[JustsayMo]

Howdy,
I just purchased a 590A1 18" barrel and need to go out an pattern it for home defense use. I'm hoping a few brand/load recommendations from owners will help me speed up the process. thanks in advance!

Mo

[Al Thompson]

There is a huge amount of info here on how and what to select for your home defense load. The best thing to do is simply type in a search term and enjoy several hours worth of reading.

Short answer - the exact load depends on your home and your anticipated needs. One of the great things about puump shotguns is their abiliity to handle loads that range from birdshot to buck or slugs.

Plan your engagement zones and think about what would happen if you miss. Generally, the more friendlies (neighbors) downrange, the smaller the individual pellets need to be. I.E., birdshot in an apartment, perhaps slugs if you live alone in the woods.

[VG]

Federal Tactical 00 Buck (it's reduced recoil)
Speer Lawman #4 Buck.

Both work well. But as mentioned, some people use finer shot out of concern over penetration of walls into adjoining rooms or homes. There are a lot of threads on this topic here, I'd bet.

[lbmii]

I have a Mossberg 590A1 with a double action trigger and a fixed modified choke. I photographed a large number of different patterns and posted them at the below link.

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=83909

[jerryd]

Have you tried any slugs in it yet? Last summer i shot a box of Brenekke 3in golden slugsat 100yds, about a 12in group couldnt believe it better then my slug gun!