Am I under-gunned without a 12ga for home defense?

[MikeNice]

Well 30 why not just get a Saiga with a 21 round drum. Then you dfinitely have them all out gunned.

Personally I've been thinking of going with the FN 5.7x28 in pistol or rifle. Elite Ammo makes rounds that will penetrate through both sides of a level II vest and still get 8" or more of penetration, from the pistol. They also have a round based on the Vmax bullet that fragments.

If you miss it might cause a bit of a mess though. It definitely wouldn't be appropriate in an apartment.

Back on topic. I would get the training to use the weapon more effectively. I would also practice untill I was comfortable shooting at a distance equal to th longest unobstructed distance in the house. My bedroom and the kid's bedroom are on oposite sides of the house. So to me a hunker down position is not acceptable. I have to be able to shoot at least 11yards dead on to effectively defend my home. So, I make sure to practice heavily at that distance.

You might be able to take an NRA home defense course for as little as $90. Then you would still have the money for an inexpensive 20 or 16 gauge. If you have a significant other they could hunker down with that while you attempt to secure the house.

 

[hardworker]

Don't get a 16 gauge, ammo is not nearly as easy to find as a 20 or 12, and more expensive

 

[MachIVshooter]

Depends a lot on where he's shot. A load of #6 in the face/neck area across an average bedroom ain't a small thing. Likewise if he's shot in the uh...toodles. Hold high or low with a birdshot-stoked shotgun...but not center mass. A miss will send the load of shot through drywall, but it won't likely exit with enough energy and penetration to kill...and that's no small consideration if you have kids in another part of the house, or another family in the adjoining apartment.

Because what have you gained if you get him with the second shot after you've killed your 5 year-old on the other side of the wall?

A good compromise would be high brass #2 shot. Even if a groin shot goes low, you'll still cut his legs out from under him, and if the face/neck shot goes low...a 1.5 ounce charge of shot high on the chest that hasn't dispersed won't do him any favors...guaranteed.

I know it's macho and all that to sing the praises of buckshot...until you consider that little guy in the next room with only 5/8ths inch of sheetrock between him and the shotgun.

Agreed. Occupants in the home and the layout of the home should be heavily considered when choosing you HD load and establishing your tactics.

I live alone and in a rural area, and in the direction I'd be facing if I had to shoot a home invader at my bedroom door threshhold or down the hall, any shot fired level, even if it exits the house, will hit earth on the outside, as the property slopes down toward the house on the two sides that would be downrange. So I have no qualms about using any particular gun, including my AR-10, for HD.

But if I lived in a suburban or urban area, or if I had kids, I'd be considering a different approach, and therein lies the soundness of 1911tuner's advice.

Birdshot is not an optimal HD load by any stretch, but as he said, a high brass load of #4 or such at normal HD ranges (for most of us, under 20 feet) would be pretty devastating, especially to the face. Yet, while still dangerous on the other side, it's lost a lot of it's energy going through, at minimum, two layers of 1/2" sheetrock.

And a note to those who choose buckshot:

00 buck is a fine choice, but make sure it's not the flight controlled stuff for HD. If it is, you might as well just use a slug, because those pellets don't disperse at all. I tested a bunch of differerent buck loads at 7 yards when deciding what to use for HD. The gun is cylinder bore, and still left single large holes with the 00 buck loads that used a flight control cup. And that's the point; They're supposed to keep it tight enough to take down a deer at 40 or 50 yards. But that's not good for HD. So make sure you know what load you're buying.

My preferred loads were Remington 2-3/4" 4 buck and 0 buck. They gave 7-8" patters at that range, with even dispersion and good penetrtion.

 

[valorius]

Bird shot won't even penetrate an interior apartment wall.

Ask me how i know.

If you live in an apt complex, that's the load to use.

 

[Averageman]

I've seen bridshot penetrate two layers of drywall from about six feet and stick firmly in the third layer.
It may not put someone out of the fight, but it should/could make a heck of a mess.
Mine are loaded with 2 3/4 #4 and backed up by slugs.
I do believe it is a geat gun for the wife to shoot from ambush if I have to leave the room to get the kid.

 

[oldbanjo]

You can bet your life that if someone brakes in my door that I won't wound them. If you can't safely use buckshot in your house, because of kids or whatever, then you shouldn't be using a shotgun for HD in my opinion. My father was a gunner in the Navy for 32 yrs, and he wouldn't allow a shotgun in the house, when I was growing up, he always said that a shotgun could kill a whole family. His grandfather was a sheriff and had cut a thief in half with a dbl shotgun. People underestimate 20 ga shotguns, when duck hunting with my brother I used to carry a 20 ga. single shot, and I've killed plenty of ducks after they have been missed with his Browning 12 ga just to prove a point.

 

[Kleanbore]

Time to wrap this one up. The OP should have plenty of input to sift and consider.