Home defense? Stock or pistol grip

I've picked up three pistol-gripped shotguns over the last three decades.
Two now wear stocks and the third is a Filipino with a massive, fist-filling grip that actually works,
I've never seen another like it.
If all pistol-grip shotguns had grips like this one maybe they might be more popular.

The bird's head type of pistol grip is a lot more forgiving than the vertical PGO grip; BUT it is not as good as a shoulder stock

I have the pistol grip shotgun next to my bed. I use it for home defense and camping. The pistol grip does make it alot harder, But practice enough and it is not bad. I have also pounded slugs and buck shot thru it to test recoil. The recoil did not bother me. I like how i can move around the house with it.

If your serious about using a shotgun for defense than a stock is a must. The PGs out there are mainly toys and not for dedicated use to protect home and hearth. After you find a good shotgun with a stock utilize your local skeet/trap shooting range or find a range that allows the use of shotguns with bird and buck loads (a rarity in my parts).

Pistol grips are for pistols, no?

I have found that even if I want to keep a shotgun low and ready at the hip like one might fire a PGO, I can tuck the stock under my arm for a similar footprint. The only thing I can't mitigate is the fact that my gun has a 20" barrel. However I like my 8 rounds.

Stocked, definitely. Ammo? Buy, shoot, buy, shoot, buy... You get the idea! And then clean and repeat.

Stock I tried a pistol grip did not like it at all

I love this thread. 100% stock!

Years ago when I ran a local shooting range we'd get men who would come to the range with a pistol-grip-only stock they wanted to test shoot. Inevitably they would say "I bought this for my wife for home defense" and equally inevitably they'd load it with magnum buckshot!

Well, we'd step over to an empty range, I'd set up three soda cans and we'd step back twenty feet or so, typical maximum room size distance, and let them have at it. The idea was to rapid fire until they hit all of the cans. Nearly all of them would hit the first one, most would at least knock over the second one (not necessarily having hit it), while few ever managed to disturb the third. I can only think of one man who didn't think the recoil was unmanageable and even he admitted "this is going to be too much for my wife..." Every one of them either traded them back for a stocked version or bought stocks to swap with.

It didn't take me long to learn not to accept offers to try it myself because magnum buckshot out of a synthetic PGO is hard on the wrists!

I've even gone so far as to put a pound of shot in my synthetic buttstocks until I can swap them over for laminates. I'm not going to be humping these things through the woods for miles so mass is my friend when it comes to heavy recoil loads.

Stock

As someone suggested above try a timed course of fire and see which one has better hits in less time.

Fine Figure of a Man said:

A stock or use a handgun instead.

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That's pretty much how I feel about it too. I do have a pistol grip (sans stock) Mossberg 500 with a laser/light attachment so I can see where I'm shooting from the hip. I would sooner grab the much heavier and bulkier 590 if I needed something for defense. Currently my HD long gun is a CX4 Storm, so in reality I'd choose neither.

To split the difference on the shotgun side of things, I purchased this tonight. Presuming it works properly, I'll likely grab it over the CX4.
Only 3 +1 shells (likely 3" 10-pellet 000 buck), but in a close quarter home defense role, it might be enough.

Best of all, it's not considered an SBS. It's treated like any other shotgun.

So....Mount a stocked shotgun to your shoulder and grip it with your firing hand and then open a door, use a flash light, use a phone or simulate holding back a dog or kid with the off hand and make a shot at a target at say five yards with only the firing hand on the shot gun.

Now hold your PGO shotgun in only your firing hand and try the same drill...

Do I need to explain?

A "few" years ago (in the 1970's) I played with a factory 870 Folder and figured this out shooting it folded and extended. One thing about those steel top folders was that after firing one with that little bitty steel butt plate in your shoulder a time or two you had to REALLY want or need to shoot it in the future to convince yourself to pull the trigger.

Lots of guys here rode in patrol cars with a vertical mount for a M37, M500, or M870 for a living for a good long time....see many PGO shotguns in patrol cars?

Few defensive shootings take place on the "Square Range"

-kBob

I have a Mossberg Flex 20ga 18" barrel. I have the tactical stock, pistol grip and standard stock. I have to say, I have fun with all of them. Recoil certainly is no problem with any of them. I have to say, I do like the Pistol grip, easy to maneuver, quick pointing. I guess a 12 ga would not be my choice. Happy with the 20.

shoulder stock gives you the option of shooting from the hip like a pistol grip or more precision from the shoulder. look at you tube and those videos of pistol grip shotguns. they are holding them out in front of them most of the time like they have a shoulder stock anyway. for home defense I see pistol grip shotguns as a disadvantage over shoulder stocks.

Pistol grip shotguns are only good for shotgun weddings.

Pistol grip shotguns are something to get your teeth into. Think about this one. If you do get it I won't have explain.

1 more for a butt stock (and a light).

Browning said:

Stock

As someone suggested above try a timed course of fire and see which one has better hits in less time.

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Best answer yet. You will never know unless you spend time with both. And remember inside of a home can be very close or tight quarters. I do use the Pistol grip 20 ga. and very seldom shoot from the hip.

Jeb Stuart said:

Best answer yet. You will never know unless you spend time with both. And remember inside of a home can be very close or tight quarters. I do use the Pistol grip 20 ga. and very seldom shoot from the hip.

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why does tight quarters matter? if you suspect a break in (your alarm and dog should help verify this) call 911, take a defensive position and wait.

GEM said:

Pistol grip shotguns are something to get your teeth into. Think about this one. If you do get it I won't have explain.

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My teeth are not that good!

I guess i am the only one who prefers a pistol grip. I have no problems with the recoil and mine has a laser/light combo. I put a couple hundred rounds thru it a year (all at the same time) and i have no problems hitting what i am aiming at. We even tried clay shooting with it from the hip. Worked pretty good.

Shoulder stocks on all of my shotguns, especially those for home defense.

FL-NC said:

Unless you are carrying the shotgun as a tertiary weapon attached to your body armor for ballistic breaching, use a stock. You are supposed to aim these things for the application you are describing. That requires a stock. Police officers are subject matter experts on use of the shotgun for antipersonnel applications. How many cops do you see with pistol grip scatterguns? I've never seen it.

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The Department of Justice essentially created the PGO.


https://gunmagwarehouse.com/blog/the-witness-protection-shotgun-a-novel-concept/


You don't have to like them but they have a role.

m715 said:

So list pros and cons to pistol grip 12ga 20" barrel versus having a stock on your 20 " barrel shotgun for home defense.. lets hear what yall have to say. Both will hold 7 2 3/4 rounds.

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I have only read the OP and it instantly brought a question to mind ...

Have you ever fired a 12ga pistol-grip-only shotgun with full-power loads?

Just wondering.

I think that there are a lot of folks who buy pistol-grip shotguns without having fired one and are upon touching off that first shell.