exotic ammo...

[BigBird73]

I found these online.. can they hurt my 870 tactical? any other thoughts on them? is this a good deal? http://www.firequest.com/G12-SP13.html

[Synchronizor]

It's pretty much all novelty stuff, and expensive novelties at that. The way they word their descriptions makes infomercials sound like college lectures.

Some of their less-lethal ammo could be useful; I picked up a pack of their less-lethal buckshot from an army surplus store awhile back, just so I could have the option. There are very few situations where I'd employ it, though.

As for the rest of their stuff; some of it might be fun to play around with, like the double-slugs, blanks, or confetti shells. Others are just stupid, like the triple-decker, rock-salt, or pepper loads. Others, like the shells full of steel tacks, you couldn't pay me to fire from my gun (unless you pay me enough to buy a brand-new barrel afterward).

[Zebra62]

I took a look at thier sight and had to giggle at most of thier ammo. Not sure there is a good future in thier home defense trade.

I also looked through some of thier other products and noticed most of it is avaialble on different sights much less expensive. The show a concealled carry bag which is "ON SALE" for $44. At the NRA Store, the same bag goes for $35 and has "NRA" embroidered on the top. The NRA calls it an EDC bag.

I am planning on getting one soon.

[BigBird73]

ok guys thanks.. I was just curious.. I have never dealt with anything but bird hunting shotshells in the past. I have heard different opinions about what to use for home defense.. the long and short of it is i mainly hear use namebrand 00 buck.. do you agree?

[Zebra62]

I agree.

For our 20 gauge, we are loaded with #3 shot and have a few boxes of slugs and tons of bird shot. All of it is either Federal, Winchester or good ole Remington.

[jet66]

I'd say 00 buck is the most common/popular/effective for HD, and for good reason. All of those 'exotics' do sound cool, but plain ol' buckshot rounds (or even slugs) are way more cost effective, as well. Without a whole lot of 'real use' data on that stuff, there is no guarantee they will be as effective as traditional shotgun loads, either.

[Kentactic]

#00 matches pellet count and mass per pellet to the best ratio for stopping bad guys with a 2.75" shell. You can vary from this but your losing something for it. Anything loaded with something from the baking aisle or a hardware store is just dumb. Round lead is the best material, unless you want to pour gold pellets with a little hardner. But your going to be paying $2k per round.

[Synchronizor]

#00 matches pellet count and mass per pellet to the best ratio for stopping bad guys with a 2.75" shell. You can vary from this but your losing something for it.

It's not quite that simple. Buckshot of any size will be quite deadly, but there are advantages and disadvantages to different sizes. Smaller buckshot will create more wound channels and transfer energy faster with less pass-through, while larger sizes will hang on to more velocity at longer ranges and perform better through barriers. Discussions on buckshot sizes tend to include packing efficiency, but this isn't really that important for HD loads, as there is more than enough room in a 2.75" shell to load an effective payload mass of most appropriate shot sizes, and the effect of packing configuration on patterning doesn't matter too much for across-the-room shots. The most common sizes for HD are #4, #1, and 00.

00 is used by military and police because of its performance through barriers and longer-range lethality. It's also the easiest to find, especially if you prefer low-recoil loads. However, it tends to pass completely through human-sized targets at close range, and a missed shot will sustain deadly velocities for quite a long distance. If you're planning on using 00 for HD, make sure you know what's behind your target (this should be considered with any firearm, of course).

#4 is an excellent size for use inside the home, it's devastating at close ranges and less likely to pass through the target and cause collateral damage. #4 was issued by some police organizations as an "urban load", but they moved away from it because it wasn't reliably stopping combatants through car bodies or windshields. I prefer to use #4 in my HD shotgun, but I can't always find it (though everything is tough to find these days...).

#1 buckshot has a healthy following among hunters, police, and civilians. It offers better penetration and range than #4, but higher pellet counts and energy transfer than 00, and the pellets still tend to stay inside the targets without passing all the way through. The only problem is that #1 loads can be tough to find in stores, and even tougher to find in reduced-recoil form.

Round lead is the best material, unless you want to pour gold pellets with a little hardner. But your going to be paying $2k per round.

If you're going to be dropping that kind of coin, you might as well make it silver buckshot. Then you'll be able to deal with werewolves too.

Seriously though, there are some shot alloys that are denser than lead, but they were developed for long-range hunting. For HD, it won't make any real difference.

[lockoutmonkey]

Thanks Syncronizor. You are one knowledgeable shooter. I can't wait to put some lead downrange. I have been a shotgun hunter during my teen years, but I have not shot one in about 20 years. I bought my first new Pardner shotgun and made it into a h/d gun. I need to testfire and patternher now. Your videos helped me do this with no prior gunsmithing by me at all.

[Bastard File]

Like I've said before "anything worth doing is worth doing right!" I'll not use anything but 00 or #1 Buckshot in a HD application, nor will I ever use anything resembling a less than lethal round or gimmick round in a HD scenario. Our department used to issue #4 Buckshot and while it was better than using "bird shot", it proved to be miserably ineffective penetrating automobile bodies and windshields. I've personally seen perpetrators hit with more than one round of #4 Buckshot and still continue to fight. The shootings I was involved in where 2-3/4" 00 Magnum Buckshot was applied did not end so favorably for the bad guy. I'm also not a fan of "low recoil" Buckshot and have tested it against "standard" Buckshot to form my opinion. Low recoil Buckshot does not generate the velocity I require, nor does it equal or surpass Magnum Buckshot in any regard. I do understand the concept, as well as understand the need for individuals to use it who may have difficulty with recoil and that too is fine as it certainly beats a jab in the eye with a sharp stick by a considerable measure. Geography will also play a big part in an individuals personal ammunition choice. 00 Magnum Buckshot does not seem to mind if the bad guy is wearing a heavy coat or multiple layers of clothing either. It all boils down to personal preference and what one feels most comfortable using. As for me and mine it's like I said, 00 or #1, but primarily 00. I've come to like the Remington 12-pellet 00 these days, but 00 Buckshot of any manufacture is a force to be reckoned with. I hope this didn't twist anyone's tail feathers as that was not my intent, but rather just my opinion based on personal first hand knowledge.