Herter’s Italian-made Select-Defense Multi-Defense 12-ga., 2¾” shotshells offer the seldom-seen “buck-and-ball” approach to personal-protection ammunition. Featuring a single lead-alloy, .65-cal. round ball nested atop six lead-alloy No.1 Buck pellets, all of which are contained within a plastic shot cup with full-length slits, the non-buffered load has a muzzle velocity of 1300 f.p.s. The clear hull’s six-point crimp, while effectively holding the round ball in place, is not sealed, so it could allow the ingress of moisture and debris in certain environments; under “normal” circumstances, though, I cannot imagine the configuration posing a problem. Fired from the improved-cylinder-choked 28” barrel of a Stoeger M2000, at 10 yds. all of the projectiles impacted slightly low and into a 2 7/8”-wide cluster. At 25 yds., the 0.65”-diameter ball hit 3” low and 1 5/8” right, and the entire pattern-including the ball and four buckshot-measured 7 1/8” wide. Moving back to 40 yds., the ball impacted 1½” low and ¾” left of the point of aim, while a single No. 1 buck hit virtually dead center, but about 4” high. Given this load’s performance, not only would it excel for home protection but, where legal, for hunting whitetail deer and feral hogs. Ten-count boxes are priced at $11 at Cabela's.
