Congrats on buying a quality home defense tool.
1. Find a 'tactical shotgun' course in your area ... weekend, 16 hour courses are usually available. Well worth the money. Ask lots of questions.
2. Consider some minor mod's to your shotgun, before the course. Lots of debate on this ... from my perspective, 18" barrel, sidesaddle (holds 6 more rounds), magazine extension are important basic mod's. I like a SureFire light on the foreend as well, along with ghost ring (peep) sights, but these options are expensive.
3. Lots of debate on ammo. I've decided #1 buck sounds like the best bet, with 2 or 3 slugs on the sidesaddle. See
http://www.firearmstactical.com/briefs10.htm for a discussion of HD shotgun ammunition. 00 buck certainly does the trick, but with more potential over-penetration.
4. Practice at the range, sight in your ghost ring sight (if you get it), and keep asking questions. Realize firearms are a bit of a Ford vs. Chevy, redheads vs. blondes discussion topic ... lots of debate, often relatively little practical difference.
Good luck. Glad to see another person taking responsibility to protect themselves and their family. Regards from AZ
[This message has been edited by Jeff Thomas (edited May 20, 2000).]