Concerning my earlier post on HD shotguns, I've recieved some PMs expressing interest and inquiring more info on my .410. All things being equal, I agree with the general consensus that a 12ga is probably the very best stand alone HD weapon you can use, with major qualifiers. Sure if you're in great physical shape and so is your significant other, then find a 12ga that you're both comfortable with and practice, practice, practice. In HD you only have one chance and it's usually at 3AM. Even with 12ga I highly recommend the shortest barrel you can get. A tax stamp is money and time well spent. That being said, there are many of us who are "getting up in age" and are not in the best physical shape but are highly concerned about HD due to the fact that we are perceived as "easy prey" by many who are looking for a score. I know in Arizona, there are groups of two or three who will kick in your door and you're lucky to have your life after all is said and done if you're not prepared to meet the threat.
When I first got the 870 clone with 18.5" barrel I did some dry run maneuvers through the house and found it awkward around corners and pointing it. My wife found it totally unmanageable. In an actual situation I came to the conclusion she would get one, poorly placed round off before she would be overpowered. I also felt that I would most likely spray and pray just shooting up the house.
Will Hayden of Redjacket Firearms and I had many conversations concerning this subject and he felt that many HD proponents are "missing the boat" when it comes to the .410 shotgun. Especially when HD concerned Senior citizens. Some of the parameters for us are as follows
Most of us can't see very well and need glasses
Many of us are disabled or frail.
Many of us live in dense communities composed of other seniors
Many of us live in smaller homes as we sold the big house long ago for various reasons.
The HD choice must be accessable and useable to our companion
The HD weapon should be highly portable yet have a very high rate of firepower as reloading will probably not be possible or necessary with the right weapon.
The 410 that Will built for me was a prototype he put together knowing that I had an MP5 clone and with his seer pac I could handle it well in full auto. So we went from there.
The Saiga 410 that I posted is roughly the same weight as a fully loaded MP5 with 30rd mag in 9MM luger. Comparing the F/A MP5 with the modified Saiga410 look alike this is what we found using Shoot N See 8" targets at 15 feet and 30 feet respectively.
With an MP5 in Full auto getting 5 rd bursts, I got 6 pulls of the trigger and 16rds hit the target out of 30 at 15 ft. Time was over 8 seconds to empty the mag with AIMED fire. Most time spent in recovery of aim point. At 30 Feet I got 9 rds in the target and it took 12 secs most of it recovery time for aimpoint.
With the 410 Saiga shotgun I have posted, using Winchester SuperX, 3", 000Buck I get 5 lead balls nearly the same size as 9mm with each pull of the trigger and I get 11 pulls of the trigger for a total of 55 peices of lead down range. The minimal recoil is straight back rather than up and out and target reaquasition was much faster than the FA, MP5.
At 15 feet I put 44 pellets in the 8" target in 6.5 sec and at 30 ft I put all 11 rds on the target in under 8 sec although the grouping was closer to 1 ft. rather than 8". My wive was a little slower but just as accurate. You can use 15rd mags for more firepower but I found these awkward and they unbalanced the weapon. Even with the stock 4rd mag you still get 25 peices of lead down the pipe(4+1) which is very nice. The HK sight system is very good for seniors with eye problems as you just put the front sight circle on center mass and shoot and recoil is acceptabe even for us who take blood thinners and bruse easily.
The image I posted is the ultimate deluxe version of a converted Saiga 410 shotgun and runs about 1200 to 1500 dollars from RedJacket but you can pick up a Saiga shotgun for 300 or so at gun shows and some dealers as they are not a very popular caliber among shotgun owners. They usually come with a 18.5" barrel and a 4 rd mag and they are very dependable in function and cycle. They become a whole different, efficient weapon when you cut the barrel down as short as you can, add a full choke and add a 10 or 15 rd mag to them. If you just got a stock Saiga and cut and rethread the barrel you would have a very good HD weapon for under 600.00. which includes the price of the tax stamp.
I'm trying to get Will to devote an episode of his TV show addressing the needs of HD for seniors with the Saiga 410 as an alternative. After shooting the Taurus Judge, I didn't care for it at all as it's not very controlable nor accurate with any followup. JMHO
Sorry for the long winded, extended post but I think HD for seniors has different parameters than the average application and should be recognized. Thanks for reading.