More Newb Questions - HD and choke

[SHusky57]

My biggest concern is not over-penetration but shot placement. I'm pretty sure anything from a 22LR to a 10 gauge slug is going to penetrate drywall - so that's kind of a moot point. Not enough penetration doesn't mean instant stop. So I will put that down for a moment.

What I am concerned about is missing.
The way my house is set up, master bedroom is on the opposite end from the soon to be nursery. In the extremely unlikely event of a break-in, if I have to go towards the nursery, I want my placement to be deliberate because I don't want a stray pellet going towards the nursery.

This has really made me want to switch to a rifle/carbine because I am so concerned with an errant shot going into an unintended place. I'm still kind of torn as a) I haven't settled on a carbine yet and b) I have a Benelli I inherited, and it's a perfectly fine shotgun.

So I have some questions about chokes and what's the best set-up for HD. Most self-defense 18" shotguns for sale don't take chokes but are open bore. I guess this makes sense as most self-defense is up close; but it's not unrealistic to think you will have to make a shot past 10 yards (especially living in the country). And also, if it's under 10 yards, a handgun is just as handy.

A) Open - 00 buck
B) Open - slugs
C) Improved Cylinder - 00 Buck/Slugs.... can still shoot slugs, but tigher than open
D) Full choke - 00 buck extremely tight wad, increases maximum range while decreasing spread.

Anyone have links to charts of how spread differs with chokes?
Sorry for all the newb questions.... I'm just trying to get set-up.

If I do decide to stick with the shotgun, I'm going to take a class to get really good with it.

And the most important question:
Do any SWAT/hostage rescue type units use a shotgun for anything other than breaching? Not because I want to be a copy-cat mall-ninja but because I think it would bring up a valid point. With a child's bedroom on the opposite side of the house from a master bedroom, would you worry about errant shot? I understand one can miss with a rifle, but they are much more precise to aim....

I am not interested in the rifle vs shotgun type threads, but rather want to learn as intimately I can the strengths and weaknesses of the shotgun - and how you would set up your shotgun knowing that there are no-shoots (to use IPSC term) alongside your targets.

Speaking of which, maybe that would be the best way to figure out what I am comfortable with.... set up a course with lots of shoots/no shoot targets at ranges from 3-25 yards, and figure out the shotgun or carbine is better.

 

[Old Guard Dog]

You need to take a shotgun to the range and pattern it with different ammo. I think you will be suprised at how small the pattern is even with open cyl at the distances you will encounter in HD situations. I don't think the danger is with the pattern of a shot-shell, but rather the problem of a missed shot. This is where you need to think about using reduced loads so the over-penetration is not going to do as much damage if the shot is missed, yet is powerful enough to stop the threat. JMHO

 

[Fred Fuller]

The 'always' answer to this question IMHO is to arrange things so family members can all be behind you and your weapon, safely away from any avenues of approach AND behind good cover in the event of a threat. It might mean rearranging who has what rooms. It might mean developing a home defense plan that calls for you to move after you become aware of a potential threat in order to place yourself and your weapon between family members and any avenue of approach. I personally don't care for any home defense plan that deliberately puts family members in front of the defender's weapon(s). With family members all safely ensconced under cover behind you, it isn't necessary to worry about your own misses or overpenetration being a threat to them.

If you haven't seen it, the NRA has a list of classes which includes a locator tool so you can see if the class you want is available close to you. As a shotgun newbie, consider starting with the intro level shotgun class for familiarization, and then take the Personal Protection In The Home class after that. See http://www.nrahq.org/education/training/basictraining.asp for the class descriptions and locator. Training at the hands of a good instructor is the best way to shorten your learning curve considerably, and will save you time and money in the long run.

Basically, there are hardly ever hardware solutions to software problems. Changing ammo or even weapons won't fix your own shortcomings as far as your ability to use those weapons and ammunition effectively. If you are worried about missing, you need to train and practice under increasing levels of pressure until you don't worry about missing any more. Pass a shotgun class from Louis Awerbuck, Randy Cain, John Farnam, Clint Smith, Tom Givens or any other nationally ranked instructor, and that will go a long way toward allaying your worries about missing under pressure.

And what SWAT or hostage rescue teams do or don't use for whatever job has no bearing IMHO on what you as Mr. John Q. Public decide to use to defend your own home and family. To figure out what you want to use for HD, start at the beginning and learn the basics of both platforms (carbine and shotgun). And I mean basics of gunfighting, not just shooting. There is a difference.

I'm sorry if this isn't exactly what you wanted to hear. But you called yourself a newbie, and I'm taking you at your word. It's exactly the same advice I would give and have given to my own family and friends, and it's the best I can offer.

Stay Safe,

lpl