#4 shot for Home defense

[Bigchilli]

How will #4 shot do against a home intruder? I mistakenly picked up #4 shot instead of #4 buck for my home defense shotgun.

 

[calicojack]

I would go with the #4 buck. Not sure how well #4 shot would do.

 

[308Scout]

How will #4 shot do against a home intruder? I mistakenly picked up #4 shot instead of #4 buck for my home defense shotgun.

It'd do much better on a turkey. I wouldn't rely on birdshot for a defensive scenario.

 

[smokey]

It'll certainly ruin their day. For home defense, get home defense stuff. #4 buck at minimum.

 

[Brickman301]

Birdshot is for birds. Use buckshot for defense

 

[Bullfrog]

#4 shot is .13" diameter vs #4 buckshot at .24", and a significant difference in mass.

Ammo.com recommends #4 buck for deer, coyote, or home defense.

It recommends #4 shot for turkey, pheasant, and geese. I think I would find something else.

#4 Buckshot Ammo at Ammo.com: #4 Buckshot Explained

Cheap #4 buck ammo for sale at wholesale prices. Buy your #4 buck ammunition in bulk here at Ammo.com. Live inventory + same day shipping!

ammo.com

#4 Lead Shot Ammo at Ammo.com: #4 Lead Shot Explained

Cheap #4 lead shot ammo for sale at wholesale prices. Buy your #4 lead shot ammunition in bulk here at Ammo.com. Live inventory + same day shipping!

ammo.com

 

[Boondock Saint]

Birdshot is for birds. Use buckshot for defense

Yes.

Birdshot is for birds. Buckshot is for bad guys.

 

[pbharvey]

I’ve shot ducks 3x with #4 and it didn’t kill them right away. Use that box to practice with your gun and buy some #4 buck if you can find it.

 

[Kman]

I'll be that guy.
#4 is coarse pepper and low brass and not as hot, but at 20 feet or less I bet it's 1 mass and deadly as hell.

 

[smokey]

I'll be that guy.
#4 is coarse pepper and low brass and not as hot, but at 20 feet or less I bet it's 1 mass and deadly as hell.

I mean... it'll f^ck a person up at close distances... but not as well as 1buck or 00. It's also sometimes a good thing to have a projectile(or cloud of projectiles) that CAN penetrate a barrier and still be lethal on the other side. It may be nice to be able to shoot the home intruder through a wall they duck behind or through a couch they duck behind. I've got a handgun for quick access, then 300blk pistol for the primary HD gun... but the shotgun is loaded with federal 00 and a couple segmented slugs riding on the side.

 

[Park ranger]

Could always make "cut shells".

 

[gwchem]

Shoot it at birds or targets, then go buy some 00 buckshot

 

[teratos]

Shoot it at birds or targets, then go buy some 00 buckshot

Or an AR in 5.56 to reduce the risk of over penetration.

 

[outrider58]

Ruh Roh!

Not another birdshot/self defense thread!

 

[Worsley]

How will #4 shot do against a home intruder? I mistakenly picked up #4 shot instead of #4 buck for my home defense shotgun.

Dead or not, there isn’t a soul on the planet alive today who would get up from a #4 shot to the face.

 

[wpage]

Any thing is better than nothing. Buckshot is great #4 will really work...

 

[temccoy]

Hello - To try to put this discussion in perspective, 00 Buck is .32 caliber, and each pellet is about the same weight as the bullet from a .32 ACP. While nobody wants to get shot with a .32 ACP, it is not considered a particularly powerful cartridge. Penetration is the key, which is a function of the weight of the projectile. I only use 00 buck for home defense, hoping that the pellets will provide sufficient penetration, and the multiple projectiles will make up for the relatively small size of each individual pellet. I would not recommend bird shot, the pellets simply do not have the mass to provide much penetration.

Hope this helps,

 

[TheOriginalMexicanBob]

There's always the British "Malaya Load" used to combat Malayan communists during the insurrection there many years ago. While I don't have the exact recipe...it's essentially #4 Buck mixed with #6 birdshot. They used it to great effect in jungle combat.

I've no idea whether there's any commercially loaded version of it or if it has to be a home brew.

 

[Doco Overboard]

Ruh Roh!

Not another birdshot/self defense thread!

Too bad #2's dont show up too much anymore.
Bet there was some over to Easton today for the hard-core trench gunners.

 

[Bullfrog]

There's always the British "Malaya Load" used to combat Malayan communists during the insurrection there many years ago. While I don't have the exact recipe...it's essentially #4 Buck mixed with #6 birdshot. They used it to great effect in jungle combat.

I've no idea whether there's any commercially loaded version of it or if it has to be a home brew.

"Buck and ball" was a common civil war load too.


Winchester sells mixed PDX Defense loads like that. They have .410 with either 3 or 4 copper disks + shot, and 12g which has a rifled slug + 3 buck shot.