What if the threat is behind cover and partially exposed? If you fire at a threat behind a tree, as an example, with only a hand and an eye exposed and firing at you, the larger pattern has a greater chance of snagging the opponent with a few pellets. The others had credible counter-arguments. With some loads, 30 yards might not be out of the question, if 50% of the pellets struck the target. The one side wanted a tight pattern to produce the most effect possible and produce good wound potential at 20 yards or more. The others were more liberal toward the pattern. One might deploy the shotgun for emergency use in different situations and favored a cohesive pattern. The others were primarily hunters and those concerned with personal defense in the home. The first was former or current peace officers and soldiers. The primary rater, on taking notes and canvassing opinion, found two primary camps. The raters were somewhat split on what makes a good personal-defense loading. Our shooters learned that maybe there is something to the reduced-recoil loads after all. We tested 19 12-gauge 2.75-inch buckshot loads in #1, #4, #00, and #000 sizes, and two more in a side test. The goal was to test buckshot for home defense and determine which load might be the best for Gun Tests readers to buy and try for themselves. Because we were testing function, one of the shotguns had to be a self-loader. We could not use a single shotgun for this test, so for validity, we used two. Then we would fire at the target for pattern and measure penetration. We cannot test every shell on the market, but we could test a range of buckshot sizes to gauge their performance. The logistics of collecting shotguns, shells, targets, and a measuring tape seemed simple. In gearing up for this test, the project seemed simple at first.
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