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If I wanted to get a decent home defense shotgun, what should I get?
I would want to get one that a youngster (14+ years old), my wife and myself could all shoot, if necessary.

As a kid, I have shot single shot 20 gauge, as well as 12 gauge pump and double barrels, but nothing in probably 20 years or more.

I am not looking for a trophy shotgun, resale value, or whatever.
I would like a gun that is reliable, will last a long time, and is relatively easy to shoot and teach how to shoot for home defense.

Any advice on
Make, model, gauge, etc as well as what I would expect to pay for one, I would appreciate
and then, what type of ammunition. As a kid, all we shot were deer slugs and I assume that for home defense, there is some other ammo to look at and practice with.

Lastly, as this is not for hunting, and the only type of long gun shooting I have done is up to the shoulder, snugged in and slow pull on the trigger, do you shoot for home defense any differently? Do you practice differently?
I guess I am imagining grabbing it, pulling it about mid-way up my body and shooting from the hip...

Thanks!

I'll preface this by saying that a shotgun can have multiple uses, and I like tools that function in more than one role. Also, this is mostly opinion and YMMV.

Pump actions are reliable, simple, mechanisms and have a long track record as defensive and hunting arms. Reminton 870 or Mossberg (several models) are most prevalent on both the new and used market and have the best aftermarket support if you are looking for side-saddle shell holders, speed-feed stocks, different barrels, etc... I would recommend one of these, along with an 18+" barrel you can swap out for the longer standard tube.

Gage depends a bit on the recoil sensitivity of the users. I was shooting a 12 ga. at 12 years of age, but that is not true for everyone. 12 ga. will be easiest to find both new and used, as well as for accessory barrels, etc..., as long as the recoil can be tolerated.

For defensive purposes, assuming that defensive distances are fairly short, it seems that most folks recommend something from #4 to 00 Buckshot. The 00 Buckshot is usually 9 pellets of near .38 caliber in a 2 3/4 inch shell, so penetration is fairly moderate. #4 is, of course, quite a bit smaller and has much less penetration. Shot smaller than #4 is usually not recommended (except for fowl in the hunting field, of course) and slugs penetrate too much for consideration as a home defense load in my opinion.

Shot placement is still pretty important with a shotgun. Unless you have practiced extensively and are confident in your ability, I do not recommend shooting from the hip. Keep in mind that at distances of 15 yards or less the dispersion of the shot is not very great (think grapefruit to maybe volleyball size). You still need to make sure the muzzle is covering what you want to hit.

Teamless wrote: Any advice on
Make, model, gauge, etc as well as what I would expect to pay for one, I would appreciate
and then, what type of ammunition. As a kid, all we shot were deer slugs and I assume that for home defense, there is some other ammo to look at and practice with.

Lastly, as this is not for hunting, and the only type of long gun shooting I have done is up to the shoulder, snugged in and slow pull on the trigger, do you shoot for home defense any differently? Do you practice differently?
I guess I am imagining grabbing it, pulling it about mid-way up my body and shooting from the hip...

Thanks!

I just went through the process of searching for my first HD shotgun also, from the research I have did I ended up choosing a Maverick 88, picked it up from academy for 189 (although it seems they are 169 at least once a month)

I went with 12 gauge, and its not to bad, depending on how the wife feels and the size of the youger kids you could gow ith 20, but I would recommend 12.

type of ammo is easy, 00 buck, its the only thing I will keep for Home Defense, it has the highst pentation ( still less penetration then your standard handgun calibers)

to answer your last question, I dont see myself trying to shoot from the hip unless I have practiced it, with 00 buck in HD ranges, you will have like a 3 inch pattarn maybe. so odds of missing would be pretty high.

Teamless...do yourself and your family a favor and thoroughly read what this guy has to say:
http://www.aiptactical.com/Build_Your_Weapon.html

He offers the best, common sense, shotgun-related advice I've ever read.

Super nice guy and answered my emails immediately.

Here's our home defense gun, and the only improvement would be in a 20 gauge instead of 12

doc540 wrote:do yourself and your family a favor and thoroughly read what this guy has to say

Thanks Doc!
Interesting read indeed

Teamless wrote:

doc540 wrote:do yourself and your family a favor and thoroughly read what this guy has to say

Thanks Doc!
Interesting read indeed

Here's a $103.75 home defense shotgun.

The $3.75 was for a pack of new hacksaw blades.

I like a shotgun as a HD weapon. Like others have said, you CAN miss with them, which seems counter intuitive I know, but just like with a pistol, it just takes practice is all.

Any brand would suffice, although Remmington 870 and Mossberg 5xx series domminate the after market market. I had chineese brand that I picked up at a pawnshop and sawed off myself, for the longest time. Right now, I have a Mossberg 500 with an 18 1/2 in barrel. Gauge wise, I would go with 12 ga. In the heat of the moment, with all the adrenaline flowing, you (or others shooting it) wont even notice the recoil. Where it makes a difference is in practicing with it. The higher recoil of a 12 vs a 20 ga makes practicing more than a few rounds pretty abusive on the old shoulder lol. That is why I put a knoxx spec ops recoil reducing stock on mine, so my wife and kids wouldnt be as apprehensive about practicing with it, not so much for the recoil reduction (which it does do) more of a psycological thing I guess. Since you will have various shooters of various sizes, I would recommend an adjustible stock of some kind, whether it is recoil reducing or not, just so they wouldnt have as much trouble shouldering it and reaching the trigger. Nice, but not critical. Even with extended magazines, shotguns have much less ammo capacity than your typical modern semi-auto pistol, so a shell carrier of some sort mounted on the shotgun is nice, but once again not critical. Just remember, all that "stuff" that you add on increases weight and you can end up with a beast of a thing to hold up for very long lol.. Mine is that way... that thing is HEAVY! lol...

doc540 wrote:Here's our home defense gun, and the only improvement would be in a 20 gauge instead of 12

What's the barrel length on that?

I have an 18-1/2" bbl Maverick 12 ga and a Mossberg 500 Bantam 20 ga with 22" bbl. Due to old shoulder injuries coming back to haunt me I had to get something with a shorter length of pull, and the Bantam, with it's 13" lop fits well. I don't have short arms, but mrs surv does, and the 13" lop is about max for her. In a HD situation, I would have no reservations in using the 20 ga Bantam. The Bantam, like all others in the 500 series, has a tang safety (which I prefer), whereas the Maveric has the crossbolt trigger guard safety. My real reason for the Bantam purchase was that it would be more "user friendly" for more family members.


surv

on a side note, I still do not understand why the average lop of fixed stock rifles is in the 13 to 13-1/2" range and shotguns always seem to have a 14" to 14-1/2" lop. A whole lot of my required movement and flexibility is in shotgunning (dove hunting especially), whereas rifle work is usually from a braced position of some sort (hunting).

I bought a Mossburg gauge 12 gauge pump, Maverick, made right here in Texas. I shoot Remington self defense 12. Mine is a pump with 5 rounds in the magazine. The chamber is empty. Most folks know the sound of a pump gun racking.

I went through the same problem with my better half and I got the Remington Youth 20 gauge. Of course she is 4 foot 10 inches and has very short arms. She could only shoot a youth. The main thing to look at is if the stock is right for all three of you. For instance I am 5foot 9in and the factory stock on the youth still works ok for me but my brother is almost 6 feet tall and has longer arms and a bigger chest and the stock is a little small for him.

Do what I did, walk into an Academy with your wife and son and let all three of you try it out. Academy regularly carries the youth 20 gauge and I think they sometimes have the Bantam. As for what gauge to get? 12 gauge is easier to find over the counter but if your worried that a 20 gauge won't get the job done don't. I’ve taken enough bucks to know that anybody who says a 20 gauge is not enough has no idea what they are talking about. I would grab my 20 gauge before my .45 or 10mm in a heartbeat. Find a shotgun that fits all of you and then decided on the 12 or 20 gauge. Let them shoot a 12 gauge and see if they can handle it if you can find a friend that has one. Most teenage boys over 14 should be able to handle one with no problem. Another reason I went with the 20 gauge is that she can rack that pump back again pretty quick. I don't think she could do that with a 12 gauge very easily.

hirundo82 wrote:

doc540 wrote:Here's our home defense gun, and the only improvement would be in a 20 gauge instead of 12

What's the barrel length on that?

legal





j/k



18.5"

doc540 wrote:

hirundo82 wrote:

doc540 wrote:Here's our home defense gun, and the only improvement would be in a 20 gauge instead of 12

What's the barrel length on that?

legal

j/k

18.5"

That's what I was wondering. I always have trouble telling length from pics on the web, and I'd hate to not say something and have someone get in trouble later for violating an arbitrary limit they weren't aware of.

hirundo82 wrote:

doc540 wrote:

hirundo82 wrote:

doc540 wrote:Here's our home defense gun, and the only improvement would be in a 20 gauge instead of 12

What's the barrel length on that?

legal

j/k

18.5"

That's what I was wondering. I always have trouble telling length from pics on the web, and I'd hate to not say something and have someone get in trouble later for violating an arbitrary limit they weren't aware of.

Where is that measurement taken? Is it the exposed part of the barrel or do you measure the lip that slides into the receiver part?

03Lightningrocks wrote:Where is that measurement taken? Is it the exposed part of the barrel or do you measure the lip that slides into the receiver part?

The measurement on a shotgun is taken from the face of the closed bolt to the end of the barrel. Close the bolt, drop a wooden dowel in the barrel, mark and measure.