#4 shot for Home defense

[Bigchilli]

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

I also thought of that, thanks

 

[remrug]

In a home defense situation,you dont want to just put pellets in the target. You want to end all hostilities RIGHT NOW. Paralyze, kill or injure so bad they give up. #4 birdshot will not do these things consistently. Better than nothing?....of course. Better options?....You betcha

 

[Jerry M]

Could always make "cut shells".

Have you done this with plastic cased shotgun shells? I suspect the chamber pressure raises dramatically.

 

[slsc98]

…Use that box to practice with your gun …

Makin‘ lemonade out of lemons!

 

[Alan3413]

You are all overthinking this.

5.56 out of an AR. It's as easy as that.

 

[smokey]

"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.

View attachment 386802

I never got the point of those. You get the overpenetration of the slug AND way more spread with the shot than a regular buck load. It's like the worst of both worlds. Their segmented slugs are pretty badass though. For shot, I like federal and hornady because they both use the flitecontrol wad and pattern tight out pretty far.

 

[alucard0822]

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.

Basically OG buffered shot, the small pellets improved patterning and kept the buck from deforming as the shot column was compressed. Problem is the small shot didn't do anything on target and slowed the buck velocity, most others used ground corn or something else, modern buck often uses small grains of plastic for the same purpose.

For the OP, there is a LOT of misinformation or anecdotal bufoonery with shotgun defense. From Billy the kid's "Best $1.80 I ever spent" after allegedly killing someone with a shot load of dimes, to some relatively knowledgeable folks suggesting birdshot for home defense. Simple truth is ANYTHING at high velocity will hurt, but not all loads can sufficiently penetrate to forcibly incapacitate a threat. #4 birdshot comes up around 4-6" of penetration in calibrated gel, #4 buck is capable of penetrating about twice as deep. Thing is this is MAXIMUM penetration, being the shot just deforms a little but doesn't really expand, so any barrier or clothing will reduce that.

The reason the FBI came up with 12-18" penetration as standard is that it is comparable, and can reach organs or the CNS to offer more likely incapacitation. A load that doesn't meet that penetration can still incapacitate from some angles, but is far less likely to, especially in a COM shot. Basically #4 birdshot is unlikely to forcibly incapacitate someone, #4 buck almost or barely meets minimum penetration, larger buck can penetrate sufficiently even with a thin barrier or clothing.

 

[U.S.SFC_RET]

I would get your hands on some good #4 buckshot and take that gun to a range getting very familiar with it. Stay with #4 buckshot because you cannot go wrong with it.
A good rule of thumb on the spread is a 1" spread to every three feet of travel. That in a nutshell is a rough guide to go on.

 

[outrider58]

You are all overthinking this.

5.56 out of an AR. It's as easy as that.

No one's over thinking this! Nooooooooo!

 

[Oddway Otts]

Ruh Roh!

Not another birdshot/self defense thread!