Condescension is one thing, but murder from 400 meters? Come on, Texas is pretty good about use of deadly force. We have the castle doctrine, but 400 meters? Ask a lawyer, though. I'm no lawyer, just read the penal code a few times over for CCW classes and general knowledge. Anyway, if you'll look at the very title of this thread, it says "HOME DEFENSE". Even the Astrodome was only 410 feet or so straight away center field. That's about 130 meters, something like that?
At close range, a shotgun makes just shy of 3000 ft lbs, perhaps a little over with a 3" loads, but I'll stick to 2 3/4". A 223 makes half that. PLUS, each of 15 00 buck is .33" vs .22 for the rifle. PLUS, at close range, the 12 is more like a bullet than a shot pattern. 12 is simply devastating at close range any way you look at it and in MY house, I won't be shooting more'n 30 feet or so. All that said, I keep a 20 gauge coach gun at the ready with 3 buck, .25 caliber each, 20 in a cartridge. I really don't know the numbers on it, never worried about that. It's 55 caliber or something like that, why worry? Projectile is measured in ounces, not grains.
ARs will kill, that's for certain, if properly used. I find a shotgun easier to shoot because I shoot 'em a lot at small flying things and they fit me and they're quick and natural. I know that i've hit rabbits on the run with a .22 before, but I've also missed a lot. A shotgun gives me a better chance of eating fried cottontail. When things are moving, I do better with a shotgun...YMMV. I don't plan on shooting up my house with a 30 round magazine, figure firepower is best used for combat fire and maneuver and for that, you really need a SAW gunner. The shotgun is THE weapon for close up self defense
IMHO. I mean, I'm not a trained ninja or anything, JMHO. This IS an opinion thread, is it not?
You wanna use a rifle in a house, go for it. It's almost a free country, still, despite DC. Just giving my opinion. I mean, I live out in the woods, no real threats other than coyotes going after my chickens. I don't really worry a lot about home invasion, but I am prepared, probably a paranoia from living in Corpus. I do own a few rifles, but no ARs. Closest thing I have to that are a couple of SKSs I bought back when they went for a hundred bucks a pop. Heckuva deal for a neat range toy. I've killed a couple of deer with the rifle, though I have better rifles. The paratrooper is just a range toy. I really don't desire an AR at all. You guys can have 'em. AGAIN, JMHO.
One thing about living out here, I have my own range and shoot nearly every day. It gives me lots of practice. There are houses around here and there, so when out back to tend to a feeder or check the hog trap, I take a shotgun a lot as bullets go up, they must come down. Well, that and it's easier to hit a running squirrel or rabbit, if I spook one up, with my shotgun. I've been hit by a 7.5 in the lip while dove hunting, didn't even make a mark.
This applies to home defense only in that if you live in a neighborhood, you might think about projectiles flying around into peoples windows. I really don't worry about that out here, lots of room between houses. Most of the places around here are 10-20 acres and not many folks actually live out there, many places are just get aways for the Houston folks, hunting camps and such.
