NateTheShake
11B
I am failing to understand the idea behind seeking a wider spread with a shotgun in terms of self defense... For shooting birds or clays I can understand wanting to be able to increase spread to increase the chance of a hit as the target is very small and moving quickly, but that's a totally different situation.
In terms of self defense the ability to take well-aimed shots is always important. Increasing spread merely decreases the ability to fire well-aimed shots. One it decreases the chances of hitting a vital structure (namely the heart and spine) and two it increases the likelihood of having "fliers" that miss the intended target altogether.
This is a shot of Winchester Ranger 2 3/4" 9 pellete 00 buck at 15 yards:
Now mind you a 15 yard shot is definitely a long shot for inside the home, but of the nine pellets five of them are off to the sides of the target. Those might strike something like the lungs, but might not produce an immediate fight-ending wound.
Now, same 15 yard distance with a generic S&B 2 3/4" 9 pellet 00 buck load:
Even further spread with even less hits in the vital area.
15 yards with Federal Magnum 2 3/4" 30 pellet #4 buck load:
Lots of hits all over the target with about nine pellets around the vital area, but most of the pellets hit well outside of the vital area and two of them missed the target entirely (still very dangerous and going somewhere they weren't intended.)
I understand that the FliteControl seems like it's actually too tight of a pattern, but the other important thing to consider is that once the shot hits a mass it will spread within the target like so:
What starts out as a very small entrance wound expands as each individual pellet takes its own path. So a hit close to the vital area can still produce a mortal wound as each pellet acts as an individual projectile within the target.
