Gun Control & RKBA
Related: About this forum5 worst home defense shotshells
http://www.guns.com/review/2014/04/11/5-worst-home-defense-shotshells/So youve decided to use a shotgun for home defense, but youre unsure what load to use in your scattergun. Double ought buck, one ounce slug, 2 ¾ inch or 3 inch, there are so many options. While this article wont tell you which ones to use, it will show you the ones you should avoid. Here are the top 5 worst shotgun shells for home defense.
Dragons Breath: Dragons Breath shotgun shells are filled with Zirconium alloy powder pressed into pellets or flakes. When the primer is struck, the Zirconium ignites and is propelled from of the barrel, turning your shotgun into a short range flamethrower. Which is awesome, if you live in a concrete bunker. For inhabitants in more flammable domiciles, Dragons Breath is a liability nightmare. Plus, can you imagine trying to explain to a jury that you had no option but to light your attacker on fire?
Dog Poppers: Dog Poppers are blank 12 gauge rounds used to acclimate hunting animals to the loud noise of a shotgun blast, without endangering anyone. Using one of these in your home may work if your goal is to scare an intruder. You might be able to call their bluff, but thats an awfully big gamble. Especially if the attacker is armed; he may reply to your loud bang with a few of his own. Odds are, his arent blanks. If youre going to own a gun for self defense, my advice is to load it with bullets, not noisemakers.
Rubber Buckshot: The legal justification for use of deadly force is that the victim felt their life was in such great danger that it was a matter of life and death between the victim and the attacker. If a non-lethal round is used in self defense, the prosecutor may argue that the victim shot the suspect, because they wanted revenge. Additionally, people utilizing this ammo and believing it is non-lethal, might want to ditch the shotgun; even rubber projectiles can kill at short range.
Flechette Rounds: Flechette ammo is a group of tiny steel darts, backed by a wad and encased in the hull of the shotgun shell. These were originally designed to penetrate jungle foliage and negate light cover that enemies may be hiding behind. In other words, the ammo is effective at penetrating intruders and any perceived cover. Making your shotgun equally as dangerous as firing a volley of .308 at the attacker. While certainly effective at stopping the intended target, you might want to consider your proximity to neighbors and how much you are willing to spend on house repairs.
(excerpt, remainder of article at link)
#5 is confetti rounds, which I didn't even know were a thing...!
rrneck
(17,671 posts)and started getting catalogues with that kind of crap in them; shotgun shells with bolos and wotnot. I rank that stuff somewhere below fantasy swords.
This with 00 Buck.
S_B_Jackson
(906 posts)have Remington 870 pistol grip loaded with either #2 or #3 buckshot. They're less prone to over-penetration of interior walls of a home than 00.
Jenoch
(7,720 posts)With a long gun, it might make it easier for a perp to advance and grab the barrel if there is any hesitation in firing the weapon.
SQUEE
(1,315 posts)A buttstroke to the head, or a crossbridge strike to the face will definately discourage an assailant from further trying to grasp my weapon. And will have the added bonus of not being a gunshot investigation.
Jgarrick
(521 posts)The paperwork and delays, though...
Jenoch
(7,720 posts)Frankly, I'm a bit unprepared for such a scenario. All of my guns are in the safe. However, I'm in a housing development that is 14 years old and is lit up with so many house lights and street lights that I have never even heard of a break in.
There was one guy who was a serial date rapist, two blocks over, but he was a renter and is in prison with a 25 to life sentence.
ManiacJoe
(10,136 posts)> With a long gun, it might make it easier for a perp to advance and grab
> the barrel if there is any hesitation in firing the weapon.
However, hunkered down inside a saferoom/bedroom, a long gun works very well.
How many walls a round will go through is always a concern in case you miss your target....
The Green Manalishi
(1,054 posts)Heavy lathe and stucco walls. Kids in the houses on all three sides.
I have nothing of value that's worth the life of another human, but anyone armed and in my hime unvited must be considered there to do me harm.
Now solid drano... THERE'S a round for ya: last words "Ha, it's only rock salt".
ileus
(15,396 posts)DashOneBravo
(2,679 posts)I was going to say the same thing.
Dual purpose and saves $
bossy22
(3,547 posts)A prosecutor can just as easily make this same argument if you used a lethal projectile like lead/copper/steel. This argument is more dependent on circumstances than the type of ammo. I mean, a defense attorney can just as easily make the argument that you used rubber shot because you didn't want to kill anybody, just stop them- using the least amount of force necessary to protect yourself.
krispos42
(49,445 posts)I imagine it would look like a phaser set on "disintegrate". I bet the sight would set any partners-in-crime fleeing rather rapidly.
Right before it burned down your house.
Get some #1 buck... penetrate completely through an attacker, but you have a lot more pellets than with 00, and thus more wound channels.
littlewolf
(3,813 posts)Lurks Often
(5,455 posts)What works for a person living alone in a rural area, doesn't work for someone living in an apartment building or condo or someone with other people living in the dwelling.
For me buckshot penetrates too much, I ended up choosing a shot shell that Federal marketed some years ago, a low recoil self defense round filled with #2 shot