What should I load in my 870 for HD?

You are correct about 00 buck and slugs being used indoors for a SD situation. Both loads will penetrate several interior walls and kill a person very easily. If strictly an indoor situation I would use nothing larger than #6 shot, It may not kill except at close range, but would be a serious attitude changer...quickly. For outdoor use, it depends on your situation. For two legged or smaller four legged animals(deer sized), 00 buck is ideal. For nasty critters that can bite it would be a magazine of 1 oz slugs. JMHO!

depends on your situation

I am not in a situation where I am too concerned about over penetration and might have to make a 30 yard shot so I use triple O buck.

When I lived in an apt I kept 7 1/2 shot in a 20 Gauge

It is all about anticipated scenarios

I keep 4 in mine.

IMO, Remington "Managed-Recoil" 00 Buck is the ticket for within-chez shotgunning with a 12ga short barrel pump. My wife's 20ga has Federal 3 Buck in it. For outdoor vermin? Depends on what you're shooting at and how far away it is. Since I'm in the sticks, I keep a 26" bbl 870 with full-power 2-3/4" 00 buck and a 30-30 levergun quickly handy. Slugs belong in the slug-gun you shoot Coyotes in the back 40 with.

Les

I load #4 buck..the last 2 are 00 buck. I keep a 7 1/2 in the side saddle in case a warning shot is ever needed

What the hell's a warning shot!?

Around the house? AS you won't find any (.18) BB, my suggestion is you'll be able to find (.15) #2 shot if you try, but, otherwise, go w/#4 Buck

Al

It depends on your situation. Worrying about shooting through walls? Then your first concern is to be sure all your friendlies are under cover behind you before you start shooting. Having a good home defense plan is more important than worrying about overpenetration.

And no instructor I know of teaches or endorses alternating loads in a shotgun magazine. The simple reason for that is, under pressure you won't know how many rounds you've fired and what will be coming out of the muzzle next will be a mystery. You NEED TO KNOW what your shotgun is going to do every time you press the trigger in a serious situation.

But it's your house and your gun, you can handle it as you see fit...

Stay Safe,

lpl

I've got my 870 loaded with 10 rounds of #7 1/2 shot. I've got 20 rounds of 00 buck, but I am also worried about over-penetration.

I always figured that, "If it's too weak to penetrate the walls, then it probably won't do what I want it to do when it lands where I want it to."

LL has it IMHO. Know your target, your field of fire, and your gun.

I just obtained a 870 P vintage 1984 that the smith put a short stock on. I made some homemade spacers for it and took it to the range today for 100 hulls. Never looked at the bead, and hit everything I shot at. Thanks to Dave McCraken and many others here, I've learned a thing or two. One of them is the joy of shooting a shotgun that actually fits me. Feels good and looks good. Having a well fitting gun makes for better accuracy I think.

If I miss with a 9mm or .45, I'm thinking it will have similar if not worse results than if I miss with low recoil buck shot. I prefer buck, and have heard people tell me bird shot is better for HD. I just disagree. If you want to go with bird, then it's your choice. We all have different needs, and different circumstances. Only you can decide what's best for you.

Like the man says, BAUUR.

Think software more than hardware.

My 870 is set up with a 2 3/4 chambered smooth bore slug barrel and 2 rd mag extension. Because of the two large breed attentive dogs and various sidearms at the ready I keep the chamber empty. ( a whole different argument).
I have little to zero concern for over penetration and the neighbors are yonder. The last rd in the mag/ first in the chamber is a slug the rest are 00. In the event I need to use the shotgun for HD there will be not hesitation in regards to shucking the slug out of the lineup or not. It will be used, penetration would be the whole point.

Just my .02, no warranty extended or implied.

At close range, certain types of birdshot loads will turn tissue into burger. I've tested a few different kinds on gel covered with two layers of denim, and I was impressed. The 3.5" #6 turkey load made a real mess, but you can forget about a quick followup shot. Federal black Cloud #BB had a maximum penetration over 12".

I also experimented with some handloaded #F (.22" dia.) buckshot. High pellet count and penetration well over a foot.

again, the anticipated scenario dictates the load.

The way my house is situated, the most likely possibility (which is thankfully unlikely) is shooting from the back of the house towards the front. Beyond the brick wall is a neighbor's house 35 yards away. The one window does not line up with their home and the elevation change is also favorable to minimizing the chances of collateral damage. With this in mind, OOO 3 inch magnum is the order of the day

Your mileage WILL vary

Jason W said:

At close range, certain types of birdshot loads will turn tissue into burger. I've tested a few different kinds on gel covered with two layers of denim, and I was impressed. The 3.5" #6 turkey load made a real mess, but you can forget about a quick followup shot. Federal black Cloud #BB had a maximum penetration over 12".

I also experimented with some handloaded #F (.22" dia.) buckshot. High pellet count and penetration well over a foot.

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At what distance were those tests?

Very close range. 15 feet or so.

That is the disadvantage of light shot. Anything farther than distance across the average bedroom, and those little pellets really shed energy.

It took quite a bit of searching, but I finally found a box of No. 1 buck. That, and No. 4 seem to be the preferred choices outside of 00 buck. Can't think of any reason to get slugs, though. The handguns throw bullets, the shotgun throws shot, in my HD plan.

shockwave,

I first heard the "#1 buck is better" line in a hunter safety class while I was still in high school. Here I am almost 40 years later and I still haven't found a barrel that will pattern #1 worth a darn. I'd rather have a pattern of 00 that suits me than 'theoretically better' #1 buckshot scattered all over the place. YMMV of course.

lpl

Jason W said:

Very close range. 15 feet or so.

That is the disadvantage of light shot. Anything farther than distance across the average bedroom, and those little pellets really shed energy.

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Thanks Jason.

Personally, I don't think that 3.5" is nearly enough penetration. 12" sounds pretty good, but won't that be about what low recoil buck with do?

Conventional wisdom is that more is required. I will however admit that this is just knowledge that I gathered from the internet and talking to people, and reading, and listening. No personal experience as of yet.

I use 00 Buck...

Put the round in the right place and the only one who has to worry about "over=penetration" is the BG.

Quote by Poor_Richard:
"Personally, I don't think that 3.5" is nearly enough penetration."


I was unclear. 3.5" was not the depth of penetration, but the length of the hull. It was a federal 3.5" turkey load, #6 shot.

Here are some pics of the damage. Interesting results, and I had fun blasting the gel blocks, but I wouldn't think this particular load would make a good HD load, unless that was all you had when things went south. The size F handloads may show promise as they were the lightest kicking of anything else I tried, and the pellets still defeated 12+" of gel. though, then you get into that whole handloads for self defense debate.

Jason W said:

I was unclear. 3.5" was not the depth of penetration, but the length of the hull. It was a federal 3.5" turkey load, #6 shot....

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I was wondering about that. Figured you'd correct me if I guessed wrong.

The ultimate HD load is the same load used in Nam, #4 buck, AKA "Hamburger Helper".

12 pellet 00 buck. 12 8.4mm diameter lead balls that get 16+ inches of penetration in ballistic gel? Can't get better stopping power than that for HD.

SnakeLogan said:

12 pellet 00 buck. 12 8.4mm diameter lead balls that get 16+ inches of penetration in ballistic gel? Can't get better stopping power than that for HD.

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And every pellet that misses goes thur the wall, like it was butter, and ends up God knows where. You need to find a trade off between a big enough mass for good penetration and low enough mass to prevent over penetration when there is a miss.

The size F handloads may show promise as they were the lightest kicking of anything else I tried, and the pellets still defeated 12+" of gel.

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I suspect you didn't calibrate your gelatin blocks? The penetration depths you're observing appear unusually deep. For example, maximum penetration of #4 buck (.24 caliber) is about 9-inches (one or two pellets achieve this depth), with the majority of shot distributed between 6-8 inches.