What is the difference between Shotgun shells?
November 9th, 2010 by eranio
I recently purchased a Mossberg 500a. I want to know what is the difference between birdshots,buckshots, slugs? Also whats the difference between 2" 3/4 and 3". what are the best shells to have for home defence?
Posted in mossberg shotguns
November 9th, 2010 at 2:54 pm
2.75 shells have a few less pellets but just as strong in velocity. Bird shot is like bb,2,4,5,6,7.5 all for big birds to little birds. Slugs or one chunk of lead or metal used for deer usually. Buck shot comes in 000,00,1,2,3,4 ( 00 buck) is good for home defense but could be dangerous for other family members. Bird shot up to 10yds will do lots of damage and is fine.
November 9th, 2010 at 2:54 pm
Birdshots are tiny little BBs that spread out pretty good to give you a good chance at a bird in flight. Buckshot( 00 for example are about the size of peas and have about 9) these spread too and do a lot of damage. Slugs are like a bullet and do a lot of damage. 2 3/4 and 3" are the measure of your shell. Birdshot usually 2 3/4 has a lesser charge than 3′. Some shotguns chokes don’t allow 3". Probably the best for home defense would be 00 Buckshot as it will give you a little room for error and still blow someone away.
November 9th, 2010 at 2:54 pm
Bird shot is for birds.
Buckshot is for deer.
Slugs are for deer.
2” 3/4 are shorter than 3” which means they have less shot in them.
I would use buckshot for home defense.
November 9th, 2010 at 2:54 pm
Be sure to look here for more shotgun info……
http://www.shotgunworld.com/
http://www.shotgunworld.com/bbs/viewforum.php?f=7
Also be sure to check out the ammo tests for shotguns here…. With this info you can understand the differences or various shotgun cartridges and determine the best use for you….
http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot42.htm
http://www.theboxotruth.com/
Home defense?… I recommend 2 3/4 inch buckshot….. This stuff….
http://www.remington.com/products/ammunition/shotshell/buckshot/managed-Recoil_express.asp
http://www.chuckhawks.com/home_defense_shotgun_ammo.htm
Dont use birdshot – that stuff is for birds not defense!…. Slugs can over-penetrate walls if you miss endangering your family members in next room and your neighbors next door….
Don’t use 3 inch cartridges…. The recoil is pretty stout and can slow you down in a defensive situation….
November 9th, 2010 at 2:54 pm
Bird shot is small shot designed to shoot small, lightweight birds. it’s size is designated by number, generally 8 to 1, and the smaller the number, the larger the shot. Birdshot larger than #1 is designated as B, BB, or BBB, the greater the number of B’s, the larger the shot. When hunting, the larger the game, the larger the shot. For dove, you might use #8 shot, for turkey, you might use #4, and for geese, you might use BB.
Buckshot is larger shot intended for larger game, such as deer. It’s size is designated in the same way as birdshot, except that when shot sizes get larger than #1, it switches to O (single ought), OO Double ought), and OOO (triple ought). Also, the smallest common buckshot size is #4. Keep in mind that #4 birdshot is considerably smaller thanm #4 buckshot. In fact, BBB is smaller than #4 buck.
Slugs are single projectiles, usually used for large game out beyond the range of buckshot. Slugs basically turn your shotgun into a marginally accurate rifle. While buckshot has an effective range of 25-35 yards, slugs can be accurate up to 100 yards out of a standard shotgun, and up to 200 yards out of a specialized slug gun. There are two types of slugs that you can buy- Rifled slugs for smooth bore barrels, which is what you will want, and sabot slugs for rifled barrels. You can fire sabot slugs out of your gun, but they won’t be very accurate in a smooth bore barrel, and they cost way more than rifled slugs.
As for shell length, 2 3/4" or 3" refers to the length of the shell after firing. Before firing, the crimp shortens the shell by 3/8-1/2 an inch. There are 2 3/4", 3", and 3 1/2" shells available. Shotguns designed to shoot 3 1/2" shells can shoot all three lengths. Shotguns designed to shoot 3" shells can shoot 3" and 2 3/4". Many older shotguns only shoot 2 3/4". Your shotgun will probably shoot 3" shells, but look on the side of the barrel, and it should say.
as far as ballistics, all three shell lengths fire at the same velocity, but the larger the shell, the more shot it holds. You can also buy "reduced recoil" 2 3/4" shells, that launch a smaller amount of shot at slower velocity.
For home defense, use OO buckshot. Buy several different kinds, and shoot them at cardboard to see which load groups the tightest and most constant. Federal OO with flight control wadding (it will say it on the box) pattens the tightest on most guns. I would recommend 2 3/4" reduced recoil loads. The reduced recoil loads will be plenty powerful enough, and allow you to get a fast follow up shot off if necessary. Also, on some shotguns, because the 2 3/4" shells are slightly shorter than the 3" shells, you can get one more 2 3/4" shell in the magazine than you can of 3" shells.
There are a number of home defense related shotgun myths.
Myth 1- bird shot makes good home defense ammo because it won’t penetrate walls.
Truth: Anything that can penetrate into the bad guy far enough to reliably stop him will penetrate several walls. Sheetrock just isn’t that tough. Bird shot might make ugly looking surface wounds, that might cause the bad guy to bleed out over time, but it isn’t heavy enough to penetrate deep enough to damage vital organs or the central nervous system, which is necessary to quickly stop the bad guy. Remember, in home defense the objective isn’t to kill the invader. The objective is to stop the threat. Bird shot might kill the invader, but it will likely take time, giving the invader plenty of time to kill you first. Also, bird shot will penetrate several layers of sheetrock as well, so the claimed advantage is negligible. Really, hitting the bad guy is the best way to stop over penetration. This means that you must practice as much as you can so that you can shoot very accurately.
Myth 2- less lethal shotgun loads (rubber buckshot, bean bags, rock salt, ect) are good for home defense.
Truth: Any time that you fire a gun at someone, it is considered to be deadly force, whether the ammunition is considered "less lethal" or not. Therefore, the only time you should fire a gun at someone is when you fear for your life, and at that time, you don’t want to be messing around with less lethal type shells. Some people recommend loading the first shell as less lethal, and then the rest buckshot. However, it is way too easy to mix up if you have the less lethal shell loaded or not, and if the less lethal shell doesn’t get results, you might not have time to shoot the second shell. When less lethal ammunition is used by police, special guns are used for the less lethal, that are designated for this purpose, and never loaded with regular shells. These guns are often color coded with orange stocks to differentiate between the less lethal and standard shotguns. In addition, the officers that shoot these guns have special training that most civilains do not get, and are backed up by another officer with a carbine or shotgun loaded with OO, in case the less lethal doesn’t work