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Birdshot ammo for HD?

Fwjoe817

Copper BB
I heard you could use birdshot for home defense, so I was wondering does bird shot go though walls. And what's the best birdshot ammo you guys recommend
 
Re: Birdshot anmo for HD?

Fwjoe817 said:
I heard you could use birdshot for home defense, so I was wondering does bird shot go though walls. And what's the best birdshot ammo you guys recommend

i would do a little reading before you decide.

viewtopic.php?f=37&t=5466

and then when you do decide,,,practice,practice,practice.
 
Re: Birdshot anmo for HD?

Depends on the wall. I wouldn't recommend it unless very close range - 10 ft or less. It has very low penetration ability. Minimum would be #4 buckshot imho. There's several tests about this subject on Box 'o Truth: http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/theboxotruth.htm

A quote from one article at the above link:

Birdshot as a Defense Load
I have had a lot of questions, summed up as follows: How effective is birdshot (#4, #6, #8, etc.) as a defense load?

We have done tests with various birdshot loads. Birdshot penetrated through two pieces of drywall (representing one wall) and was stopped in the paper on the front of the second wall. The problem with birdshot is that it does not penetrate enough to be effective as a defense round. Birdshot is designed to bring down little birds.

A policeman told of seeing a guy shot at close range with a load of 12 gauge birdshot, and was not even knocked down. He was still walking around when the EMTs got there. It was an ugly, shallow wound, but did not STOP the guy. And that is what we want... to STOP the bad guy from whatever he is doing. To do this, you must have a load that will reach the vitals of the bad guy. Birdshot will not do this.

In fact, tests have shown that even #4 Buckshot lacks the necessary penetration to reach the vital organs. Only 0 Buck, 00 Buck, and 000 Buck penetrate enough to reach the vital organs.

Unless you expect to be attacked by little birds, do not use birdshot. Use 00 Buck. It will do the job.

But doesn't 00 Buck penetrate too much in interior walls to be a "safe" load in a home?
Yes, it does penetrate a lot. But any load that is going to be effective will need to penetrate walls to have enough power to penetrate bad guys. If our only concern was to be sure we didn't penetrate walls, we would use BB guns. However, BB guns will not stop bad guys.

Therefore, we must use loads that will STOP bad guys, and this means that they will also penetrate walls. So, be sure you hit the bad guy and do not shoot into walls where loved ones are on the other side.
 
The best birdshot ammo I recommend is best used on birds. If its all you have, then by all means keep it on hand until you can get your hands on some buckshot.

I recommend 00 buck simply because of the loads available, though Federal has produced a FliteControl load in #1 buck as I understand. I really like, and trust as a home defense load, 00 buck either Federal FliteControl or Hornady VersaTite. Not that other buckshot loads won't work as intended at HD ranges, but my prefered loads I know pattern well and put every pellet on target and at most in a closed fist sized group even at some distance.

Think of it this way;
If birdshot was a legit anti-personel round, law enforcement agencies around the world would be usin it.

I understand the concern of over penetration, I really do, I have three children in the house. But birdshot is a gamble at best, but it doesn't meet the minimum requirements in bare gelatin to be considered effective. It looks impressive against watermelons and milk jugs but while it won't necessarily over penetrate drywall neither will it reliably penetrate deeply enough into a potential threat.

Again, I'm not sayin not to use it if its what you've got but try to get to your hands on somethin heavier. Whatever you decide on, just as has been said, practice practice practice and try to practice under stress. If need be, find an instructor with the means to push you and if possible something geared towards HD.

Birdshot is good for target shooting and practice so its still worth havin on hand! ;)
 
Rossignol nailed it right on the head! Couldn't have said it better!

I have some skeet loads and those would be an absolute last ditch effort shell for HD/SD. I know that the only 00 Buck available is pretty much that overly expensive Remington "HD Specific" stuff... but if you can get your hands on a case/box of that I would go for it. Maybe try a smaller 5 or 25 round box to see how it performs first
 
Could not agree more with the above posts.

Also consider that you are responsible for EVERY projectile that leaves your weapon. Your typical BB birdshot load will have approximately 50 projectiles per ounce of shot. A #5 birdshot will have approximately 170 projectiles per ounce, a #8 will have approximately 410 projectiles per ounce, etc. Considering the sheer volume of pellets in these birdshot loads the odds of being able to safely account for every projectile are severely stacked against you...
 
This has been covered a lot.

Yes, birdshot will penetrate walls, and yes birdshot has killed people before.

But if you're protecting yourself and your family, there are much better choices for HD ammo out there for that and I feel you owe it to your family to defend them the best you can.

We determined in another thread the average HD distance to be within 35 feet. And within 35 feet, none of them are going to have a very wide spread/pattern.

So if you don't think you'll be able to hit them with buckshot or slugs, birdshot is not going to be any more accurate for you either.

This may or may not have answered your question, but for me, birdshot is a last resort.
 
Something else to consider is also #4 Buck shot. A little less recoil, some more projectiles (good or bad dependent on how you look at it) and cheaper then some 00 Buck. Just food for thought
 
Re: Birdshot anmo for HD?

GunnyGene said:
I wouldn't recommend it unless very close range - 10 ft or less.
And at that range you might as well snatch ‘em up by the neck and give them a big hug lol
 
Re: Birdshot anmo for HD?

oli700 said:
GunnyGene said:
I wouldn't recommend it unless very close range - 10 ft or less.
And at that range you might as well snatch ‘em up by the neck and give them a big hug lol

I'd have to agree......I don't think I would trust birdshot outside of what would be considered bayonet/butt-strike range. :)
 
I just don't think I could load birdshot as home defense. I can't see loading something that might work vs. something that will work to stop a deadly threat. Just an opinion, there are many. Take care. Tom Worthington.
 
Fwjoe817 said:
I heard you could use birdshot for home defense, so I was wondering does bird shot go though walls. And what's the best birdshot ammo you guys recommend

If your going to use birdshot then get steel shot instead of lead shot. Yes you can use birdshot for home defense, you can also use a pair of scissors, a baseball bat, or even a frying pan. While there may be better types of ammo to use for home defense there are also different consequences for the missed shots to deal with later (larger shot will travel and penetrate much farther) when you talk to your neighbor and explain why some of your 00B ended up in his kids bedroom.

If all I had was birdshot I would absolutely use it for HD. So maybe it will not "penetrate" and reach vital organs, however birdshot to the face is going to make the badguy want to leave you alone very quicky. Torso shots need to penetrate jackets, clothing, body armour etc therefore 00B is typically always called for. Not too many bad guys wear anything on their face to slow down birdshot.

As far as the birdshot and walls question; it is going to depend on many factors.... 12 or 20 gage, 2-3/4 or 3 or 3.5" shells, full choke or cylinder bore, distance your shooting at, etc. So the easy answer is birdshot "can" go thru a sheetrock wall but not cinderblock, timber, or steel wall.
 
,,,,3 armed bad guys kicking in my front door,,,,,i'll be damned if i'm gonna tickle them with bird shot.
#00 buck or #4 is what you want. as far as going through walls,,,,practice,practice,practice and know your surroundings.
,,,,,birdshot = bad guy saying,,,,,



just my opinion
 

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Fwjoe817 said:
I heard you could use birdshot for home defense, so I was wondering does bird shot go though walls. And what's the best birdshot ammo you guys recommend

I would suggest the following loads:

Federal LE132 15 pellet #1 buckshot.
Federal LE132 9 pellet 00 buckshot.
Federal low recoil non-fliteconrol 9 pellet 00 buckshot.
Federal LE133 8 pellet 00 buckshot.

I prefer low recoil loads for faster follow up shots and all the LE loads have flitecontrol. If you cannot find that the Federal full power non-flitecontrol 9 pellet 00 buckshot.

I do have LimbSaver recoil pads on most of my shotguns so shooting full power buckshot loads isn't really a problem anymore.

Worst case I have few boxes of Federal 27 pellet #4 buckshot which is still better than birdshot.
 
00 buck and if you are in concealment I have a few slugs to chase you on my side saddle.

You come in looking to harm my family you get me. And hell is coming with me.
 
Water Monkey said:
00 buck and if you are in concealment I have a few slugs to chase you on my side saddle.

You come in looking to harm my family you get me. And hell is coming with me.
 

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Since most criminals will not stand still to let me shoot them and they are most likely on drugs (robbing to get more money for drugs), I want my shot to count so it is 00 for me.

Sent from my LG-E970 using Tapatalk 2
 
Water Monkey said:
You come in looking to harm my family you get me. And hell is coming with me.

This statement is MikeD approved!! :grin:


Sent from my Mossberg 930 using Tapatalk2
 
At what distance does birdshot loose its penetrating power?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EA250yz2DR4

Would B, BB or BBB pellets be sufficient at HD distances of less than 20 feet, yet present less of a danger to my neighbors?

I just stood on the front porch with my construction laser and measured 84 feet from my door to the neighbor across the streets bedroom window. It is only 22 feet from my side living room window to the bedroom window of the house next door.
 
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