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I use my old trusty Ithaca 37 8 shot with a pistol grip for home defense, love the way it can be slam fired and my Glock 27, depending on the particular situation.
Yes, a shotgun is ideal for home defense. All the members of your household can display the positive force to discourage an intruder then back it up (God forbid!) with force to stop an intruder if need be.
All of the people will say buy a 12 ga. but I believe a good 20 ga.double barrel , or a pump, is better for women to handle. Load them with heavy loads to maximize the stopping power.
I don't like pistols for home defense since it takes to much practice to use any pistol with any skill at all.
I can't imagine any intruder who sees a double barrel ,or hears the racking of a pump, will stick around to find out if you mean business.
Shotguns are very often touted as THE best firearm for most defensive uses. That's not hard to understand given their ease of use and not having to have honed skill in their use. Also the wide variety of loadings available can pretty much make any given platform do what one needs it to do.
Inside a home where things get tight a 2 3/4 inch trap load with bird shot can perform more than adequately for defensive use. 00 buck or slugs are not even necessary for the bulk of home defense applications. Truly, many people could get by quite well with a rock salt load. A shotgun need not be loaded for total lethality to take an intruder out of the fight.
So I tend to agree that a shotgun is perhaps the top choice for home defense due to its extreme versatility and general ease of handling. And yes, a 20 ga is plenty. A double barreled coach gun loaded with #9 bird shot and rock salt would put most any home invader down and out without being lethal and negating most concerns about wall penetration.
Any handgun takes a goodly amount of practice to use properly and in urban settings such as with an apartment over penetration is a serious concern. Shotguns can be loaded in a variety of non lethal yet VERY effective ways. a mixture of bird shot, rock salt and maybe even Cayenne pepper would be quite effective inside a dwelling. It probably won't kill but whoever is on the receiving end is not going to be in any huge hurry to prosecute an attack.
"Stopping power" is a very ...relative..concept. Terminal performance is not always required to stop a fight. One can get extremely creative in loadings for a shotgun. I've used rock salt before, running off trash digging dogs, discouraging coyotes and such and it's effective at distances of 20-25 yards and I've sent critters that were tearing up my trash cans running at warp speed squalling and yowling to wake the dead.
So for most folks looking at a defensive firearm I can get on board with a shotgun between 20-12 ga as being a very sound choice. Not having to kill but ending the problem is an option I find likeable.
[mod note] This being a "Hobbies and Recreation" forum, I'm a bit uncomfortable with this particular thread. However, instead of making the thread disappear, I'll keep it open for the rest of the day for those to give their thoughts, then lock the thread. [mod note]
[mod note] This being a "Hobbies and Recreation" forum, I'm a bit uncomfortable with this particular thread. However, instead of making the thread disappear, I'll keep it open for the rest of the day for those to give their thoughts, then lock the thread. [mod note]
One could consider killing/ severely wounding home intruder(s) a hobby & recreation
If it is for home defense and you live in a city or suburb, a shotgun is the only thing that really makes sense. Anything else with stopping power will go through your walls and kill your neighbors and you will go to jail even if it was valid self defense.
If it is for home defense and you live in a city or suburb, a shotgun is the only thing that really makes sense. Anything else with stopping power will go through your walls and kill your neighbors and you will go to jail even if it was valid self defense.
Shotguns are good for home defense, I have one (870 tactical) but I retired it as my main HD gun, it's just too damn heavy for maneuverability...I'll break it out again during the zombie apocalypse. Just remember shotgun pellets will go through walls as well, not to a neighbors house but it will go into the next room for sure, even bird shot. The other guy in this thread provided pretty good support that overpenetration of AR vs. handgun is overstated.
Quote:
Originally Posted by luckyram
You're close but a 12 ga pistol grip shotgun or a Mossberg Shockwave with a laser/light combo using Aguila Minishells is the best home defense weapon anyone can have & have low recoil/easy to shoot (and esp. good for a woman). Those shells (buckshot or slugs) are lower velocity/less penetration but still pack a wallop at close range....also, you can almost double the capacity in a shotgun due to the shorter size.
I've looked closely at the shockwave and pondered a purchase. Besides that it just looks cool, those minishells are a good option and holds quite a bit, but it's expensive ammo. I thought the grip would break a wrist but saw Hickcock on youtube fire it one handed without too much trouble. I will probably buy one somewhere down the line and make it a range and novelty toy.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pilot1
An AR-15 SBR, suppressed in 300 BLK would be my top choice. However, I do not have one. I currently use a USGI M1 Carbine for home defense, as well as a CZ-75, 9mm pistol. The only think I use my shotgun for is bird hunting.
I've been pondering the purchase of an SBR AR except you have to deal with the ATF, maybe a AR or AK pistol might be a better solution. Not even sure I will dedicate it to a home defense role or just a range play gun.
M1 carbine, have to respect a traditionalist! I read it first as M1 (garand) and pictured Clint:
OK since this thread will be locked I don’t have to endure the retribution of Glock-fanboys
I never did warm up to Glocks in the last 30 years. I’ve rented them & shottyem ar the Range. A LE friend let me shoot his Glock 23. I did reasonably well but my reaction was... meh. It just does not stir a passion inside of me like my Springfield 1911 and my S&W 686 do. I admit I started out as a revolver guy and there still a soft spot in my heart for revolvers. My home defense gun is a Taurus 605 loaded with Winchester 130 gr 38 spcl +P. My life is boring and I live in a good area. Although I have a range of choices from Sig P-226/ CZ-75 to Shields 9/ Shields 40. I feel very comfortable with a 5 shot J-frame revolver. My other J-frame is a S&W 638 with crimson trace laser.
I feel like the shotgun has been memed into being the be-all-end-all of home defense, and while it's better to have a shotgun than nothing, I'd honestly take something a pistol for maneuverability.
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