Dfence,
Back when I was working an ambulance as an EMT, I had occasion to zip up a body bag on an unfortunate lothario who ran afoul of an offended husband who happened to have a shotgun handy. The shotgun was loaded with birdshot, the range was a few feet and the wounds were what surgeons used to refer to as 'rathole wounds'- big ragged holes. Lothario was DRT, shot three times. He went to the morgue, the offended husband went to jail. Oh, and the fire department had to hose down the parking lot where the encounter took place.
There were other examples I experienced where shotguns with birdshot were lethal. Always the range was very close, mere feet or even inches. We worked other shootings involving shotguns loaded with birdshot that were not immediately fatal, though the wounds inflicted were dangerous due to punctured lungs, peritonitis etc.
There are numerous other anecdotes out there regarding shotguns and birdshot, and the predominant factors in quick incapacitation/lethality pretty well seem to me to come down to the same two things that determine the effectiveness of
any defensive firearm -
penetration and
placement. Without both of those factors in place, no defensive firearm is going to be very effective against a determined assailant. Placement is mostly under the control of the shooter, what the firearm and ammunition have to deliver is penetration.
Birdshot
can be effective in a defensive shotgun, given 1) close range, sufficient to guarantee adequate penetration and 2) proper placement. Take a look at this medical examiner's report from Australia for an object lesson in the above two factors -
http://www.mja.com.au/public/issues/173_11_041200/herdson/herdson.html .
But the important question is, can it be counted on to perform adequately for defensive use in less than an ideal situations? Personally, I don't think it can be counted on if all the circumstances are not in its favor. So I don't use it for defense, I prefer to use a good tight patterning load of 00 buckshot (Federal LE127 00) with slugs in reserve if more range or more penetration is needed. Note that we live well out in a rural area, LE response times are likely going to be measured in tens of minutes, shotguns are the go-to long guns here and they might well have to be used outdoors as well as indoors.
Your circumstances and situation will vary, more than likely, and those things will necessarily influence your choice of defensive ammunition. All I can say is, inform yourself as fully as you are able before you choose, choose carefully and be able to clearly articulate why you chose the ammunition you did select.
And in the midst of all this, don't overlook your ability to be able to put whatever defensive load you choose where it needs to go in order to rapidly incapacitate an attacker... that is not something you can buy off the shelf in a box. It takes training and practice.
Stay Safe,
lpl
