Lady Defender
Great debate going on at Confederate Yankee, who recommended a .410 shotgun as a home defense weapon for a specific customer of short stature. As the comments piled up and on, he seems to have backed off on his recommendation of a birdshot loading...good move. You give up some things if you're defending yourself with a .410; penetration shouldn't be one of them. That said, I would use as small as #6 shot in a 20 or 12 gauge for home defense (if I was worried about penetrating walls)--but birdshot in a .410 is for snakes not of the two-legged variety.My recommendation: 20 gauge with #4 to 00. Manufacturers make .410 shotguns for children and people who are no longer challenged breaking clay pigeons with larger gauges. Has anybody ever seen a .410 marketed for defense from anything other than snakes? Probably a good reason for that.
Winchester made a Model 1300 "Lady Defender" pump in 20 gauge that would be ideal for this scenario...I've greased through many riotgun stages with mine feeling almost no recoil (except for when using slugs).And before you laugh, I do Defend Ladies with it.
posted by Cowboy Blob @ 4:45 PM
7 Comments:
At 10:34 PM,
Anonymous said…
To answer your question, O.F. Mossberg specifically markets the HS 410 (HS standing for Home Security) in .410 as a "pure" home defense shotgun; it serves no other purpose. To my knowledge, it is their only shotgun built from the ground up with home defense as it's only role (the Pursuader, Cruiser, Mariner, etc all have other roles).
Also, 4s (I recommend)and #6s (I tolerate) in 3" shells are still birdshot loads, aren't they?
BTW, I think one thing more gunners need to consider is the construction of many new homes. Around here, thermoply (sp?) is replacing OSB and plywood for sheathing, and it is far thinner than either, apparently making house-to-house overpentration a growing concern.
Thanks for the link.
At 11:14 PM,
Cowboy Blob said…
I stand corrected. Thanks for the response!
I STILL wouldn't use less than a 20 gauge, though, even if I was 100 pounds lighter and a foot shorter.
At 9:43 AM,
Dr. StrangeGun said…
I keep S&B #4 shells around for my 12ga when it's in home defense mode. It's a common sense choice... basically a large number of .27 or so caliber ball, big enough to damage but not so heavy as to overpenetrate barriers.
At 12:13 PM,
Firehand said…
I could see a .410 for someone not physically capable of handling something bigger, but not with birdshot. And if for some reason you HAD to use birdshot, the biggest stuff you can find.
At 2:17 PM,
Anonymous said…
I choose a 12ga with 00 buckshot. I want to make sure they go DOWN and stay DOWN
At 8:01 PM,
Sigivald said…
A .410 with #4 or 000 buckshot (I mean #4 buck, not #4 shot, by the way) is perfectly adequate for home defense - certainly the equal of any reasonable pistol.
In practice, I'm not sure it's preferably to a 20 gauge unless the person handling it is very small and/or recoil-averse, but it'll do the job just fine.
(3 .350 caliber pellets in the 000 buck should be more than sufficient, yes?
Total Muzzle Energy of .410 loads is difficult to find, but what I can find suggest 500-odd foot pounds, for 2.5" shells.
As this significantly exceeds the ME of the .45 auto, I submit that it should be decent for personal defense at short ranges.)
At 9:11 PM,
Anonymous said…
I have one of these here winchester1300 lady defender 20 ga pumps. Jams up tight every shot. I think I would prefer the 410.
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