Home defense dilema

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thisisoriginal

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Hey there everyone,

First off, I am a 19 year old guy whos married and were expecting out first child. We live in a 1,500sqft house. I currently own a mossberg maverick 88 for home defense. I shoot quite often, rifles-pistols and shotguns- just for fun, but i soley picked this shotgun up to have fun making it look "tatical" and be used for home defense.


Now here is where the dilema lies. Im 5'6'' and 200 pounds, I can handle a 12g decently well-but this one has a pistol grip, should I just buckle down and go purchase a full stock for it since I also enjoy shooting it often? I most likely will.

Another question- My wife, while shes pregnant right now- is only 5'2'' and 120 pounds at the most, I am not quite sure she'd be able to handle a shotgun with buckshot. So heres the problem, Ive thought about selling it and getting a pistol-But I am 19, not 21. So I can't-And I dont plan on getting one illegally because I'd like to see my baby grow up :)


So my question is what should I do? Should I keep the shotgun, put a stock onto it, and try and have my wife handle it? Or possibly buy something different?

And please remember, I am not an irresponsable guy-I know I'm 19 but in a different situation that most 19 years old :)


thanks for all opionions!
 
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Yes, definitely get a stock for it. PGO shotguns are fun, but long guns have stocks for a reason. Unless your home defense plan involves breaching multiple doors to get at the bad guy, a stocked weapon will serve you much better than one without.

And ditto the reduced power loads. Although I have to say I'd refrain from having her learn to shoot/practice shooting it until she's had the baby, unless she's very early on in the pregnancy.

Good luck, and congrats on the soon-to-be-fatherhood!
 
I am able to get a pistol, from a few people I know, but I recently had a 22 pistol I went shooting with, and my cousin came (police officer, and swat) I asked him if its wrong for me to properly store the gun in my car just to drive from my house to the shooting range-he said personally he wouldn't charge someone with a felony for it, but most cops would charge you with a felony for it. So Im kind of in a pickle, I have all the responsibilites of an adult-but I can still only own certain guns to protect family.



(And I should mention our house got broken into the first week we lived here, and its actually a nicer neighborhood)
 
good advice kingpin- Shes 25 weeks though, so I'd rather her not shoot right now haha. And thank you!
 
Im broke, but we're living well. If I were to buy a new gun, I would sell one of mine or trade it.
 
Whatever money you can spend toward home defense, over the next year or so, should be directed to home security features and 12ga. practice ammo.

Mindset...
Harden the different layers of your home from entry; windows, doors, locks, fence, gates. Look through the S&T forum here for threads about this. It does NOT take a lot of money to do this. Talk to your wife about home security, get to know your neighbors, keep your eyes and ears open. Maybe get a dog.

Skillset...
Shoot the snot out of that gun, until you know it like you know your left knee. Periodically practice, with your wife, a few simple emergency drills. It may feel stupid at first. Just revisit it after a little while.

Toolset...
Once you've accomplished the above two, you'll already know what different tools, if any, you would like to acquire.
 
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Put a real stock on it and use reduced recoil buckshot.

I wouldn't worry too much about the wife using it. In the event that something goes down while she's alone with the baby, I would dare say she wouldn't hesitate to defend herself and the child with whatever is available. She should learn to shoot it though.

In a home invasion scenario, most LEO will agree it's best to gather everyone into one room, lock the door (if possible), call 911 and keep your gun aimed at the door in case they try to come into that room.
 
OP,
You might want to try the Aguila or Centurion Mini 12 ga shells in your Maverick. If they function well they might be the answer to the recoil problem. I once did a calculation on the M.E. of the Aguilas and, IIRC, it was about double that of .45 ACP, more than enough at home distances to stop anyone. Recoil is very manageable.
 
Get the stock for the shotgun. And then load it up with reduced recoil... aka "Law Enforcment" ...00 buckshot. Shoots like a dream and is sufficiently potent for room-distance shooting. There is nothing more intimidating than an angry mamma bear carrying a shotgun.

LawmanBuckshot.jpg
 
Get the full stock. Use black finish on it. Put a five or six shot shell holder on it. Still looks very tactical!

Wal-Mart has low brass 12 ga shells for $20 - $24 per hundred shells. 6, 7 1/2 or 9 size pellets, but good for practice and better than nothing for home defense. Low brass shells will make a pretty good crater in a bad guy at close range, just not as much penetration in flesh, and also wouldn't go thru walls as bad as 00 Buck.

I do keep the high power 00 Buck in my 12 ga double by the bedside, but you should use the most potent shell you (or she) can handle.

In a critical deadly aggression situation you only have one chance to save your life. Make the most of it.
 
Why do you think you can't own a handgun? Federal law says an FFL can't sell you one, but it's perfectly legal to buy one in a private purchase.
 
Sorry guys, Im in Ohio. Thanks for all the advice, cant post a lot right now but I just picked up a stock that holds 4 shells.

Ill post back later!
 
Ok I got a full stock that holds 4 shells. Put it on, it feels really great. Better than the pistol grip.


As far as buying a hand gun, pretty much everyone on armslist and other sites require to see your ID. I am not looking to do anything illegal so if anyone knows the Ohio laws reguarding a handgun (the laws I might not have read or seen yet) let me know!

Other than that I am going out sunday to shoot the crap out of it and try different shells.


The whole gun is black, with an 18.5 in barrel. :)
 
Leave the "Tacticool" shotgun to Hollywood. Go with "Practicool". Sounds like you found a Speedfeed stock for it. That will work much better than the PG. I suggest you get a tritium / white dot front sight. Meprolight or XS Sights...................

http://www.midwayusa.com/Search/#meprolight shotgun____-_1-2-4_8-16-32

http://www.xssights.com/store/shotgun.html

I have both. There are two types of Meprolights with different thread types. I dont know which you need for your gun. The XS sight epoxys over the front bead. I used JB Weld. I have had this sight on an Remington 11-87 Police for 10 years. It works great.

Consider a Sidesaddle and call it good. Low recoil buckshot is all you need.
 
Thanks for the info!


Im just your average young gun owner/lover who wants to build a nice looking shotgun, that will also be used for home defense.


I like surplus rifles mostly, Ive owned a win1300 defender and mossy500, and this maverick 88 is really up there with them.
 
While I am not too familiar with Ohio gun laws, but I know that in FL you can buy a handgun in a private party transaction or have on given to you as a gift by your parents. It is also legal to have at your home or in your car if stored legaly. Ohio might have something similar to FL and it should be something that you look into.
 
Not too many people up here on armslist and such seem to be into the idea of selling a 19 year old a handgun. I guess that age comes with the stereotype.
 
Has the wife fired a gun before? If not, I might recommend that you take her out with a .22lr rifle to cover the basics first before you introduce her to a shotgun. Of course, this would be after the pregnancy. If she doesn't like the shotgun, she can always fall back to this as a defensive weapon. Not my first choice, but it beats a fist. Congrats and good luck!
 
Keep the shotgun and get some low/reduced recoil loads for it.

For pure versatility, there is simply nothing better than the standard pump shotgun. With proper technique, your wife should be able to handle it just fine. She doesn't have to -like- it, she just has to be capable.
 
I never said she had to enjoy shooting it, but as long as she knows how to and is able to handle it we're good!
 
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