Does 12ga birdshot behave just like a slug at close range?

[AndrewWiggin]

Would you say there is a difference in performance between your test at contact distance and this test with a cut shell?

https://youtu.be/G_hRw39pt6s

I dunno. It's hard to say. they used real gelatin, rather than the clear gel in my test. Generally, I prefer to see real gelatin because clear gel has been shown to exaggerate penetration in some cases, but on the other hand, they did not post a BB calibration figure with their test and their gel has obviously been remelted a few times. I remelt my gel, too (actually doing that right now) and I don't think it negatively impacts the accuracy of the test, so long as calibration is performed. It is possible for the gel to wander out of calibration when remelted multiple times, though. Moss Pawn is also known for being somewhat theatrical and they are not particularly interested in maintaining standards or empirical measurements. In this video he proclaims "decent" penetration, but it looks like the deepest pellets got to about 6" or so, with the majority stopping at about 4". Give or take. That's generally consistent with my test and the Gun Runnerz test I posted above. Remember that the calibration range for the BB is 590 fps +/- 15 fps and 2.95" - 3.74". Think about what a 600 fps .177 BB is likely to do to a person wearing clothes and that may help put things in perspective.

[AndrewWiggin]

Mr. Wiggins, thanks for the link above in post #28. It has convinced me that regular birdshot charges are unacceptable for home defense purpose. In this age of super doped up criminals, depending on any birdshot--even my #2 or #4 favorites--might put one at risk. For years I loaded my riot shotgun with #4 or #1 buck but now use Federal l.e. low recoil 00. The shogun now has 2nd instead of 1st status. This next comment is thread drift. I've switched from shotgun to the AR for home defense. Years of study here plus an arthritic condition has motivated to adopt the AR. One thing I miss is that when I mount a shotgun, the load hits where I look. Not so yet with the M4.

I absolutely agree on every point. At the risk of derailing my own thread, a light carbine in an intermediate cartridge, preferably short and suppressed, is dramatically superior to a shotgun in almost every way that matters.

The carbine is more reliable. If you haven't short stroked your pump shotgun, you haven't shot it enough and semi auto shotguns are notoriously finicky.
The carbine is more precise. That matters a lot if you have to shoot past a loved one or hit a small exposed target.
The carbine carries more ammo. That matters a lot if you have to use it at 0'darkthirty in your tightie whities and can't carry extra ammo.
The carbine is easier to mount lights and optics. Yes, you can shoot okay with irons. No, you cannot go without a light on your HD weapon. Yes, you can make it work on a shotgun, but it works better on a carbine.
The carbine recoils less. You can get more hits, faster, on multiple targets. That matters a lot if you don't want to get shot by the second guy.
The carbine is easier to suppress. That matters a lot if you want to be able to communicate with 911, family members, and police after discharging your weapon. Be a real shame if you greased a bad guy and couldn't hear the cops telling you to put the gun down.
The carbine perforates armor. Granted, this one is fairly low probability, but it is still an advantage.
The carbine can be used at any range from 0-400 meters by any moderately competent shooter. That makes it far more versatile if your HD scenario turns out to actually be a SHTF scenario. It also means that you don't need to invest training time on different weapon systems.

The shotgun does produce more tissue disruption per shot, but less per second.

Ultimately the best weapon for YOU is the one with which YOU are most proficient, though. My advice is worth exactly what you paid for it, but I'd recommend you stick with the shotgun as primary until you get enough training time (dry fire is a great way to get there) that your muscle memory on the carbine is at least as good as the shotgun. It's not the arrow, it's the indian.