No Comments Any 12 Gauge shotgun shell is capable of neutralizing a threat. A #9 shot skeet load? Guaranteed KO with good aim at close range. A blank? Impractical, but still capable of doing the job. Nonlethal shotshells, loaded with rubber pellets or bean bags? Regrettably, potentially lethal.
All of this is to say that you could theoretically fire any 12 Gauge ammo in defense and still achieve your desired effect.
Theoretically.
But salads “theoretically” taste good, and late-80s Woody Allen was “theoretically” capable of knocking out late-80s Mike Tyson, and the average ammunition writer is “theoretically” capable of scoring four digits on the SAT. Doesn’t mean it’s gonna happen.
By that thread, you don’t want 12 Gauge ammo that can “theoretically” arrest a determined attacker’s advance. You want ammo that is specifically designed to make said misanthrope go night-night lickety split; extremely reliable, and loaded with a slug or buckshot that truly vanquishes.
You have many good options of 12 Gauge defense ammo. The following are only a few very good ones that you can confidently chamber in your under-the-bed firebreather.
Best 12 Gauge Ammo for Self-Defense
Winchester Military Grade
- SKU: Q1544
- Length: 2-3/4”
- Payload: 00 Buck, 9 Pellets
- Payload Weight: ~1-1/8 Ounces
- Muzzle Velocity: 1,325 fps
- Dram Equivalent: 3-1/2
As managing authority over the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant – the federal government’s largest small arms ammo manufacturing facility – Winchester knows a thing or two about military ammo. For proof, fire Winchester’s plainly packaged Military Grade shotgun shells.
This is the same ammo the U.S. Armed Forces issue for field use with the 590A1 and M1014. It is surplus, yet it’s straight from the factory; i.e. not previously stored for who knows how long and in what kind of conditions. It’s noncorrosive, with high steel heads that play nicely with a semi-automatic, and olive drab green hulls to underscore its intended application.
Here’s hoping your home never becomes a battlefield. But if it should, then you’ll find that this round’s supersonic volley of 00 buck (the same shot utilized in the field by law enforcement officers) works to your favor. As a bonus, this shell’s shot column is packed with grex buffering: soft granules which preserve shot pellet sphericity by absorbing recoil energy, thereby promoting the efficient pattern which puts more lead on target.
Winchester Military Grade may not exhibit quite as much quality as the following shells, but it is cheaper – a good thing if you’d like to train the way you would fight without breaking the bank.
Federal Premium Law Enforcement Tactical (00 Buckshot)
- SKU: LE133 00
- Length: 2-3/4”
- Payload: 00 Buck, 8 Pellets
- Payload Weight: ~1 Ounce
- Muzzle Velocity: 1,145 fps
- Dram Equivalent: 2-1/2
The military isn’t the only outfit that needs effective 12 Gauge shotshells for combat. Our boys and gals in blue must also attend to prickly business, and regularly count on their shotguns to carry the day.
Make no mistake: Federal Law Enforcement Tactical ammunition is also available for sale to the general public. Use that to your advantage, because these LE loads are considered by many to be the crème de la crème for personal protection.
Compare this shell’s base stats to the Winchester Military Grade and you’ll notice two significant differences: one less shot pellet, and 180 feet per second (fps) lower muzzle velocity. On the downside, it’s less powerful, as it transfers less kinetic energy to the target and potentially inflicts fewer wound channels. The upshot? Gentler recoil, which can help you empty your shotgun faster and more accurately.
This shell’s tight shot pattern is assured by two featured components: its copper-plated 00 buck, which is hard enough to withstand supersonic acceleration without flattening (which also promotes higher striking energy and deeper wound channels), and Federal’s highly acclaimed FliteControl wad which remains with the shot column following expulsion from the muzzle so as to ensure a narrower grouping.
Want an additional shot pellet at the cost of stronger recoil? Check out the nine-pellet LE132 00 variant. Want nine pellets and an even higher 1,325 fps muzzle velocity? Check out LE127 00.
Hornady Critical Defense
- SKU: 86240
- Length: 2-3/4”
- Payload: 00 Buck, 8 Pellets
- Payload Weight: ~1 Ounce
- Muzzle Velocity: 1,600 fps
- Dram Equivalent: 4-1/2
We know Hornady best for their metallic cartridges: rifle and pistol ammunition designed for every conceivable application. But that doesn’t mean the great Nebraskan ammo maker doesn’t also know a thing or two about shotshells.
Exhibit A: Hornady Critical Defense, which is by far the most powerful shell on our list. This round’s eight-pellet payload emerges from the muzzle at a velocity 42% faster at the speed of sound. If you combined each individual lead bead’s kinetic energy as a whole, then its close-range striking energy is nearly on par with that of the 270 Winchester. If just a few of those shot pellets hit their mark, then it’s lights out for the threat.
Never one to be outdone, Hornady has developed a wad that is virtually identical to Federal’s proprietary FliteControl. The Versatite wad also utilizes a rear-braking shot cup to help it remain with the shot following expulsion, as well as front-braking fins to ensure neat separation from the shot column after a fair distance has passed. It’s all in service of tightening up that shot pattern.
Fiocchi Defense Dynamics
- SKU: 12EX9P
- Length: 2-3/4”
- Payload: #1 Buckshot, 9 Pellets
- Payload Weight: ~7/8 Ounce
- Muzzle Velocity: 1,250 fps
- Dram Equivalent: 3
Fiocchi Defense Dynamics takes a slightly different approach than the shells we’ve covered so far. Instead of the 00 buckshot that’s widely preferred for personal defense, it is loaded with nine pieces of slightly smaller #1 buck; 0.30” in diameter, as opposed to 0.33”.
Nine pellets of #1 buck weigh around 1/4 ounces less than the same quantity of 00 buck. That means this shell can deliver the same muzzle velocity with significantly less recoil. And since a #1 buck pellet weighs around 25% less than a double-aught, it strikes its target with less force as well.
A supersonic nine-pellet barrage of #1 buck still packs more than enough punch to instantly handle any threat. It also reduces (but by no means eliminates) the risk of over-penetration you should consider if you live in a densely populated area.
Federal Premium Law Enforcement Tactical (Rifled Slug)
- SKU: LE127 RS
- Length: 2-3/4”
- Projectile: Hollow Point Rifled Slug
- Projectile Weight: 1 Ounce
- Muzzle Velocity: 1,300 fps
- Dram Equivalent: 3-1/4
Slug ammo wouldn’t be my first choice for home defense. Sure, those big, heavy, single projectiles hit hard, but that same momentum also increases the risk of over-penetration that could threaten innocent bystanders – including those in nearby neighboring residences. Your preferred home defense ammo is entirely your business, but never forget this advice: “Every bullet has a lawyer attached to it.”
That being said, if you want to slug the threat into submission, then you could ask for no finer ammo than Federal Premium Law Enforcement Tactical. This shell launches its 1-ounce projectile at a velocity of 1,300 fps (out of a 30” barrel), which translates to 25-yard striking energy of around 1,277 foot-pounds (on par with a 5.56×45 AR-15’s muzzle energy out of a 20” barrel).
Impact isn’t the only force the threat has to worry about. As a lead hollow point, the slug is optimized to undergo terminal expansion as it tunnels through soft tissue. According to Federal’s own ballistic testing, this shell’s slug can expand to a diameter of 0.981” upon striking bare ordnance gelatin at a range of 10’. Promisingly, that same test demonstrates that the slug penetrates to an average depth of 14.25-inches. That falls neatly within the 12 to 18” range specified as ideal by the FBI’s own ammunition testing protocol.
Side note: This is rifled slug ammo, which is precisely what you want for a smoothbore shotgun. If your shotgun has a rifled bore, stick to sabot slugs.
The Takeaway
I recommended the very best 12 Gauge self-defense ammo I could. Are my recommendations exhaustive? Not by a long shot. You’re setting yourself up for success so long as you invest in quality 00 buck ammo (or rifled slug ammo, if you prefer) by a reputable manufacturer. Magtech, Remington, Rio, Sellier & Bellot, and several other shotshell producers are also squarely up to the task of saving your hide.
