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I agree that practice is essential -- practice with the exact weapon you will have at your side; better yet, find a training facility that can simulate tight quarters and low light. The only thing I wouldn't do in practice is shoot without hearing protection.
I have been shooting and training for 48 years and carry a gun legally. I have competed on a regional level with shotgun, rifle and handgun and been a range and safety officer for years. I know a little about the subject. In the old days they recommended a shotgun for home defense because people had the idea that the shot would spread so much that you did not have to aim. That is not the case in at home distances. You still have to aim.
Although I prefer a handgun for home defense I also own an AR-15 and a Mossberg Shockwave Firearm which is a short shotgun that fell through the loops in the laws and is legal. Google it. It comes in 12 and 20 gauge as well as .410. Despite what you may have read on the internet, buckshot is still your best bet. Smaller will not penetrate a lot and just leave a shallow wound and not stop a determined bad guy. 12 Gauge has a lot of recoil. 20 gauge gives you about the same power as a 12 gauge but with abut 60% of the recoil. I would go with a 20 gauge. A 410 round can be shot from a handgun and is not a very good stopper so I avoid them.
If you research barrier penetration tests you will see that a shotgun that misses will fire about 7-8 .32 caliber pellets through all of your drywall and exit your house. Surprisingly, a .223 from an AR-15 penetrates less than most handguns due to its light bullet travelling fast and breaking up in barriers. I saw this first hand in Vietnam. I have also see many men forget to pump their shotguns under pressure during competitions.
My chief complaint about using shotguns for home defense is that they require two hands. I like to have a hand free to open a door, flick on a light switch, hold my wife's hand, use my cell phone, etc.. Plus unless you have had extensive training you will probably enter or leave a room with the barrel of the shotgun going first and then is easily grabbed. You need to learn to maneuver a shotgun in a home. I remember once walking my house with a shotgun to get used to the areas where I had to keep my barrel pointing down. It was then that I learned that if I turned around to engage a threat behind me, the barrel of the shotgun hit the stair railing or one of the walls in the hallway. A handgun is also better if you have to keep your gun pointed at a bad guy until the cops arrive. Try doing that with your shotgun for 15 minutes.
I think you are well served with your pistol. Very maneuverable and holds more rounds. I have an HK VP9 with 15 rounds of 9mm in it. On its rail I have a combo light/laser so I am well equipped. Yet I do have a shotgun that is technically classified as a "firearm". I bought it because it is a legal short barreled shotgun. I have added a device that allows me to use half size 12 gauge buckshot shells made by Aguilla. I can get 8 of them into the tube and the recoil is mild. I have also attached a light/laser combo on that too. However, I have a single point sling on it so I can hang it on my side so I can use my handgun but have access to the shotgun should I need it. We have bear, coyote, Panthers and cougars around here.
If you want a good pump shotgun the Remington 817 and Mossberg 500 or 590 are great choices. I have competed with them and never jammed on me once. Get an 18" barrel 20 gauge and you are set. Best of all they all now come in variations that use a magazine to hold the shotgun shells. An AR is actually safer and gives you more rounds with minimal recoil. Look at those .223 AR pistols with the arm braces that are now allowed to be used as a shoulder stock and you have a short barreled AR-15. The problem with long guns will always be the need to train how to use them in the confined space of a home. Plus they are easier to grab by bad guys.
I fully 100% disagree with any shotgun for a home defense. Home defense is a close scenario confrontation. NO shotgun is going to disperse shot at the close ranges of a home confrontation scenario unless your living room is 75 feet long. You are FAR better off with a pistol, preferable a double action revolver as it requires no thinking to make it go bang whereas most semi autos have a safety and a mag release that can cause issues. But if you just want a shotgun, the Mossberg has to be the toughest SOB you'll ever buy. If mine could tell stories, I'd have to burn it. It's been under mud, in a sunken boat, dropped out of a moving truck(nope, I loaned to a bud) and it still works like a new one. I got it back in the late 1960's as my first shotgun. For an all around shotgun, you won't beat it regardless how much money you spend. I would suggest looking at all of the Mossberg line as you might want to take up bird hunting. My suggestion would be to the Mossberg 500 Turkey shotgun with the 20" long vented rib with screw in chokes. Unfortunately, the old standby Remington 870 is not what it once was. With Remington in bankruptcy, I wouldn't recommend one even if it was an old one. Shotguns can last a lifetime and in a few decades, parts are going to be an issue with the 870. Think Mossberg and don't look back. Pick a model that fits most any of the needs you might want a shotgun for.
Have you ever seen Improved Cylinder (IC) for a shotgun? I'd chose a shotgun.
Personally, my point of view is the exact opposite of this -- once somebody has broken into your home, your job is to stop the threat before they can harm you or your family. This isn't accomplished by wounding the criminal via a tiny 5-shot .22 pistol.
As the defender, you have the home court advantage. Can you explain why you choose to handicap yourself by choosing a revolver firing the smallest caliber handgun bullet in current use, and the second smallest round capacity?
A .22 hollow point is a deadly caliber if you desire it to be close range.. I have killed more than 1 deer with a .22 rifle dropping them instantly with 1 shot. You can instantly stop a person with a non lethal shot if you desire. If you can hit where you want to hit every time. And 5 shots is far more than needed to take down up to 5 intruders. It all depends on your ability with a fire arm. And it takes less than 3 seconds to change clips.
We had leased 20 acres of our ranch to a logging company for a logging camp about 1900. They built quite a few cabins for logging crews, which we turned a bunch of them into rentals when it closed. They left thousands of poker chips when they left. My grandfather cut grooves in 2X4 blocks to stand up poker chips in to use as targets. Using a .22 colt revolver and a .22 pump rifle, I learned to rapidly bust them up to about 30 feet every time. I got so I was nearly as good as my old time gunfighter grandfather.
I can assure you the ability with a gun is more important than the caliber or gauge.
And 5 shots is far more than needed to take down up to 5 intruders.
Quote:
Originally Posted by oldtrader
I have a small 5 shot .22 pistol you can hide in your hand for a home defense gun. Small, but big enough to stop someone in their tracks, and if I have to shoot it can be a non lethal shot that will stop them, but not kill them. Yes I can hit them exactly where I want to, if I ever have to shoot someone.
Quote:
Originally Posted by oldtrader
A .22 hollow point is a deadly caliber if you desire it to be close range.. I have killed more than 1 deer with a .22 rifle dropping them instantly with 1 shot. You can instantly stop a person with a non lethal shot if you desire. If you can hit where you want to hit every time. And 5 shots is far more than needed to take down up to 5 intruders. It all depends on your ability with a fire arm. And it takes less than 3 seconds to change clips.
Your 5-shot 22 revolver takes clips and can be reloaded in 3 seconds?
I have been shooting and training for 48 years and carry a gun legally. I have competed on a regional level with shotgun, rifle and handgun and been a range and safety officer for years. I know a little about the subject. In the old days they recommended a shotgun for home defense because people had the idea that the shot would spread so much that you did not have to aim. That is not the case in at home distances. You still have to aim.
Although I prefer a handgun for home defense I also own an AR-15 and a Mossberg Shockwave Firearm which is a short shotgun that fell through the loops in the laws and is legal. Google it. It comes in 12 and 20 gauge as well as .410. Despite what you may have read on the internet, buckshot is still your best bet. Smaller will not penetrate a lot and just leave a shallow wound and not stop a determined bad guy. 12 Gauge has a lot of recoil. 20 gauge gives you about the same power as a 12 gauge but with abut 60% of the recoil. I would go with a 20 gauge. A 410 round can be shot from a handgun and is not a very good stopper so I avoid them.
If you research barrier penetration tests you will see that a shotgun that misses will fire about 7-8 .32 caliber pellets through all of your drywall and exit your house. Surprisingly, a .223 from an AR-15 penetrates less than most handguns due to its light bullet travelling fast and breaking up in barriers. I saw this first hand in Vietnam. I have also see many men forget to pump their shotguns under pressure during competitions.
My chief complaint about using shotguns for home defense is that they require two hands. I like to have a hand free to open a door, flick on a light switch, hold my wife's hand, use my cell phone, etc.. Plus unless you have had extensive training you will probably enter or leave a room with the barrel of the shotgun going first and then is easily grabbed. You need to learn to maneuver a shotgun in a home. I remember once walking my house with a shotgun to get used to the areas where I had to keep my barrel pointing down. It was then that I learned that if I turned around to engage a threat behind me, the barrel of the shotgun hit the stair railing or one of the walls in the hallway. A handgun is also better if you have to keep your gun pointed at a bad guy until the cops arrive. Try doing that with your shotgun for 15 minutes.
I think you are well served with your pistol. Very maneuverable and holds more rounds. I have an HK VP9 with 15 rounds of 9mm in it. On its rail I have a combo light/laser so I am well equipped. Yet I do have a shotgun that is technically classified as a "firearm". I bought it because it is a legal short barreled shotgun. I have added a device that allows me to use half size 12 gauge buckshot shells made by Aguilla. I can get 8 of them into the tube and the recoil is mild. I have also attached a light/laser combo on that too. However, I have a single point sling on it so I can hang it on my side so I can use my handgun but have access to the shotgun should I need it. We have bear, coyote, Panthers and cougars around here.
If you want a good pump shotgun the Remington 817 and Mossberg 500 or 590 are great choices. I have competed with them and never jammed on me once. Get an 18" barrel 20 gauge and you are set. Best of all they all now come in variations that use a magazine to hold the shotgun shells. An AR is actually safer and gives you more rounds with minimal recoil. Look at those .223 AR pistols with the arm braces that are now allowed to be used as a shoulder stock and you have a short barreled AR-15. The problem with long guns will always be the need to train how to use them in the confined space of a home. Plus they are easier to grab by bad guys.
Hope this helps.
vinnyfl,
Let's keep thus very simple everyone.
All the normal person like myself need to know is 3 things
1. Which ammo to put in my 9mm , 12 gauge shot down, or ar15 that reduces risk of going through multiple sheet rock and leaving my house and damaging my neighbor stuff or killing them if miss shooting the intruder?
That's honestly all I need to know. Just 3 answers please. Very simple
Short Barrel SBS if you want to get a stamp other wise 16 inch with pistol grip, 1.75 inch buck shot short shells with the proper block to ensure feeding.
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And 5 shots is far more than needed to take down up to 5 intruders.
