28" 870 Express for home defense ok?

[andrewshogun]

Hi - This is probably a silly question, but I don't know much about shotguns. I bought a LH 870 Express which came with a 28" barrel. Is this gun sufficient for home defense? If so, what should I use for the ammo, and any other best practices you recommend? What are downsides to long barrel being used for HD?

I bought the gun primarily for hunting small game, but figured I'd ask for its other functions as well. Thanks.

 

[Chris B]

Any gun is better than no gun for SD. A 12 ga. loaded with buckshot or slugs is arguably the best SD weapon available to you. Anything from bird to buck shot, from any shotgun no matter what length the barrell, will do horrific damage to a human target at HD distances. Two cons I can see to a 28" barrell. 1:Maneuverability. 2: Inability to shoot slugs (I'm assuming it has screw in chokes). I keep an 870 express with a 24" barrell for HD and it's fine for me.

The guys at theboxoftruth.com have shown that buckshot between #4 buck and 00 buck will penetrate no more than 8 sheets of drywall; common rifle and pistol calibers will penetrate at least 12 sheets.

 

[ugaarguy]

Is this gun sufficient for home defense?

Absolutely, the 12ga pump shotgun is probably the type of gun most used for home defense in America.

If so, what should I use for the ammo, and any other best practices you recommend?

Buckshot and slugs are generally regarded as the best loadings for defense. You'll need to pattern the gun though. Patterning is shooting various loads at targets to see how loose or tight the shot groups, or see where slugs impact in relation to where you're aiming. You'll want to figure the longest distance within your home that you'd have to shoot in defense. Set the targets at that distance for your patterning. You may want to purchase an Improved Cylinder (IC) choke tube in addition to the Modified (Mod) tube which is generally the tube included with new 870 Expresses. Buy a few different buckshot loads and see how your gun patterns with each to determine which to use - all shotguns are different and some show strong ammo preferences. Popular buckshot loads are 9 or 12 pellet 00 (pronounced "double ought") shot size in the 2&3/4" length. I'd stick to the 2&3/4" shells as these have less recoil than 3" shells and have no practical loss in performance for buckshot loads at defensive ranges.

What are downsides to long barrel being used for HD?

Not as maneuverable as shorter barrels is the only downside, but many old salts here have used longer barrels just fine for many years on all purpose shotguns. I would say look for a shorter length barrel on the used market, but that will probably be difficult if not impossible to find for a left hand 870.

For the moment use what you have, and you'll be fine.

Should you later find yourself needing or longing for a shorter barrel complete right hand 870s and RH Mossberg 500s/590s with short barrels can usually be found easily on the used market for little money. You could also look for an Ithaca Model 37 if the short barrel bug bites. The M37 loads and ejects from the bottom basically making it ambidextrous.

 

[ugaarguy]

2: Inability to shoot slugs (I'm assuming it has screw in chokes).

Actually you can shoot slugs through screw in choked shotguns just as you can those with fixed chokes. The general rule of thumb is to use rifled slugs with no tighter than a Modified choke, though Improved Cylinder or straight cylinder bore are generally preferred.

 

[PointOneSeven]

I have the same gun, and it's only purpose is just that. 28" barrel is fine unless you're clearing rooms. For holding down a hallway or stairwell a longer barrel isn't a problem.

I like #4 Buck.

 

[ArmedBear]

Get an open choke (Cylinder, Skeet or Improved Cylinder) for it if you can. Not expensive. Cabelas has all of the above.

 

[fearless leader]

Once I had someone trying to kick in my door. The door opened to the outside, so it wouldn't kick in, so they started jerking the door, trying to pull the deadbolt through the wood.
I grabbed my 870 riot shotgun, it could have had a 36 inch barrel for all it mattered. I racked it, and with a strong, ascertive, voice inflection called, "WHO'S OUT THERE?" There was nothing but running! I never had to confront them, or point the gun, as the sound of a racking shotgun is accepted in more places than Visa and Mastercard combined. You should be fine.

 

[ArmedBear]

the sound of a racking shotgun is accepted in more places than Visa and Mastercard combined

LOL

 

[Cougfan2]

You can usually pick up an 18" riot barrel pretty reasonably. You can probably find a used one for $100 or less. Makes it easier to maneuver in tight confines.

 

[Regolith]

You can usually pick up an 18" riot barrel pretty reasonably. You can probably find a used one for $100 or less.

You can buy a NEW one for that much at Cabela's.



andrew: I have the same gun, and I'm using it as my home defense weapon in addition to being a bird gun. It'll work fine, but if you put a shorter barrel on it, say an 18" or 20", it'll be much more maneuverable. Swapping barrels is easy, just a matter of unscrewing the magazine cap, removing the old barrel and putting on the new one, and screwing back on the mag cap. This isn't necessary, though, so if your strapped for cash it might be better to put that money into buying ammo and practicing.

 

[sm]

andrewshogun,

Welcome to THR.

Yep, 28" is fine and dandy.
Express Combo guns come with a Rifle Sighted Smooth bore barrel - find one of these barrels and good to go if you find you want a shorter barrel.

28", with a SKeet or IC (improved) and 2 3/4" standard nine pellet 00 buck or my preferred loading - standard 2 3/4" slugs.
Try the Federal brand, of late the Express seems to like these best.


Gun fit, correct basic fundamentals, and become one with the gun.
This the Key.

I personally WANT a bone stock shotgun, with No accessories.
I strongly suggest one learn the gun with NO accessories and IF, and only IF Awerbuck or Cain or whomever the Instructor is suggests for YOUR needs to add something, then do that.


Just a note about "having to have's".

Ireland and some other Countries do NOT allow Citizens to have a barrel any shorter than 24".

Let us hope the US never imposes such a thing here, still, for too many years, the longer barreled shotguns have worked quite well in serious situations.

I was raised to not learn with a crutch, and have options.
Lots of the lessons and all I was raised with, and I/we still do, involve whatever guns the folks have.
Shotguns with long barrels, Revolvers from .22 rim-fire and up, Semi-Auto pistols the same way, an Rifles from single shot .22's, Lever Actions, Bolts- to name it.

Run, what you brung.

Software, Not Hardware.

 

[Rampant_Colt]

This is a must see pertaining to this thread!

http://www.breitbart.tv/?p=6697

"And I walked out of the house and I went around and confronted those guys on the side of the house. So, I aimed at him and said, ‘You sneeze, you're dead man.’ And I called the other guy out of the garage. I watch a lot of movies it sounded like a good thing to say. It got his attention."