Anyone here use Rhodesian Jungle for home defense?

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Gun Runnerz

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Video results with slow motion footage can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HM5f6uuErVc

The Rhodesian Jungle

The Rhodesian Jungle shotgun shell is one of the many "exotic" rounds you can purchase online. It is comprised of a standard 12 gauge shell that is loaded with both buckshot and birdshot. Apparently the birdshot is supposed to destroy any small vegetation barrier while the buckshot continues through killing your target.


Good For Home Defense?

We decided to test the Rhodesian Jungle because of the claims made on the packaging. I purchased this load from FireQuest.com, and they claim that this shell is "great for home defense".


The Testing Setup

For our test we used 10% ordinance gelatin. Our block was purchased from clearballistics.com. We fired the Rhodesian Jungle through the Remington 870 at roughly ten feet.


Results

Firing the Rhodesian jungle was a breeze. The recoil felt similar to a low recoil buckshot load. The Rhodesian Jungle spread a decent amount after the ten foot trip to the target. We measured a four inch pattern on target which is an acceptable yet unimpressive pattern for only ten feet. Surprisingly the buckshot seemed to have passed over the top of the gelatin. We only recovered three out of the six lead balls.

Upon striking the target the birdshot immediately began arcing towards the outside of the block. This expanded the damaged area to roughly five inches. An immense amount of energy was released by the steel shot. Some of the BB's created permanent cavities roughly a quarter inch in diameter.

Most of the BBs penetrated anywhere from six to eight inches, while the three buckshot penetrated between fourteen and fifteen inches. The deepest penetrating part of the shell was a piece of buckshot that made it to the fifteen inch mark.


Home Defense Conclusions

I would not recommend this ammunition for home defense for a few reasons.

1. The lack of penetration makes this round unreliable for self defense use.

2. At around five dollars a shell, the ammunition is incredibly expensive. If you rely on a shotgun for home defense, there are a lot cheaper more capable rounds out there that I would recommend before the Rhodesian Jungle.

Edit: It seems that many people here have strong opinions on this matter. Let me first say that I do not support the use of this ammunition, but we wanted to give it a fair test. There is also some misunderstandings about penetration depth and ballistic gelatin. The FBI recommends at least 12 inches of penetration for any defensive ammo not just their ammunition. More info can be found here: http://www.firearmstactical.com/pdf/fbi-hwfe.pdf
 
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jgiehl Keep in mind that ballistic gelatin is only a consistent medium to test ammunition in. It is not a perfect representation of human flesh, therefore the penetration would have been less inside a human target. The FBI recommends at least 12 inches of penetration in order for it to be successful in stopping a human.
 
Vital organs are way less than 12 inches from the surface of the skin. The rule is 12inches in ballistic gel to account for different body types odd entry angles and thick layered clothing.

I honestly would never use any "exotic" ammo types in a defensive situation. Most of it is gimmicky and less effective than standard buckshot/hollow points. Most importantly it just looks bad in court if you have to defend your decision to use deadly force and the ammo you chose had an unconventional load or a skull and xbones/zombies on the box.
 
This round makes about as much sense as alternating Birdshot and 00 Buck in your HD shotgun. I don't buy for a second that the birdshot is going to "clear the path" for the buckshot, especially in a short-range HD situation. Just fill it with 00 Buck and be done with it. And how does mixing birdshot and buckshot make it exotic? That's not hard to do yourself with shotgun shells.
 
There's no point in any sort of exotic ammo for HD. 00 buckshot, #1 buck if you want to be different, Flite Control if you want a really tight pattern. Any of these will do the job superbly for a lot less than $5 a round.
 
The FBI recommends 12" because it suits THEIR needs, NOT the needs of the average citizen.
LE agencies have different needs than we do.
We don't need to shoot through car doors/windows, etc. They do. They need more penetration than we need to stop a violent felon.
 
Home defense 12ga loads....

I'd be very leery of using any of the "exotic" 12ga loads sold thru www.DeltaForce.com & Firequest. :uhoh:
A few of these special purpose 12ga shells are illegal in my state.
The Piranha 12ga rounds, the Bolo, the "flame-thrower" & "dragon-breath" etc could cause a lot of problems if discharged in a CQB(close quarters battle) environment.
Not to mention the civil & liability issues that would crop up after a lethal force event.

For a home defense or protection 12ga, Id stick with a well made, LE type factory load from a major shooting sports firm like Federal, Winchester, Remington, etc. They have produced military & LE 12ga loads for years.
These 12ga loads have been T&Eed by SWAT and LE units to work properly in these situations.
Legal use of force expert & trainer; Massad Ayoob says he prefers #9 buck loads for shotguns. Id get a factory LE type 12ga round or maybe a 00 buck depending on the property & shotgun(Ithaca, 870 pump, 590/500 Mossberg, etc).

Rusty
 
#9....

The #9 type 12ga load. Ayoob says the smaller shells allow the shotgun to be controlled under stress(like a break-in or home invasion).
Id suggest one of the Winchester or Remington LE loads in 12ga.
Police agencies in the modern era wanted to set up 12ga rounds officers could use in critical incidents. Proper training & marksmanship are important with 12ga shotguns just like any other weapon.

Ayoob also wrote of a police officer who emptied a 12ga shotgun at a violent subject approx a car length away and missed every shot! :eek:
 
Perhaps you mean 9-pellet buckshot? #9 shot wouldn't effectively kill or disable anything except at contact range.
 
That's the ticket!...

Yes!
The #9 pellet types.
Your goal in a home defense event is not to cut a intruder in half or hose them down but to stop the threat.
 
How do you propse to do that if the intruder doesn't stop because he has 1,000 or so tiny pellets that are only imbedded shallowly in his skin?
 
A stop of an attacker can be a .25 cal round in the eye or total vaporazation of the attacker.

Depends on what you have on hand. If your goal is to STOP the attack then do what needs to be done to stop it, even if running him over with a D9 dozer. Use whats at hand.

In the panic of the moment use what is most effective that you are able to use. Explain to the court later your only thought was to stop the attack and at the time your 9 german shepards and a table leg looked like something that would work.

In the real world with a shotgun with high brass 00 Buck is a reasonable tool if you plan ahead for home defense. Bird shot is for birds.
 
I'll settle for name brand 00 Buck with a reliability track record that is pretty sure to go off & and perform as expected if I have to use them.

At way less then $4.00 a shot to pattern & function test & practice with a few boxes of them.

rc
 
RustyShackelford said:
Massad Ayoob says he prefers #9 buck loads for shotguns.
Click to expand...

What's #9 buck?
Click to expand...

RustyShackelford said:
The #9 type 12ga load.
Click to expand...

RustyShackelford said:
Yes!
The #9 pellet types.
Click to expand...

RustyShackelford said:
I think the answer has been posted.
Thanks for playing!
Click to expand...

Congratulations, Rusty! You've answered the question three times without actually answering it!

So by "#9 buck", do you mean 9 pellet 00 size buckshot, shells using #9 size shot or what? If "what", please include enough information to provide a meaningful answer. Thanks.
 
I thought the quote, "#9 pellet types" pretty much answered the question. While admittedly still a little vague,he did say "types" rather than "number" of pellets, so I guess he's meaning "shot" here.( That, and the fact that there isn't a #9 buckshot).
 
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Well now it's all clear!....

Thanks for the corrections.
Ayoob states he suggests the #1 buck.
That's it Fort Pitt! :D
 
I"ve used buckshot when I had to on the street. All anyone needs is standard nine pellet 00buck in a 2 3/4 shell. I expected and got 15 to 18" penetration through the chest cavity, side to side.... at roughly 40 feet distance (at least that's how it was measured in the video-ed re-enactment they had me doing less than two hours after the incident). This was years ago, just before a wave of officer prosecutions in south Florida to start off the eighties... Within five years my agency forbid requiring anything from the shooting officer until at least 24 hours after the incident.

Every time I read about this exotic or that new defensive round for a shotgun I just shake my head.... Most of them are just a waste of money, period
 
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