Handgun or shotgun for home defense

[Neo46121]

I suppose I would use whatever was most available to me. If the 1911 is more readily available I would grab it. If the mossy is more available then I would grab that instead. I'm pretty sure if someoe broke into anyone home their first thought isn't going to be "pistol, rifle, or shotgun.....decisions decisions"

just my .02

 

[Joe Williams]

If I were limited to only one, I'd go with handgun. It's more versatile. It's more convenient to go investigate a bump in the night with, you can always have it with you when you answer the door (well, you can do the same with a shotgun, I reckon, but the neighbors will start to talk,) you can easily always have it with you in the house. It's a better close combat weapon, harder to take from you.

Now, the shotgun is the best barricade firearm. If I KNOW the guy bangin on the door in the middle of the night is not a friendly, I can barricade with my family and the shotty will be the tool of choice.

 

[eirish2001]

00 buck. See I guess I know a lot less about shotguns than I thought I did. What do you mean by this? I'd like to get a Remington 870. But as to which one and ammo, I'm also clueless

12 gauge 00 Buckshot Patterning - 1

 

[jd4320t]

As of right now I use a handgun with a light on it. This may change in the future.

 

[Yamadog35]

00 buck. See I guess I know a lot less about shotguns than I thought I did. What do you mean by this? I'd like to get a Remington 870. But as to which one and ammo, I'm also clueless

Here is a link to a good general description of shotgun ammo including stats on the various sizes of buckshot and what each is good for.

http://www.starsandstripesammo.com/education/about_buckshot.pdf

 

[jblomenberg16]

00 buck. See I guess I know a lot less about shotguns than I thought I did. What do you mean by this? I'd like to get a Remington 870. But as to which one and ammo, I'm also clueless

I've got an 870 that I'm actually going to test out tomorrow with a new to me 18.5" bbl. As a couple of the other guys mentioned, 00 buck is 8-9 much larger pellets than typical bird shot.

While it will expand and shoot a larger pattern, it won't (or at least shouldn't) be wildly spread out within the normal distances a person might shoot inside their home in a SD situation.


For example. My shotgun is about 2 feet away from me right now, and I'm about 12 feet from the door. Should an intruder come in, we're talking a maximum of about a 5yd shot. There will be very little expansion of the shot at this range.

Now if I hear them coming in through the front door or kitchen, we might be talking about 25-35 feet (so 8-12 yds). There will be a bit bigger pattern out at that range, but not so large that you would be putting random holes all over the place.


The best advice that I've been given is to get a good reliable gun, and then try several brands of ammunition and find the one that patterns the best for your gun. This is similar to what the link posted by Yamadog.

 

[MWinez]

I say get a pistol grip pump shotgun its smaller and makes a bigger hole than a handgun

 

[pudly]

I say get a pistol grip pump shotgun its smaller and makes a bigger hole than a handgun

Pistol grip shotguns (without a stock) are indeed smaller than a full stock shotgun, but they are also much harder to control and are more dangerous to the user. I'd recommend a shotgun with a full stock (with or without pistol grip) due to the fact that shotgun shells generate far greater recoil than handgun loads. Some examples that would not happen with a stock:

YouTube - mossberg 500a pistol grip 12 ga

YouTube - Shotgun Accident

YouTube - Shotgun to Face

 

[Brian@ITC]

A shotgun is the best home defense tool you can have. Why in the world would you want to take a handgun to search your home and possibly be confronted by someone who has a shotgun? Who is going to back down first? How confident are you in your skills of shooting with a handgun. Not forgetting that handguns have a lack of penetration issues whereas a shotgun doesn’t have this issue depending upon the loads being used. Of course, a shotgun does have to be aimed, but most people are going to be more intimidated by a shotgun than a handgun.

A shotgun is something that is easy to shoot and CAN be done from the hip for someone who is “intimidated” by it.

If all you have is a handgun then use what you have. However, if given the choice, I’d say a shotgun is hard to beat.
_________________________
Brian K. LaMaster
Your mind is the weapon. Your body is simply the delivery system for the tool you choose to implement into the fight.
Marksmanship is a hopeful skill, FIGHTING skills are a must!
"What you don't know won't hurt you - it will KILL you!" General Gerry Prather, USAF, XOK (1982)

 

[99zhuggerz99]

+1 for shotgun, mine is with #4 buck since i live in a vinyl farm, 00 can make its way through to another house just 15 feet away rather quickly, but in my tests #4 still groups tight enough and over penatration is a non-issue.

 

[trnsplntfrmohio]

shotgun for sure
this is the order I keep shells in my shotty

1. Bird shot - to teach an intruder a lesson, if he does not leave after that
2. Buck shot - to severely wound him if he still wants to fight
3. rifled slug - this will surely end his day

 

[Joe Williams]

A shotgun is the best home defense tool you can have. Why in the world would you want to take a handgun to search your home and possibly be confronted by someone who has a shotgun? Who is going to back down first? snip

Why? Because why would I want to go walking through my skinny hallway, into a kitchen where someone could be waiting and have a nice long barrel to grab onto, when I go to investigate the thumping from the front of the trailer and the dogs going crazy, when a handgun is easier to employee in that tight environment, and easier to protect?

Further, why on earth would I back down to a man with a shotgun, or any other weapon? I'm not going up there to back down, I'm going up there to shoot them if need be. While we are kind of on that subject, I'm not interested in teaching them a lesson, either. My shotgun is loaded with buck. Birdshot is for birds.

Reckon I could barricade in the bedroom, a situation in which the shotgun excels, and call the cops. But if I keep calling them about the bumping that turns out be a coon under the trailer, their gonna get a tad testy after a bit.

 

[copper]

Since all the kids have moved out it's both for me. Handgun on the nightstand and the 500 close by...

 

[dustjunky2000]

shotgun for sure
this is the order I keep shells in my shotty

1. Bird shot - to teach an intruder a lesson, if he does not leave after that
2. Buck shot - to severely wound him if he still wants to fight
3. rifled slug - this will surely end his day

I do sort of the same thing. Mossy 500 .12ga next to the bed. First two shells are 00 rubber buck. The next four are 3" magnum 00. The real deal.
I figure if some dude can take two of those and still wanna fight, then it's time to go to sleep. Plus, it could be a big help in court proving that I tried to resolve the situation without lethal force.

 

[smitty12b]

Why? Because why would I want to go walking through my skinny hallway, into a kitchen where someone could be waiting and have a nice long barrel to grab onto, when I go to investigate the thumping from the front of the trailer and the dogs going crazy, when a handgun is easier to employee in that tight environment, and easier to protect?

Further, why on earth would I back down to a man with a shotgun, or any other weapon? I'm not going up there to back down, I'm going up there to shoot them if need be. While we are kind of on that subject, I'm not interested in teaching them a lesson, either. My shotgun is loaded with buck. Birdshot is for birds.

Reckon I could barricade in the bedroom, a situation in which the shotgun excels, and call the cops. But if I keep calling them about the bumping that turns out be a coon under the trailer, their gonna get a tad testy after a bit.

If you are in a trailer, shooting a handgun, your neighbors aren't going to like being shot if you miss and neither is the misses in the other room. Most trailers I have been in have at least a 36" wide hallway, plenty of room to use a shotty with a pg. And if I'm half asleep or really hung over, I don't want to have to aim a pistol.

Joe, I'm not trying to **** on your parade, it's just my you protect yours with what you got

 

[Joe Williams]

If you are in a trailer, shooting a handgun, your neighbors aren't going to like being shot if you miss and neither is the misses in the other room. Most trailers I have been in have at least a 36" wide hallway, plenty of room to use a shotty with a pg. And if I'm half asleep or really hung over, I don't want to have to aim a pistol.

Joe, I'm not trying to **** on your parade, it's just my you protect yours with what you got

Any round, including buck, that will penetrate enough to stop a person will go right through these walls. That's just how it is. And you still have to aim a shotgun at home defense ranges. And coming out of the hallway into the kitchen/living room area is an easy ambush spot. It can certainly be navigated with handgun or long arm, but if I'm jumped there, I've got one arm defending against the attacker, the other firing from a retention position, instead both hands tied up protecting my firearm.

Edit: On the plus side, I don't have to worry about my wife or my boy. They are behind me. Barricaded with the shotgun, where it's strengths can be put to best use.

 

[Captain Bligh]

It's hard to go to answer a doorbell at 2:00 AM with a shotgun under your robe. I'd have a snubby to go in a robe pocket. The shotgun is for when they're coming through the front door and I'm at the top of the stairs holding the high ground.

 

[smitty12b]

Any round, including buck, that will penetrate enough to stop a person will go right through these walls. That's just how it is. And you still have to aim a shotgun at home defense ranges. And coming out of the hallway into the kitchen/living room area is an easy ambush spot. It can certainly be navigated with handgun or long arm, but if I'm jumped there, I've got one arm defending against the attacker, the other firing from a retention position, instead both hands tied up protecting my firearm.

Edit: On the plus side, I don't have to worry about my wife or my boy. They are behind me. Barricaded with the shotgun, where it's strengths can be put to best use.

Easy fix, shotgun bayonet

 

[clt46910]

This is what I use. Has a LazerMax as well as the light. Then again I also have a double barreled coach shotgun if needed.

 

[public servant]

Since all the kids have moved out it's both for me. Handgun on the nightstand and the 500 close by...

No more kids at home for us either. Although I keep the shotgun closer. The little woman knows how to use her .40 S&W on the nightstand if it gets that bad.

It's hard to go to answer a doorbell at 2:00 AM with a shotgun under your robe. I'd have a snubby to go in a robe pocket. The shotgun is for when they're coming through the front door and I'm at the top of the stairs holding the high ground.

I don't answer the door at 02:00...this does...

Have fun with that.

He's kind of like an Wal-Mart greeter...always right there in the way...only angry.