re: Home Defense Shotgun Ammo

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I go with 00.

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Ditto. 6 Rounds of 3" Magnum 00 buck in mine.
No need in pussyfooting around...

Thanks guys.

Bottom line is 7.5 shot isn't going to cut it...

True. Best bet though is to pattern your gun at 20-30 feet and see which one you like better.

Mine made the biggest ugliest fist size pattern at that distance with 00 Remington 3" mag, so that's what I settled on years ago.

As long as it is Buckshot, it ain't gonna be pretty at home defense distances no matter what you choose.

If you have family members that live in the house, they would be in great danger if you used anything other then #6 or #7.5 shot.If you think this is a bad choice, shoot a watermelon with it at 15ft and you will change your mind.

Buck shot is bad arse BUT High Brass #4 will tear some shite up close range.

I use #2 buck in 20ga for home defense. For the 12ga I love #1Buck

I keep 2 3/4 #7 in my 20ga, but I mainly use that for varmints around the house. The 12 has got some turkey loads in it right now. Buddy told me about some thunder chickens down Blunt Mill Rd.

That's the thing though... I patterned #4 and 00 at anywhere from seven feet to about 25 and it's a matter of inches what the difference is, but those inches are a pretty significant increase in whether you hit or miss. It can double or triple the chance of connecting. And the saturation difference is just huge. You can get a good pattern with 00 and miss vitals between the holes.

But I'm shooting with an open bore 18 1/4 inch barrel so the pattern is almost full torso. It would destroy someone instantly and I would cut my own leg off with a pocket knife before I'd get shot by either one. It's hard to go wrong with a 12 gauge with buckshot inside a house. Something's gonna get killed.

This site has a lot of very useful info on caliber/load selection for self defense.
LINK

Short version:
"12 Gauge

If you simply want to know the best defense load, go out and buy: 12 gauge 2 3/4" shell 00 buckshot. You shall live happily ever after, as this is the most effective man-stopping firearm cartridge yet devised by man. I recommend the Federal "Classic" (F127-00), Winchester Super-X (X12RB5) or Remington Buckshot (SP12BK-5PK00) as the best double-ought buckshot defense rounds. One of these rounds is virtually equal to a nine-round burst from a submachine gun, with every round hitting......"

Regarding use of birdshot in self defense
"Two things to keep in mind about birdshot. The first is that birdshot is as lethal as buckshot at close range. Don't believe for a second that you can just wound someone with birdshot and he'll go on to live another day. If you aren't justified in killing a man, you aren't justified in wounding him, either. Never "shoot to wound." I once again direct you to read Ayoob's 'In the Gravest Extreme' and learn the truth.

The second thing is that birdshot makes a lot of sense for home defense. I keep my home-defense 12 gauge loaded with two #4 birdshot rounds followed by 00 buck. Birdshot is much less likely to penetrate thin interior walls and kill innocent people on the other side, and has lower recoil than buckshot for faster follow-up shots (I live in a thin-walled apartment house, however - if I lived in a solid house with a lot of land around, I would definitely choose buckshot instead). The stopping power of birdshot should not be under-estimated: at ranges out to thirty feet or so, birdshot is virtually a solid column of lead. Choose any #4 or BB high brass lead hunting load. I like the Federal "Classic Lead Hi-Brass" #4 birdshot (HI26-4) and Winchester "Super-X" #4 high brass birdshot (X12-4), but there is little difference between the various choices. Buy whichever you please. If you're a bird hunter, use your favorite hunting shells as long as they are #6 or larger."