I am wondering about how many lead OO bb's would it take to weigh in at 240 grains ?

And if you have them on hand,
0OO bb's as well.

Would 230 grains of lead bb's fit into a .20 ga or .12 ga. Shell ?

A 00 Buck pellet weighs around 55 grains.

A 000 Buck pellet weighs around 70 grains.

You can then multiply that pellet weight times the number of pellets in the shell. For example, most 2.75" (non-magnum) 12 gauge 00 Buck loads have 8 or 9 pellets, which means each shell will have around 440 to 495 total grains of buckshot pellets within.

To get to 240 grains, that would be a bit less than 5 00 pellets or a bit less than 4 000 pellets.

So would one of those new mini shells be enough to hold that out?

Aguila's 12 gauge Minishells come in #4 Buck and #1 Buck. The #4 has 7 pellets at around 20 grains each, for a total of 140 grains. The #1 Buck has 4 pellets at around 40 grains each, for 160 grains total.

Prior to purchasing a self defence shot gun ,
I am trying to consider my options in regards to limiting the severe recoil .

I have more thinking to do, I guess.
This thread was finding out about reducing mass.

Thanks

Before I would load my self defense 12 gauge with mini shells I would buy a 20 gauge shotgun.

Am considering that option as well.

I am finding there are a lot more .12 gauges offered.

Am wondering now if anyone offer either reduced recoil self defence ammo ?

Or
20 gauge loads in a 13 gauge shell

If you are doing this for inside your house then consider 20ga with a light load of #5s or even a 12. Buckshot goes through walls easily, putting others at risk.. Bird shot is less likely to be lethal through a couple layers of drywall but does a good job on the bad guys at in the house ranges... Hit someone with a load of 5's at 30-40 feet and if they are able they will be looking to leave and not fight.. hit them again and the threat is ended....

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Bendable I load my own short shells. I can make 9 pellet 00buck shells that I load with 15 grains of red dot powder(this is a reduced load-19 grains is the normal load) that won’t beat me up and still get it done.



If you have someone that reloads shotgun shell near you, you might be able to reproduce my load.

I use a 12ga for home defense, and use #4buckshot, it recoils a little less than 00buck.

Also there is reduced recoil OObuck produced by Federal and Remington. But it’s in 2 3/4”. It’s the same stuff we shot when I was a cop. They even make a reduced recoil slug (I think it’s federal)

I wouldn’t use birdshot for self defense, it’s for birds. Buckshot is for larger game. Anything you shoot will go thru walls.

Bendable, I've shot 12 gauge #1 buck loads and the recoil was not bad at all. Basically it felt like a 1 1/8 ounce 1200 fps Trap load.

Lets just clarify things a bit here. BB is a specific shot SIZE, not a range of pellet sizes.

Buck Shot is a range of pellet sizes larger than F shot(0.22). #4 buck = 0.24 #3=0.25 #2=0.27 #1=0.30 #0=0.32 #00= 0.33 and #000=0.36.

Weights are as stated in previous posts.

Now, for total weight of the shot charge, that depends on the load particulars. Because you can fit more pellets into the longer cases, for 2 3/4 12 gauge that limit is typically 1 1/8 ounce but many are loaded with only 1 ounce of pellets to reduce recoil. With 3 inch shells they can start to become painful to shoot and with 3 1/2 inch magnum loads you will want to used a gas operated Magnum rated Semi with a recoil management system.

The size of the shot does not determine recoil or even muzzle energy, Given the same gun and powder charge A 1 oz load of 00 buckshot has the same total muzzle energy as a 1oz load of #5s and felt recoil will also be the same. The differences are that the larger mass of the individual buck shot will retain that energy over longer distances. This in not really an issue here since the typical shot at household intruders is under 21 feet and neither load will loose much energy at that distance. Buckshot does penetrate more because it's mass retains energy better so not only will it likely go through an intruder at house hold ranges therefore not transferring all its energy to the target. Pellets that miss the target will also go through more walls, doors and possibly other people behind those walls...like your family. #5s or larger bird shot will transfer more energy to the target and go through less walls because the smaller individual shot looses their energy quicker, especially when it hits something. It is just as effective on a human sized target at house distances and safer past the target. There also won't be much difference in pattern size at short range given the same gun and choke.

The key is we are talking large targets at very close range, not Pheasants at 25 yards..

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