Best Shotgun for Home Defense?

Right now I'm thinking about a Remington 870 20 gauge with 20 inch barrel (so my wife can use it). I'd like to hear what you think and/or what you use.

 

buy her a small handgun so she can surprise those that enter unwanted. As for personal protection that is an interesting thought I must admit but makes things so messy on the pretty white curtains. how about some nice, sleek long knives as a solution; lighter and silent

 

As long as it is loaded and she is proficient with it it should be fine. I have often said that the best weapon for home defense is the hatrack you keep between your ears.

Plan your defense and defend your plan. Is a shotgun something she wants or is it an excuse for you to get a new bird gun?

Do you have a fall back postion and escape plan?
Do you have a safe room?
Where are the nearest neighbors?
Is the local Police/ Sheriff's non emergency phone number on your cell? (Most Cellular 911 calls go to the Highway Patrol or State Police)
What is the threat level? Have there been home invasion crimes?
Is there a better option? (pistol, concealed carry, etc.)

 

I have, and have used my Mossberg 835 Ulti-Mag 12 gauge for defense, though admittedly it's intended use is for turkeys. Recently I purchased a Taurus model 111 9mm to go with my Concealed Carry Permit

The 870 is a good gun. I think it will be adequate

 

If you can still get them? get a Street-Sweeper. Those are damned fine shotguns.

 

Street Sweeper is a term used for a lot of shot guns with short barrels...but I would call my home defense 12 gauge a street sweeper as it's pistol gripped with a barrel that is just long enough to be considered legal. It's a monstrosity to shoot but in close quarters, I'd have my money on me with the shotgun if it ever came down to it. The pistol is just my CC gun.

 

AA-12 for me, baby!!!

 

For smaller women a 16 gage would be the choice loaded with #4 or #6. Get her a recoil pad too to lessen the shock on the shoulder. Otherwise a 12 gage with #4 is the best choice. A Remington 870 is perfectly adequite.

The pump in both is a great feature. Nothing says to an intruder "You just really, truly, f@#%ed up" like the KERCHUNK, KERCHUNK of a pump shotgun being loaded. Its sort of one of those universal noises like a doberman's growl that just grabs your attention and makes you want to be anywhere but there.....

 

The Remington 870 is our standard issue here with the state police. We used to have the old Ithaca's, but I would not recommend that big of a "boom stick" for a woman. Twenty gauge, or the .410 would be perfect for a woman though, as long as she's been properly trained on it, and gets some live fire experience periodically as well. Any pump action shotgun would be great, as long as the user is trained, the weapon is properly cleaned and maintained, and it is loaded and readily accessible. A weapon used for home defence must be loaded, or it is not worth having. You won't have time to load it if the situation presented itself, and the situation always presents itself at the most inoppertune moment.

The best way to store the shotgun in the ready-to-use configuration in the home is;

safety off
nothing in the chamber
trigger pulled

That way, if the situation presents itself, you pick up the shotgun, rack a round into the chamber, acquire target, and then pull the trigger. For good measure, you can always rack another round and pop another cap. Always rack another round in order to be ready to fire again if neccessary, just in case there are multiple perpatrators present. Then you call the police, but I would strongly advise you to put the weapon down as soon as they arrive on the scene for obvious reasons....

 

I'd add that learning how to "combat load" a single round into the chamber of an empty pump shotgun is an additional or "add on" skill you should practice.... just in case.....

 

Yes, that is a very good drill to work on for those extended shootouts, but rarely does one happen during a home invasion. Extended shootouts that is. Usually one or two caps get popped, then it's all over. Of course there are always exceptions to the rule.

 

catapult mark one...self loading..spring recoil...scatter range up to 100n...single shot accuracy of 1in 3 grouping 34 in 1inch grouping at 50m silent action can also be used to throttle...uk init..

 

Do they come in sizes that work effectively inside a house? They ones I see in the movies are huge contraptions that require at least a dozen men to operate properly.

 

The best home defense weapon is whatever people that may have to sometimes use it are comfortable with. Fortunately here not only do we have that Doberman's growl that was talked about, buy my wife and I shoot at least once a week. She is very confident in both her pistol (9mm) and mine (.40) and the shot gun. That is the most important part. The best shotgun in the world isn't going to help of when you have to use it in an emergency and you are dropping shells all over the floor because you aren't familiar with how to load it quickly.

 

ahhh the multiple occupancy version..or shared appartment/flat catapult...that one i believe should remain loaded in communal areas for gypsy..mend yer roof..fix yer fence..tarmac yer drives..turf yer garden visits..i own single shot..multi variation ammo useage type..load..single shot..aim..loose..version..ill deffo have someones eye out..as next doors cat will testify

 

hi Luke, im not much "into" shotguns but, the one I was referring to has a Cylinder on it that your rounds go into ;-)) A friend of mine had one of them as well as some Mossburg model and I thoroughly enjoyed firing both. At that time, I had a Chinese-made Uzi-with 3 50 round Magazines taped together-Steve McQueen style. We used to go hunting Rattlesnakes in Freer, Texas.

Other than the above, I don't have need for shotguns witht he exception of the break-away Greeners. I love those. Also, my home self-defence weapon of choice is my Walther P-38. Im good enough a shot with it and prefer it over everything else I have.

 

I'll take my browning any day Carl, though I do like the feel of hard cold steel in my hands. prob with shot-guns is who is in the next room like your children as shot gun rounds have in the past been used effectively for scatter effect newer military rounds do that plus focus on a narrow corridor, thus used in case in Afghan right now. having one of these in your hands at present ? well lets just say you need connections .......

 

Staying away from the bizarre (a street sweeper), and focusing on your question I would think the 20 gauge with a 20 inch barrel might be fine for home defense in the hands of a female not too used to firearms actually. Don’t really know which shot would be the best, but # 5 or 6 is good enough for turkeys in the wild, so that would probably hurt a human intruder pretty well if not kill them outright at close range.

This would be especially true in your case, and as a plus this is a powerful enough gauge to be used with a deer slug for deer hunting if you ever decided to use it for that or bird hunting. For home defense I would probably go with a steel "non-toxic’ shot just to keep the recipient from claiming "lead poisoning" if the incident left them alive. And psychologically, the sound of a pump shotgun ratcheting in a round is chilling in dim light.

The steel shot also has the advantage of being legal for game hunting in every state in the union in case you decide to use it for hunting.

 

There is one caveat to using a pump shotgun as a home defense weapon; that is a person must be well trained on all aspects of the weapon. I have seen more than one person (men and women) including at least one police officer, "short-stroke" the pump action under the stress of even simulated shootouts. This usually produces a nasty jam with a shell rammed up against the inside top of the receiver; very difficult to clear.

For this reason, some defense experts recommend a semi-auto shotgun for people who won't have an opportunity to practice frequently on a regular basis.

 

D.A., Good point, I still have my REALLY OLD Remington pump, and even though I have used it since I was old enough to "jack" the rounds in and stand a 12 gauge recoil, that does happen occassionally to those who don't use a pump often.

To get an idea of how old this thing is, it is a model 10! The very first pump action Remington, and my Dad and I have a matching set. His Dad bought him his, and I inherited Gramps. Still cycle the shells well, and have never failed. I think they quit making them about 1930 or so. They are even able to withstand the high-base magnum round's pressure with ease, and are great "goose guns" to this day.