Birdshot for home defense?

Check out this blog about birdshot for home defense:
https://www.usconcealedcarry.com/blog/birdshot-for-home-defense-really/

Do you ever suggest people use birdshot for home defense?

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Not as a rule. Depends on shot size and only around 10 feet. Can you imagine how mad the ER Doctor will be at you if you don’t kill the perp and he has to remove that much shot. WOW.
Other wise I use nothing smaller then Steel “T” Shot.

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Absolutely if over penetration is a concern. Open Chokes and small bird shot.

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At typical SD ranges there won’t be much to pick out.

There will be a baseball to fist sized hole through the body that you can see clear daylight through.

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Bird shot is for little birds. Not volunteering to be shot by some birdshot. Use what you think will work for you.

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My HD shotgun is just that. A 20 gauge with bird-shot in the tube and side saddle with slugs. Remember to pattern your shotgun and load for your surroundings and conditions. For me, in my house, with training on the shotgun, this is the proper weapon and load.

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I have a 20 ga Mossberg Shock wave and I load it with birdshot target loads as I couldn’t find anything other than slugs to use. I just found some nice #3 shot at sgammo.com at a reasonable price and will use that for home defense after I check out the pattern at different distances.

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It does the job at the distance in a typical home.
Less worry if you miss. If you live in a huge house then buck might be the way to go

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Definitely not. Shooting to wound can land you in serious criminal and civil jeopardy and might get you shot as well.

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No, just no. If you are worried about over penetration use frangibles. They powder if you miss and if they hit they dump every erg of energy into your target causing a “hard stop”.

Plus if you are using bird shot are you really in fear for your life.

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This simply isn’t true. Bird shot is extremely effective at typical home defense ranges and a 1oz or heavier load will put a golfball to fist sized hole through any part of the human torso at those ranges while minimizing over penetration problems.

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Remember all the arguments on here about shooting a bad guy in the leg. If you follow that argument to it’s logical conclusion, are you really in fear of your life if you are using :bird: shot.

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I have a low opinion of birdshot for self defense after seeing this video from Active Self Protection a few years ago. Young girl college student takes a chest full of birdshot at maybe 10ft, and just walks away. IMO that would not stop a determined attacker.

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Birdshot is plenty effective at close range

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I bought a 12 ga home defense and 00 buckshot. Have yet to see what kind of pattern it shots. I’m not taking a chance. I used to hunt and have seen birds keep on flying after a solid hit from the shot meant to bring it down.

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Birdshot is an excellent choice for home defense. It will work well in narrow confines like a hallway, and has less potential for wall penetration if you live in a shared wall environment like an apartment, condo, or townhome.

Birdshot will do damage. As someone who as an EMT (many many years ago), had to pick up and transport someone accidentally shot with birdshot, it will do a heck of a job on an intruder

we lost the person three times on the way to the hospital but he was alive when we got him there. Most of the shot hit is leg.

If you live in a more rural area, have less people in your house that you need to worry about penetration through walls and doors, and no neighbor nearby enough that they might be in danger if shot penetrates, buckshot would be a good choice, but birdshot is still a good option.

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Birdshot will do the job. Have seen what it can do to a person.

Birdshot will have less potential to penetrate walls and doors.

Take it out and fire it, see how it patterns. It will prove useful.

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After watching the video, I have some questions.
Stating she takes a full hit, (and we are not sure exactly what it was), she just walks off. It did not look like she ‘just walked off’. It looked like she staggered, then tried to run away.

We have seen incidents where someone is shot with a .45, or a .357 and they stagger a little, and do not react as we might think.

Part of it is shock, part is adrenaline 
.

I have seen what birdshot can do to a person. The person was shot mostly in the leg, he was down, and I was part of the Rescue Squad that transported him to the hospital, and we lost him 3 times on the way, but he was alive when we got him to the hospital.

Birdshot is a good choice, and has limited potential of penetrating a wall or door. You may need two shots, but most will run with being hit by one, if they are able to run.

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