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For the last few weeks I have been testing some of those mall ninja type shotgun loads you can purchase online. After three tests I've finally found one that is quite devastating. What are your thoughts on this exotic ammunition? Were you surprised by the results? Would you ever consider carrying this type of load in your home defense shotgun?
Video
Background
The 12 Gauge Terminator Slug features a small group of birdshot followed by a hollowed out lead slug. The packaging makes ridiculous claims like "this round's lethality almost can't be advertised" and claims it will create a softball sized permanent cavity.
Results
I was pleasantly surprised when the shell did exactly that. We tested it using the Remington 870 and fired the ammo from ten feet. All of our tests are conducted using a synthetic ballistic gelatin from clearballistics.com.
The permanent cavitation left by the shell was actually impressive. The first four inches of the gelatin were basically destroyed by the round. The mix of shot and slug created a gaping permanent cavity roughly four inches wide. This diameter of cavitation lasted until the birdshot stopped penetrating at roughly the four inch mark. After this the slug continued out the back of the sixteen inch gelatin. It left a nasty cavity that ranged from a half inch to three quarters of an inch in diameter.
The shell dumped a respectable amount of its kentic energy into the block as it created a temporary cavity of roughly nine inches. This can been seen in the slow motion footage.
Conclusion
The Terminator was quite surprising. I expected to see more over-advertised nonsense but it looks to be a viable defensive round. The ammo is quite expensive at $5 a shell, but this wouldn't pose an issue if used only for defense. If you do consider this ammunition please keep the description in mind. Legal ramifications can't be good for a round that claims to be extremely lethal.
Video
Background
The 12 Gauge Terminator Slug features a small group of birdshot followed by a hollowed out lead slug. The packaging makes ridiculous claims like "this round's lethality almost can't be advertised" and claims it will create a softball sized permanent cavity.
Results
I was pleasantly surprised when the shell did exactly that. We tested it using the Remington 870 and fired the ammo from ten feet. All of our tests are conducted using a synthetic ballistic gelatin from clearballistics.com.
The permanent cavitation left by the shell was actually impressive. The first four inches of the gelatin were basically destroyed by the round. The mix of shot and slug created a gaping permanent cavity roughly four inches wide. This diameter of cavitation lasted until the birdshot stopped penetrating at roughly the four inch mark. After this the slug continued out the back of the sixteen inch gelatin. It left a nasty cavity that ranged from a half inch to three quarters of an inch in diameter.
The shell dumped a respectable amount of its kentic energy into the block as it created a temporary cavity of roughly nine inches. This can been seen in the slow motion footage.
Conclusion
The Terminator was quite surprising. I expected to see more over-advertised nonsense but it looks to be a viable defensive round. The ammo is quite expensive at $5 a shell, but this wouldn't pose an issue if used only for defense. If you do consider this ammunition please keep the description in mind. Legal ramifications can't be good for a round that claims to be extremely lethal.
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