Although, depending on the range, it might not matter if you're shooting #8 birdshot or 00 buck. You also may be putting yourself at even greater risk of a potential lawsuit by using such a load. If you pepper some scumbag with #8 shot, causing a non-fatal injury with permanent disfigurement, he very easily could sue you claiming you had intended to maim him by using that type of load. I'm not saying that this is certain, but it's not really worth the risk. Besides that, a load of #8 may be totally ineffective against a perp hopped up on a cocktail of PCP and meth, and the wasted opportunity might give him the change he needs to kill you. My thought is that if I'm ever forced to use deadly force, I'm not going to risk my life by pulling any punches, so to speak. If, God forbid, that time ever comes I'm going to put a full force load of 00 buck or 2-3 .45 slugs into the bad guy's center mass. If he dies, well, he should have thought about that before he threatened my life.

Mike