PYurek,
I must humbly but strongly disagree with your comments on pointing a shotgun.
First:
As in, I wouldn't raise it to my shoulder, look down the barrel, align the sights, and then shoot
If you don't aim a shotgun, you will most likely miss. Also, forget the pistol grip only shotguns for home defense. They are not easy to control and have other shortcomings.
Second:
First off, I would imagine that a great number of home intrusions occur during the nighttime when sight acquisition would be difficult at best (unless of course you got those neat little "eyes" that glow in the dark ... he he he).
Uh, that's why any serious defensive shotgunner puts a light on his gun. You MUST be able to see your target, else you should not be shooting at it (or even pointing at it).
Third:
A shotgun is more or less point and shoot, as opposed to aim and shoot.
I disagree 100%. This is true only for wing shooting. In home defense situations, a shotgun is merely used like a specialized rifle. Your comment is unfortunately a very well spread myth.
Fourth:
I'm a firm believer that before ANYONE picks up a gun, they should be proficient enough with it to ba able to get the first round in a "stopping zone". With a scattergun, this is pretty easy (even my wife can do it, and she's not what most would call a "shooter").
If you have not trained with such a gun under "combat" type conditions that simulate a home defense situation, I would not be so bold as to make the above comment. If the shooter is using the techniques that your talk about before, I can just about guarantee that he/she WON'T make the shot. It is simply not "pretty easy" and in fact is pretty hard.
Fifth:
Combine the less accuracy-restictive properties of the typical 12 ga with a open choke such as on the Winchester Home Defender model, and you'll find that you get almost 12 inches at 30 feet .....
Balderdash. While each shotgun is individual in it's pattern, at 30 feet it is much more likely that you pattern is less than six inches, not anywhere near 12 inches. Also, darn few homes have anywhere that you'll find a 30 foot shot. Most will be more like 10-12 feet max. Think about it.
Finally:
A 12 ga beats four aces every time .....
Now THAT I agree with.
I'm not trying to start an argument either, but I have studied, trained, restudied, retrained, and trained others on defensive shotgun use. Consequently, I have seen that what you state is very, very dangerous information. LOTS of folks think it's true, and that's the dangerous part.
Please go read a book by Jim Crews, Louis Awerbuck, or Gabe Suarez on combat shotgunning. Then take a class with Louis, Jim, Randy Cain, etc. on the shotgun. I'm pretty sure then you'll agree with me 100%.
Stay safe out there. Learn what works. Avoid what doesn't.
