help newbie select ammo for 12 ga.

[p4+riot]

I have a 12 ga. shot gun and wanted to know what the best defense
round would be. I want something I can practice with too.

I have read that 00 buck is what I should use. Is that right?

Thanks in advance for all of your help.

[4thPointOfContact]

00 buck is what the pro's use, it's hard to do wrong when you do the same thing that professionals do.

Don't go for the hokey gun show 'special purpose' ammunition. That stuff has been sold for the last 20 years. If it worked, don't you think it would have been discovered by now?

If you have a pump try out the reduced recoil loads, they're plenty powerful for household and surrounding yard usage. If you have an autoloader, try them out before stocking up on them, some brands work better than others. Speaking of reduced recoil loads, My 18-inch cylinder barrel Mossberg patterns 6-7 inches at 25 yards with Federal LE132-00 buck, that's better than I can group with a pistol, (unfortunately for me)

[mgkdrgn]

I have a 12 ga. shot gun and wanted to know what the best defense
round would be. I want something I can practice with too.

I have read that 00 buck is what I should use. Is that right?

Thanks in advance for all of your help.

#1, 00, or 000 buck will be your good HD/SD loads.

As for "practice", you can pretty much practice with what ever you can find on sale. None of his "fire from the hip" crap now ... shoulder and point.

[rcmodel]

You can use plain old cheap hunting or target loads for practice too.

Look for cheap bulk packs at Wally-World or other sources.

Nobody says you have to always shoot expensive 00 buckshot at targets to learn how to use a shotgun.

A case of blue-rock and a hand thrower will get you up to speed with a shotgun faster then shooting a truck-load of buckshot on stationary targets at 10 yards!

rc

[chuckusaret]

I load one BB, one 00, and six rifled slugs fo HD. I buy the cheap WBW in what ever load is the cheapest at Wal Mart for killing milk jugs. I back the HD shotgun up with a 40 caliber pistol loaded with Hornady Critical JHP or Federal Hyda Shok JHP

[czarjl]

00 Buck, that is what is in my HD shotgun. I personally don’t like mixed magazine loads, don’t want to think about if I have a bird shot or slug loaded, just want to be able to shoot and know I have a load that will stop the BG.

[CoRoMo]

What type gun do you have there?

I load one BB, one 00, and six rifled slugs fo HD.

I'll agree with the 00 and slugs, but I think the BBs are for birds.

Buy a load of slugs and get used to their kick.
Keep 00 buck and some slugs at the ready.

[RandyB]

Typically anything loaded with #1 buck or larger is great for SD. Slugs have their uses as well. Practice wit the cheap birdshot, but I would recommend that you look at the patterns your shotgun makes with each size buckshot. My 870 prefers the #1 buck and patterns much tighter than with 00. My gun also patterns 000 better. So to each their own.

FWIW. my 870 is loaded with #1 buck (remington), the sidesaddle has 4 rounds of federal copper coated 00 (which does pattern better than other 00 I have tried), and the speedfeed stock has inserts for four breneke KO slugs. On rare occasions I did load my first round with either a 3 inch #4 buck or with BBs when I had raccoons and dogs tearing up my trashcans.

[foghornl]

best defense round would be.

Depends entirely upon YOUR shotgun/choke/ammo combination. In MY HomeLand Security shotgun, Remington #4 Buck patterns best, while a shooting budd with the very same shotgun and barrel patterns #1 Buck the best.

For practice, a hand "clay pidgeon" thrower, a case of targets, and some of the 100-round "Value packs" of shells will get you 'up to speed' faster than just about anything else.

The 'reduced recoil' loads in Buck & slugs still are great for Defense, and are easier you your shoulder.