[Jeff Higgins]

John, the problem with the shotgun is that once the load spreads enough to make it easier to hit some one, it has spread enough to be somewhat inneffective. Buckshot, 00 or even 000, has proven in tests to be almost useless at your 30 yard range. Remember, we are talking very small round ball projectiles, like .36-.38 caliber, with the ballistic coefficeint of a badmitton birdie. There are only nine 000's in a 12 gauge load, and if three of them hit a deer-sized target at that range, you have been lucky. They have so little energy left that they leave superficial wounds if they penetrate at all. In other words, as a defensive weapon at that range, all it will do is serve to further irritate your antagonist. Buckshot derives its killing power by hitting as one dense cloud and messing up far more tissue than a single projectile; it looses that effect at short handgun ranges. Even then it is aimed like a rifle, because the charge has not yet spread more than a couple of inches. No, you cannot "spray and pray" with a shotgun and take advantage of any increase in ease of hitting - it's just not a reality within its effective range. They do have advantages in reduced penetration indoors, reduced range outdoors, and increased stopping power within their range limitations. I do think that the range limitation rules it out for this use, however.