Handgun or Shotgun For HD

HD Weapon Of Choice?

  • Shotgun

    Votes: 24 58.5%

  • AR/AK, Long Gun

    Votes: 2 4.9%

  • Pistol/Revolver

    Votes: 15 36.6%

  • Other

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    41
  • Poll closed .
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sigbear

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Jul 21, 2007
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I realize a shotgun is an outstanding weapon for HD, however, I like most people have kids in the house and it's just not practical "for me" to have a shotgun laying around the house. My compramise is a full size .45 ACP which follow me every where I go in the house and the kids don't even know it. I just can't see walking around the house with a shotgun/long gun.

What's your flavor.
 
Shotguns make a dandy "Safe Room" or otherwise static defense gun, but not for house searches.
 
This has be discussed and beat around so many times. Shotgun is the best for self defense if you are worried about children (which I have a 6 year old) I suggest that you need to rethink your take cover plan. If there is an intruder in the home at call of a code word everyone has a certain place to get to and hold out which includes my son taking cover where any stay shot would not hit him. Aside from that I also suggest using birdshot, in the close quarters of a home bird shot will do major soft tissue damage and can stop an intruder with out having to worry about shot going through walls as much.

With that being said the plan is for me to draw my handgun while the wife retrives the shotgun, calls police and holds out. This makes me the first line of defense and wife second in order to ensure safety of our family.

* Also may I suggest the outdoor channels Best Defense show which will point out a lot of things you may not think of and ways to go about it. http://www.outdoorchannel.com/Shows/BestDefenseSurvival.aspx
 
Everyone seems to agree a shotgun is ideal for home defense. But you can't very well take it to the door with you when someone unexpectedly knocks on the door late at night. I mean, you can carry the shotgun to the door, but depending on who's knocking, you could meet with embarrassment or, in a worst case scenario, a hysterical "man with a gun" phone call to 911.

The police have a funny way of deciding for themselves whether they think you were brandishing or threatening in some way. And even the best cops have an off-night.

The .45 held behind your hip avoids this eventuality.
 
Ideally both a handgun and a shotgun, but if you can have only one, the handgun. You can do things with it that are less than practical for a long arm, e.g., answer the door or search your dwelling for the source of that suspicious sound (that turned out to be the cat knocking a vase off the mantel).
 
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bird shot will do major soft tissue damage and can stop an intruder with out having to worry about shot going through walls as much.
Click to expand...
So true, anyone who has hit a quail or pheasant inside 10 yards with 1 1/8oz of #8s knows that you can turn a bird into a disgusting featherburger that the dog won't even pick up.
 
Even though the shotgun is more effective, it's also rather impractical.

The handgun is the weapon you're going to have with you when you really need it.
The shotgun is going to be the weapon that's in the closet, or in the other room, or in the gun cabinet, etc...when you need it most.


You're not going to carry your shotgun to check the mail, or walk the dog, or answer the doorbell.
You're not going to have your shotgun at hand while working in the yard or while working in the garage.
You're not going to have your shotgun at hand while you're making a sandwich in the kitchen.
You're not going to have your shotgun at hand when you're using the bathroom.
Etc....
 
I actually have made a sandwich with the 870 next to me...Heard a bump in the night, then got hungry.
 
Both will work if you do you part so pick whichever you are more comfortable with. I prefer to have both and I have both, but until you have both you need to pick which one makes you feel more comfortable and most likely to use.
 
Several answers, and a few comments:

1) What are you trained, practiced, and proficient with? Do you put several boxes of shells a month through a shotgun in defensive shooting drills, or several boxes of ammo through your handgun each month in defensive drills? Which gun will you shoot the best, the fastest in the kinds of close, fast, "practical" shooting that might be required to save your life?

2) Which will you have with you the moment you need it? Having a gun in the closet down the hall back in your bedroom, when you need one at the front door, the back door, or in the garage is exactly the same as having no gun at all.

3) Birdshot is for birds. Stick with No.4 buck or larger for home defense. Reasons for this are well established and available elsewhere -- do a search.

4) Knock off the "searching the house" or "investigating a noise" silliness. Study the S&T&T forum here (or much that is written elsewhere) and learn how to defend without painting a target on yourself by going on the offensive. "Investigating a noise" means one thing: You've already decided the noise ISN'T anything dangerous or needing your attention because if it WAS a threat, you'd be at a lethal disadvantage the moment you stumble into its view/range. Smart home defense involves hunkering down in a defensive strong-point and using your eyes, ears, patience, and other tools (like the dog!) to inform you and keep you and yours alive. (Search on "Don't clear your house.")
 
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E: All of the above.
Springfield 1911A1 in my nightstand, Sig P226 in momma's Smith 625 in oldest daughter's. Shotgun and carbine together in closet and 3 large dogs who tell me what I need to bring;)
 
S&W 1911PD with a laser/light attachment under the rail. I do have a tactical 870 with light and ghost ring sites but prefer to just pick up the 1911.. If shtf then i'd holster the 1911, strap the 870 across my back and grab my AR.
 
The best answer IMO is to use whatever firearm you have that you are most confident with, and to spend time and effort hardening the home to make it a less attractive target to burglars/robbers in the first place. If they don't ever attempt to break in, they don't have to be defended against.

This is a hardware specific question, not a ST&T question, and has been pretty much done to death here on THR over the years. Since there are innumerable iterations of the same thing available, I'm closing this one.
 
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