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Shotgun Home Defense Ammo-What Should You Choose?

For many reasons, shotguns are considered the ideal home defense weapon. At short range, they are extremely deadly. For home defense, this is an ideal situation. In the event that someone were to break into your home, a shotgun should be the first weapon you reach for.

However, shotgun shells can be a little confusing. What really is the best shotgun ammunition for home defense?

In this article, we will go over some of the best options, and talk about what makes them so great.

The Basics – Types of Shotgun Ammunition

Shotgun ammunition can be a little confusing. There are three different main types, and beyond that, there are sizes for each.

The primary types of shells are buckshot, birdshot, and slugs. Birdshot has more, smaller pellets. Buckshot has fewer pellets, but they are significantly larger. A slug is one solid piece of metal, and they are usually very large in size. This turns your shotgun into a crude rifle and is very effective for taking down big game.

Next up, there are numbers associate with each type. For example, there is 00 buckshot, #4 birdshot, 4 buckshot, #8 birdshot, and many more.

As the number increases, the number of pellets within the shell increases. However, this also means that the size of the pellet decreases.

So, for example, #8 birdshot has hundreds of pellets that are .09 inches in diameter. #2 birdshot has 90 pellets that are .15 inches in diameter.

#4 buckshot pellets are .24 inches in diameter, and 00 buckshot pellets are .33 inches in diameter.

Make sense so far?

So, Which of These are the Best for Home Defense?

As you can imagine, buckshot is the best for home defense. Birdshot has more pellets, but they are very small in size, and usually don’t penetrate deep enough to be effective against a human target.

Buckshot penetrates much deeper, and it has larger pellets to damage more critical tissue.

Slugs would be effective in bringing down a target, but they require much greater accuracy, and they penetrate too deep. If you were to miss your target, that slug would travel through anything in its way for quite some time. This can be dangerous in a home defense situation.

What About Specific Ammunition?

In general, 00-1 buckshot is more than effective rounds for home defense. If you aren’t interested in buying ammo specifically for home defense, any of these buckshot shells will work. In fact, the military and many police departments use simple 00 buckshot for their shotguns.

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However, there are some ammo choices available that are made specifically for home defense. Keep reading to check some of these out.

Federal Premium Personal Defense PD13200. This is a simple 00 buckshot shell. It is aimed for home defense and is loaded with 9 pellets. It offers reliable, tight shot groups, and does more than enough damage.
Federal Tactical 1 Buckshot. This is a 1 buckshot round. Similar to the previous ammo, this ammo offers reliable groups. However, this one has 15 pellets as opposed to 9.
Winchester PDX1. These rounds are more specifically for personal defense. In 12 gauge, there is a segmenting slug and one shell that has a slug and buckshot in it. The segmenting slug will break apart on impact, which damages more tissue. The slug and buckshot round spreads apart very rapidly, so you are able to cover more surface area.

Conclusion

As previously mentioned, shotguns are absolutely key to home defense. However, due to how confusing shotgun shells can be, it is difficult to choose one specific ammo for home defense.

Generally speaking, buckshot is a great choice. While there are fewer pellets, they are much larger. However, if you are looking for a shell that is specifically for home defense, there are a few out there. Winchester specifically makes a great shell for personal defense.

You can’t go wrong with most buckshot, but getting a more specific shot for home defense certainly won’t hurt. The extra cost will be worth it in the event that you need it.

5 Home Defense Tactics You Need To Know

Owning weapons is great. Owning weapons and knowing how to use them is even better.

Many people own weapons because they are afraid of their home being broken into. However, have you actually thought about what you’re going to do if that happens?

In this article, we will go over some basic home defense tactics. We will make some basic recommendations, but the best thing you can do is have some type of plan.

5 Home Defense Tactics to Learn

For this article, we will go over some general courses of action.

#1 Avoid

The first course of action is to completely avoid the intruder.

To many gun owners, this may seem strange, but your best bet is to avoid the intruder. Getting into a wild wild west shootout in your living room is not your best choice.

If the intruder does not know you are in the house, barricade yourself somewhere with a weapon, contact the police, and wait it out.

However, if you have children that are in separate bedrooms or the intruder knows that you are home, this may not be your best bet.

#2 Escape

If you and your family are able to easily run from the threat, that is another viable option. If everyone can safely and quietly get out, arm yourself, leave the home, and call the police.

However, with so many homes having bedrooms upstairs, this is likely not possible for you.

#3 Fight

So, if neither of these options work for you, you are going to have to engage the intruder. Before getting into some factors to consider, we are going to assume that your weapon is easily accessible, and preferably is stored with a round in the chamber.

Once you have armed yourself, they key things to consider are cover and speed.

#4 Cover

Cover refers to something that can protect you if you are getting shot at. True cover will stop a bullet. A wall is not cover, because a bullet can travel through a wall. As you can imagine, there are very few things within a home that truly are cover. A brick fireplace or extremely thick/heavy furniture may work.

So, with a lack of cover, there are a few things to think about for protecting yourself. If you can kneel down or engage the target from somewhere other than a normal standing profile, it will help you.

Kneeling makes your body smaller, so there is less to aim at. Shooting from a different perspective (such as from upstairs) will also help, because the intruder will have to make very fast adjustments to where they have to return fire... if they are able to.

While a wall is not cover, it will hide your body and give you a significant advantage. If you can peek out from around a wall, you will be able to get a shot off from an unusual position. The intruder will likely not be able to process getting shot at, your body being hidden behind a wall, and returning fire through a wall in rapid succession.

True cover is ideal. If you can shoot from somewhere that you can’t get shot through, you should do that. However, in a house, this is extremely unlikely.

#5 Speed

The last thing to consider about engaging an intruder is the speed at which you shoot.

Speed will save your life in this type of situation. You need to be able to rapidly engage a target that will likely be moving and potentially firing back.

When I say speed, I mean being able to rapidly acquire, engage, and re-engage the target.

Having a good sight will help, as it will help you acquire the target faster than iron sights. Familiarity with the weapon will allow you quickly turn the safety off and engage the target. Having a bright light mounted to your weapon will also help, as it may temporarily blind the target and give you a little extra time to acquire and engage.

This will come from practice. When you are at the range, practice acquiring and engaging targets faster. Doing nothing but accuracy shooting off of a shooting stand will not help you. Put yourself in some uncomfortable situations, from different positions, and acquire targets as fast as you can.

You can even do dry runs in your house. If you do this, make absolutely certain your weapon is cleared.

Other Considerations

Lastly, keep in mind where you will be shooting. Like we said before, bullets will travel through walls. Make sure you are aware of exactly where everyone in the house is before shooting at anything.

If you are shooting a shotgun with the best scope, most shot will be slowed down significantly, but slugs will definitely travel through walls.

Should I Choose Buckshot vs. Birdshot for Home Defense

If you are a shotgun owner, then you have probably considered using it for home defense. With using a shotgun for home defense you may have asked yourself, or friends, what type of shell to use. The common answer has probably been either buckshot vs. birdshot. But, which is better?

Most people when they say buckshot are referring to 00 which is nine .33 caliber balls in the shell. For birdshot, the common type to use is number 6 or 7.5. Well, this article is going to look at the advantages and disadvantages of each one and try to help you come to an answer of which one is best for home defense.

Pros And Cons of Buckshot and Birdshot

Buckshot Advantages

So buckshot is usually used for taking down larger animals, such as deer, which is where it gets its name. The rounds are bigger and do more damage. They also come out much faster and maintain their speed longer. Generally 00 buckshot comes out at 1250fps (feet per second).

This gives it plenty of penetration power and stopping power. Due to this extra power you don't have to be as close to your target to do the same amount of damage.

Another advantage to buckshot is, since it is less rounds coming out of the shell, the spread of each ball is less. This means you are more likely to hit what you are aiming at. The closer you are to the target, the less spread their will be.

Also, for a home defense shotgun you can have a custom choke made. The choke helps narrow the barrel which keeps the spread down. This can be used for any type of round you are using.

So less spread and more power are the main advantages to using buckshot.

Buckshot Disadvantages

The disadvantages to buckshot tie into the advantages. Since it comes out faster and has more penetrating power you can run into issues of over penetration. This is when the buckshot goes through the wall and into another room. This could put other bystanders in danger.

Your family that you are trying to protect might accidentally get hit with a stray round. Even worse is if the over penetration takes the round outside and you hit a neighbor.

Also, with the increased power comes more recoil. This means that if you need to fire multiple rounds it might be harder to re-aim or if you are a smaller person it might knock you back. If you get knocked back, then this could put you in harm's way and put you at a disadvantage against the intruder.

The recoil can be compensated for some with the type of shotgun you are using and the main issue with buckshot is the over penetration.

Advantages to Birdshot

So the advantages to birdshot are going to counter the disadvantages to buckshot. Birdshot pellets are much smaller and come out slower. They have decent force at closer ranges and can penetrate a person even through some clothing, but it will not go through walls.

They still have the issue of going through windows, but since they slow down slower they will not hurt someone outside as bad as buckshot would.

Also, since it comes out slower, there is a lot less recoil. This means a smaller person can fire birdshot with much more accuracy, which is important because since the pellets are smaller, you need more of them to hit the target to have stopping power.

Birdshot can also be fired faster though because you are using less time to re-aim.

Disadvantages to Birdshot

The main disadvantage to birdshot is it might not have enough stopping power to stop the intruder. If the intruder is on drugs, drunk, or out of their mind in some way, then some small damage may not phase them. This means you either need to be closer when you shoot them with the birdshot to have more penetration or hit them with more.

Also, bird shot may have a hard time of getting through thick clothing. If the intruder has a heavy coat or leather coat on, then the birdshot may not make it deep enough to cause real damage to stop the intruder.

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Which should you choose between Buckshot vs Birdshot?

So, which one should you use for home defense now that you know the advantages and disadvantages. Well, if you are a smaller person and can't handle the recoil of buckshot, then you should use birdshot because you want to make sure you hit your target.

If you live in a really busy area, then you may also want to consider using birdshot.

In most situations, though, you should probably use buckshot as long as you can be sure to hit what you are aiming at. This is because the stopping power it provides is important. You want to make sure you are able to stop the target as quickly as possible if you are trying to protect yourself and family.

Also, over penetration shouldn't be much of an issue because the intruder is probably near the door and not between you and your family. Stray rounds should not be going into rooms where your family is and neighbors houses should be far enough away that rounds should not go in. Especially if the homes are brick it will keep the rounds from going to far.

There is a reason the police use 00 buckshot in their shotguns. It is because it works to stop the person needing stopped and the reward for using it out weights the risk of it being used.

The last thing you want is to shoot the intruder and not stop them so for home defense in most situations 00 buckshot is the way to go.

Can I Carry A Gun In My Car? The Laws You Need To Know!

Wondering whether or not you are able to carry a gun in your car? Be sure to read below for any important information.

Unfortunately, there isn’t one singular answer for this question. In the United States, gun laws more or less vary from state to state. Similarly, laws involving carrying a weapon in your car also vary between states.

It is extremely important to remind you to check the laws for your state.

Between the time this article was written and the time that you read it, it is entirely possible that the laws have changed.

Be sure to keep up on your state’s gun laws before inadvertently breaking the law!

So how do you check your state's law? Check this link: Gun Laws By State

Four Key Factors To Care

Generally speaking, there are four key factors that go into most states’ laws regarding guns in vehicles: concealed vs open and loaded vs unloaded.

The primary reason for this is that there is a huge difference between carrying a gun in your vehicle for hunting and carrying one for self defense.

Another reason to check your state’s specific laws is that each state defines concealed differently. In some states, anything within arm’s reach is considered concealed. Other states may define concealed differently.

Additionally, some states require that the gun be broken down or stored in its own compartment. In some states, this compartment must be locked, while in others, it doesn’t have to be.

Some States Don’t Require a Concealed Carry License

In some states, you don’t need a concealed carry permit to carry a weapon in your car, whether it is concealed or open, loaded or unloaded.

While this is not an all inclusive list, some of these states are: Alaska, Arizona, Florida, Kansas, and Texas.

Some States Do Require a Concealed Carry License… And More

Many states allow for legal concealed carrying of a weapon in a vehicle as long as you have a concealed carry permit. However, some states require even further permitting in order to legally carry your gun in your car.

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Conclusion

Unfortunately, there isn’t one simple answer to this question. As is often the case with gun laws, they are extremely different from state to state. This makes it hard to provide one answer.

Your best bet is going to be checking your state’s laws. At the end of the day, each state defines concealed slightly differently, especially when it comes to inside a vehicle. States may also have different requirements for storage, or may define loaded differently.

In state allow you carry a gun, you should have best gun safe for the money to make sure it will be keep safe.

Checking your specific state’s laws will give you a clear understanding of what you can and cannot do. Besides, no matter what you read on the internet, you are the one that is ultimately responsible for making sure you are operating within your state’s legal bounds.

Ruger SP101 vs GP100: Which is Better for Personal Protection?

Which pistol to carry for defense purposes is an important question. Over the years, I’ve switched between a number of different guns for carry purposes and to use at the range.

Two of them have stood out above the others as the most appropriate for general carry – the Ruger sp101 vs gp100.

sp101 vs gp100 ruger

I spent about ten years with an SP101 type model after it came to market in 1989 before recently switching to the GP100.

Today, I’ll tell you what I liked and didn’t like about both and we’ll compare the SP101 vs gp100 Ruger. Let’s get started.

The breakdown

The SP101 maintains the feel and functionality of classic concealed carry guns. It’s small, in the featherweight class, and easy to draw.

The best thing about it in this case is that the gun handles like a high-performance weapon. It’s powerful, relatively easy to aim and shoot, and certainly is tough to detect before you draw
It comes as a 5-shot, 6-shot, or 8-shot
It has a strong recoil, though, and it does take a moment to position yourself before shooting. Those action shots in the movies where the character runs while drawing and shooting aren’t really that realistic with the SP101 – in actuality, there’s a good amount of kick and continuing to run in a straight line would be near impossible

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The GP100 is actually a modernized version of what was known as the Security Six. Physically, the newer model is much cleaner and fires better. It is highly preferable to me in day-to-day situations. I keep urging my wife to get one too, because she is now jealous of mine.

It has a comfortable feel to it and is certainly a featherweight at 2.2 pounds. It is popular with a handful of law enforcement departments around the world because of its versatility
Depending on the catalog number, this gun handles anything from the .357 Magnum to a .44 Special. It’s got a wide range of caliber fittings and barrel lengths, coming as a 5-shot, 6-shot, 7-shot, or 10-shot.
I’m not as big of a fan of the after-market support and add-ons for the GP100, this is one thing I really do love about the SP101.

Which is better for personal protection GP101 or SP101?

In short, the GP100 is a better gun for concealed carry and personal protection. The gun itself is an evolution of previous hand-held revolvers, marking an improvement upon them, and it has been modified even since as it fits different caliber and barrel lengths. The gun is more versatile and can be better fitted to your personal preferences.

I find it more comfortable in concealed mode, in fact I hardly even notice that it is there. I love .357 Magnums, and the flow of this gun throughout the loading and shooting process is very smooth.

The SP101 is more of a heavy-duty type small revolver. Over the years, it’s been used by police departments as a quick-grab backup weapon, and is designed for situations where it will be used by a highly trained professional.

I used it quite a bit at the range to get a good feel, and I’ve got to say that I was able to feel comfortable with the GP100 much faster than the SP101.

They are both great guns. But let’s say that you are carrying a gun for the instance when a bad guy pops out of nowhere and you (as a common citizen, not a police officer) have to react quickly and depend on your gun to perform every time. The GP100 is easier to handle and easier to shoot.

Amenities, action, and sights: Oh my!

Both of these handguns come in multiple versions, barrel lengths, and caliber, fit to taste.

What I really like about the GP100 is the shot capacity and variety of calibers. Almost all, with the exception of the GPF-840 and the 1757, are full shroud, which is a huge plus for me. I prefer one of the variations with adjustable sights, because I’m old school and like to try out many different options before settling on my emergency go-to.

Ruger GP 100 Match Champion (.357 Magnum). Image from hickok45

The SP101 is a bit heavier than many other revolvers (not enough to cause a major disturbance, but if weight is your biggest factor, this is another reason to go with the GP 100). This gun does have a smooth double action, along with a bobbed hammer, two things I really like and that kept it at my waist for nearly ten years. It offers large, high-visibility sights, which I also loved. However, during rapid fire, I found I had a harder time tracking the sights than I have with the GP100.

Ruger SP101 .357 Magnum. Image from hickok45

Scorecard

As a review, let’s take a look at the points each gun has in its category here at the end of the comparison:

GP100

More options for customization
Better sight tracking during rapid fire
Variety of calibers is a big plus
Shot capacity is a big plus
Definite proof that it has gotten better over the years

Check Price Of GP100

SP101

Better after-market support and add-ons.
Smooth double action and bobbed hammer making the shooting fun and painless.
Very consistent, but with a higher recoil issue and (I felt) tougher to master.

Check Price Of SP101

Conclusion

Both the GP100 and the SP101 are fine small size revolvers to keep by your side in concealed carry mode.

Both can get the job the done.

But what has really drawn me to switch from the SP101 to the GP100 is the ease of comfortability I felt when learning the gun that was new to me. It takes a lot to get an old timer like me to change his ways, but the GP100 is the best revolver I have ever shot. I’ll keep it by my side until I die.

If you have enjoyed this article, please share on social media. I’d love to see how far we can push the word of the GP100. Feel free to leave comments below, let’s get a discussion going!. Oh one thing, if you need the gun safe for this ruger gun, you can take a look my post about best handgun safe for the money.