[lefteye]

Remington 870 with the extended magazine (or another brand with a similar design, e.g., Mossberg), loaded with #1 buckshot. IMHO the home defense shotgun must be loaded for any situation rather than a pattern of different loads implicitly (or explicitly) assuming a particular pattern of events in the use of the shotgun. I will not know, nor will I assume, the impact on the bad guy of his use of drugs or alcohol; his prior arrests, convictions, or incarcerations; the number of his cohorts in the current situation; etc.