Recommend a nice Coach Gun for home protection please.

I have one question about the SXS exposed-hammer coach guns.

I am wanting one, but all the affordable (less than $250) ones have the tang safety in addition to the SA hammers. This seems to be overkill and I do not like this and am wondering who makes one without the safety, just the SA hammers.

Also, does anybody make a "regular" SXS (internal hammers) where the safety does NOT re-engage when you close the action? A buddy has a nice SXS, but the safety automatically engages EVERY time you close the action and you have to push it off again. This seems like it could get someone killed in a SD situation.

Modification of an automatic safety shouldn't be a big problem. About 5 minutes with a dremel should sort it out in most cases.

I don't like the idea of automatic safety ..... to my mind a safety is a back up plan for when the 4 rules aren't enough.

Spinner

cz coach shotgun

I bought a CZ coach shotgun. I had several mis fires in the right barrel. The firing pin was not hitting dead on on the primer. It also was hitting lightly. I send it back to the manufacter. I was wondering if anyone else had similiar problems? Thanks Dick

I find it curious that when the coach gun question is raised so many people assure you that you will have trouble reloading a double under stress. Fair enough.

Yet, these same people don't seem to be concerned about short stroking their pumps under stress. Go figure.

The best 'coach gun' for an apartment is a short-barrelled AR with 55 grain softpoint ammo. Look it up on The Box O' Truth. 9 mm penetrates more layers of wallboard than .223 softpoints do. So does buckshot. Pistol calibers smaller than 9 mm don't reliably penetrate enough layers of bad guy.

However, I suspect you're determined to have a shotgun, so use #1 to #4 buck and keep your liability insurance paid up (good advice regardless of weapon).

I also suspect you'll use 00 buck regardless of above advice.

Guess I'm turning into a cynic in my old age.

Coach Guns

Couple of comments. I am coming from the perspective of a long-time SASS Cowboy Action shooter.

What's a a coach gun? Previous posters had it right. I've seen many of pictures of Wells Fargo railroad and stagecoach guards. Lots of pics of doubles with 28-30 inch or longer barrels. Not many of short barreled doubles, although Doc Holiday and Black Bart did have them.

My take after over 12 years Cowboy Action competition is that the term now refers, from my perspective, to a double barrel shotgun, hammered or hammerless, almost always with 18 to 20 inch barrels.

I personally shoot a nickle plated Stoeger that has been reliable since new. Recently needed a bit of tinkering as it loosened up some after 1000's of rounds in competition and practice. Not too bad for a $250 (at the time) shotgun.

Yes, out of the box an inexpensive like a Stoeger, IAC, Remington or Colt Replicas are likely to be a little rough. There is a cottage industry providing parts and tuning for SASS shooters. I did a lot of work on the Stoeger myself. Honed the chambers so even Wallyworld shells would drop out from gravity alone. Carefully removed sharp edges from around the breach face and the chamber mouths to reduce hangups loading on the clock (timer running during competition). Smoothed up the internals, including a spring kit that made it easier to operate the lever that opens the gun. I disabled the automatic safety that engaged every time the gun was opened. The safety can still be engaged manually.

I haven't been timed with the shotgun lately, but one of my runs was 6 shots in just under 14 seconds, reloading from my belt. Stress of competion is different from the stress of a home invasion. Do I keep the double by the bedside? No, it's a Colt AR-15 and a Springfield XD .45. If I went with a shotgun, it would be my Winchester 97 with 18" barrel.

The IAC Coach Gun (do a search on the web) is a hammered double. Early imports had two safeties (!) in addition to the hammers. Busy lawyers. I think more recent ones do not have the double safety. There are others out there. If there' a SASS club in your area, it's a great place to see coach guns.

As with any defensive weapon, practice enough to verify reliability. As Clint Smith says, the best shotgun is the one you have. If you have a jones for coach gun, go for it.

Good luck,

Coyote

I do cowboy action shooting and have a Century JW2000 coach gun. For 200 I think it looks good and does the job. Funny of the firearms I have my wife and both my kids say it is the scariest looking and I have a fully converted saiga S12 too. If statistics are correct and in most cases guns act as a deterrent without shots being fired then maybe a SxS has that factor. Looking down two 12 gauge barrels is a mite attention getting. I keep the S12 for HD duty.

Coachgun and HD loads

Greetings Gents,
Just wanted to say that I found the various opinions in this post interesting to say the least.
I wanted to add this:
IMHO a coach gun is more than enough gun to deal with HD situations. As many have already stated, most HD occurrences are settled with very few shots. Even a marginal wound with a 12 ga. will almost always incapacitate the intended target. The muzzle blast is deafening, and the muzzle flash dreadful.
If faced with war, when many enemies are expected, certainly a pump is the weapon of choice. Few homes however, are stormed in this manner.

Also, concerning loads for HD:
I use 6’s or 4’s. Birdshot. I think this is very effective load, as buckshot or slugs will dramatically increase the risk for shoot through, possibly wounding innocents.

My reason why I use this load for HD is because, in my youth, I hunted cottontails in the Northeast with a sawed-off single-shot Stevens 12ga. with 20”bbl, and an old “Glow-Worm” bead on the business end.
I was chasing cottontails in heavy brush near an old collapsed building, when a HUGE feral dog came out from under that building, making a bee-line for me, and she was all teeth and eyeballs. Very serious.
At about 15 feet she veered to get around a stand of briars, so I shot her behind the right shoulder with a load of high-brass 6’s. She was DRT. (Dead Right There)
Dropped instantly. Not meaning to be graphic, but you could have placed a 12 oz can of pop in the hole, and had room left over.
I found the puppies that had prompted that attack, and took them to the humane society, but I kept the profound respect I had found that day for a load of high-brass 6’s.
The distance was similar to HD, and the effect was impressive to say the least.
There’s my 2 cents.
Thanks!

Imported replica of the 1878 Colt exposed hammer double guns can be found here: http://www.cimarron-firearms.com/Shotgun/Shotguns.htm MSRP around $500. Nice guns. Have one with a butt cuff next to the bed.

Spartan....

http://www.thehighroad.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=64762&d=1191078757

If your partial to O/U check out the Stoegr outback a very interesting shot gun . Might be just the ticket for what you want.

+1 on Spartan

Very sturdy. They take a lot of abuse.

I've got an old Savage Stevens 311 that I'd like to have cut down to 18.5 and a new bead. But what about the chokes,they would be gone,right?

Yes. But if you want it for in the home SD, that's not a problem.

Yeah, but I thought it would make a nice thick cover small game gun too. Could the barrels be threaded for choke tubes? Probably cost more than the old girl is worth.

White 29. I have one that I cut down.I installed rifle sights on the rib.It has become my sons favorite slug gun for close cover deer hunting.

Cutting down old SxS shotguns can be done. But....

Oft barrel regulation goes south. They might not hit the same Zip Code after pruning.

No choke either, and most of us do not get all our shot opps inside 20 yards.

A 28" barreled SxS has a shorter O/A length than an 20" barrelled 870.

How short do you really need it?

Dave makes and excellent point and I'd also worry about weakening the integrity of the barrels' weld to the rib, depending on how the gun is put together. I've seen it done, but not sure I'd wanna try it with anything I own. I used to keep my 28" 12 gauge SxS in my shop for defensive purposes while working, short and compact enough. I bought that little coach gun for hunting, thus the choke tubes, but it's a bit MORE compact, yet, enough so that it's easy to maneuver in tight spaces with one hand if needed.

Yeah, but I thought it would make a nice thick cover small game gun too. Could the barrels be threaded for choke tubes? Probably cost more than the old girl is worth.

Click to expand...

Briley used to be 40 bucks a tube, but they've gone up a lot. I don't know what they charge now days, but you might not be able to do it for the $299 I gave for my Remington Spartan.

The Spartan (20 gauge) is pretty awesome on doves, right out to 40 yards with the modified choke on the rear trigger. I choke it I/C-Mod and it's pretty awesome. When shooting teal over deeks, I choke it cyl/I/C and it'll take 'em out to 35-40 yards as steel 3" stuff patterns tighter out of more open chokes. I can get a steel compatible modified choke, but for teal, this really works well on those early morning birds that come in at low altitude flying fast over the deeks. The gun handles quicker than my 12s and gets on those birds fast. The full and I/C chokes that come with the gun are steel rated, the mod isn't. I may order a steel rated modified choke for it, though, just to have. It'll likely pattern full with steel if it works as any other shotgun I've ever used, a little better on late season birds. But, I usually switch to my 12 gauge pump or auto when big duck season starts.

The 1875 Colt replica that Coyote mentioned is a very nice double shotgun.

Liberty is another one. Excellent fit and finish, and about a pound ligher than the '75 Colt.

Both have exposed hammers and 20 inch barrels. If you plan to shoot it a good bit...go with the Colt replica. The extra weight makes it a lot more pleasant to shoot with buckshot or slugs. If the gun will be shot only occasionally, and will mainly serve as a house gun...the Liberty is a good choice. It would be hard to go wrong with either.

A word of caution:

The hammers are a little tricky to lower without losing one. Much easier to accomplish with the muzzles pointed straight up, but I advise breaking both guns open before doing it with the muzzles pointed in any other direction.

I have a Norinco external hammer 12G SXS that I have polished the chambers and finely tuned the firing pins and triggers for CAS. And also ground off the excess on the crossbolt safety which would always push it to safe if laid on its right side and not knowing that happened, you would pull down on a target with the safety on. It also has a tang safety which is very adequate. You can leave these SXSs loaded with two in the pipes with the hammers down but ready to fire at a seconds notice. With a butt sleeve loaded with five rounds you have a total of seven instruments of total mayhem and destruction at your disposal. With practice you can fire all seven rounds in 15 seconds easy. It is better balanced than any long arm except maybe the Mini-14. Also easy to break down into 2 pieces and put into a suitcase if need be. Quite a versatile weapon I may say!

Coach gun

I know there cool and certainly deadly.
I would USE a 12 gauge pump or auto
remington has awesome 16.5 and 18 police pump and autos. With shights and 8 rd extendtions chk out remington police and security site it is a seperate site I normaly put 4rds in the tube and leave the
chamber empty. A old police friend told me that if you shoot and and make a mistake and its a family or friend
it would just take a second to load and shoot if it is a creep breaking in.I use a remington 870 18inch marine with 6shot ext. and have a 16.25 inch M14 socom with a 20 round clip .308 on the side. If i need more then that im in trouble lol
thanks
TONY

For who recommended birdshot for home defense...

Birdshot are for birds. Buckshot is far more appropiate for home defense and if you cared at all about yourself or who/whatever you're protecting, you'd switch to buckshot. You'll have far worse problems to worry about than penetration using birdshot, since the most you'll do is piss off a home invader and make him ugly.

I bought a Stoeger new some years back - reasonable price but the blueing wasn't much and rust set in so I did a take-down, blast and spray and bake.
also it cocks by pressing the cocking pins into wood of the fore-piece which depressed enough on the right side that it would'nt cock the piece. I remedied by fileing the heads of tacks square to fit the slot and hammerring into the wood.
it shoots great however - impressive actually and is regulated very well at about 50' convergence. right bbl improved cyl left bbl modified. a good combo for upland birds and rabbits also. I keep it loaded with hi-brass #1buck and hi-brass #6 leaned in the corner near my nite-lite as a back-up to my Makarov or if I have to go outside to face any threat I take both.
I removed the brass bead front sight and fitted a glow-tube in place. it's confidence inspireing.

I have to admit, a problem with my Stoeger is the difficulty of opening and closing the action. I think I just need to clean it up more.