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Just wondering...I've been carrying shot shell in the first 2 chambers of my Det Special...the other 4 are loaded with 158g Nyclad HP...and I got 6 more in a speed loader....Am I thinking wrong about the shot shell? God forbid I have to use the firearm...2 shot go off quick in case I need the third...shot close up takes care of many critters, both 4 and 2 legged....thoughts?
Birdshot - particularly tiny loads of birdshot in a pistol cartridge - is for little birds and small critters.
It lacks the penetration to reach the vital organs and stop an assailant, and you're taking a big, unnecessary risk betting that you'll have time to get the first two shots off to get to the "real" self defense ammo, IMHO.
You already know the answer here, that the shotshells aren't going to stop an assailant. That's why you loaded the remaining 4 with JHP.
Matt
Agreed.Quote:
Originally Posted by MattInFla
Unless you've got a snake problem in your area, it makes no sense at all.
All the shotshell will do to a perp is make him mad. If you have to fire your weapon, you need to use a load that you can reasonably expect to stop the actor. Remember - at this point, you're defending your life. Halfway measures just won't do.
If that gun will take +p, load 5 rounds of Hornady Extreme Defense, Speer Gold Dot Short Barrel, or Corbon DPX.
Save the shotshell for rats at the dump or maybe sheet-shooting dragonflies at the lake.
My thinking on the 2 legged animal was....was really that I'd blind them...maybe a sad thing to think about but, I thought a shot anywhere near the face or head would definitely make BG think about where he went wrong in life...maybe a hug from mom that he never got?
You're gambling that you'll be up against an opponent capable of introspection at such a moment.Quote:
Originally Posted by hudsonvalley
Personally, I wouldn't wager my life on that; you are free to do what you choose.
Can you make a face shot FAST - under extreme stress? And if it doesn't completely blind him, that then? You have to fire two rounds of shot before you get to the more effective JHPs. You're talking about precious seconds you might not have.
You might need a different mind set before you carry ANY weapon. Think about it - you're shooting to SAVE YOUR LIFE! The BG wants to KILL YOU! Stop worrying about him. He chose that route and takes the consequences of his actions. I am shooting to stop him. Several shots COM will usually do that effectively. Yup, I said "several" because I'm probably gonna pull more than once at the first encounter. He's trying to kill me and I want him to stop. I don't shoot to kill, but let's face it. Dead is a SURE stop. I'm not going to try and wound him or save his life to leave him possibly able to continue or resume his attack at some point. As Ron White said, "If you kill us, we will kill you back."
As a practical legal side note...Frankly, I want only my side of the story told in subsequent investigations.
Cruel? Maybe. Cold? Absolutely. Me alive? Yes. That's the bottom line.
A couple things.Quote:
Originally Posted by hudsonvalley
First, if you ever told the police following a shooting that your intent was to blind the assailant, you'd probably be talking yourself into a prison cell.
Second, let's assume for a moment you're at spitting distance from an armed assailant (which you'd have to be for the shot to do much of anything). Can he stab you while he can't see? Grab you with one hand, stick his gun against your body with the other and shoot you to death?
Of course he can.
Bad guys get to make plans too, and they get a vote on how your plan turns out. Why make it that much easier for him to execute his plan?
Matt
I used .22 shot shells to take down snakes but anything bigger then a squirrel and the shot shell is not effective at all. pistol caliber shot shells are not designed for self defense. Period.
The smallest proven SD shot shell is a .410 and even then it still doesn't have the punch of a .45LC which isn't saying much.
YMMV
For what it's worth, the Box OTruth tested some handgun shot shells:
The Box O' Truth #30 - Snakeloads O' Truth - Page 1
Matt
I shoot several hundred rounds of shotshell per year. At 10 yards it is not even very effective on mice and rats. A bb gun is more effective at ten yards for mice and rats. I don't think a round that is less effective than a bb gun makes a good SD round.
Thanks...just thought a pattern at 10 feet was more likely to 'confuse' them and allow time to rethink....if you know what I mean....thanks everyone for all the input. Hopefully, we'll never have to find out....Quote:
Originally Posted by MattInFla
I carry a stainless snubbie with three rounds of .38 shot shells and the remaining 2 with half jackets when I bass fish in shallow, weedy Florida lakes. I see snakes all the time and several have tried to climb into my boat. I haven't fired on any yet as I would rather move along than kill a misdirected snake. There have been occasions when an aggressive gator got a little too interested for comfort, hence the half-jackets. But I agree, no shot shells for 2-legged pests.
I've been known to keep a shotshell in the cylinder occasionally....if I'm hiking in the desert and likely to come upon a snake. For defensive use, no way.
Shot shells out of a Detective Special do not do much good on snakes either, I used to carry one when logging in a national forest... had to shoot several copperheads multiple times to get them dead... Stick to HPs. The shotshell rounds are over priced and might as well be classed as not effective.