Survivalist Forum banner

Home Defense Ammo - PDX1 vs 00 Buckshot

12K views 137 replies 35 participants last post by  Rural Buckeye Guy 
Over the last year or so, I've been tweaking my home defense shotgun to determine the best set up for my situation. Along with the configuration of the gun, I've also considered various ammo types and evaluated them based on spread, velocity, and knockdown power. Recently, I picked up some of Winchester's PDX1 Defender rounds (three 00 buckshot BB's and a 1 oz slug) and ran it head to head against the tried and true 00 buckshot round. Check out my video to see the range test I conducted:



Long story short, a compelling case can be made for the PDX1 Defender shells instead of buckshot. The pattern is consistent (and a hair wider than standard buckshot), the knockdown power is significant, and the cost is reasonable ($2.50 per round). Even if a bad guy only get's hit with one of the four projectiles, it's likely going to cause the perp to reconsider advancing their attack on you, as one 00 BB is equivalent to a 9mm round. A con for this round is that the three buckshot BB's are plated, thus, there's a slight risk of over penetration due to the lack of round deformation. I don't think that's a deal breaker for me, but to some it might be.

Just wanted to post a review about this semi-new type of shotgun load for those who haven't heard about it. It's getting fairly popular and has been out for about a decade.

Thought's on it's viability for home defense?
Plated buckshot reduces flyers. I’m not sure I’d be so concerned about any resulting increased penetration. There was a nice article years ago in a military magazine ( as in published by or for DOD, no SOF) comparing plated and unplated buckshot, with and without buffering. Definitely showed a serious edge for buffered, plated shot.

I wouldn’t consider a 00 buck to be equivalent to a 9mm. Weight is less than half that of a standard 9mm, crossectional area is about 20% less, but muzzle velocity is much higher in standard (non tactical) loading.

if the slug has a dependable POI ( gonna have to watch the video) it sounds pretty attractive. Cost ( if those were prices from 2 years ago) isn’t that much worse than federal premium ($1/rd)

BTW, years ago,fresh out of college, I bought a scattergun technologies shotgun at the factory in Nashville . My first gun with ghost rings. I bought a sleeve of slugs at Walmart. So I stuck a 2x4 piece of plywood on a 10” pine tree and proceeded to sight the ghost rings in. On about round 20 I heard a creak, and the pine tree came crashing down. Really got some respect for full power slugs.
 
Across a bedroom, 7 1/2's will more than likely work just fine. But yes, a larger person, or an angled shot through a shoulder, etc., could result in not stopping someone who was determined, and it happens. Rat hole wounds are ugly, but don't magically always work if something important isn't perforated.

Federal used to make a personal defense load of #2 plated, hardened shot, that actually made 12" penetration +/-. It bridged the gap somewhat between birdshot and buckshot, but it's long discontinued. I'm sure some duck or goose loads would work similarly.
there is a continuum of shot sizes from #4 to T to BBB and up. Difference betweenT and 4 BS is about the same as between #1 and #3. If I were a patrol officer I’d want the best patterning large buckshot I would get. Using hi velocity bird shot at 10 yards would scare me. Being a Homeowner is a different situation. I have a hard time envisioning a situation happening now where I would engage outside my house with a shotgun. Riots wouldn’t make it this far, and I can’t imagine a armed assault by a drug cartel.

during the start of COVID, when no one with him a brain knew what was going to happen, I put a keltec in the top drawer of my chest of drawers ( which serves as a night stand.). One tube of #6 pheasant loads, one tube of federal premium 00 buckshot, switch set to feed #6 pheasant. I don’t feel under armed, and I’m not kicking my daughter out of the house to get a clear field of fire.

I’m probally better than most as all my bedroom walls ( both sides of interior walls, outside walls, and in all the bedrooms.) are 5/8 type X Sheetrock.
 
Excellent point that is often overlooked since the majority of people who are in the shotgun for home defense discussions didn't grow up hunting various animals with a shotgun and only experience is shooting paper targets and watching Youtube videos (No offense to the OP. Excellent video). There is a massive difference in the capabilities of a high brass #4 field loads versus a #12 dove load.
I’ve see a large mule deer killed ( illegally) by a pheasant hunter. Probally hot 6s or 5s. Deer ran 100’ maybe. About the same I’d get with a 308. Not really smart to take the shot in ND where they were wearing orange vests and could be seen from a mile off. I was watching the mule deer.
 
Find me one incident of a justified shooting by a citizen in, their home that passed through a bad guy and killed a innocent person. Not a police officer in a crowd, a citizen. It doesn't exists. The chance of you even firing a weapon at a intruder is insanely minute. The possibility of that rare occurrence then causing a pass through strike is 1,000X MORE unlikely. You are altering your defensive load on a .000000001% chance. You are hell bent on a argument that has no basis in reality. As others have shown you, to no effect, there are hundreds of examples of people be shot by far more powerful loads than bird shot and continuing the fight. Facts bounce off you like logic bounces off of Joe Biden.

I have encountered many hair brained and plain stupid opinions on firearms in my life. I have never before found somoene so dedicated to their stupid ideology.
I think most people thinking of over penetration are thinking of 2 layers of drywall, not a human body and THEN two layers of drywall. And I think most people are worrying about striking a family member, not just killing them.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top