My retirement present to myself???

:confused: I still have not figured out which shotgun I want to get for my retirement present (22 years Army). The gun shop had ,for home defense, an 870 Pump and an FN Pump in 12 gauge that were nice. The FN has sights, which I think are nice, but are they really necessary? The salesman said he knows people whom could hit a deer a 100 yds away with this Shotgun and Skeet Shoot(FN Pump), is this true? They are about the same price, $50 difference in $400 range.
Then he showed me a very nice side by side with 20" barrel that was beautiful in 20 gauge. I really like the way it looked, but is 2 barrels enough for home defense? It being also 4" shorter due to no action space seems better for home defense and smaller gauge means my wife and daughters could use it as well if necessary.
I would think that the side by side less chance of something to go wrong, less moving parts. Is this a viable thought?
I'm great with rifles since I'm a sniper in the Army and good with pistols as well, but I only touched shotguns twice. Once qualifing as a private and the other in Anti-Terrorist Training. So please pardon my ignorance with shotguns.
I thank you in advance for input.

Duckster,

Any reliable shotgun will do for HD, if the shooter will do. All the shotguns you mentioned have served and continue to serve as HD guns for a lot of people.

As a side note, were I considering the defenive needs of a wife/daughters, THEY would get primary consideration in the ultimate choices for the shotgun in question. Simpler designs are indeed better for people who are not gun oriented. The smaller gauge might work better if in a gas gun or a design that was heavy enough to help soak up some of the recoil- 20 ga. is completely adequate for defensive use, but there are no 'reduced recoil' loads for it in wide distribution as with the 12 ga.

Whatever you decide on, make sure it is properly fitted to the SMALLEST person in your household who will be using it. Gun fit is critical with shotguns- but a big person can use a 'too short' stock better than a small person can use a 'too long' one.

In training, start out with the lightest loads possible and give plenty of time and patience for familiarization.

Good luck, stay safe and congratulations on your retirement!

lpl/nc (retired DAC)

Congrats on the 22 years.

I read a post somewhere recently about a double for HD. The responder said ok IF you also had a handgun as two shots may not be enough!!

I had not thought about it much and do keep a double barrel nearby but there is a lot of merit to that response.

Get the most expensive one you can get away with. You deserve it after 22 years of service to our country.

This way, after retirement, less expensive guns will be easier to justify. Quanity is a quality all of its own.

I never got mine when I retired.:banghead: One day!.

Sir, first off, thank you for your service. It is not unappreciated, nor forgotten. It is because of men like you that I grew up free.

Now down to business. YOU JUST RETIRED AFTER 22 YEARS IN THE ARMY!!!! This is a momentous occasion. Get yourself a shotgun that you will love and cherish. If it's purely a tool, cool. No problem. Get the tool that will suit YOU best. AND get another one for the family. You can pick up a Spartan or Stoeger 20 ga. SxS for ~$250. Get one for them, and then pick out a shotty that is perfect for you. You've earned it.

Normally I hate when people just say "buy both", but in this case, it applies. This is the time when it really is ok to splurge a little bit.