Best Shotgun Ammo for Home Defense and Target Shooting

People throughout the world are using shotguns effectively for home defence or to defend their cabins, farms, and houses from any unknown interventions. The shotguns are being used for centuries because the sound of the ammo bursting from a shotgun is enough to deter the intruders from their path fearing their lives. Modern self-defence experts throughout the globe still consider the shotgun the ideal weapon for home defence as it takes an incredibly brave heart to stand opposite to a barrel of a gun while performing or intention to perform malicious activity.

The shotgun is never trademarked for a home defense weapon; many persons choose a handgun, carbine, or even their hunting rifle as their primary means of protecting their home, whenever an intruder tries to sneak in. However, it can never be denied that a shotgun has many advantages over these other weapons that many people use. One of the most important advantages of a shotgun that it exercises over the other guns is that it fires multiple shots each time you pull the trigger.

Some people think their key advantage to scattering shot is that you don’t have to aim precisely to hit your target, that means even if you don’t have any practice or are a newbie in the field of guns and ammunition, you can stop any intruder harming you. But that is not entirely the case when fired at close range, like inside your room, there is minimal shot spread, and the bullets will go in a fairly straight line.

That is a misconception, but the pattern stays as ejected from the barrel, allowing multiple shots to hit your target if fired correctly and produce devastating effects, that would buy you more time to call the police and handover the malicious person to the authorities. Long story short, the real benefit of a shotgun that it exercises over the other guns to be used as a home defense weapon is it gets multiple shots on the target with a single press of the trigger. But what is the need to have multiple shots? Most self-defense shooting experts emphasize the importance of rapid and accurate shooting for effective and reliable threat elimination before they cause you damage. Getting multiple rounds on the target is very much important because sometimes, a single shot may not stop the attacker or might miss the target if you aim is not exact.

It may even happen that a violent criminal might even turn hostile and attack after they have been shot or barely missed as heor she will feel a threat to his. Therefore, quickly firing several rounds from your self-defense gun will surely stop him or her from getting up again, leave alone turning hostile. Here comes the need to have a shotgun, as a shotgun achieves the same effect with one pull of the trigger, and thus you are saved of your precious seconds. And thus, a shotgun will allow you to tackle the enemy or intruder more efficiently and quickly as compared to other guns.

Things to consider before buying shotgun ammo for home defense

For starters, there are very few things you need to put into consideration during purchase since ammo are pretty straightforward—or at least more straightforward than shotguns. And second, they are very cheap. Don’t get me wrong, but whenever I can save a nickel, I take the chance.

Buying ammo for shotguns is not as easy as it sounds. For newbies in the field of guns and ammunition, it is quite a tricky job. There are a large number of different types of ammo out there in the market, which makes it all the more confusing.

Let us have a look at the things to consider before buying shotgun ammo.

Shotgun gauge

Shotguns do you come in all shapes and sizes. But the main difference to consider before buying the bullets for your gun is its diameter. The diameter of some shotguns will be larger than the rest other should be shorter, and hence the size of bullets will vary depending on the diameter only.

It is one of the most important things you will want to consider when buying shotgun ammo is the shotgun gauge, because if the diameters mismatch, all your money will go down the drain. So it is extremely recommended to carefully check the shotgun gauge and then decide which are more to buy that will fit perfectly and sure shotgun without any hassle.

Brass

Brass is another factor to be considered before deciding on which shotgun ammo to buy. Shotgun shells are available in either low or high brass iterations. However, it is important to remember that while a high bass offers better function, it is also more expensive than ammo with lower bass. It is recommended to buy shotgun ammo that has high brass iterations to get the best experience if budget is not a problem.

Price

Shotgun ammo is available in a wide price range, and when we tell wide, we mean it. But frankly speaking, there is no doubt that you get what you are paying for, nothing more nothing less. There are two sides to this argument, while some gun owners believe that cheap is expensive others believe that money does not guarantee quality. But the money is yours, so is your choice for the shotgun ammo. But keep in mind that price is one of the most important factors when you are making a purchase.

Ultimately it depends upon you how much you want to spend.  But we would like to recommend you to buy a good quality ammo pack so that it gives you a considerable benefit over the person sending opposite to you in hostile situations. Money doesn’t guarantee the quality, but quality always comes to the high price tag, and there is no exception to that. So, even if your budget is tight try to spend the minimum amount to get quality material instead of spending the minimum amount just to buy something in the name of shotgun ammo.

Shot

The short is one of the most critical factors in determining which shotgun ammo to buy.  It is nothing but the type of pellet contained within the shell.  Let’s get a quick look at the different types of shots available in the market that you can buy so that you can decide what you require based on your knowledge, rather than any other recommendations.

Birdshot

If you just want to scare off your enemy at the Intruder without causing any physical harm or the minimal possible physical harm to him then birdshot is perfect for you. Birdshot will eject numerous small rounds and projected towards the enemy that will cause non Lethal damage and will be enough to scare him or her out of your way. Birdshot is the safest option available to shotgun owners in case they want a gun that will be safe to be used and stored while there are kids around.

Buckshot

Buckshot is larger-sized shotgun ammo than the birdshot that delivers much larger pellets then the previous one. It also offers more firepower and is slightly more lethal to help you protect yourself from intruders. Overall, it works well for hunting and self-defense, and as far as damage is concerned, the buckshot causes significant injury to the intruder or attacker, or at least stop him right in his track.

Slug shot

The next type of ammo that we will see is known as the slug shot. It is a big piece of metal that is used when firing at a further range and will inflict lethal damage at close range and accurate aim.  Overall, this is incredible ammo to be used against the intruders.

Now that we have learned about the basics of shotgun ammo, we are all ready to jump straight into the list of the best shotgun ammo for home defense available in the market that you can buy. But as said earlier, the choice of the ammo that you would be using completely depends on your choice and the type of shotgun that you are using. However, it is always advised to choose the best and not be that strict with money because, in a hostile environment, it is your shotgun and your ammo that will stand between your life and death. You can imagine the circumstances in case a cheap and badly built shotgun and its ammo can cause then.

Without wasting any more time, let us jump straight into the list and have a look at the best shotgun ammo for home defense available in the market that you can buy so that you can have beforehand knowledge to buy the ammo that suits you the best.

Best Shotgun Ammo for Home Defense 2022 – Detailed Review!

#1 – Federal Power Shok

The Federal Power Shok is the first shotgun ammo in our list of the best shotgun ammo for home defense available in the market that you can buy. The Federal Power Shok self-defense ammo rolls out of the factory of the company known as the Federal. They are renowned throughout the world for their great quality and excellent ammo that they produce. No list of the best shotgun ammo for home defense would be complete without Federal be a part of it, if not among the top-ranked companies.

The Federal Power Shok is surely one of their best products that stands up for its name. The features included in the Federal Power Shok are triple plus wad system that gives you a better shot alignment, a granulated plastic buffer that keeps the pellets in a uniform shape, and a muzzle velocity of 1325 feet per second. Long story short, the Federal Power Shok outperforms most other home defense ammo available in the market. Undoubtedly, if budget is not your concern, you should go for this one, considering its reliability and the accuracy that it provides.

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#2 – Federal Game Shok Lead Shotshells

As we have said earlier, we can not get our eyes of the Federal. Here comes the second shotgun ammo in our list of the best shotgun ammo for home defense available in the market that you can buy and is also the second federal on our list. The Federal Game Shok Lead Shotshells is a 12 gauge set of ammo rolling out from the house of Federal. This set of ammo can be considered as safe and might be a good choice for those who want a set of ammo for game hunting and personal self-defense.

The Federal Game Shok Lead Shotshells is a reliable and accurate set of shotshells that offers devastating knockdown power that combined with a shorter shotgun. It can be safely kept in the house and used with less collateral damage than other rounds due to pattern efficiency. Also, it is more economical to shoot and has much less recoil than most other higher velocity ammo available in the market. Some features added to the shogun ammo are: they are equipped with a brass-plated steelhead, are high-quality round shot that is designed for optimum hardness to improve pattern efficiency while shooting, equipped a uniform lead shot that helps in even and consistent patterns with each shot for enhanced accuracy.

Overall, if you are looking for a set of shotgun ammo for game hunting and personal self-defense, as stated earlier, the Federal Game Shok Lead Shotshells pack is a must buy, which offers decent performance and devastating power.

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#3 – Hornady Critical Defense

The Hornady Critical Defense was designed in 1949 and is high-performance ammo that is also ultra-reliable for your needs. It is the third shotgun ammo in our list of the best shotgun ammo for home defense available in the market that you can buy. Again, as we mentioned about the Federal Power Shok, the Hornady Critical Defense will also include itself in a list of the best ammo, even if not among the top-ranked ammo.

The Hornady Critical Defense works extremely well in both pump shotguns and semi-auto shotguns and thus no one needs to feel dejected due to the incompatibility of his or her gun. The key features are: they are equipped with 12 gauge 00 buckshot and have a velocity of 1600 feet per second also the amount of recoil is fairly moderate. Overall, it is a powerful ammo set that is equipped with devastating power.m The pack is also quite affordable and suits for those who have a tight budget issue.

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#4 – Remington Slugger Rifled Slug Loads

The Remington Slugger Rifled Slug Loads is the fourth shotgun ammo in our list of the best shotgun ammo for home defense available in the market that you can buy. They are of superior quality and travel at the speed of 1760 feet per second after being ejected from the barrel and were designed for anyone who has a smooth bore shotgun and likes to hunt. The Remington Slugger Rifled Slug Loads stack up pretty well, and they are very accurate that give consistent results. The Remington Slugger Rifled Slug Loads are also quite reliable, a very important feature for a home defense weapon.

When combined with a powerful shotgun, the ammo can be a good tool for both hunting and home defense, as per your needs and desires. Some of the awesome features added to the Remington Slugger Rifled Slug Loads are that they are packed in convenient, easy carrying boxes, have a muzzle velocity of 1760 feet per second, to name a few. Being available in 12, 16, 20, and .410 loadings, they are cheap and can be easily given a try.

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#5 – Winchester Rifled Slug

Here comes the fifth and final shotgun ammo in our list of the best shotgun ammo for home defense available in the market that you can buy that rolls out from the house of Winchester. Anyone in the field of guns and ammunition would have heard about the company called Winchester. The Winchester Rifled Slug is an example of the quality products they produce. The ammo is impressive, along with its wonderful accuracy and dependability. The Winchester Rifled Slug is perfect for people who want an inexpensive set of ammo for hunting, self-defense, or target shooting.

The key features include a muzzle velocity of 1600 feet per second and also feature high power and extremely good accuracy. Overall, it is reliable, accurate, and dependable. But it has also been reported that they have a history offer misfires. Apart from that, it also leaves behind a lot of residues that might consume a lot of your free time to clean up. If you have a limited budget, consider spending your money on this ammo.

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Conclusion

We hope you have liked the article on the best shotgun ammo for home defense available in the market which you can buy. The list incorporates a majority of the different types of shotgun ammo available in the market, depending on your needs and desires. Everyone has their own set of likes and dislikes. All you need to do now is to decide upon and then choose the best shotgun ammo that suits you the most.

We have also kept the best shotgun ammo of a wide range of price tags to get the benefit of the article regardless of whatever budget you have allotted towards buying scopes. As we have told earlier, price is never a guarantee for quality, but quality products do come with a heavy price tag. So, whatever you are going to choose for yourself, choose it wisely keeping yourself the utmost priority rather than money.

What is best for others might not be suitable for you, or what is best for you might not be ideal for others. Everything depends on the condition you are in, and you will be while you are out with your shotgun with the best shotgun ammo available in the market that suits you the most.