Birdshot in battle?

[voiceofreason]

Yes, birdshot is for little birds.

I have always wondered what would happen if birdshot was used on the battlefield.

Not to stop or injure enemy soldiers, but to annoy/blind/suppress them. If you've ever shot birdshot into the side of a mountain and seen how wide the dispersion is... you know what I'm talking about.

Semi-auto fire toward enemy positions using birdshot as a means to suppress.

As part of a platoon sized or larger force.

Ideas on what might be the pros and cons of doing this?

I know I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end.

Yes, foliage would likely stop much of it, but in an open area like sandbox type terrain I wonder if it would be worth having 2 or 3 shotguns dispersing birdshot. This can be tasked to anyone carrying a shotgun normally used for breaching.

Say #1 or BBB? Smaller just to cover a really wide area? #6?

http://www.brassfetcher.com/index_files/12GaugeShotgun.htm

[brassburnz]

We used to play paintball under the star-shot range at Rahauge's range. We were wearing goggles, so we were not in much danger from the pellets. You would hear a shot and then a rain of pellets on the canopy of trees and bamboo. If you timed it right, it was a good time to move around because your movement would be covered by the sound of the pellets.

[negolien]

LOFL

Your is weak my friend...

[Kurgan]

Great idea! When an opposing force is trying to kill you, why not annoy them with birdshot. LOL.

[mif_slim]

Why spray them with bird shots when you can actually disable/take out the enemy?

[Tanner68]

OP, are you aware of how fast such light weight projectiles as individual shot lose energy? You would have to be awfully close to the enemy, about football throwing distances. I think the enemy would be darn happy to learn you were peppering them with birdshot.

[SPUTTER]

Nah, didn't a guy on here get shot point blank in the back of the head and only suffered a scratch?

[TheExiled]

Cut slugs are the best use for birdshot

[ClarenceBoddicker]

Google: Vietnam SEAL "Patches" Watson's cut down Ithica 37 "sweetheart" with the duck bill shot 4 to 1 ratio choke spreader that was made in China Lake. It was designed to use #4 or #6 (can't remember which) bird shot. It worked very effectively.

You can take any plastic hull shot gun shell & cut it almost fully around the base just above the metal base. When fired it will act like a slug.

[renardsubtil]

I don't know how reliable this excerpt from Wiki is but it states in WW1 the Winchester 1897 was used to deflect 'nades.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winchester_Model_1897

[John Browning]

I've been hit by birdshot at ~150 yards when duck hunting. It bounces of light clothes like it was a handful of pebbles tossed by a five year old. There is no energy there.

[PoofNoEyebrows]

I'll stick with grazing fire and good 'ol 7.62 x 51

[TAK]

You have clearly never been in combat, or even understand combat besides call of duty.

Birdshot can make it to maybe 100/150 yards before it would be nothing more than the equivalent of a a pebble being thrown up in the wind.

At 100/150 yards you aren't trying to suppress or distract the enemy. You are throwing grenades and emptying mags. The thought of doing anything but killing them at that close or a range would be suicide.

[gundad]

You have clearly never been in combat, or even understand combat besides call of duty.

Birdshot can make it to maybe 100/150 yards before it would be nothing more than the equivalent of a a pebble being thrown up in the wind.

At 100/150 yards you aren't trying to suppress or distract the enemy. You are throwing grenades and emptying mags. The thought of doing anything but killing them at that close or a range would be suicide.

I dont know the first thing about combat so this could be dumb question. But 150 yards seems like a long ways to throw a grenade?

[smle-man]

50 ft is a long way to throw a grenade.

The only military use for birdshot that I encountered was:

1. guard duty in congested areas
2. AF survival kit
3. Rod and Gun club trap range

I sure wouldn't want to make anyone more irritated with me in combat by shooting birdshot at them. I'm thinking they are already pretty annoyed as it is.