Whats The Best Home Defense Shotgun Ammo Blog Post Header

What Is The Best Home Defense Shotgun Ammo?

There is no question that 12 gauge shotguns are widely available. This is because they are considered hunting tools in most areas while in others they are great options for home defense.

But why should you consider a shotgun for home defense and what should you load it with? Shotguns have a wide variety of ammunition but not all of them are good for defensive use. 

What is the best home defense shotgun ammo?

We’ll give you the answer and more.

Let’s look at some of the factors for choosing a shotgun and the right ammunition for protecting yourself. 

Why Use a Shotgun for Home Defense?

Using a shotgun for home defense is one of the classic pieces of advice in gun culture. But is it a good choice or is it just what most people are told?

Many factors come into play when dealing with shotguns in a defensive scenario. These are legality, the shotgun itself, and ballistic performance.

While most locations in the United States recognize some form of home defense or self-defense as legal, the greatest controversy comes over what you should be able to use to defend yourself. With the proliferation of semi-automatic rifles and their effectiveness usually taking center stage in these discussions, they are not always the answer.

There are areas where semi-automatic rifles and 20-30 round magazines are restricted or illegal. This leaves the shotgun as the only viable alternative. Shotguns remain legal in many areas because they are seen as either necessary to the local population (hunting, pest control, etc.) or are viewed as ineffective options that are out of date.

While shotguns are extremely old technology, they are neither ineffective nor out of date. As technology has progressed so has the shotgun. It became refined as manufacturing processes got better and new, robust designs were developed.

This changed the shotgun over time but it is still restricted by its design, generally limiting its capacity to 10 rounds or under. This is great for those areas that have restrictions on firearm capacity.

The next consideration we need to make is the shotgun.

The Shotgun and Its Use

The shotgun is a misunderstood platform. Some think it doesn’t need to be aimed while others think it is completely inaccurate. This comes from several factors such as sight design, intended use, and the overall construction of the shotgun.

Shotguns are extremely versatile weapons. For defensive purposes, it’s better to use one that has a greater capacity than three shells, but that doesn’t mean that single or double-barrel break-action shotguns are not effective. They are just not recommended.

If you are not limited to break-action shotguns, it’s better to use either a semi-automatic shotgun or a pump-action shotgun. This is because of the capacity and speed they offer in addition to the aftermarket support they have.

Many companies provide upgrades for your shotgun that will allow you to mount lights, slings, and modern sights. This is important because it allows you to deal with a wider variety of lighting and environmental variables that can occur when you are defending yourself.

Shotguns are easier to handle than pistols because a shotgun, like a rifle, allows for three points of contact between the shooter and the gun. This allows you to be able to pull the gun into yourself rather than just relying on your hand strength to compensate for recoil. That recoil is also distributed over a much larger object than the standard handgun.

Better control over the gun allows for better accuracy which then allows for more effective use of your limited ammunition.

The restriction of shotgun ammunition should not be overlooked. While other options feature 20-30 round capacities, most shotguns are lucky to have 10+1 in most variants. This is because of the tubular magazine many shotguns use. While box magazine-fed shotguns exist, they take more effort to run well when compared to more standard shotgun designs.

Choosing to use a shotgun for your defense means that you need to know how to reload it constantly. Most tube-fed shotguns will have a 5+1 to 8+1 capacity with some having less. This means you’re dealing with a capacity lower than most modern handguns.

If a shotgun has a lower capacity and needs to be continually reloaded why is it still considered to be a good defensive option? A shotgun is still a good option because of its terminal effectiveness.

But the loadings for 12 gauge can be confusing and there are so many options available. Let’s look at what you should consider for your defensive shotgun ammunition.

Which Load is Best for Home Defense?

Shotguns have the widest assortment of ammunition available to them. The options range from birdshot to buckshot to slugs, but which is good for home defense?

First, let’s look at what should not be used for home defense. There have been many recommendations over the years to use birdshot as a self-defense load. While no one will say they want to be shot by it, birdshot is not a good loading to use for home defense.

This is because of its lack of terminal ballistics. A good rule to follow is if a round or load is not considered ethical to use on medium game, it should not be used as a defensive load. This is because animals like deer are just as hard to stop if not harder to stop than a person.

But what if all you have is birdshot?

If birdshot is your only option, you need to know its limitations. Back in the 1970s, it was considered a good less-lethal option for crowd control, however, today it is classified as lethal force.

Despite this classification, birdshot has poor penetration ability. This means it might bury itself in someone’s skin but not reach any of the vital organs. This opens you up to legal questions about use of lethal force with a not-so-lethal load.

Birdshot might work within several feet, but it is not reliable enough to risk using it in a defensive situation.

But what about 20 gauge?

Using 20 gauge shotguns is still viable and offers multiple benefits. A 20 gauge shotgun will have lower recoil and better controllability than a 12 gauge shotgun.

However, a 20 gauge has a smaller shell, which limits the loadings available to us. It also comes down to the supply. While 20 gauge and 12 gauge are both popular calibers, most offerings are in 12 gauge.

This is because 12 gauge has been popular in the US for decades. It fits the most needs and has the most variety in loadings. But that utility does not always transfer to home defense loadings. 

That means we can rule out a large number of loadings in 12 gauge, leaving us with two groups to choose from: buckshot and slugs.

The Two Main Types of Home Defense Shotgun Ammo

Buckshot

Buckshot is one of the better options to use for home defense, but not all buckshot is created equal. Buckshot ranges from #4 buckshot up to 000 buck.

Buckshot is going to be one of the primary loadings you use for self-defense because it is widely available, terminally effective, and puts multiple shots on target with a single trigger pull. This is both a benefit and a drawback.

More projectiles will mean better terminal ballistics and a greater chance to hit. But more projectiles also mean an increased likelihood of having one or more misses. A typical #4 loading will have anywhere from 21 to 30 pellets while meeting the minimum penetration requirements of the FBI.

While it does meet those FBI requirements it does create a different pattern with the shotgun. Each shotgun will have its own pattern or general spread of projectiles for each loading you use. More pellets and a wider spread might result in 10 pellets on target and 10 pellets through an interior wall, endangering your family and neighbors.

This means the lowest we should go with a defensive loading for a shotgun is #1 buckshot. A #1 buck load will have better velocity and more pellets than many 0 or 00 buck loads but it just isn’t as popular. This means it is harder to find.

It’s better to standardize on something widely available because you can actually purchase it and train with it.

This means most of your defensive loadings for buckshot will be 00 buck. The pattern of 00 buck at home defense distances is usually tight enough that you will put 8 to 9 .33 pellets on target easily.

That is roughly eight times the projectiles per trigger pull than a semi-automatic rifle. Combined with either a semi-automatic action or very good pump control, you will be able to effectively stop a threat despite the limited capacity of the shotgun.

Be sure to know the spread and pattern of your defensive load for the best effect at multiple ranges.

Slugs

If you want a little more accuracy without the worry of multiple pellets, slugs are the way to go. A shotgun slug is essentially a very large lead projectile. Some can be jacketed and others can just be bare lead.

Either way, slugs are devastating loads. This is because of their overall weight. They are unusually an ounce of lead rather than a fraction of an ounce like buckshot or rifle rounds.

On top of this, they can and will consistently deform on impact, similar to hollow points. Slugs come in two major varieties, those for rifled barrels and those for smooth bore barrels. Slugs for rifled barrels require your shotgun to be rifled in order to stabilize the slug in flight.

Slugs for smoothbore shotguns, confusingly named “rifled slugs”, bring their own rifling to impart spin and stabilization. This means a rifled slug will have grooves that contact the barrel, causing it to spin when it is traveling down the barrel. It also makes them very distinctive when they are not in a shell, due to the pronounced ridges on the side of the slug.

One of the most common types of slug is the Foster slug. This is a type of rifled slug and is known for its accuracy and effectiveness. Other types of slug such as sabot slugs are meant for rifled barrels and feature a protective barrier between the slug and the rifling. This barrier allows for smaller, faster slugs to be used without worrying about damage to the barrel or slug.

Best Home Defense Shotgun Ammo: The 3 Best Options

Since we now have a basic understanding of what we should be looking for in a defensive load for a shotgun we can now look at some of the best options to choose from.

With 00 buckshot being our primary consideration, you should consider a loading that provides as consistent a pattern as possible. While the pattern can be modified with chokes and will vary from shotgun to shotgun, it is better to have a load that will help you out with your patterning no matter the circumstances.

Federal F130 00, 00 Buck Magnum 12P 2.75”

On the hotter end of the spectrum, we have Federal’s 12 pellet 00 Buck Magnum shells. These shells provide many pellets similar to #1 buck but with the added emphasis of a magnum load.

These magnum shells are more general-purpose, so you can use them for home defense, hunting, etc. The Triple Plus wad system helps ensure a consistent pattern with fewer fliers so you can pattern your shotgun easier.

The downside is that these shells will pack more of a kick when shooting. But you’ll get better velocity and more pellets in return.

Silver Eagle 9P 00 Buck 2 ¾”

Another good option is this Silver Eagle load. Coming in with a standard 9 pellet loading, these shells include a polypropylene filler. This dense filler helps prevent shot deformation which helps with pattern and range.

While they can be used in the field, these shells are good for home defense distances. The filler gives an added bonus to your accuracy, making it easier to hit what you’re aiming at.

These standard shells are a better option if you don’t want to use a magnum load.

Federal Rifled Slug, 1 oz, Low Recoil Hydra-Shok HP,  2 ¾”

If you prefer a slug for your home defense, this slug is a great option. Federal’s hollow point rifled slug allows you to have better expansion than a solid ball with the necessary penetration for home defense.

The Hydra-Shok hollow point helps prevent over-penetration while providing amazing terminal ballistics. The low recoil loading gives you a controllable and effective round for your shotgun.

You’ve Seen the Best Home Defense Shotgun Ammo Options: What Will You Choose?

Hopefully, this has given you some ideas on which ammo to choose for your home defense shotgun. There are a lot of very effective loads out there but these are a good place to start.

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