any good shotgun should cover 99.99% of need IMHO, for general home defense. some of the tactical shotguns that are mag fed, and holding a higher capacity, do make me appreciate how much hurt a tactical shotgun loaded with slugs or buckshot could put down fasts. has to be, if not very competetive, as the type of firearm that can simply throw out the most hurt at medium to close range real fasts. a few spare mags and those things are ridiculous for a home defense weapon, you could likely fend off a medium sized team of 6-10 that decided to rush your home IMHO, although - that is not something that currently happens as far as i know.
Capacity Home Defense Shotgun
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Jim Watson
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My shotguns are in unplugged sporting configuration 4+1 but pistol and rifle available, too.
Reloading a shotgun hastily is difficult under stress unless you are a 3-gunner and have your four at once holders handy. I remember M. Ayoob's advice.
Q: What do you do if your shotgun is empty or jammed?
A: Put it down and draw your pistol.
Reloading a shotgun hastily is difficult under stress unless you are a 3-gunner and have your four at once holders handy. I remember M. Ayoob's advice.
Q: What do you do if your shotgun is empty or jammed?
A: Put it down and draw your pistol.
Deanimator
Member
Whole gangs invading your home has been a thing for quite a while, going back AT LEAST to the '80s.
Deanimator
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If the cops can screw up your address, so can home invaders.
If a big city police department can kick down your door looking for somebody who moved out a couple of years ago, what makes you think somebody looking to steal money, drugs and guns can't make the same mistake?
Gang members shoot people they mistake for rival gang members. Robbers break into homes they mistake for drug houses.
Don't count on the clear, inciteful thinking of criminals as protection.
Deanimator
Member
As the saying goes, nobody ever said, "I wish I'd brought LESS ammunition to the gunfight."
The greater the capacity, the better, up to the point where it impedes use of the firearm. I'd say that starts to occur when you get unwieldy box magazines that project ridiculously far from the bottom of the gun, or excessively long magazine tubes projecting out of the front, making the gun as long as a sporting shotgun (subject to operating environment).
A seven or eight shot tube is what I aim for, and what I have on my Ithaca 37DSPS and the Citadel Warthog (with extension) that I'll probably be buying in the not too far future.
The greater the capacity, the better, up to the point where it impedes use of the firearm. I'd say that starts to occur when you get unwieldy box magazines that project ridiculously far from the bottom of the gun, or excessively long magazine tubes projecting out of the front, making the gun as long as a sporting shotgun (subject to operating environment).
A seven or eight shot tube is what I aim for, and what I have on my Ithaca 37DSPS and the Citadel Warthog (with extension) that I'll probably be buying in the not too far future.
SwampWolf
Member
And that's one more than what the President of the United States said himself was all you'll ever need to defend yourself if your home is being invaded.
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SwampWolf
Member
Balance and handling doesn't concern me that much on a shotgun intended for defending a home; I won't be using it to hunt grouse with. The added length to the barrel via the extension sometimes needed to accomodate several extra shells is a concern when trying to move through the close quarters of a typical house (though staying put, hidden behind cover and armed whilst calling the police might be the best survival strategy).
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Hangingrock
Member
People talk shotguns but few have maneuvered in a hallway or entered a room via a hallway. Shotguns in confined spaces can be problematic.
rabid wombat
Member
Agreed, but I view shotguns as a static defensive weapon…”I am locked in a spot you [the criminal] should not go, take all the crap you want and leave…but doom on you if you try to come into my space…”
The only reason I foresee being “out and about” is if one of my loved ones is not with me in my little space…then other weapons may come into play…
entropy
Member
I practice maneuver and tactics with mine throughout the house regularly. (unloaded, of course.) I've also measured out my likely fields of fire from various positions in the house. I'd prefer the AR pistol for maneuver, but even though I have training in building clearing, I also have the sense not to attempt it if not necessary.
Deanimator
Member
That's why I haven't even thought about a shotgun for home defense for the last twenty years.
A forced move due to fire changed my environment to the point where a shotgun was again a viable option. Before that, any non-NFA long gun would have been as useless in my home a naginata.
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dh1633pm
Contributing Member
5+1 a good compromise between capacity and length.
Shoot shotgun competitions and/or take classes where you have to negotiate rooms, hallways, reload, etc. and then decide if that is your primary to move through a house. I took two 'tactical' shotgun classes and shot the gun in competition. I can run it decently and decide that a carbine is the way to go. That being said, my gun is a Winchester Defender 1300, with 8 rounds. For Uncle Joe, I have done exercises clearing a house with a box of ammo and a double barrel. It is not easy. The exercise was to push us and not to say this is the optimal way to go. Ended up butt stroking an pop out target when I was out.
Deanimator
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.38 Special
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My "primary" shotgun is a 6+1 Mossberg pump with six spare shells in a sidesaddle. The plan is to hole up on the top floor, call the cops, and defend the stairwell. No room clearing for this old man.
.38 Special
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I do keep a short hammer double on hand, with six rounds in a cuff. I practice with it frequently and it is not ruinously slow, although lord knows how much of that skill would dissappear under stress. If I absolutely had to clear the house - and that is amazingly far down my to-do list - it is just about the last gun I would choose for it.
I have two shotguns handy…a Saiga S12 and an Eternal Arms Bullpup. Both have 5 and 10 rd magazines available, but practically speaking the 5 rd is best for close quarters maneuvering. The Eternal alarms is only about 31” overall, which makes it nice for in the house. Both are fitted with a WML.
That said, I’ll grab my Sig P227 with WML/laser from the bedside safe. I have an OWB holster and belt - along with a mag pouch - right by the bed. If I decide I need to leave the bedroom, I’m putting that on before I grab the shotgun.
That said, I’ll grab my Sig P227 with WML/laser from the bedside safe. I have an OWB holster and belt - along with a mag pouch - right by the bed. If I decide I need to leave the bedroom, I’m putting that on before I grab the shotgun.
My 18.5" shotguns are the same length regardless if they have the magazine extension (7+1) installed or not (5+1).
Space Ghost
Member
My Mossberg 930 holds 7+1, with a 6 round card on the receiver, and another on the side of the stock. The coach gun only holds 2, but it also has a 6 round ammo card on it's stock.
That said, and as devastating as a 12 gage is, I wouldn't reach for them in the house unless they happened to be the closed thing. I'd much prefer my SBR or hand gun for in house use.
That said, and as devastating as a 12 gage is, I wouldn't reach for them in the house unless they happened to be the closed thing. I'd much prefer my SBR or hand gun for in house use.
Here's a new one https://www.smith-wesson.com/mp12
5+1 is just fine for home defense. I have an older Remington 870 18" barrel 12 ga that was a 4+1. Years ago I put a Choate tube extension on it that made it 6+1.
For years I used an Allen brand 5-rnd buttstock shell holder for extra rounds. I just recently came across an inexpensive 6-rnd buttstock shell holder that works, but it's made in China. Don't know how long it'll hold up. The made in USA Allen brand I had lasted for 20 years.
I have Federal's Law Enforcement reduced velocity 00 buck for home defense, but generally recommend #4 buck if you have close neighbors. Would hate to have a successful home defense scenario ruined by wayward shot hitting a friendly.
For years I used an Allen brand 5-rnd buttstock shell holder for extra rounds. I just recently came across an inexpensive 6-rnd buttstock shell holder that works, but it's made in China. Don't know how long it'll hold up. The made in USA Allen brand I had lasted for 20 years.
I have Federal's Law Enforcement reduced velocity 00 buck for home defense, but generally recommend #4 buck if you have close neighbors. Would hate to have a successful home defense scenario ruined by wayward shot hitting a friendly.
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