It is an article of faith that a 12 gauge shotgun loaded with a 1 ounce Foster style rifled slug or a charge of 00 (.33 caliber) buckshot is a terrific "stopper" at very close range. (By very close range I mean a distance of 10 yards/meters or less.) And if used on soft skinned game no larger or tougher than a human being, this is probably true.

The usual shotgun chosen to deliver such a load is a short barreled pump gun, commonly called a "riot gun" (without rifle-type sights) or a "deer gun" (with sights). Most police departments provide their patrol cars with such weapons. The Mossberg 500, Remington 870, and Winchester 1300 are probably the best known models, at least in North America.

Autoloading shotguns of similar style are also available, but are less reliable than pump guns. Gas operated autos generally offer less subjective recoil, but in a life or death situation that is a bad trade off. Short barreled double guns are also available, generally sold as "stagecoach guns," but these offer only two shots, kick like the very devil with buckshot loads, and crossfire with slugs. Stick with a pump gun.

Today is it is possible to buy "defensive" shotguns in 20 gauge as well as 12 gauge. Since a 20 gauge slug weighs only 5/8 ounce, compared to the 1 ounce weight of a 12 gauge slug, it should be obvious that anyone considering a shotgun for defense against large predators in the field should select a 12 gauge gun. I cannot think of any dangerous game animal against which a 20 gauge shotgun would be a good choice.

12 gauge pump guns of the riot or deer hunting type usually weigh around 6.5 to 7.5 pounds (empty) and are provided with 18 to 22 inch barrels. Overall length is usually between 39 and 42 inches. Magazine capacity runs 4-8 rounds. It is worth noting that these repeating shotguns are just as bulky and heavy as many hunting rifles. A .45-70 caliber Marlin Guide Gun, for example, is only 37" long and weighs 7 pounds.

Unfortunately, it is not clear that a charge of buckshot is the best tool, or even advisable, for use on dangerous game. There are many reports of buckshot loads that failed to stop charging animals. Due to the very poor sectional density (SD) of buckshot pellets (a round ball has the worst SD of all common projectiles, roughly .102), their penetration is quite limited. Sectional density is important because, other things being equal, the higher the SD the greater the penetration of a projectile.

There have been a number of cases where buckshot failed to make it through the tough skin and muscles that protect the chest wall of a lion, tiger, and even a leopard. And a lion is maybe half the weight of your average grizzly bear, and about 1/4 the weight of a brown or polar bear. Leopards are about the weight of a human being!

Other drawbacks to buckshot include extremely limited range, and a very small pattern at short range. Many people mistakenly believe that a shotgun "sprays" a charge of buckshot over a wide arc, but this is not true. At the very close range that buckshot might be effective against a bear or big cat (it is nearly worthless against thick-skinned game like buffalo, rhino, bison, or elephant) the pattern is actually very small, maybe 2" in diameter. This means that a shotgun requires accurate shot placement, just like a rifle. You cannot "spray and pray" if you are to effectively defend yourself against an aggressive predator. You can check this out by firing buckshot loads into paper targets at 3, 5, and 7 yards/meters to see the results for yourself.

If you figure out the total muzzle energy (ME) of a standard 12 gauge, 2 3/4", 00 buckshot load, which launches 9 pellets at a muzzle velocity (MV) of 1325 fps, it is roughly similar to that of the old .45-70-405 grain rifle load (MV 1330 fps, ME 1590 ft. lbs.); but with much less penetration. And it is the penetration that makes the 405 grain .45-70 bullet (SD .273) effective. Each individual 00 pellet, of course, is carrying only 1/9th of the total energy of the load.

Compared to buckshot, a rifled slug is probably the better choice. A standard 12 gauge rifled slug weighs 437 grains and has a MV of 1560 fps for a ME of 2361 ft. lbs. (Remington figures). In the slug's favor is its large cross sectional area and decent energy, which delivers a powerful blow. Unfortunately, the SD of a 12 gauge rifled slug is only .117 so, compared to almost any big game rifle bullet, potential penetration is poor--but not as bad as with buckshot. If you must carry a shotgun for protection in the field, stuff it full of slug loads.

The bottom line is that a shotgun is highly over rated as a "stopper" on dangerous game. Almost any big game rifle is more effective. A .308 rifle shooting a standard 180 grain factory load at a MV of 2620 fps develops 2743 ft. lbs. of muzzle energy, and its bullet has a sectional density of .270! Something to ponder before choosing a shotgun for protection in the field. (For more on this subject, see my article "Rifles for Protection in the Field" on the Rifle Information Page.)