Shotgun for home defense?

[Trey Veston]

Over my front door is a 12ga pump shotgun hanging on bicycle hanger hooks.

It's a unique model in that it's a Weatherby PA-459. It's a nice looking gun with great ghost ring and fiber optic sights, tactical pistol grip stock, and a flashlight mount. I bought it to use as a turkey hunting gun and for home defense, hence the custom camo job...



It has functioned 100% with everything I've fed it and is currently loaded with Federal 00 buckshot.

But I'm questioning why I have it in that role. I haven't shot it in over a year. It hurts when I do shoot it due to the stock design, and it only holds 5 rounds.

Because it's a rather rare and obsolete gun, I can't find an extended tube magazine for it, and since I moved to Washington, I haven't been turkey hunting for five years.

But I still have that beast filling the role of my first line of self-defense. I also have a S&W M&P40 with a tac light in the table next to my bed with 15 rounds of ammunition. That seems sensible. I have grabbed it a couple of times to investigate bumps in the night and found it comforting and a good fit for such eneavors.

I've been meaning to replace the shotgun with my Extar EP-9 PCC, which holds 33 rounds of 9mm, also has a light, red dot sight, and is infinitely more maneuverable.



I live in town, and a high capacity 9mm PCC seems more appropriate for a door gun than a pump-action 12ga.

Of course, with an exceptionally low crime rate in my little town, I could probably have a sharp stick by the door and be fine. But, I like to be adequately prepared.

What are your thoughts on your home defense weapon? What do you have near the front door in case trouble ever comes knocking?

 

[Antihero]

I like shotguns a lot but over penetration is an issue. How little is the town/ how close are the neighbors? Is it rural enough that you need a 12 gauge against bigger 4 legged threats?

Personally I live in the country, my shotgun is loaded with slugs. Other guns are used for stuff that's not wildlife.

 

[Trey Veston]

I like shotguns a lot but over penetration is an issue. How little is the town/ how close are the neighbors? Is it rural enough that you need a 12 gauge against bigger 4 legged threats?

Personally I live in the country, my shotgun is loaded with slugs. Other guns are used for stuff that's not wildlife.

It's a normal small town with houses about 50' apart. Looking out my front door, the house across the street is further up the hill, so any misses or through and through shots will go into a rocky embankment. Nearly every house on my block is over 100 years old with thick timber framing. My interior walls are 8" thick. No danger of over penetration.

I have deer in my yard quite a bit and a wolf was spotted a few years ago walking down the street in front of my house. Coyotes will come by every now and then to thin out the housecats.

When I lived in the country, my door gun was an 1894 Marlin carbine in .357 Magnum for javelina and cougars. It replaced a custom built 870 by Vang Comp that was stolen.

 

[Old Guy]

Living in Florida, with a carry license, I carry every day. A 147g Federal HST 9mm round, will do an adequate stop and desist, per a double-tap (Or more!) fired into a human adversary who has shown criminal intent.
As there is two of us only in this little townhouse, as I am on this Lap Top, my wife sleeps ten feet away, any bump in the night would have to be a big crash! No pets, no children. The carry pistol sits on the bedside table. Loaded with 16 rounds. If I glance that way, I can see the three green dots of my TruGlo night sights. Very bright bottom push button tac light next to it. And I have fired thousands of rounds through that Glock 19 4th Gen.
Long guns live in a safe. To come to the second floor where our bedroom is, an illegal visitor has to lead with their head? Not a good idea.

 

[Daveboone]

I really don't worry about "home defence". We are in a rural low crime area, and have two rottweillers which are a very visible presence. That said... I have always kept a handgun convenient in the house. You never know, and it is quick to grab as I leave.
That said....I own and have total confidence in my Ithaca 12 slug gun for home defense. Portable, effective, maneuverable, intimidating when viewed, and after handling a pump gun my whole life it is all reflex.
If the racking sound of a pump gun or its big black bore staring them in the face doesn't get a perps attention, there are few ills the bang wont cure. Mine holds 5, usually 000 buck. I have no concern for needing a reload. But if penetration is a concern, hell, do you want to catch a load of four or number two shot at up to twenty yards?

 

[dh1633pm]

I prefer the shotgun by the bed as the best home defense weapon. Each has to make their own choices and undertake their own training. I don't think five rounds in the tube is too little. You balance that with the ability to reload quickly.

 

[jmr40]

A shotguns greatest assets are that they can be inexpensive, firing multiple projectiles makes it easier to hit moving targets and they are versatile enough to serve multiple roles. Like yours mine does double duty as a turkey gun, and with a change of barrels could be used for any other type of shotgun hunting. And reliable pump shotguns are available relatively cheap. I keep one at the ready as well as a handgun and a short barreled AR.

If I could only have one gun it would be a shotgun, but as purely defensive guns I think there are better options. Inside the home I'll take a handgun over a shotgun, PCC, or an AR. It's not that a shotgun isn't effective, they are, but at inside the home ranges you lose the advantage of a wide pattern and the longer, heavier guns are a disadvantage. No reason to deal with 300 WM recoil levels either.

At those close ranges a handgun that can be used with one hand leaving the other hand free is the better choice IMO. And I'd rather have a PCC or AR inside the home due to the much more compact size, much less recoil and much greater mag capacity. They are less likely to over penetrate than a shotgun too.

Where I think a shotgun trumps everything is outdoors at ranges between about 15-30 yards where the use of multiple projectiles in a pattern greatly improves the probability of a hit. And the ability to use slugs in the same gun for longer ranges is a plus too.

 

[Armored farmer]

The old familiar shotgun with it's instinctive controls is what I want for that role.
Our old farmhouse has a narrow staircase with a 90 degree turn at the bottom that has been a pain in the butt since the day we moved in. But... the top of the stairs is a very defensible position.

 

[FFGColorado]

For quick access, and perhaps swinging something around in the dark..I have a Glock 17 with a light close by..easier, quicker all around, YMMV and all that..

I DO have a Mossberg Maverick in the closet, with 7rounds of buckshot, but the Glock seems easier all around.

 

[Armorer 101]

This is one of my home defense shotguns. It is a short barreled 3 inch 20ga Beretta 391 with a palm switch, mag light, mounted on the barrel. Wood is one of my exhibition stock blanks. My wife has a 391 12ga with 00 in it on her side. So far I have dropped 5 foxes and 5 snakes with the 20.

 

[hotshot357]

I have a Mossberg under the bed & a 640 Pro on the nightstand. along with three dogs with big ears. They can hear a fly fart at 50 yards away !!!!!!

 

[Paco42]

First off, given what you’ve shared, I’d not be volunteering to lead the charge into your domicile in the middle of the night. ;-) But, back to the topic. I think a shotgun as a home defense weapon is, in the right circumstances, a great choice. Penetration can be controlled with load/pattern choices, and familiarity, simple operation, and a good spread pattern combine to allow one to deliver prodigious amounts discouragement to the unwelcome. A scattergun is not my first choice at the moment—I’ve got a trusty Glock ready to hand with a 1000-lumen light (separate from gun, in same spot), but should someone insist on me going back to the 870 I’ve designated as home defense weapon #1 in the past, I’d not lose sleep. That said, I’d like to have the Glock as a nearby weapon #2 should I empty the 870 and still have a desire to keep shooting. But that said, the much greater likelihood is that the fight will be over—one way or another—very quickly. As far as I can tell, I’m not gonna wake up to an eastern European hit squad in the house trying to take me out, but rather some one or two local idiots trying for an easy score of sellable goods—and even that likelihood is (thankfully) relatively low.

 

[chicharrones]

I've been meaning to replace the shotgun with my Extar EP-9 PCC, which holds 33 rounds of 9mm, also has a light, red dot sight, and is infinitely more maneuverable.

View attachment 897752

I live in town, and a high capacity 9mm PCC seems more appropriate for a door gun than a pump-action 12ga.

For whatever reason, I've never owned a home defense shotgun. Considering the only two 12 gauges I've ever owned were a single shot and currently a SxS, that explains that.

I'd pick that Extar out of what you are showing us.

While I do answer the door with a handgun available, my Beretta CX4 is my home defense "long gun" with a 20 round magazine in the grip. I've thought about adding 30 round mags, but just haven't gotten around to it.

 

[Hartkopf]

Over my front door is a 12ga pump shotgun hanging on bicycle hanger hooks.

What are your thoughts on your home defense weapon? What do you have near the front door in case trouble ever comes knocking?

I personally have a pellet gun near the front door for neighbors dogs that I wouldn't actually want to kill. I really like a shotgun for home defense but I would never have a real weapon near a door where a bad guy could bust in and then easily be armed with my weapon. I would work from the center of the house, or bedroom and/or living room depending on the layout. As far as what to use for home defense, I'm more in the country and I really like a bruised shoulder.

 

[GEM]

People always talk equipment. Let me ask a question - have you trained with and/or competed with a chosen handgun, shotgun or carbine/rifle in anything approximating how you would use it in a home self-defense or other reasonable SD situation. That's the empirical test for you as compared to the usual what round, what flashlight, blah, blah, blah discussion.

I know may be difficult and expensive to do such but that's the real solution. A pretty well known from John Holschen of Insights Training:

InSights Training Center
May 24, 2013 ·
A thought for today from John Holschen:
Amateurs think (or talk) equipment,
Students think techniques,
Masters think tactics!

 

[TonyAngel]

It seems that leaving a loaded shotgun hanging over your door is a good way arm someone who has gained entry into your house. I would have it accessible, but not out in the open.

As for long guns as home defense weapons in general, I don’t think it’s a good idea. Should something go down, the altercation would likely occur at arms length. You’ll be holding a weapon that a perp is more likely to be able to take away from you and it takes two hands to operate. With a handgun, you can back the perp off with your off hand and he’s less likely to be able to grab it and take it away from you.

 

[bdickens]

It seems that leaving a loaded shotgun hanging over your door is a good way arm someone who has gained entry into your house. I would have it accessible, but not out in the open.

Worth repeating.

 

[Virginia Jim]

Remember watching the Westerns where the good guy is in bed or in a bath tub and the bad guys burst into the room and get the drop on him?
Yeah, it’s like that.
However, if I can get some separation, a Mossberg 590 AND a a Sig 229 may give me a chance.

 

[AlexanderA]

Over my front door is a 12ga pump shotgun hanging on bicycle hanger hooks.

It seems that leaving a loaded shotgun hanging over your door is a good way arm someone who has gained entry into your house. I would have it accessible, but not out in the open.

A shotgun is an excellent choice for home defense. But having it openly visible is not a good idea.

The other thing I would say is to keep it simple. A standard Remington 870 or Mossberg 500, without fancy stocks, lights, etc., would fit the bill. A short barrel (18" or 20") is needed for handiness, and some kind of extended magazine would be useful. That's where I would stop.

 

[Chuck R.]

I'd seriously re-think having a loaded weapon unsecured anywhere.

As other guys have mentioned, it literally is a good way to turn an opportunistic thief into an armed adversary. The majority of criminals have spent years hiding stuff, so why we think we can outsmart them at the hiding stuff game is beyond me. I'm a strong proponent of "if it's not on me, it's locked up".

Shotgun VS. Carbine? After taking defensive classes with both, I've moved to the carbine in .223 due to lesser over-penetration and reduced recoil for my family members. Getting my wife and 16year old son to practice with a 12GA isn't a reality. They both will and do shoot my AR15s in .223, 9mm, and .22LR pretty well. The fact is, due to my work schedule, travel etc. the odds are it will be one of them that would have to use an HD gun.

 

[film495]

PCC due to capacity is better IMHO. The shotgun will drop someone faster so, that is the other side of the argument. To me, you'll handle someone with a PCC just fine, and if there are 5 or 7 in a group that burst into you house, you've got them all covered with one good mag. It is rare, but that's happened enough in my area of the world where I think they did or have brought legislation to bring back the death penalty for some crimes, including that one. I just keep a .32 ACP pistol near me, or in my desk hidden. I spent too much mental nrg working through crazy scenarios and now settle for not being completely defenseless. If I need to I can go get a rifle out of lock up, but - the little pistol available is good enough for me unless crime goes way up around here.

 

[DDDWho]

I bought this strictly for HD at Academy for $180. It leans in the corner of the bedroom loaded with single 0 buck. I have a couple of model 12s for all other shotgun duty. Is the Mossberg 88 inexpensive? Yes! Is it reliable? Certainly! Does it fill all of my HD needs? I think so.

 

[Demi-human]

Mine.

Nine, faster than an SX4 does five.
I don’t always choose a shotgun, but when I do, it’s an AR15...
Stay frosty, my friends.

Oh, yeah. By the bed, not the door...

 

[theotherwaldo]

I don't like to tell folks what I currently use for home defense, or where I keep those weapons.

I don't mind discussing what I have done in the past.
I enjoy discussing the relative advantages and disadvantages of various weapons and techniques.
Talking about my current defenses?
That's a hard NOPE.

 

[TonyAngel]

Another thing you have to think about is what happens once the invaders have been “caught?” So you have two guys down on the floor. You have your family safe in a designated room. So you’re alone, hopefully the police are coming. How much does your long gun weigh? How long can you hold it up to keep watch over one or two or more who want nothing more than to get the better of you and really don’t want to be there when the police arrive?