HD: pistol or shotgun?

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el Godfather

el Godfather

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Dear THR:
I would like to know what do prefer a pistol (handgun) or a shotgun for home defense in suburban - rural setting?

I am not a shotgun guy so I prefer my Mark23 at night. Durable, reliable and caliber enough power that when BG is well hit- he/she stays down and neutralized.

Thank you
 
This one will likely split along party lines. I am a handgun guy, myself, for a variety of reasons. If I felt the need for a long gun, I'd pass over the shotgun and go with an AR.

OMMV.
 
Thats exactly how i feel, but may be not AR rather a G3 or AKM. To me shotgun is for hunting. I have heard many success stories with shotgun defense, but I just could understand the logic. I believe in precision and shotgun doesnt have that unless using slugs, but them you are neutralizing the benefit of spread.
 
For me, using a long gun inside while navigating corners is not the best tactical choice. You also need to remember that most scenarios will be at night and a good flashlight is a necessity, the handgun will give you this option.;)

LD
 
Both! Actually, I would rather the long gun be a carbine, but I wear a badge for a PD that requires me to use weapons with which I have qual'ed, even off the clock. I have aged-out of being able to pass our quite athletic patrol rifle qual. So, Remington 870, it is.

If defending one room, as opposed to clearing the house: Shotgun, backed by handguns.

If just absolutely have to "clear" the entire house, by myself, rather than let the local PD do it for me: 2+ handguns and 2+ Surefire lights.

"Bump" in the night: Well, it depends upon the perceived nature of the bump.

I will, of course, modify the above scenarios as I see fit. Part of our house consists of huge rooms, and part is quite close quarters.

In my nearly 29 years of policin' a big city at night, I have used handguns, shotguns, and an AR15 when clearing houses and buildings. A shotgun, indoors, is at its best as a team weapon, in the opinion of this low-speed, high-drag patrolman. There are ways to pass through a tight space with a shotgun, but it is better for a guy with a handgun. The handgunners also have more freedom to manipulate a hand-held light.



If I am going mobile, outside the home: Well, it depends upon the preceived threat.
 
The need to maneuver with a shotgun is somewhat negated by the fact that generally you shouldn't be clearing the house, you're likely not trained for it. And when the cops do it, they don't do it alone. Staying hunkered down in a safe position but ready to shoot if someone unknown comes through the bedroom door, while waiting for the cops to arrive, may not seem as manly but is likely a much more survivable scenario.
 
What do you train with and shoot best?

That's the answer. Shotguns are put forward as correcting for lack of training. Ducking. :D
 
For HD, I prefer rifles and shotguns. Even so, a pistol is more readily available, therefore if we are speaking realistically, a pistol is going to be my primary gun. That being said, If I get a chance to access a long gun, I'm going to do it.
 
My pesonal preference is for a pistol equiped with a gun light attached.

Having said that, for most people that don't pratice shooting often, a short assault shot gun loaded with 2 3/4 rounds would be best, controllable and effective.

But use what you practice with the most.
Jim
 
I believe in precision and shotgun doesnt have that unless using slugs, but them you are neutralizing the benefit of spread.
Click to expand...

That's one of the myths about shotguns in home defense. You always have to aim since the distances are too short for any "spread" to be meaningful. Try patterning an 18" shotgun at realistic indoor distances? You get little spread.

As far as what is best? Define your parameters. Shotguns are more lethal. Handguns are more portable.

As has been alluded to, you should be forting up and being patient and aware instead of trying to clear your own home.

If your concern is penetration hitting innocents, a pistol is more penetrating than a shotgun, which is more penetrating than a 5.56 or 5.45. Yet, the carbines and shotguns are more lethal.
 
There are times when you may have to clear your own home. Most of those who say never do this live alone. If you and all of your "charges" (those for whose safety you are responsible) are not in the same room when a breach occurs, you will have to round them up, or otherwise get them to you, or you to them.

I have quite a bit of clearing training and experience, but most of this was acquired before patrol rifles became commonplace. Shotguns, however, were popular in LE, and I have probably done an equal amount of clearing with and without a shotgun. Now, in my own home, I'd probably use a rifle during the day (backed up by the pistol that is always on my hip when I'm dressed), and a handgun at night, using the other hand to hold the light. Again, this is a training platform that has worked for me, so I stick with it.
If we are all in the same room, I will likely hunker us down, though.

I live in a suburban setting, single-family homes on 1/4 acre lots. Police response times in emergent situations tend to be fairly quick, though I have often waited eight rings or more to get an answer from a 911 operator. This is likely due to the fact that, in this jurisdiction, 911 is the only number used to reach police for all calls, not just emergent ones. Fortunately, none of the calls I have placed to 911 have been for truly emergent situations.
 
FWIW, trying to reach innocents located elsewhere within a structure, when it is known an intruder is active, is a bit different from "clearing" the structure. I just thought I would throw that out there as food for thought. :)
 
I am not a shotgun guy so I prefer my Mark23 at night. Durable, reliable and caliber enough power that when BG is well hit- he/she stays down and neutralized.
Click to expand...

Handguns suck. I'm not saying that to barrage handguns, I carry one and it would be the closest thing should I need it for HD. However, all handgun rounds, anywhere from .380 ACP to .45 ACP, or the higher velocity rounds like .357 magnum or 5.7x28mm, don't really make that big of a hole, compared with what a shotgun or rifle will make. There are certainly advantages to a handgun, but there is no handgun that will guarantee the target will drop right there without a hit to the CNS.
 
Ever fired an AR inside with no hearing protection? You'll wish you were shot instead.

No one considers the sound damage that their weapon will do. How often in an emergent situation are you going to stuff in ear plugs? An indoors AR muzzle blast will leave your head ringing and your vision fuzzy.

For that reason alone, I prefer my handgun as its closest, always loaded, easier to retain if it comes to hand-to-hand combat, quicker follow up shots, and carries 3x more rounds than my shotgun.
 
Ever fired an AR inside with no hearing protection? You'll wish you were shot instead.
Click to expand...

One thing you could do - and I probably should - is get electronic hearing protection and leave it near your HD equipment.
 
I find that I am faster on target with a handgun than a long-gun at home-defense distances. But that is mostly due to my practice and training which is skewed toward handguns 100:1.

I usually do keep a shotgun for home defense, however, as my defensive plan makes the shotgun a slightly more advantageous choice. If I had to do a lot of moving around, engaging multiple targets at different angles and such -- I'd probably choose the pistol.

The best answer though is to use what ever gun you are fastest and most accurate with. Accurate hits outweigh all other concerns, and very few folks are equally proficient with all guns. (...unless they're just very bad with them all.) :)
 
Carbine.

And I challenge Sam to try the results again with a carbine design less than 70 years old! Though I personally think I'd still be faster with an M1 Carbine than handgun.
 
Generally, I prefer a 357 revolver and that's what I keep loaded for HD. But I do have a double barrel 12 ga, just in case. It isn't kept loaded, though.
 
It depends on what I'm doing. Hunkered down behind the bed? Shotgun.

Checking on a noise that I don't know what it is? Handgun.

Wake up in the middle of the night? Handgun on nightstand until I can get a shotgun.

That being said, I'm coming to the conclusion that a 5.56 carbine would serve better than a shotgun for HD if over penetration is a concern.
 
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