Barrel length for home defense

One factor that may influence your decision, is if you want to be able to choke your barrel, or install a breaching muzzle device. Most of the 18" barrels I have seen aren't threaded. The barrel length won't make a whole lot of difference in pointability, velocity, range, or precision in a household situation, but the extra 2" could be a world of difference in negotiating corners. So, both lengths have good and bad points, depending on your needs.

Remington makes an 18" screw-in choke barrel for the 870. If really short and handy is your goal, there's always the Serbu Super Shorty.
For bird hunting and clay games, yes, a longer barrel is better, but for a HD shotgun, 18-20" is fine. I have a 19" one made from an old 30" full for my 870.

vito said:

Assuming I am buying a 12 gauge pump shotgun, is there a significant difference in effectiveness and ability to hit what I aim at between the 18 inch and the 20 inch. .... in a shoulder fired shotgun, does it really matter at all?

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Yes and no.

Between the 18" and 20" inch there is a difference, but not enough to matter...at least not in my mind. The shorter barreled shotguns are just slightly more maneuverable through doorways, you'd have to decide whether those two extra/minus inches of barrel are going to matter much. My house isn't connected by a series of narrow hallways though, everything's open.

Plus at full extension/full presentation with the pistol and without choking up on either the pistol or the shotgun they're about about the same place away from the body.




Nothing says you have to keep the weapon at full extension though.

Since you mentioned 'maneuvering' with the pistol you can get that closer to the body (retention position, high center chest with just enough room for the slide to operate, high ready or low ready) then you can with the shotgun even when choking up on it, for most I imagine that the best course of action would to post up somewhere in the house with the barrel pointed at the door to that room, call the police and then stay there until help arrives rather than maneuvering through your house.

Unless you have kids or a spouse in another room at the opposite end of the house or your house is on fire there's not much reason to move.

I think it's personal preference. I normally gravitate toward shorter barrels, but that is more for when I want something compact for the truck.

Currently, I am down to one shotgun. An old police trade-in Ithaca 37 DSPS with a 20" barrel and full length magazine tube. In the past I used to keep an 18" Remington Police in the corner. I miss that gun, but the 37 is a much smoother, better shooting gun than the 870 in my hands.

The 18" is probably more maneuverable and the lightweight 37 stoked to capacity is a tad front heavy, but regardless of my HD gun (pistol, Ar, or Shotgun), my SOP is to try and secure the stairs to the second floor. Post up and aim down. That puts me between them and my daughter's room. I'm not clearing the house. Everything downstairs is just stuff. They can have stuff. Nothing of value is upstairs short of my family. They cannot have my family. So having 8 rounds of 12 gauge 00 or 30 rounds of .223 and being in a defensible position trumps being able to maneuver a little more easily, IMHO.

I would still like to get a cheap 18" beater for keeping in the truck when we go to the cabin, just in case.

Choosing between the 18" and 20" barrels, I'd go with whichever one you can conveniently get in the gun you prefer. If all is equal, I'd go 18" for the slightly better maneuverability. You have PLENTY of sighting radius with an 18" barrel on a pump or semi-auto with their long receiver -- close to the same sight radius that you have on a 26" double barrel or over-and-under. I love shooting clays with my 18" Auto 5. I have other guns that are longer, but I don't feel significantly handicapped with the short-barreled semi auto.

I consider a shotgun or other long gun for the most part as a barricade weapon. One that will be used if you have the chance to set up on the other side of a door that has not been breached by the BG. This assumes that you will be able wake up, get the shotgun from where its kept, deploy and be ready if and when you encounter the intruder. Victims attacked, injured or killed in their bed is not that unusual. An intruder can be quiet enough that the first time you know they're in the house will be when they're in your bed room. Relying solely on the slower to deploy shotgun to defend oneself and family is a mistake that could be fatal.

I keep a loaded handgun handy that's much quicker to deploy within arms reach of where I sleep and a shotgun with loaded magazine nearby to use if there is an opportunity to do so.

A pump with 18" or 20" barrel is quicker handling in the restrictive confines of a house and which you choose really makes no difference. A double barrel or OU with 24" or 26" barrels are the same overall length as the shorter barreled pumps and 18 or 20" doubles are shorter yet.

A 20" Mossberg Security 500 on the left and a 24" Savage Fox SXS on the right.

18" to 20" will be just fine oh no need for a breaching muzzle device. unless you need to shoot
a door knob off one of your Doors

A breeching device is a useless Tacti-fool piece of mess that does nothing but add length to your weapon. The only benefit of a longer barrel is in wing shooting so shorter is better on a fighting gun. 18.5 is standard on the Remington LE models and on many others. Avoid all that silly mess people get on an HD and keep it basic so it will be easier to deploy and there is less for Mr. Murphy to play his silly games with and cause malfunctions when your six is on the line.

On a purely defensive shotgun the shorter the better. But if I ran across something a little longer at a much better price I'd go that way. Several years ago the GA Fish and Game Dept. bought all of their Rangers new shotguns to carry in the trucks. They could buy 21" barreled turkey shotguns with threaded barrels much cheaper than the 18.5" guns designed for SD and went that route. All of the Rangers I knew liked the idea and felt the 21" barrel was short enough, but combined with the ability to use different choke tubes was more versatile.

The only reason you see barrels longer than 18.5" on SD guns is to be able to use longer mag tubes.

vito

I have an 18" barrel on my primary home defense shotgun, a Maverick Model 88. At the same time I wouldn't feel that much different if I had to put my 22" Mossberg Model 9200 Turkey Gun into service as well. Go with the barrel length that feels and handles the best for you.

this is the barrel i went with http://www.midwayusa.com/product/38...-20-improved-cylinder-with-rifle-sights-matte

Either the 18" or 20" will do nicely, but you need to be comfortable using whichever you choose. Firing any shotgun inside is not for the faint of heart.
A breeching device is used with special ammo too. Looks cool but isn't exactly practical or necessary.

They're both good guns. A bit of advice; get the steel safety for your 500. The plastic safety is the weak point on the 500, I've replaced many of them over the years as a smith, and it is always the first bit of advice I have for 500 owners.

There are bullpup configurations, and bullpup shotguns out there, and the SKO-Bullpup is supposed to be on its way, although I'm thinking at this point that we'll be lucky if we see a production model by next SHOT show.

I go for a 20" but not for increased accuracy but for the increased capacity. My 590A1 is 8+1.

FYI you don't have to fully load your shotgun with 8 rounds.

I have a Remington 870 Express that I set-up when I decided I need a "tactical" home defense shotgun. It has a pistol grip adjustable rear stock and a extended magazine tube.

I have discovered that I don't like the pistol grip stock and when fully loaded it is too nose heavy for my liking. I intend to get rid of the pistol grip stock for something more traditional abet weather proof. I am going to keep the extended magazine tube but just download to five rounds. Heck this is just for home defense so with 5 rounds of shotshells and two 6 shot revolvers at my immediate reach I figure I can beat off any attacking hordes.

Actually for my tastes my Winchester 97 with it's 20" barrel still serves as a excellent home defense gun.

vito said:

My question has to do with barrel length, i.e., what is considered ideal for this purpose? I understand that a shorter barrel makes the gun easier to manuver inside the home, but see both 18 inch and 20 inch models for sale. Assuming I am buying a 12 gauge pump shotgun, is there a significant difference in effectiveness and ability to hit what I aim at between the 18 inch and the 20 inch. My ability to hit the target with a revolver is markedly affected by a 2 inch difference, i.e., a 2 inch snubbie versus a 4 inch standard barrel, but in a shoulder fired shotgun, does it really matter at all?

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A 2" longer barrel on a 2" snubbie results a barrel twice as long, a 100% increase. A 2" longer barrel on an 18" barrel is only an 11% increase and besides it's a shotgun, the theoretical increase in sight radius makes no practical difference at the distances involved.

There won't be any significant difference in pattern or ballistics either. Make your decision based on maneuverability vs capacity.

I read through all of the replies and here's my take on defensive shotguns.... I've used and carried both 18" and 20" barreled shotguns (took whatever was issued each day for many years until I finally was able to have one permanently assigned to me...) and either barrel length will do just fine for close quarters work. I much prefer a standard four round tube on any pump gun with a simple bead sight - but for me quickness is my first consideration....

Rather than spend any time at all on barrel length I'd want to carefully pattern whatever load I was using then shoot up a bunch of it at seven and fifteen meter ranges to become as familiar with it as possible (you ought to be able hit center of mass on every trigger pull and need to know exactly what your pattern will be every time... Do that and you'll be able to defend home and hearth every time....

On the street where it counted all I ever carried (or used when it came to that...) was standard 2 3/4" 00 buck. That round is a fight ender at close quarters, period...

Once you learn how your ammo patterns at given distances (I listed 7 and 15 meters but you should add 3 and 20 to be thorough) there's one last item for home defense. Take a few moments and measure the distance from each exterior door in your house to the farthest point that you might be at and have to shoot... then do the same for the most likely shooting distances in your house (don't forget the stairs, if present). The certain knowledge of the actual distances (and what your pattern spread will be if you're ever engaged makes any 'gunner a very dangerous adversary...). Actual measurements for your interior completed, your last task should be to measuren from likely points of engagement from the house to nearby cover... Outside the house, of course, you're on much less certain defensive grounds and you'd better be really certain about any nearby houses before any rounds fired from your house into your yard.... A quiet conversation with a qualified attorney about issues involved with self defense might also be a very good idea - before any problem instead of after....