Better home defense shotgun ammo?

[cpatbay]

So what're the better shotgun ammo for home defense that are effective in stopping power but limits collateral damages/legal exposure? The Rubber Buckshots? The Rubber Projectile? Or just the plain old steel/lead balls?

[Richard Erichsen]

So what're the better shotgun ammo for home defense that are effective in stopping power but limits collateral damages/legal exposure? The Rubber Buckshots? The Rubber Projectile? Or just the plain old steel/lead balls?

Rubber buckshot, rubber ball shot, rubber slugs are for massed riot police use and are not reliable at stopping a threat one on one at short range. Avoid them, as with all exotics (as well as pepper spray shells, tear gas, dragon breath flame thrower rounds, flares, etc.).

Avoid steel shot, which is for bird hunting due to laws banning lead for hunting water birds. Steel is less effective, does not deform and may be more prone to over-penetrate, with fewer options in shot size.

The most effective single shot stops according to law enforcement statistics is #1, #4 and 00 buckshot. Empirical testing by a gentleman from Texas that the buckshot above penetrates fewer walls than pistol rounds on average.

Learn ya'self up over yonder at the The Box Of Truth: http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot3.htm

R

[WDE91]

you want the person to stop not say ouch

find a buckshot load you are happy with and use that
I personally like 00 9 pellet reduced recoil in 12ga

[EmmaGoldman]

Rubber projectiles can bounce indoors. SCARY!

[Turo]

Best 12ga round: 9 or 12 pellet 00 buckshot.
Best 20ga round (what I use): #4 buckshot.

Rubber buckshot is for making groups of people turn around. Lead buckshot is for making people stop their attack. Choose the right tool for the job.

[ireload]

At very close range, the rubber buckshot or slugs can still impart a blunt trauma on a individual. When I mean close range, your average room size. Even the bean bag that is used by LE, my LE buddy and I shot a 5 gallon plastic bucket a couple of times with his bean bags and it penetrated the front side of the bucket a 15 ft. range and made a decent size dent on the back side. I believe 25ft. is the minimum distance to discharge a bean bag from what he told me. He did not comment to me about the rubber buckshots or slugs though. But going back to topic, I would refrain from using rubber projectiles and stick with lead.

I have #4 birdshot, #4 buck, 00 buck low recoil, and 1 oz. low recoil slug sporting my shotgun. The #4 birshot and #4 buck is adequate enough for room application. The 00 buck and slug are just in case the BG takes cover behind a vehicle or thick clothing.

Steel shot would over penetrate indoor and possibility of richocet is there. Soft lead on the other hand would deform. Now with hardened lead (alloyed lead) or plated would penetrate a bit more than soft lead.

Pattern your shotgun at 5ft, 10ft, 15ft, 20ft, and 25ft. to see how much spread it would be for a particular load you have choosen at least you will have an idea the point of impact.

[Eljay]

Usually the less lethal stuff is labeled that it can kill within 20 feet. 25 feet adds a little safety margin. Inside a house it seems unlikely you'll have the luxury of that much distance. And if you're going to shoot them with something lethal, it may as be something that will really stop them. Seems like mostly the rounds marketed to police are 00 buckshot and slugs and that's probably for a reason...

[edgerly779]

When I owned the shooting range our instructors used to promote for all around man/ women 20 gauge skeet barrel with 20 gauge #7 1/2 7/8 ounce loads. Low recoil and is deadly inside of 30 feet won't go thru 4 walls and kill the neighbors and makes an instant marksperson out of a blind person shooting in a hallway. Recoil not a problem with a female shooter.

[cgates]

an idea I have pondered quite a bit.

things to consider:
a rubber bullet can be lethal at close range (in this instance close range is in your average sized bedroom) especially if you manage to load your own and load it a little hot
you shoot someone in CA, you are going to court. The scumbag will be made into the poor "victim" especially if he/she was not armed.
a "non-lethal" round probably wont go through a wall or window and kill someone accidentally.

yeah, I know, the other thought is to put as much lead into the guy as fast as you can, and thats a fine thought as long as one has prepared substantially for what comes afterwards

I know guys that load buck and or slugs and also guys that will load rubber bullets in their guns. The ones that load rubber only load if for the first shot. The subsequent loads are lead buckshot or slugs. The idea of the first shot being rubber is that the first shot goes off fast with little assessment. (that in its self can be an argument as we are always taught to assess your target and whats behind it before taking a shot) That buys time to further assess the situation and whether or not a lead shot is needed. Recoil is low for the rubber, so a follow up lead slug is easy to get off accurately.

I'm not saying I advocate either, just that there are many ways to justify either choice. Great thing about having a shotgun is that those options are there and you can choose what you want to load based on your own research, comfort level, etc

[Subotai]

A cork studded with about six nails. Press into the barrel until it stops.