Bastard File wrote: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 would agree that #4 is a poor choice for LE use. Like you said, it's impotent through commonly-encountered barriers, and it won't retain energy at longer ranges. For across-the-bedroom HD shots against unarmored targets though, I think it's a fine choice that limits overpenetration, and offers a lot of energy transfer with a better chance of a pellet finding key vitals like the aorta or spinal cord.Bastard File wrote: 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.
It all comes down to planning. There's no single load that will be optimal in every situation, people need to consider how and where they will be using their shotguns, and select accordingly.
I live in an old house that was converted at some point into three apartments, located on an urban street full of similar buildings, with "main street" essentially one block from my front step. If I do have cause to bring my shotgun into play, it'll be for very short-range engagements inside my apartment. I think the #4 has a slight edge in that specific environment, so I prefer to use it for HD when I can find it. In the very unlikely event I need to make a long-range shot outside my apartment or take out somebody out in a vehicle, a Foster slug or my .357 SIG handgun are right at hand, and will be more effective than any buckshot load out of my cylinder-bore barrel. I still replace the #4 with 00B for road trips or protection out in the woods.
All that said, I have this philosophy that being able to trust that a firearm or ammunition is effective is just as important as objective effectiveness itself. It doesn't matter whether or not a buckshot size is effective; if you can't trust it to be effective, you shouldn't rely on it, because you can't be fully effective with something you can't trust.
