Both slugs and buckshot were designed to take deer-sized game at moderate range. They are often used for hunting in areas deemed unsafe for high-powered rifles. However, these loads can also be used for home defense. With a high likelihood of stopping a threat using minimal well-placed shots, why are these often underutilized in the defensive sphere? Let’s look at the pros and cons of 12-gauge slugs and 12-gauge buckshot when choosing the best shotgun ammo for home defense.
Shotguns for Home Defense
A shotgun offers high-hit probability with its fast handling and cloud of shot but must be aimed as carefully as a rifle. Shotguns fire several lead pellets in a group, making them ideal for situations requiring quick response. Light loads, such as birdshot, may hold 175 (#7) to 292 (#9) pellets, which form a large pattern. While this aids in hitting a flying bird, a running rabbit or a scampering squirrel, these small pellet loads lack penetration and should never be used for defense.
What Is Buckshot? Understanding Shot Sizes
Buckshot’s shot load impacting simultaneously on the target offers good wound potential.
The most commonly recommended buckshot size for home defense is #00. This load contains eight to nine pellets, which deliver reliable stopping power. Smaller loads like #4 buckshot contain 21 to 27 pellets, and #1 buckshot carries 16 pellets. The pattern helps strike a moving or partially obscured target, but the goal is still to center the shot.
Shotgun shot size plays an important role in penetration. As a general rule, #4 buckshot, penetrates 14 inches in gelatin. The #1 buckshot penetrates 15 to 16 inches. #00 buckshot will go 18 to 19 inches, which is ideal penetration for personal defense.
Many are concerned about overpenetration, but buckshot penetration is comparable to most personal defense handgun loads. The key is to strike the target strike the target, as a centered load of buckshot at 7 to 10 yards will stay within the body. As for wound ballistics, I favor #00. Either #4 or #1 should also prove effective. The payload weighs the same, but there is a greater number of smaller pellets or balls.
Shotgun Ammo Comparison: Testing Buckshot
Testing different shot sizes and loads is important to understand how your specific shotgun patterns. My results were obtained using a standard home-defense shotgun with an 18.5-inch barrel and open cylinder choke. A full choke might produce a tighter pattern, but buckshot doesn’t always follow choke rules. Patterning your own shotgun is an important part of defensive training.
In pattern testing, #00 provided the most cohesive pattern, spreading 6×7 inches at 10 yards with Winchester Super X loads. The #4 buckshot spread 19×17 inches at 10 yards, with a tight center of 10 to 12 pellets. This larger pattern might benefit situations involving fast-moving threats but generally isn’t preferred for home defense.
What Is a Shotgun Slug?
Slug penetration in gelatin averages 17 to 20 inches. Standard lead, round-nosed slugs often break off shards of lead in the wound channel, providing effective stopping power. Unlike rifle bullets, slugs do not carry as far, making them ideal for home defense situations where long-distance shooting is not a concern.
Slugs are available in both standard-velocity and reduced-recoil loadings. For example, the Federal Truball slug averages 1,350 feet per second in an 18-inch barrel. The Fiocchi Exacta low-recoil slug averages 1,100 feet per second, and the Fiocchi 12S slug was more than 1,450 feet per second. These figures were obtained from typical 18-inch defense shotguns rather than 28-inch barrel sporting guns. For most home-defense scenarios, reduced-recoil slugs are highly effective, while full-power loads are more suitable for larger, more aggressive threats.
Buckshot vs. Slug: Which Load Is Better for Home Defense?
After extensive testing, I’ve found that slugs are generally more effective than buckshot in terms of stopping power. However, my home-defense shotgun, a Mossberg 590, is loaded with #00 buckshot for its ability to quickly handle a threat and offer excellent hit potential. The first four shells are #00 buckshot, followed by four slugs. This setup addresses a wide variety of threats, from attackers behind cover to particularly persistent threats.
Shotgun Ammo Types: Buckshot, Slugs and Birdshot
When choosing the best shotgun ammo for home defense, it’s essential to understand the three main types of shotgun shells.
Birdshot: Light and ineffective for self-defense.
Buckshot: The most reliable for home defense due to its balance of power and pellet spread.
Slugs: Best for specific threats requiring deeper penetration or for use at longer distances.
By choosing the correct shotgun load, you can maximize your shotgun’s potential as an effective home-defense weapon.
