Hey guys, just an update: I just bought my home defense gun (my first firearm). It's a Taurus revolver .38 special (8 round capacity -> +P hollow point ammo). I went to a shooting range with a friend. I got to shoot a 12 gauge shotgun, a 20 gauge and a .38 revolver. My opinions at the end: the 12 gauge had too much recoil and was too big (due to the length limit), the 20 gauge was INCREDIBLY loud (maybe because of the smaller 18" barrel?) and it was still big. The .38 was nice. It's compact, light and the recoil is good enough to be able to shoot fast and accurately (still really loud, but not as much as the 20 gauge). The funny thing is that the 12 gauge was the quietest one. I was really surprised! Thank you everyone for all your help.