12 Gauge Self-Defense Ammunition

[Steven Mace]

Of the major manufacturers of 12 gauge ammunition, who offers the most effective self-defense round? And what shot size would you choose? Let me hear your opinions & experiences.

Steve Mace

[uzimon]

hornady tap-cause its the newest, so its gotta be best, right?

[BL33D 4 M3]

+1
Yup

[northernleitz]

Federal Premium Sabot Slug, Hydra-shok HP Maximum. Don't have any experience shooting folks with it, but all the critters I have shot with it have been DRT.

It costs a little more, but I'm worth it.

[Rew]

Sorry I missed this Steve. In truth it makes not a difference in the world. Either 4 buck or 00 buck is about the same with all of them. Which ever is on sale. Slugs are not self defense ammo, it's a SHOTgun not a smooth bore rifle. For inside, I'd say any of the No. 4 shot hunting loads, no need for magnums. I have just a little bit of experience with shotguns in a combat environment. That was a little different than home defense, we were attacking as much as defending. Even then slugs would have been of no use. I use my loads, light recoil, but deadly to 30 meters or so. ;)

[Buster Charlie]

I love folks who just have to have 3" magnum rounds for home defense. The 3" shells where design for steel shot which needs more velocity. I'm pretty damn sure in a home defense situation 12 guage anything is gonna kill em dead. i'd rather not deal with the extra recoil, the one way to make sure you dont kill them, is miss!

[cowdawg]

4 aught buck for my rounds, don't really matter which brand to me.

[Zoff12]

I'll go with Rew on this. Whatever's on sale in #4. 00 is second on my list.

[TakeFive]

I have Federal #4 - 2 3/4". The box is marked Tactical Load, but I've never had to use it and therefore don't know its effectiveness.

[herrulrich]

the cheapest OO buck i can find.

[stevelyn]

Federal Low Recoil. It seems to hold the tightest patterns.

[ubersoldate]

Winchestor 4 00 buck...
Just cuz I bought 5-6 boxes...

[HDR]

I prefer 2 3/4 #4 buck and cylinder bore.

[beavermeadowboys]

i just got some federal slugs. 000 and 00 on sale. 2 buck for five rounds! but i know the worst place to buy 12 ga, K-mart. I went there the other day and I couldn't believe their poor selection and outrageous prices. im sticking with walmart and gun stores.

Sorry I missed this Steve. In truth it makes not a difference in the world. Either 4 buck or 00 buck is about the same with all of them. Which ever is on sale. Slugs are not self defense ammo, it's a SHOTgun not a smooth bore rifle. For inside, I'd say any of the No. 4 shot hunting loads, no need for magnums. I have just a little bit of experience with shotguns in a combat environment. That was a little different than home defense, we were attacking as much as defending. Even then slugs would have been of no use. I use my loads, light recoil, but deadly to 30 meters or so. ;)
seems like a slug in non-rifled bore would tumble and that accuracy wouldn't be an issue that inside distances. just go to the box o' truth (can't post links yet) and look what a 12 ga slug can do to bullet resistance glass and other objects.

[RIGHTWINGJOE]

I'm kind of like a broken record on this issue: A 12 ga. mod is by far my choice for home defense. IMO 2-3/4 #6 or 8 shot is maximum needed for home defense. Brand doesn't apply for me. IF the need to defend my family ever arises I really don't want ammo that is ripping through walls at deadly velocity. Should an armed assailant ever enter the home, the shittiest dirt cheap loads are A-OK in my book. Pretty sure no one is going to walk away from a 12 ga. hit inside of 10-50 ft regardless of ammo selection.
Bird hunting is a whole different story, then I get picky.

[mil-collector]

i mix it up a bit in the tube. first shot is No.8-shot, next three are 00-buck, last round out is a slug. if a burgular lives through the first "neighbor friendly" shot, it just gets uglier from there.

[l921428x]

#8, 00, 00, #8, sabot is the way mine is loaded. i pretty much think all 12 ga.
is the same. but i lean toward federal.

[Meat-Hook]

"the cheapest OO buck i can find."

no flame intended strictly thinking out loud. Ive seen this term a milllion times over across the Net. "The cheapest". The cheapest gun. The cheapest ammo. No matter what the caliber:

-pistol

-rifle

-Shotgun

If it comes to deer hunting, varmint shooting, ect. Then fine. The cheapest may suffice.

When it comes to TEOTWAWKI, SHTF, ...or more than likely, self defence against some predator when seconds feel like hours. Then I only want the best that money can buy.

Not to suggest that high prices=high quality . Because many times they dont. Simply to say buy the best ((quality)) if your banking your life on it ((no matter what the price)). Pay it. How much is your life worth as they say?

Im not there yet, but Im slowly transitioning to firing only 100% defence rounds in my designated defence firearms. All my other plinking/target/practice firearms can eat the cheap stuff.

But for home defence, MBR, Im erring towards what Im actually going to use if the chips are down. The firearm acts/reacts different from the cheaper plinking/range rounds as oppossed to the expensive defence rounds. So why imprint that mental image in your minds???? The hotter defence rounds may kick the gun different. Their point of impact on your dangerous game/predator,..danger-to-society target, ((Zero)) may be different. So why waste all this time with your premier "Life-or-Death" firearm using "cheap(er)
ammo?.

"What you do in practise you will do in combat".

So they say.

I think back to the California Highway Patrol shooting called the "Newhall" incident?

Anyway, after all their officers were killed, they discovered that some/most saved up their expended brass after shooting at their killers. They took the time to put the empty shells in their pockets. It cost them their lives.

During a firefight. Fighting for their very lives before their killers killed them in cold blood. Why did they do such a crazy thing?? Answer: because thats what they were trained to do on the police range.

Under life or death circumstances, high stress, the brain searches for an answer in order to survive. if it cant think thru the "fog of combat" as they say,..it will revert back to its last "combat training". Whatever that may be.

In the Newhall case their brains told them like robots to "Police up the brass" as they were trained to do. The last time they heard vollys of gunfire was training at the range. Only this time it was real, and they were shooting back. Their brains wernt sure what to do, so they reverted back to training. So they did. And they died.

I dont want to be "startled" by higher kicking rounds/muzzle flashes that Im not used to, nor do I wany a different point of impact when it comes to those firearms that I have chosen to bet my life on. Be consistant.

If your budget allows you finacially to afford this. Do it. If not then thats Okay. You can only do what your budget allows. It would be great if we were all millionaires/Billionaires. But were not. So we can only do what meager finances allows us. Some practise is better than no practise at all.

Bite the bullet ((finacially)) and be consistant. Stay alive.

I just took possession of a brand new Benneli M-4 shotgun. So nothing but the best will roll thru her. Why? I bet my life on it.