[Frank Ettin]

Okay, this thread is primarily about hardware -- what long guns folks like for home defense.

But let me interject as something of a footnote that hardware doesn't resolve the whole matter. The choice of hardware is meaningless if one doesn't know how to effectively use what he has chosen.

Handguns have certain advantages and disadvantages for home defense. Long guns have certain advantages and disadvantages for home defense. And learning to use a long gun effectively for home defense has its own set of training and skill set challenges.

But it's always fun to talk about gadgets, so let's continue. But let's not fool ourselves by imagining that there's any particular long gun (or handgun) which will make up for a lack of skill. And let's not forget that pretty much any reliable gun will be suitable if one really knows how to use it under the particular circumstances.