Simple Shooter
Member
Last night my wife and I decided to binge watch some old Magnum PI episodes. One episode had to do with a case where a model had supposedly committed suicide with a 12 gauge. Magnum, with the assistance of Higgins, determined there was no way a shotgun was used due to the lack of damage to the body and scene.
This got me to thinking about the handgun vs rifle vs shotgun for home defense debates which come up time to time on The Highroad and other such boards. Subjects such as "stopping power", overpenetration, legalities, muzzle flash, hearing damage, and moving around a house with a long gun vs a handgun are standard fare for these discussions. But what about the post-shooting mess?
I have been to several scenes where someone was shot with a shotgun inside a home. Some were suicides, some were domestic disputes, and one was a home defense incident. The all had one thing in common: lots of blood and human flesh strewn about.
A load of buckshot is devastating at home defense distance. It leaves human remains on the floor, walls, ceiling, furnishings, etc. The victim will never completely leave the scene and you may never again feel your home is clean or livable. And if the range was close, there is the smell of burnt human flesh that tends to be difficult to remove. One the other hand, the shootings I have been to where a handgun was used tended to be much less of a mess.
Should this be a factor in choosing a home defense firearm? I firmly believe the shotgun is the king of stopping power at home defense distance. But if one can get the job done with a 9mm carbine or a handgun without all the collateral damage, should that suffice?
This got me to thinking about the handgun vs rifle vs shotgun for home defense debates which come up time to time on The Highroad and other such boards. Subjects such as "stopping power", overpenetration, legalities, muzzle flash, hearing damage, and moving around a house with a long gun vs a handgun are standard fare for these discussions. But what about the post-shooting mess?
I have been to several scenes where someone was shot with a shotgun inside a home. Some were suicides, some were domestic disputes, and one was a home defense incident. The all had one thing in common: lots of blood and human flesh strewn about.
A load of buckshot is devastating at home defense distance. It leaves human remains on the floor, walls, ceiling, furnishings, etc. The victim will never completely leave the scene and you may never again feel your home is clean or livable. And if the range was close, there is the smell of burnt human flesh that tends to be difficult to remove. One the other hand, the shootings I have been to where a handgun was used tended to be much less of a mess.
Should this be a factor in choosing a home defense firearm? I firmly believe the shotgun is the king of stopping power at home defense distance. But if one can get the job done with a 9mm carbine or a handgun without all the collateral damage, should that suffice?
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