Thoughts on running "slugs only" in a defensive gun?

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If you mean to say you shot (probably skinny) insurgents with M855 penetrators, it'd be nice to hear more information, like (most specifically):

range;
barrel length of weapon.

J
 
this was 15+ years ago. I don't believe the M4 existed then, let alone the penetrators. I admit to not having the best memory of the specific nomenclatures and so on. I just recall it was at close range (within 50 meters) and 5.56 ball ammo.

Yes, anything CAN do a through-and-through, even hollowpoints. There is no perfect ammo, and if there's a CQB-battle/hollowpoint round available for the AR15 (I admit I've only recently gotten into the civilian variants of the US Battle Rifle) on the civilian market, I would be just fine with using it in a home defense situation...

...except I still wouldn't, as I wouldn't want the prosecution to be able to hold up an EBR in court if things went that way. I'll never shoot a retreating perp, and again hope never to have to shoot anyone in this context- but knowing how our legal system is, I'd not be surprised to be dragged into court even with a morally "good" shoot.

However, I am now dragging us down an entirely other Rabbit Hole- my apologies.
 
Slugs only for defensive purposes?

Better than birdshot. I can see having a couple Fosters or Brenneke style rifled slugs on hand in case they are needed. But I still think a good 2 3/4" #1 buck or 00 buck is the best thing going in a defensive shotgun.
 
Jeep, there are indeed quite a few rapidly expanding 5.56/.223 rounds out there.
 
A slug penetrates plaster board in a house too much. You might have some one you love on the other side of that wall.
Buckshot works best. I have read as mentioned here Number 1 buck or 0 buck works best because you can get more into your shell.
A near miss with a slug at 10 feet or 7 yards is a miss, a near miss with buck shot may be a light wound.
You should get reverse choke bored or a spreader screw in-choke. That spreads out the buck shot much quicker.
I would.
In Many places you are not allowed ot just kill the guy. But the click clack of a round being chamered is a huge noise when yelling freeze.

Depending on where you live. A rock Salt and Pepper load may be legal, and by the time he discovers he's not dying yet, he will be under control...

That may be a first round, for legal tricks. Ask the lawyer at your bar. Buy him a drink.

Other than that I'd go with 0 buck.
 
thanks cameronafter8 for just perpetuating every shotgun myth I can think of in one post.
 
"1. Notice that the #4 and #1 Buck penetrated 6 boards. In previous tests, 9mm, .45 ACP, and M-193 out of an AR all penetrated all 12 boards.

So, it seems that these loads do not "over-penetrate" as much as some have led us to believe.

The 00 Buck penetrated 8 boards, but was stopped by the 9th. Still not as much penetration as the pistol or rifle loads.

The slug penetrated all 12 boards....The slugs were "bad" penetrators. By that, I mean that they will penetrate several interior walls. If you have loved ones in your home, consider this as you select your home defense weapon."

http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot3_2.htm
Click to expand...
....
 
Over penetration inside your own house is something you don't want. 0 buck Goose shot is fine.... or Glazier safety bullets in a pistol.
I shot him with goose shot Judge, not that "evil" buckshot, is another factor in some areas. No one at the receiving end, would know the difference.
 
The people on the receiving end will most certainly know the difference between getting a flesh wound, and getting their vital organs destroyed by a round.

Now I'm not saying run slugs only in a HD gun because slugs do penetrate quite a bit and you're likely to go in to your neighbor's house with them, not to mention the other rooms in your house.

But, if a weapon is not powerful enough to penetrate an interior wall, I don't think it has any business being shot at a person.

Someone on here just recently posted up a police report where the assailant was shot 17 times, 13 times from a 40 S&W and it wasn't until the last 5 rounds from a .223 that he finally died. And why? Because none of the 40 caliber rounds penetrated more than an inch, making them superficial wounds. The assailant kept shooting back at the police.

Now if I'm in my home, and someone is trying to kill me, I'm not going to politely ask them to stop by hitting them with bird shot. I'm going to hit them with something that will convince them they are dead.
 
Someone on here just recently posted up a police report where the assailant was shot 17 times, 13 times from a 40 S&W and it wasn't until the last 5 rounds from a .223 that he finally died. And why? Because none of the 40 caliber rounds penetrated more than an inch, making them superficial wounds. The assailant kept shooting back at the police.
Click to expand...

Actually, he stopped shooting when one of the .40s broke his arm, but the officers still had to struggle to cuff the guy. He died in the ambulance because one of the other .40s put a hole in his diaphragm, and I guess both lungs deflated.

All of the .223s were groin and gut shots, and none of the .40s hit center mass either. Also, several of the .40s were complete pass-throughs. It's all about shot placement!

That's really about the only advantage of buckshot, if you ask me. Better chance of hitting something vital if you hit center mass, but at the expense of smaller holes.

I personally prefer slugs. Buck already penetrates enough walls to go completely through this house from the outside, so a slug decreases the chances of hitting someone. 1 projectile versus 8 or 12.
 
Someone on here just recently posted up a police report where the assailant was shot 17 times, 13 times from a 40 S&W and it wasn't until the last 5 rounds from a .223 that he finally died. And why? Because none of the 40 caliber rounds penetrated more than an inch, making them superficial wounds. The assailant kept shooting back at the police.
Click to expand...

What in the hell were they firing in the .40- partially-frozen slushees cast as bullets?

Now if I'm in my home, and someone is trying to kill me, I'm not going to politely ask them to stop by hitting them with bird shot. I'm going to hit them with something that will convince them they are dead.
Click to expand...

Amen. I don't WANT to have to pull the trigger, but if they approach me or mine with ill intent, THEY made the choice, I didn't. To paraphrase Malcolm Reynolds: they "murdered themselves.. I just carried the bullet a while."

It is my sincere desire to NEVER have to fire a weapon at anything other than a target, again.
 
I don't want a STRAY un aimed pellet going anywhere except into the BG.I don't want to mess with hitting someone who was well- hit again if there is a better way! 3/4" dia. one once of butter soft lead at 1100fps with pin point delivery and quick follow up capability from moderate recoil does it for me (and lots of PDs) thank you.
 
Thanks for the help, everyone.

I'm going to ask the mods to close the thread as I have enough info and it's now going in circles.
 
I have shot many deer with 12 and 20 gauge slugs. They were of the "whatever is on sale" at the begining of dear season variety. In every instance, how far the dear went after the shot depended soley on where the shot hit the animal. I have complete confidence in the effectiveness of a well placed slug. With that being said, I still prefer buckshot for HD. The wound created by buckshot is stunning and devastating. Either buckshot or a slug is a game ender. I prefer the buckshot for HD because an errant shot will lose steam more quickly over distance with buck compared to a slug.
 
Someone on here just recently posted up a police report where the assailant was shot 17 times, 13 times from a 40 S&W and it wasn't until the last 5 rounds from a .223 that he finally died. And why? Because none of the 40 caliber rounds penetrated more than an inch, making them superficial wounds. The assailant kept shooting back at the police.
Click to expand...

That's wrong. The initial, and incorrect, information that was circulated said that the .40 rounds only made 1" of penetration. The .40 rounds that they were using performed as they were expected to. Shot placement was the deficient factor.

The brief lines all of that out. If you skim it, you will read the slide with the incorrect information on it (and it is briefed as incorrect, in order to de-bunk the incorrect rumors) without reading it fully and you will come away with the impression that the information is true. I hate the way this brief is constructed, because it makes people think that the fake info is true.
 
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