Skeet Shotgun is my Fighting Shotgun

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Mark8252

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The best home defense firearm is the one you use the most and use without thinking about it. You have so many hours using this gun that you have no second thoughts on what to do or when to do it. You see only the target and not the gun and have a very high level of success hitting whats aimed at.
I just described my 20ga Remington 870 Wingmaster Shotgun I use for skeet How many can say they practise with their home defense gun a minimum of 100 rounds per week...every week?
 
How many can say they practise with their home defense gun a minimum of 100 rounds per week...every week?
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Probably not the majority of members here, but anybody who shoots IDPA weekly with their carry gun falls into this category.

20 ga skeet shotgun for home defense? Well, with a good heavy load, you could certainly do worse. That long barrel could be cumbersome around doorways, etc., but if you had to rely only on your ability to take out moving or static targets in a big room or in your yard (possibly very illegal), then you're probably very well equipped for those scenarios.

Just please don't use the little 'birdy' shot.
 
I'm actually starting up a routine of doing that with my Sig 228 and G17. Ammo's gonna be expensive though still being a college student.... :(

I hope you're not using skeet shot in your gun for HD, but I've always thought that a skeet/trap range would be the perfect place to hole up if zombies ever do start rising. When you can easily shoot 95% or better at little 6" orange disks flying at 40mph, head shots are nothing! :evil:

And yes, while I was actively competing in trap, I put down about 14,000 rounds a year between practice and competition, so I know exactly what you mean about being intimately familiar with a specific gun.
 
The best home defense firearm is the one you use the most and use without thinking about it.
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I won't argue that point with you. And I think that anyone that does needs to rethink their "A" game plan.

That being said, I'm not sure that being good at skeet automatically translates to being properly trained to defend ones home and the family occupants within. I can tell you that the three shotgun courses I've taken to date, structured to improve ones ability to stop bad people from doing bad things to you and your family, contained no skeet shooting scenarios.
 
My 1100 serves double duty, first I got it as a rifle sighted deer gun for HD then I later bought a trap barrel for skeet shooting.
 
That being said, I'm not sure that being good at skeet automatically translates to being properly trained to defend ones home and the family occupants within. I can tell you that the three shotgun courses I've taken to date, structured to improve ones ability to stop bad people from doing bad things to you and your family, contained no skeet shooting scenarios.
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Even classes can't prepare you for that - you can't get your heart rate, adrenaline, and sheer panic to the same level.

Skeet gun will do the job nicely - hunker down, call 911, point muzzle at door, shoot whoever comes through the door to harm you
 
Bird Shot??

My choice for home defense is #4 buckshot. Self defense is mostly a state of mind regardless of the weapon used. Arguement can be made all day long on what is the best defense weapon. I chose mine. Feel free to choose yours.

:):):):)
 
I use my two HD/SD shotguns a good bit, my 1100 is used for Trap and Skeet as well as for multi-gun matches, my HK 121M does double duty as well for pins, steel, and other combat shotgun games. With the HK I can easily run 5 pepper poppers in under 2 seconds.

No matter what your firearm of choice is, practice is always important.
 
Deep familiarity with your shotgun is one of only two reasons I find for using a shotgun over a carbine (the other is cost: if you already have a shotgun for hunting, using it beats the carbine you can't afford yet). If you really know how to use it well, you're ahead of most HD folks.

You may find a short course in tactical carbine or shotgun to be beneficial, to enhance the skill sets you already have built with your consistent practice. :)

John
 
ME:
Just please don't use the little 'birdy' shot.
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OP:
Bird Shot??

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My choice for home defense is #4 buckshot. Self defense is mostly a state of mind regardless of the weapon used. Arguement can be made all day long on what is the best defense weapon. I chose mine. Feel free to choose yours.
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Any criticism implied on my part was only criticism of past debates about what load to use in a HD shotgun. NOT criticising your OP or your choice of HD firearm.

Though I wouldn't recommend using smaller than #1 Buck, your decision is your decision and it's commendable that you find it important to be prepared.
 
The 20 gauge Express here is not a first line HD tool like a couple 12 gauge 870s are, but there's a stash of 3 buck and slugs JIC. It does move like a quail gun oughta.

I agree with the OP's basic premise. Practice,even at a ritualized game like skket, can work wonders. Use the same model gun if not the same gun, start from Low Gun, put the safety on/take it off for each presentation,etc.

If one can hit 4" discs moving at 50 MPH regularly in short time frames, hitting larger, slower targets becomes quite easy.

BTW, 4" is about the width of much of the CNS, if you catch my drift...
 
My skeet gun also does double duty.

I've put 8 to 10k shells through it a year shooting skeet, 5 stand, and the occasional upland hunt. It was an early 80's 1100 12ga skeet gun that was shot about 10k a year for the better part of two decades before it was given to me about 6 years ago. Even though it wasn't much to look at after decades of use, it was a great gun that shouldered and pointed naturally. It put the lead where I was looking and aside from the razor sharp internals, I loved that gun. Unfortunately, the receiver cracked in August and I had to begin the search for a new gun. I ended up with a VersaMax, so my familiarity is lacking, but it has the same general feel except for the slide release.
 
Though I wouldn't recommend using smaller than #1 Buck, your decision is your decision and it's commendable that you find it important to be prepared.
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1 shell of #4 Buckshot is like getting shot by a .22, twenty seven times, at once. For HD, it is a good choice.

My skeet gun also does double duty.

I've put 8 to 10k shells through it a year shooting skeet, 5 stand, and the occasional upland hunt. It was an early 80's 1100 12ga skeet gun that was shot about 10k a year for the better part of two decades before it was given to me about 6 years ago. Even though it wasn't much to look at after decades of use, it was a great gun that shouldered and pointed naturally. It put the lead where I was looking and aside from the razor sharp internals, I loved that gun. Unfortunately, the receiver cracked in August and I had to begin the search for a new gun. I ended up with a VersaMax, so my familiarity is lacking, but it has the same general feel except for the slide release.
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Do you have pictures of that? I want to see what that looks like. It'll be a long time before I do that to my 1100.
 
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One person I shoot with used to crack 1100 receivers all the time while practicing for the US Olympic Skeet team back in the 60's - they would send him new ones.....up to a point

It isn't hard to do it - especially if you take a target version and feed it hot field loads
 
I have a Mossy 18.5 inch barrel that I used for years Trap shooting, and Dove hunting. I trust it with my life, and know what it is capable of.

However, when I got my 870, it was bought for the field not the home.

The more I grow, the more I realize being a marksman (and I'm no expert), involves practice with ALL guns.
 
Hmmm, I do use my Beretta in skeet and trap a lot. Yeah, with a box of 25 in my shell pouch. That would do!
 
I do not use my clay gun for home defense but I'm close.

I have a long barrel Winchester 1300 that I mainly use for clays and a Short barrel 1300 riot gun for home defense. The riot gun still sees some clays but it all seems to transition from one to the other seamlessly.

OO buck for my home set up
 
Any shotgun can be used for home defense, a short barreled riot gun only has advantage when you go to doing clearing but for simply barricading and calling the police to do any needed clearing then a 36" barreled goose gun with a load of heavy BB or larger shot will do fine.

A skeet gun is as close to a riot gun as one can get. It has relatively short barrels at 24" to 26" and a skeet choke is very open and as close to a no choke cylinder bore as you can get without being true cylinder bore.
 
Mark8252,

You make a good point in that using the gun you know best makes perfect sense in terms of utilizing that very same weapon for HD.

My only concern with a shotgun for HD would be the barrel length--if it longer than say 20'', it may be difficult to adequately maneuver it around the house if need be. Yet, everyone's residence is different so this may or may not be an issue for you.

-Cheers
 
Mark 8252,
You are probably more proficient with your choice that the invador(s) are with theirs.:)
 
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