Handguns vs shotguns for (home) self-defense

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gunny2

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Thoughts? I seem to be running into more people who say get a shotgun, can't miss with that. I get that, but in my home at what is likely very close range, I'm not too worried about missing either.
 
Indoors, handgun, PCC, or short rifle in order of preference. Outdoors at close range, shotgun. Longer range, rifle.

Inside my home there is no place to take a shot at any range over about 5 yards. A shotguns pattern at 5 yards is only a couple of inches. The pattern isn't large enough to increase the likelihood of a hit. Since The chances of an arm's length encounter are much greater and a long gun is a lot easier for an intruder to get their hands on a handgun is a better tool at those ranges. And I like having one free hand to do other things with. My in-house handguns have mounted lights.

Farther down the list a PCC or short barreled rifle is going to be more compact than a shotgun, has much less recoil and holds 5 or 6 times the ammo. Since the shotgun pattern doesn't exist at short range there is no advantage to using one that close.

Where a shotgun shines is outdoors at ranges between 10-30 yards. That will reach anywhere out to my property line and buckshot patterns start to improve the chances of hits, especially on moving targets.

If for some reason ONLY one gun can be had, and someone is on a very tight budget a shotgun is a viable option and it becomes a close call between a shotgun and handgun. But I have shotguns, AR-15 carbines, a 9mm PCC and multiple handguns to choose from. Not everyone has those options.

A decent quality shotgun is going to be the cheapest option and for a lot of people that is reason enough.
 
Well if you've ever had a shotgun pointed at you with evil intent, you will feel like your looking down the tunnel to hell, it will make you think twice.

Bad people don't think about ballistics or ease of handling, they only see the size of the hole pointed at them.
 
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It's also extremely easy to miss with a shotgun at bunny distance.
If I have clothes on, I have a handgun on or within arms reach when I'm getting comfy. That said, I do keep a SxS 20ga loaded and also at arms reach when I'm in bed. Obviously there's no guarantees in life and most especially if one is confronted with resorting to armed defense. IF the option is available, I'd much rather defend myself with the shotgun inside my home with loved ones behind me.
 
more people who say get a shotgun
Yep, more power in a shotgun

can't miss with that

Ignorant statement on their part. At household distances the dispersed shot is within the size of your fist.

Note the pattern of 00 at 5 yards.
1725720461620.jpeg
vs.
15yards
1725720516203.jpeg
If you don't aim you can completely miss an aggressor.

If you learn how to run a defensive shotgun inside the confines of a house it will end a fight very quickly. Of course so can a handgun, but the greater power of the shotgun is an advantage.
 
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Has anyone seen the lack of penetration of .223 in a house dry wall test.

Besides bird shot, .223 tumbles on hard surfaces and don’t really over penetration. Let me see if I can find the test.
 
This has been discussed in myriad forums by expert folks. They get beyond the shotgun cliches of can't miss, rack to scare, what shotgun round to use.

The best answer for a newbie in choosing a SD gun is to take a few quality classes with each that gives a realistic view of the pros and cons of each. If you are trained up, you can use a handgun, shotgun or carbine (223 or 9 mm PC) with good results.

Granted this is hard to do and expensive. Otherwise you will get a series of cliches.

It is also useful to run each in competition to see how you do with each under the modicum of match stress. Moving, reloads, malfunctions, etc. - all will surface in a match. Don't worry about the guys with ultra specialized competition guns, take your SD guns.

I note that around here there was a wave of election time buying of pump Turkish cheapy shotguns to avoid licensing, etc. Whether these became next to bed guns and never shot - that would be my guess.
 
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Handgun can be more ideal for real tight spaces or if your other hand needs to be doing something as well (dial 911, flashlight, controlling children or dog, controlling doors or home security devices).

The shotgun has really gone to wayside as recommended firearm from modern subject experts. I like shotguns but have to recognize that reloading them in a hurry is just not realistic in a truly high stress situation. Probably going to use whatever is in the gun and that's it. I will say that modern semi auto shotguns have really helped to make the shotgun relevant again.

A shorter semi auto rifle, however, has gained a lot ground as a long gun suited to the task. Typically higher capacity, easily to mount a light, etc
 
Thoughts? I seem to be running into more people who say get a shotgun, can't miss with that. I get that, but in my home at what is likely very close range, I'm not too worried about missing either.

I don't have a place that I can practice with a shotgun besides trap and skeet ranges. Due to that I rely on PCCs and handguns.
 
Has anyone seen the lack of penetration of .223 in a house dry wall test.

Besides bird shot, .223 tumbles on hard surfaces and don’t really over penetration. Let me see if I can find the test.
I think youll find it penetrates drywall walls very well. ;)

I've seen tests where it was fired into the back of a Chevy Suburban and penetrated through the rear door, both rows of rear seats and the front seat, and embedded itself into the dash.


Personally, I think the AR carbines or one of the pistol caliber guns are the better choice over the shotguns, especially if you have a number of different users. They are easily handled and shot by kids and small statured adults and recoil is nothing. You can easily get a red dot on them as well which gives you a 24/7/365 sight. The only real downside to the rifle caliber guns is muzzle blast, but then again, everything is going to be hurtful loud indoors. I seriously doubt anyone wants to touch off anything indoors without protection. Its not all that fun with it.

I have a bunch of short barreled shotguns. Pumps and autos. I prefer the autos, but the pumps work. If it had to be a shotgun, Id prefer to go with a 14" auto with a full stock and pistol grip. A lot easier in tight spaces if you have to move around.

While the 18" guns arent really big, they are still a bit awkward and limiting to move around with in tight spaces. A pistol gripped stock makes things a little easier.

While I have one of the Shockwave type guns entry guns, it would be my last choice of the guns I have. They work, but you need to know what youre doing with them, and it takes a bit of work to get good with them, and I don't see untrained people doing well with one.

The recoil generated by 12 ga. guns can be intimidating to a lot of shooters and gets old pretty quick for anyone who shoots a lot in practice, and you need to practice with what you plan on using.

Theres just a lot to rule the shotguns out if there are other choices.


Handguns make the most sense, and having one on you all the time just makes even more. You ALWAYS have it and don't have to go look for it or get it.
 
Well if you've ever had a shotgun pointed at you with evil intent, you will feel like your looking down the tunnel to hell, it will make you think twice.

Bad people don't think about ballistics or ease of handling, they only see the size of the hole pointed at them.
If they are looking at that hole long enough to think about it, you've already made a big mistake.
 
Because this is the internet!

Also, if you cannot train sufficiently with a gun, you shouldn't have it for live threatening emergencies. Clearing a pump gun because you short stroked it - which is very common, isn't easy in real time unless you know what you are doing. Same with an AR.

Semi auto shotgun take some learning and experience.

So if you are not really into it, a quality handgun and good courses with it will serve most home defense purposes. Forget the stopping power cliches and racking and not missing, blah, blah.
 
I would prefer a shotgun over a handgun for home defense mainly because it is shoulder-fired. Under stress my essential tremor gets pretty bad, especially in my wrists, which makes aiming a handgun extremely difficult. A shoulder fired weapon, I can still fire with great accuracy under stress.

I'd prefer a 16" AR to either, though.
 
Clearing a pump gun because you short stroked it - which is very common, isn't easy in real time unless you know what you are doing.
A great way to practice this is during clay shooting, use a high capacity pump gun and try to get as many clays in one pull as you can. 3 or even 4 in the air at the same time. This forces you to practice cycling the action very quickly with authority, under a real-time clock.
 
At our farm we have the luxury of being able to shoot both.We,without gun in hand,run to get our heart rate up.Then shoot best we can with both.Closest scenerio of excited heart rate.With practice we do good with both.
 
After working with my shotgun, moving around the house (a fixed stock Mossberg 500 w/18" barrel) I've decided I'll just stick with my handgun. That is my choice, based on the geometry of my house, and my ability to handle the weapon.

I have an AR by the bed as well... but I'm still likely to draw the pistol, first, unless it's WWIII out there.

As far as the sound of a 12ga racking... you think some cracked up whack-job is going to care? The voices in his head are too busy telling him to steal everything so he can get his next hit.
 
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