Jeff... I'll have to find the pix and post them here. There's a big difference between the 6" deep and 6" wide crater the birdshot makes and the 14" pinhole the .223 round makes. My point is that neither one is "safe" for home defense use, nor should they be. As the Second Rule of Gun Safety says, "Know your target, and what's beyond it." Keep in mind that if an armed intruder is in your home, he's not going to be concerned about collateral damage, and he for damned sure won't be using "safe" ammunition.
My home defense shotgun is loaded with 00 buck, with slugs in the sidesaddle. I've treated a lot of GSW survivors with birdshot in 'em who did fine. I've never seen a GSW survivor with buckshot in him in 20-odd years of ER medicine. I know they're out there, but it's pretty rare.
And yes, I'm aware that 1/2" sheetrock is used in homes. I deliberately used heavier-than-code 5/8" to counter arguments from skeptics. No big deal.
FWIW, if you have the good fortune to live in an older home with plaster-and-lath walls, you probably don't need to worry about birdshot (or even most pistol rounds) going through them. Buckshot, slugs, and most rifle rounds will go thru, however.
