ok...you got a mossberg 590 for your bday..its your bed side home protection weapon. what ammo do you load into it? im guessing buckshot. probably 00 will be recomended...but i see alot of guys have slugs on their shotguns..and got to thinking...at 15 foot or so across my room from bed to door #4 buck shot will put someone down in a hurry and theres more pellets..i never PLAN to use the gun..but i like having it and being prepared for anything that COULD happen to anyone.

also...the gun itself holds 10 EXTRA rounds..plus the 8 or 9 loaded into the gun..(speed feed stock hold 4 andside saddle holds 6) so i could get away with a combination of ammo...

just not sure whats best for the situation...school me guys...

I highly STRONGLY reccomend you load the gun (first 2 shells)with 2 birdshot loads unless you want to shoot plumb thru your wall and possibly hit a family member in another room. Across room range the birdshot will do MORE than enough damage to intruder. It will also spread a wee bit more-not very much mind you,just individual pellets. Even small birdshot will make large hole at close range.

I had my shotgun loaded with 3 rounds of 3.5in No.4 Turkey Loads then 3 rounds of 3.5in 00 Buckshot. I never had to use it but we tryed the turkey loads on a deers chest cavity (ribcage for the trash not the whole deer) and it was very devistating at 15 yards. I wish i had pics to put on here of the damage.

I use No. 2's. Birdshot is very deadly when an intruder is close enough to harm you, like inside your house. But it will NOT go through walls and harm people in the next house, as slugs will for sure, and buckshot might.

If you live in the country and there are no other houses within a mile or so, then buckshot is OK, as long as you know where the rest of your family is before you shoot!

good stuff guys...thanx. the nice thing about my room is that 2 of my walls are concrete. if i was in a typical situation and an intruder walked by or was about to walk in my door way theres nothing out there but the furnace and laundry room and concrete walls. i know in home defense you gotta think about everyone else that will be in the house. but being in a basement room dad will get to the intruder first...or if dads not home i will hear it and have to go upstaires after him. makes sense to use a stiff load of birdshot for the first couple rounds. no doubt at <10yds in a house itll drop a human like a sack of brick. i wonder if anyone has ever done any testing...like what will go through your typical dry wall, paneling like older homes have, cinder block walls like i have etc.

I have never done any testing with drywall, but I use my 12 gauge to clear shooting lanes for deer stands...I use 2 3/4 high brass 6s and a full choke...At 10-15 feet you can cut through a 3-4 inch diameter limb easily...

I'm no expert, but I read an article about this subject some years ago..

The author maintained that the best choice for "across the bedroom or livingroom" ranges was low base 8s or 9s.... Buckshot blasts through drywall like ahot knife through butter and heavier birdshot like 2s or 4s still tends to penetrate walls fairly well, where the small shot like 8s or 9s doesn't... AND the small shot still creates an awesome wound...A center shot with a skeet load of #9 shot at five yards will drop the most determined perpetrator and create a terrible wound... Odds are you'll need a coroner rather than an ambulance to take the creep away...

nchawkeye...come to think of it i did the same thing to trim my friends shooting range at his camp. we wanted to shoot the shotguns...and wanted to trim saplings...so being young and dumb we did both at the same time lol. it was safe to do..and worked surpisingly well.

call me sick or twisted but i just might have to test birdshot at close range on roadkill or something. i know it would be devistating...but im curious as to how deep and what damage they will do. no doubt it will stop an intruder...there aint going to be an exchange of gunfire or the intruder still coming at me after taking a blast of birdshot at close range..and if need be theres 8 or 9 more rounds in the gun..my guess is itll only take 1 or 2 to drop him. think ill load the first couple rounds with birdshot..then the rest buckshot. just rather be prepared for any situation. the gun will be pretty much a dust collector when its not at the range...but its one of them things i rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it.