Considering buying a shotgun?

[dakotaracing]

My wife shoots a Mossberg 500 with a Blackhawk! Spec Ops 2 stock and loves it. The stock really reduces the recoil to a very acceptable level. Add a light and you have the perfect home defense weapon.

 

[SmithKoWitz]

I am thinking of purchasing a shotgun for the house.

Personally, I would suggest checking out a 20 gauge 18 1/2" barrel Mossberg 500 pump or a 410 of similar design. I personally like them with the pistol grip only for ease of mobility. This is where the 20 gauge has an advantage over the 410, as Hogue and ATI make recoil absorbing pistol grips that can be fit to 20 and 12 gauge. They eat up the recoil extremely well. The 410 doesn't really need the rubberized pistol grip, but it really does make it really comfortable to shoot. I even enjoy shooting my 12 gauge with the Hogue pistol grip only and I do not brace it with my body at all. Most of all, you have to be comfortable shooting the weapon. If you are afraid of it, you will not use it, or will not use it safely and that is truly the key.:smile:

 

[mojoman]

If I can add my 2 cents, the Remington 870/887 and Mossberg 500/590 are good choices with plenty aftermarket accessories if you later get interested in that. Most decent shotguns today have good recoil pads to handle most 2 3/4 " buckshot or slugs and I think even your being petite with proper positioning while firing could handle a 12ga easily plus they are a better choice for hunting too not to mention 12ga is the most popular and abundant of shotgun ammo. Just make sure the reach between your shoulder and your trigger finger is not too long.

These are my choices to I been looking at getting on.

 

[rev. dave]

You can easily find buckshot for a 20ga #2 buck, #3 buck, #4 buck (not Birdshot, Buck, look at the box. Buck usually comes in boxes of 5, birdshot comes in boxes of 25) but not much 00 and those sizes of BUCKshot are perfectly good defense rounds.

Good advice. I'm not such a fan of buckshot anyway. I like the idea of #1 or #4 (which I can find fairly easily). Why trust to 9 big pellets when I can fire 25 or more? It's like emptying that 25-rd. magazine from my .22 all in one shot - and I've yet to meet anyone who would stand still in front of a .22 rifle at any distance and let me plink a few at him. (They be laughin', 'till they start runnin'!) In a day when even bad guys can buy armor on the web pretty easily, I want something that will find the cracks if some thug busts in my door. I tend to think that if I can get 2 -3 pellets into a neck between the vest and helmet, he'll still go down - or into the crotch area, or armpit. And at door-busting range, it's more likely to be a dozen pellets hitting in the unprotected target areas.

Now, I've not had the opportunity to test out that theory, but I also don't really want that opportunity. However, don't forget frangible slugs, which were easy enough to find prior to the election. (Can't understand why there's no ammo around any more....) That's a pretty certain 'drop' also with a hit anywhere.

 

[jrs]

Have 20 guage Mossberg 500 with pistol grip. Has a short barrel and with personal defense ammo, will do sufficient damage with less kick than a 12 guage. Good for tight quarters and easy to point around corners without the stock getting in the way. If the kick is too much sue to smaller stature, you might consider a folding stock which gives you the best of both worlds.
In either case, take it to the range and get a feel for it & get comfortable. Make sure you hold it away from body or face if using the pistol grip.
Great home defense weapon.

 

[dogshawred]

Let's understand something first, OK. If you are going to use this to hole up and protect your loved ones until help arrives OK, there are plenty of weapons that will fit the bill and will be comfortable for you to handle. But if this going to be your big gun to clear the house when you here a bump in the night, forget it. More than likely it will be taken from you and used against you.
That being said any 20ga pump with a tactical barrel will do you just fine. Finding the right one will take time and patiences, do your research and check them out hands on for fit and feel. Unless you feel comfortable with the weapon you will not be accurate.

 

[Elizabeth_S]

Elizabeth_S

I am a petite woman and I use a 9mm for defense, but I am thinking of purchasing a shotgun for the house. My husband has a 12 ga that is way to long of a barrel for me, I feel like a pole vaulter holding it I do not want to spend more than $500 and I want something fairly light weight. What gauge and make would you recommend?

Shotguns are great for home defense, besides being just plain fun to shoot. I'm fairly petite, 5'3" and 118 lbs, and my defensive shotgun is a 12 ga Remington 870 with the Blackhawk! SpecOps stock. I LOVE this combination! As long as you have average strength, and can shoulder the weapon well (which for most women means a shorter stock), and lean forward over a leading leg, you will not have any problem with a 12 ga. The SpecOps stock makes all the difference in the world, both with adjust-ability and with absorbing recoil. I have let a few women smaller than me (by a couple of inches in height and 15 lbs lighter), and they haven't had any issues with it either. The most important things are the fit (the stock MUST be short enough for you to be able to shoulder the shotgun properly) and proper handling.

Most shotguns will feel like the barrel is too long at first. You do want a shorter barrel if it's for defensive use, but even that will just take some use to become accustomed to the weight and feel of the shotgun. Whatever shotgun you decide on, I highly recommend the Blackhawk SpecOps stock. Your husband will love it, too. I myself don't care for the pistol grips. I have a lot more control of a shotgun I can shoulder, and can get off accurate shots twice as fast. A heavier barrel also makes it much quicker to get back on target. Good luck to you!

Elizabeth

 

[UATKP]

(snip)
DO NOT get a Judge, they are HORRIBLE for pattern and if you are using slugs you might as well use a regular pistol with more rounds.
(snip)

The pattern (or lack of it) is one of my points, exactly! When awakened at night, you don't need to really aim... just point in the general direction with the first shot. ) By then you will definitely be awake to take more careful shots. And as far as the number of slugs... well the self defense shells I referred in my previous post (copied below) have 15 projectiles in each. So, the last four shots in my load system will give you a total of 32 actual projectiles.
The Judge is the shortest shotgun that the normal person can legally own... no danger of it being too long. )

"First shot #4 birdshot 410 guage shell. Point to shoot towards throat area, within 10-15 feet will cover entire upper torso, and his buddies, if accompanied, yet will not penetrate walls and hurt your kids.
Second and third shots 410 guage home defense shell. Take aim. Three discs and 12 plated .177 cal BBs. Maximum penetration knockdown power.
Fourth and fifth shots long colt .45. "

 

[fudo]

Uncle Al said - When awakened at night, you don't need to really aim... just point in the general direction with the first shot. )
This is totally not true. At inside the house range, a shot column will only be about 2-3" wide. Pointing in the general direction of your target will almost certainly result in a miss. I second the idea of the hawk shotgun in 20 Ga.

 

[UATKP]

Uncle Al said - When awakened at night, you don't need to really aim... just point in the general direction with the first shot. )
This is totally not true. At inside the house range, a shot column will only be about 2-3" wide. Pointing in the general direction of your target will almost certainly result in a miss. I second the idea of the hawk shotgun in 20 Ga.

I don't know where you get your test results from, fudo, but mine come from experience with my pistol. My Judge with it's 3" barrel, shooting a 410 gauge shell with #4 shot will pepper about a 4 foot square at about 10 feet distance, which would be about the normal distance you would be in a normal size room with furniture. In my estimation that would be pretty good at hitting one or more people trying to enter a room through a standard 32" door -- without taking careful aim.

 

[turbodog]

A 20 gauge or .410 gauge for sure. Make it a pump model. The sound of a pump gun being racked is something any intruder would likely know and never want to hear. The sound alone would probably scare him off without resorting to shooting.

 

[fudo]

I don't know where you get your test results from, fudo, but mine come from experience with my pistol. My Judge with it's 3" barrel, shooting a 410 gauge shell with #4 shot will pepper about a 4 foot square at about 10 feet distance, which would be about the normal distance you would be in a normal size room with furniture. In my estimation that would be pretty good at hitting one or more people trying to enter a room through a standard 32" door -- without taking careful aim.

Most likely result of
#4 shot from 3" barrel - hurt but threat not stopped until too late

00 Buck instant threat stop

 

[SmithKoWitz]

00 Buck instant threat stop

Well there certainly is no disputing evidence such as that provided (yikes!). I have a 410 bedside but it is loaded with alternating #4 Buck and 00 Buck. It's not a Judge, it's a Mossberg 500 with 18 1/2" Barrel and standard pistol grip. Also have a 20g with #4 Buck,18 1/2" barrel & Hogue Tamer pistol grip as backup. IMO, birdshot is for snakes, birds or close range to the face shots, like from your car out the side window. If I were using a Judge in the house, it would be loaded with no less than #4 Buck.

 

[fudo]

Use what you think is best. I think that #4 is not big enough. My personal preference is Winchester PDX1. A 1 oz. slug and 3 OO Buckshot. If you have to shoot to protect your life or the lives of your loved ones, you should use the gun and ammo combination that gives you the best chance of success. YMMV.

 

[ABreitbard01]

I highly recommend the Mossberg 500 12 gauge with 18-1/2" barrel and pistol grip. My girlfriend is 4'11" and a whopping 98 pounds and she handles it very well. It worked well for us when we had a home invasion a couple of years ago.


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