at 15 feet? Hit someone with a spread like that using birdshot is going to put em down. Using 00 is going to go right thru em so assuming it does and/or some pellets miss him their going where? Oh yeah that's right thru the wall behind him.. Hope your kids aren't in the next room..

Birdshot MIGHT put somebody down at that distance, but the chances of it incapacitating an attacker are still not good. Even moreso if they're wearing heavy clothing.

Buckshot is going to go right through an attacker and an interior wall? Last I checked, buckshot was an extremely poor penetrator. So, I'll ask again - give us ONE documented case of this happening. Your fear of overpenetration with buckshot is based entirely on speculation, and therefore completely unjustified.

Quit trying to justify your poor choice of home defense ammunition by telling people that their children will die if they use anything other than birdshot.

Bottom line - if something is going to reliably kill an attacker, it will penetrate a wall. Period.