New to shotguns and have some questions

[MikeJ]

Hi to everybody,
I have been an avid handgun enthusiast for about 20 years and have been giving some thought to purchasing a shotgun for home defense. This idea was prompted by a recent concealed carry class I attended where the instructor, a LEO, was praising the virtues of a shotgun for home defense duty. Yes, he got a little off subject but it really did have a tie in. Anyway, my questions are:
1. How do you experienced shotgunners feel about a shotgun vs. a pistol for home defense?
2. What do you recommend for a home defense shotgun? I've taken a quick look at the following pump actions, a Mossberg 500, Winchester 1300 and Remington 870.
3. Are the double barrel coach guns any good in this role?
4. With a pump action how does keeping one loaded affect the springs in the tube? I'm not sure if I am really asking the right question or if it is even valid but it is something that I was curious about.
5. Is the 12 gauge the only way to go?

Thanks for helping out. Mike

[Kingcreek]

#1. No comparison. I don't feel undergunned with my .40 or .357 but nothing applies the brakes to a bad situation like a 12g shotgun. My personal pref is an 870 with mag extension and 20" tube. I take the mag ext off for the deer slug season and hunt with it.
#2. Any of these will suffice. your choice. You'll find more than a couple 870 fans here.
#3.Probably adequate but not my first choice.
#4.not any more than the mag springs in a pistol. no concern IMO.
#5.not the "only" way but probably the best way to go.

[Dave R]

#5. 12 ga. is the most versatile, IMHO. You can get lite loads for a 12ga that make it feel like a 20ga. And I highly recommend it. Even lite 12ga loads are excellent self-defense loads. If you get a 20ga (or smaller) you can't move up the the punch of a 12ga, which you may want some day for hunting, or sport.

[David4516]

Hi,

I'm not a shotgun "expert", but I can say that I do like the 870, and 12 gauge is probably the best (mainly due to cheaper ammo and more ammo options). Get a shotgun with at least a 3 inch chamber, and keep it loaded with 3 inch shells. A 2 3/4 shell holds 9 pellets (00 shot), but a 3 inch shell has 14 (I think it's 14, I forget the exact number). Each of these pellets is about the size of a .32 caliber handgun bullet, going at similar or faster speeds. So a solid hit with a 3 inch 12 guage with 00 shot is like shooting someone with more than a dozen .32s at the same time!

[Dave McC]

Sigh, I hope Rich and the gang exorcize the Net Gremlins from the Search feature soon....

4516, the old Fed database indicates shotguns have about a 99% one shot stop rate regardless of gauge,load,choke,creed,color or political affiliation.

Even the anemic 410 has as much muzzle moxie as the old 41 Magnum Police load, the one the NAACP tried to ban because "It was killing all the brothers".

A 2 3/4" 12 gauge load at close range leaves a .73 caliber wound described as a "Bloody Rathole" by forensic surgeons and coroners. This is regardless of whether the shell is loaded with #12 shot or 000 pellets of depleted Uranium rubbed with garlic.

Mike as for your questions, here's my biased and highly opinionated answers.

1, Casa McC has more guns than most Central American Revolutions. I can shoot all of them well. If it hits the fan, an 870 is my go to. None of my family are avid shotgunners, they have other choices for defense.

2,Any of the Big Four(Remington 870, Mossie 500-590, Winchester 1300/Defender, Ithaca 37) will do for HD. So will many other shotguns. More important than make is the operator's ability, training and mindset.

3, probably,depending on ability, training and mindset.

4,Probably not. My HD 870 has been more or less loaded continously since the early 80s, no glitches to report. Some folks load to one round under full, including me.

5,No, but the versatility, effect and huge choice of ammo options, including cheap stuff for practice, makes the 12 gauge the best choice for most folks.YMMV...

HTH....

[Mannlicher]

Mike,
I like a shotgun for HD. I have several, and rotate them often. Right now, the bedroom shotgun is a Mossberg 500C 20 ga, 18 inch barrel, regular stock, alternating #3 Buck and Federal slugs.
I sometimes use my Stevens 16 Double barrel in this role, With #1 buck, I feel it would do what was required. I have shot it often, the 18 inch barrels are very easy to bring into action. It patterns #1 buck, and #4 shot well.
Even though I rotate the shotgun I depend of for HD, they rest in the gun safe loaded. I have never experienced any problems with springs losing their tension, no matter how long I store them loaded. I have one WingMaster that I know has been continually loaded for almost 30 years. Shoots great.
The 12 is not the only game in town. I like other gauges. I hunt with the 12, the 16, and the 20. All have their place. I would say though, if I were to go down to only one gauge, it would be the 12.

[Skullboy]

I would pick the Rem 870 in 12 guage.There are lots of accessories for 870s,Easy to disassemble,lots of variety for ammo, parts are abundant, and a lot of gunsmiths are familiar with them.Nothing is more intimidating then looking down that big,black barrel.My shooting partner has a saying:" Only an idiot brings a handgun to a gun fight"(He is an AVID shotgunner). Skullboy.

P.S. I also own a few handguns, but for close range and intimdation factor, the 12 Guage wins every time.

[C.R.Sam]

Try a few different shotguns.
Get experienced help with mounting and fit.

Whatever you buy, shoot it enough to get VERY good with it.

Lots of shooting is a good excuse to get a 12 ga. Cheaper to feed.

As Dave mentioned....at in house ranges, it will not be a scattergun, it will be a .73 caliber rifle. A very nasty .73 cal rifle.

Sam

[Cowdogpete]

Lot of good information here.

Dont ovelook the Benilli's. Very good guns and the Nova is a bargain. I don't necessarily buy into HAVING to have a 3" chamber.
If you pull the trigger on a 2 3/4" shell on a bad guy the 4 extra pellets are not that big a deal. 9 .32cal pellets can make a big mess of someone.

Coach guns are not good defense guns. Yeah they look cool, but would you buy a two shot pistol? I prefer the 870 (just me) I load mine with 1 slug, 4 buckshot, and 1 bean bag round. They come out in reverse order. (bean bag first, etc) Bean bags will stop most bad guys and you don't have to deal with killing another human. (They also show preclusion in court if you have to follow up with the buckshot) Mine has been loaded this way continuously for about 5 years with no adverse reaction to the springs. The only time its not loaded is when I've just emptied it ina training exercise.

Given the choice in ANY encounter (other than long range which isn't likely) I would rather have my gauge than a pistol every time.

Look around, there are a lot of good used shotguns to be had. Buy one and practice with it often.

Good luck.

[MikeJ]

Thanks for the valuable responses. This is a great place to get information from experienced and helpful folks. Mike