The moment that danger comes busting through your door, you have got to be prepared. There are no second chances or notifications beforehand. Shotguns have been a go-to type of firearm for self defense for decades. They offer all the stopping power you need, and with most configurations, they don’t require as much accuracy as handguns or rifles. Picking the right shotgun for you is a big decision in itself, but after you have your new shotgun in your hands, what type of ammunition should you buy for it?
Shotguns can be used for everything from clay shooting, to small game, deer, and waterfowl hunting. All of those situations call for a different type of shotgun shell. So, you can find shotgun loads for many different uses, but not all of them are right for self defense. Today, we are going to go over all of the most common types of shotgun loads, and help you figure out which one is right for you. You can expect to see some types of loads you have heard of before, as well as a few new ones. Before we finish up, we will cover a few more configuration options for your shotgun and make sure you are truly ready to defend yourself if it ever comes to that.
TLDR; Our Go-To Shotgun Load For Self Defense
For the majority of situations, 00 buckshot is going to be the ideal load for a self defense shotgun. You get the right amount of power while still having a bit of a spread to your shot. This type of ammo is readily available, so you can get enough ammo to practice with and keep on hand. An affordable box of 00 buck comes from Lambro in their Guard Buckshot. Lambro has been making reliable ammunition for over 40 years, and our customer’s excellent reviews agree.
Lambro 2-3/4″ Guard 00 Buckshot
Avoiding Birdshot For Self Defense
If there is any type of shotgun load you want to avoid for self defense, it is birdshot. This kind of load consists of hundreds of tiny pellets. This is great for bird or waterfowl hunting when you need a wide spread to increase your chances of hitting a quick flying target. Although, the same load would not do much more than painfully sting a bigger target. Every state’s Department of Natural Resources knows this when they write their deer hunting regulations; the smallest shotgun load allowed for deer hunting is commonly number 1 buckshot.
So how do you know if a load is birdshot? Well, the first thing you will see is a picture of a bird, duck, or goose on the box. Although the real answer is that birdshot is labeled by “numbers”. If you see “#4” on the shell, this is number four shot. Anything with a “#” and no other word following it is birdshot. This usually starts from four-shot and goes up. As the number gets bigger, the size of the pellet gets smaller, but the number of pellets increases. For other loads like buckshot, it can be “#2 Buck”, but notice it says buck after it. Unfortunately, there is not a clear cut line between buck and birdshot, there can be some overlap around #3 and #4.
Some people may say that bigger birdshot like #4 shot is good enough for self defense, and while I have no doubts that it would hurt to be shot with it, your goal when shooting a threat is immediate and complete destruction, and birdshot is not the best tool for the job. If you have no other choices, sure, birdshot is better than nothing, but if you are reading this before heading to your local ammo store, you should go with buckshot instead.
The Popular Load for Self Defense – Buckshot
The bread and butter of self defense loads for shotguns is buckshot. Buckshot comes in a few different sizes, but in general you get a few large BBs in your shell rather than hundreds of tiny BBs. How many you get depends on the size of the shell, but 2 ¾ inch 00 Buck comes with 8 or 9 pellets. Other types of buck shot like the smaller 0 Buck will have upwards of 12 pellets, while the larger 000 Buck will be around 6 to 8 pellets. If you increase your shell size to 3 inches, you will get more pellets for a given shot size.
These relatively large pellets do a lot more damage than many small pellets. This is why buckshot is ideal for close range deer hunting, where it gets its name. While it may be a bit morbid to think about, we can use the same logic for self defense against people. Plus, we are able to hit targets over 40 yards away with buckshot, which is plenty far enough for any self defense situation.
One benefit of going with the standard buckshot is that you can always find it available in stores, and online. This stuff is everywhere, so if you need a box, you can get it quickly. One of our favorite loads in this category is the Federal Premium Law Enforcement 00 Buck. It has 9 large copper coated BBs per shell, along with white buffering. All and all, it is a solid shell that is capable of defending you in any circumstance.
Federal Premium Law Enforcement 00-Buck
If a shotgun shell is buffered, it has small polymer or plastic beads or dust surrounding its shot. You can see the white buffering in the Federal Premium Buckshot I showed above. This is most commonly used when you have larger shot, like buckshot. The buffering keeps the shot in its place, and helps keep it from being deformed when you shoot it. Think of buffering like packing peanuts around your shot. Compared to non-buffered shot, you will have tighter patterns since the shot deforms less; This is an awesome benefit, but that generally reflects in the price of the load.
Something else you will notice about the Federal Premium Buckshot is that the shot is covered in copper. Inside is of course lead, but this shot is “plated”. This just means that it is covered in a layer of a harder metal like copper or nickel; this helps prevent shot deformation. Less deformation is always a positive; it will produce straighter flying shot and tighter groups overall.
Using Shotgun Slugs for Self Defense
If you want to deliver a lot of power to the target, you will use a slug. Instead of shooting multiple BBs, slugs are one cohesive piece of metal. They are huge though, usually being larger than common rifle bullets. The most common weight of a slug is one ounce. A standard .308 Winchester 165 grain bullet is 0.377 ounces for comparison; you could also say the slug weighs 437.5 grains. That’s huge!
Due to their power, slugs are very popular. If you are prepared to not have a spread of BBs, slugs are a great tool for self defense. They are very common for deer hunting, and hunters have a host of strategies for getting these slugs to ranges of over 50 yards. That is not a large concern for a self defense scenario; remember, the average self defense situation occurs within 10 yards.
You can also find rifled slugs, which are designed to be used in smooth bore shotguns. This is backwards from rifles; there, the barrel is rifled and the bullet is smooth. Rifled shotguns also exist, but they do not pair well rifled slugs. I wouldn’t rush out to buy a rifled shotgun through, they are built for long range, not close range self defense.
Federal Power-Shok 2-3/4″ Magnum HP Rifled Slug
Slugs are good in general, but rifled slugs will keep your projectile spinning and more accurate in the air. The Federal Power-Shok Rifled slugs pictured above are also Magnums; they are going to have a little more punch than your typical shell. This means more energy on target, but it also means more recoil.
Hornady 2-3/4″ 300 Grain SST Slug
If you want to use a slug, but do not need it to be rifled and want to cut down on the recoil a bit, the Hornady 300 grain Super Shock Tip (SST) is more manageable. This is a 12 gauge slug, so there is still a ton of power and a stiff amount of recoil, but much less so than a full one ounce slug in a magnum shell.
If you are on the fence about using slugs, another thing to consider is your living space. Slugs are going to penetrate very well; they will go through walls just as easy as a rifle. So if you live in a more populated area, maybe stick with buckshot. If you like the idea of a slug and live in a rural area, then there’s no reason not to use them.
Specialty Shotgun Loads for Self Defense
Birdshot, buckshot, and slugs are not the only options for shotgun loads. There are dozens if not hundreds of “specialty” loads on the market. Some of them have some true merit, others are not for much more than having fun on the range. In general, if you see a crazy load on the shelf, avoid it for self defense. The shell filled with little plastic ducks probably isn’t what you should defend your life with.
Brenneke 2-3/4″ Super Sabot 1-1/8 oz Slug
One of these specialty rounds that are actually effective are sabots (say-bo). These projectiles are specifically designed to be used in rifled barrels. The metal sits inside of a plastic sleeve so that the projectile can be a smaller diameter than the bore. You’ll find sabots in rifle cartridges too, and they generally trade off weight for speed and penetration. Although the Brenneke Super Sabot is actually over the standard ounce for slugs. This is the type of shotgun shell that is going to produce accurate groups at 100 yards or more. It’s not the first box I would grab for self defense, but it is certainly interesting.
Magnum, Standard, Reduced Recoil, or Mini Shells?
If you want to dive deeper into the topic than just birdshot, buckshot, or slugs for self defense, you’ll find yourself peering over all these other terms for the power of a load. The quickest way to identify the “power” of a shell is how long it is. Your standard load is 2 ¾ inches long, making it longer gives you more room for powder or shot. The more powder you have, the more recoil you’ll have. The opposite is also true; smaller shells will have less recoil and less shot going down range.
| Name | Shell Length |
|---|---|
| Mini Shell | 1 ¾ “ |
| Reduced Recoil | 2 ¾ “ |
| Standard | 2 ¾ “ |
| Magnum | 3” |
| Super Magnum | 3 ½ “ |
Standard loads are what you get by default; the box will not usually say standard, but they are always 2 ¾ inches long. The amount of recoil you feel will depend on the type of shot you use, but in general, a standard load out of a 12 gauge will have a stiff jolt of recoil. It shouldn’t hurt, and with a bit of practice, it is very manageable.
If you want more power out of your shell, you will use a longer magnum or super magnum shell. These shells increase the length to make room for more powder and shot. This obviously makes a more powerful shell, and it is useful for things like turkey hunting where you need to reach out a bit farther. If you want to use these types of shells, make sure your shotgun is designed to use them. Your barrel should state how long of a shell your particular model can handle.
More power sounds good for self defense, but at the ranges you are likely to use it at, this really doesn’t matter. As a matter of fact, many people choose lighter loads to use as self defense. The idea being that the lighter recoil makes the weapon easier to manage during a stressful situation. Reduced recoil shells are exactly what they sound like, but they are still the standard length. These shells have less powder, giving them less recoil; although, this gives them less power. They are still very deadly within self defense ranges, and are a good choice if you are finding the recoil of a standard shell a bit stiff.
Even smaller shells called “mini shells” have become more popular in recent years. They are much smaller but the recoil is also much lighter. The problem with these shells is that they do not reliably cycle in most shotguns. You can buy adapters to make them feed better, and some specialized shotguns are designed to cycle them, but in general, you should only use a shell that is reliable in your firearm for self defense. Check out this video from lucky gunner if you want to learn a bit more about mini shells.
Should You Use a Shotgun Choke for Self Defense?
Shotgun chokes are always a topic of discussion for hunters, but for self defense shooters they can actually be counter productive. The job of a choke is right in the name, it “chokes” down your shot into a tighter grouping as it exits the barrel. The goal of this is to keep your shot from spreading out as quickly. Hunters use this to get tight groups out to 40 yards while turkey hunting, or so that they can get more BBs on target when they are shooting at flying targets.
However, what pulls people toward using a shotgun for self defense in the first place is the shots spread. The realistic self defense scenario nearly always happens within 20 yards, often within 10 yards. The use of a choke at these distances is going to make your shot more like a slug. You want a bit of spread in your shot, especially when your adrenaline is pumping. The less you can rely on your accuracy the better.
Ideally, you should not use a choke for self defense; this is referred to as an open cylinder. If you really want a choke, the tightest choke I would use is an improved cylinder. It is also worth noting that if you are choosing to use a slug instead of shot, you should not have a choke. Some slugs can go through chokes, but chokes do not provide a benefit for slugs, and mismatches between chokes and slugs can be catastrophic.
Get Your Pattern Down Before Relying On a Load
One super important tip I have for you before we wrap up is that you should always practice with ammunition at the range before trusting your life with it. This goes for handguns, rifles, and shotguns alike; although, practicing with a shotgun is even more important. Some loads just do not feed correctly in some shotguns, so you always need to make sure that the particular match up that you chose works out.
They tell concealed carry shooters to shoot at least 100 times with a cartridge before carrying it. That is going to lead to a stiff bill and stiffer shoulder if you do it with your shotgun, but you should shoot at least a few dozen shells before depending on them. Make it a fun day at the range, and if you do find any problems, you’ll be happy you were there.
The Best Self Defense Shotgun Load for You
There are hundreds of choices for self defense loads, but 00 buck shot is going to be ideal for most shooters. You will want to make sure you avoid buckshot, as it isn’t always deadly to human sized threats. Slugs are a powerful option if you are okay with not having a spread of BBs, but make sure to avoid any specialty rounds. The standard self defense scenario is going to happen within 10 yards, so there are not many downsides to choosing standard or reduced recoil loads over magnums either. We also do not need a choke at that distance either, most shooters choose to go with an open cylinder.
No matter what you choose, make sure to take it to the range and practice. While I fed you my opinions, and others will too, there are no real wrong answers if you are going with buckshot or slugs. Try not to get too caught up in the details, and focus more on finding a load that performs well in your shotgun. If you have a good idea of what you want but are not sure where to look, check out this page to see our instock 12 Gauge ammo.
