Terminal Ballistics of Rifles and Shotguns in Home Defense

[huntsman]

A Remington 12ga 2 3/4" 00 buck shell has 9 projectiles. I'm not sure where you are getting the 11 number from; but as you can see in the above link, those projectiles hit cover about 6" inside gel.

from the BF test:
Cartridge : 12 gauge Remington Express 2 3/4” 00 magnum buckshot

I don't see a pellet count on the test, but a Remington 2-3/4" 00 magnum has a 12 pellet count.
http://www.remington.com/products/ammunition/shotshells/buckshot/express-magnum-buckshot.aspx

 

[Al Thompson]

IMHO, the box of truth guys were truly pioneers. However, the web site below is the gold standard on wall penetration by bullets, pellets and other assorted novelties. Mr. Roberts already posted the link, but I wanted to doubletap this target.

http://how-i-did-it.org/drywall/results.html

 

[Bartholomew Roberts]

I don't see a pellet count on the test, but a Remington 2-3/4" 00 magnum has a 12 pellet count.

My bad, thanks for the correction.

 

[shephard19]

You should post a warning about that torso pick, I can only imagine with horror the horrific process to get that pic.

 

[jmr40]

Buckshot has a lot of history. Unfortunately a lot of that history is mythology. It is not that buckshot is not effective, it is just that many have overstated it's effectiveness.

A shotguns greatest asset is low cost. Which is certainly something to consider. Not considering cost the lighter weight, and lower recoil of the short barreled AR rifles outweigh any advantages of the shotgun for me. With proper ammo over penetration has been proven to be less of a problem. Wish that myth would die too!

 

[DoubleTapDrew]

the lighter weight, and lower recoil of the short barreled AR rifles outweigh any advantages of the shotgun for me.

I have considered doing a SBR for a HD rifle but after shooting a PLR-16 (9" barrel) I think the horrendous blast and flash indoors would be too disorienting without a suppressor (add about $800 for a can and stamp), and I don't know if it would achieve the velocity needed for the bullets to fragment.
It would definitely be handy for maneuvering though if you needed to get kids to your room.

 

[NMGonzo]

Inside the house ?

I have an AR and a 870

The 870 comes out.

 

[MachIVshooter]

I have considered doing a SBR for a HD rifle but after shooting a PLR-16 (9" barrel) I think the horrendous blast and flash indoors would be too disorienting without a suppressor (add about $800 for a can and stamp), and I don't know if it would achieve the velocity needed for the bullets to fragment.It would definitely be handy for maneuvering though if you needed to get kids to your room.

It does, just barely. But for close range work, that's enough. 55 gr. ball averaged 2,600-2,700 out of my PLR's, depending on manufacture. My 40 gr. V-max handloads, however, were still getting over 3,200. That'll git'r'done.

That said, my HD rifle is an AR-10A2 carbine, loaded with 15 110 gr. V-max handloads over 10 162 gr. armor piercing. I figure if they're still standing after the first 15, they've got armor, and it'll take a couple AP rounds to chew through it. And no, my neighbors don't live close.