shot gun for self defense

adam3 · August 15, 2001, 11:17 AM

I would like to know if anyone has suggestions on what shotguns would be best for self defense at home.{A concealed glock 36, provides out of home protection}

jb26 · August 15, 2001, 11:44 AM

You may want to look at some other posts, or do a search, but in summary, you will get a lot of Remington 870's some Mossbergs, Benelli and Beretta.

Most will also say to go for the reliability of a pump (thus Rem870 or Moss500/590)

Another plus for the 870 is that with a mag extension and a 26" barrel, you can get up to 10 shots.

Dave McC · August 15, 2001, 12:48 PM

There's lots of old threads about this, a search will give you beaucoup input.

Any reliable shotgun of at least two shot capacity and of 20 gauge or larger will serve you well.

Most of us go with a US made pump, like the 870 Remington, the 500 series Mossbergs, or various Winchesters all the way back to the Model 97. More aftermarket goodies are offered for the 870, if that's important.

A stock 870,etc, right off the shelf is an amazingly effective HD tool. The addons and mods aren't all that crucial.

The HD shotgun should have durability and reliability, a stock that fits ALL of the folks in the house likely to need it, sights you can see(The plain bead works fine) and a clean trigger.

A caveat about the 10 shot(9+1) extension, it's heavy and adds too much weight for most folks. The 2 or 3 shot extensions are better handling. And, any situation not handled by 6 or 7 rounds of ammo will probably not be handled by 10 either.

Regardless of which you choose, practice is mandatory.LOTS of practice...

Finally, use the archives here, it's a treasury of good info....

EQP · August 15, 2001, 01:37 PM

If your primary concern is home defense then go for the shortest barrel you can. A 26 inch barrel is more of a liability than an asset if you are trying to clear a house. Pieing a corner with a shotgun is an incredibly difficult maneuver within the confines of a home. My suggestion would be to go with a pistol for home defense as you can keep control of it much better in a CQC situation.

jb26 · August 15, 2001, 01:43 PM

The comment about the 10 shot 26" barrel was a bit of a joke... I guess it wasn't that obvious. No for home defense, 18.5 or 20" is best. With 18.5", the 2 shot extension (7 capacity)works With the 20, the 8 capacity works.

swsurgeon · August 15, 2001, 09:43 PM

Consider a replacement forend with a Surefire light, if you can part with the cash. LEOs say that many HD situations are low light encounters, so the light is pretty useful.

August 15, 2001, 11:04 PM

A 20 or 12 gauge with an 18" barrel is a great home defense weapon. Consider a Mossberg 500 or Remington 870.

MiniZ · August 15, 2001, 11:28 PM

I currently have a bare bones 870 police trade in, a Mossberg 590, and a recently purchased Benelli Nova with ghost ring sights and a two shot extension.

The beauty of all is that I have no more than 350.00 in any of the above shotguns($175.00 for the Rem.). Winchester also has nice HD models on the cheap. The beauty of the home defense shotgun is you do not have to spend alot of money to have adequate protection/reliability.

Zane

CWL · August 16, 2001, 07:52 PM

Just DONT get on in pistol grip-only config. You won't be able to hit a thing, especially under stress (your Glock would work better). Get anything with a full stock (or stock+grip).

Beyond that, do a search on previous postings.

August 15, 2001, 11:17 AM	#1
adam3 Member Join Date: August 14, 2001 Posts: 33	shot gun for self defense I would like to know if anyone has suggestions on what shotguns would be best for self defense at home.{A concealed glock 36, provides out of home protection}

August 15, 2001, 11:44 AM	#2
jb26 Senior Member Join Date: October 5, 2000 Location: NE Illinois Posts: 109	You may want to look at some other posts, or do a search, but in summary, you will get a lot of Remington 870's some Mossbergs, Benelli and Beretta. Most will also say to go for the reliability of a pump (thus Rem870 or Moss500/590) Another plus for the 870 is that with a mag extension and a 26" barrel, you can get up to 10 shots. __________________ -Joe The P6 by any other name is just as sweet. -jb26 (in an obscure reference to the sig 225) ex libertatum et iusticia, pax

August 15, 2001, 01:37 PM	#4
EQP Senior Member Join Date: March 31, 2000 Location: Schaumburg, IL Posts: 154	If your primary concern is home defense then go for the shortest barrel you can. A 26 inch barrel is more of a liability than an asset if you are trying to clear a house. Pieing a corner with a shotgun is an incredibly difficult maneuver within the confines of a home. My suggestion would be to go with a pistol for home defense as you can keep control of it much better in a CQC situation. __________________ Evan, www.nitac.org Northern Illinois Tactical

August 15, 2001, 01:43 PM	#5
jb26 Senior Member Join Date: October 5, 2000 Location: NE Illinois Posts: 109	The comment about the 10 shot 26" barrel was a bit of a joke... I guess it wasn't that obvious. No for home defense, 18.5 or 20" is best. With 18.5", the 2 shot extension (7 capacity)works With the 20, the 8 capacity works. __________________ -Joe The P6 by any other name is just as sweet. -jb26 (in an obscure reference to the sig 225) ex libertatum et iusticia, pax

August 15, 2001, 11:28 PM	#8
MiniZ Senior Member Join Date: February 1, 2001 Location: SLC, UT Posts: 517	I currently have a bare bones 870 police trade in, a Mossberg 590, and a recently purchased Benelli Nova with ghost ring sights and a two shot extension. The beauty of all is that I have no more than 350.00 in any of the above shotguns($175.00 for the Rem.). Winchester also has nice HD models on the cheap. The beauty of the home defense shotgun is you do not have to spend alot of money to have adequate protection/reliability. Zane __________________ Seven- Six- Two Millimeter....FULL METAL JACKET!!!

August 15, 2001, 12:48 PM	#3
Dave McC Staff In Memoriam Join Date: October 13, 1999 Location: Columbia, Md, USA Posts: 8,811	There's lots of old threads about this, a search will give you beaucoup input. Any reliable shotgun of at least two shot capacity and of 20 gauge or larger will serve you well. Most of us go with a US made pump, like the 870 Remington, the 500 series Mossbergs, or various Winchesters all the way back to the Model 97. More aftermarket goodies are offered for the 870, if that's important. A stock 870,etc, right off the shelf is an amazingly effective HD tool. The addons and mods aren't all that crucial. The HD shotgun should have durability and reliability, a stock that fits ALL of the folks in the house likely to need it, sights you can see(The plain bead works fine) and a clean trigger. A caveat about the 10 shot(9+1) extension, it's heavy and adds too much weight for most folks. The 2 or 3 shot extensions are better handling. And, any situation not handled by 6 or 7 rounds of ammo will probably not be handled by 10 either. Regardless of which you choose, practice is mandatory.LOTS of practice... Finally, use the archives here, it's a treasury of good info....

August 15, 2001, 09:43 PM	#6
swsurgeon Senior Member Join Date: July 5, 2001 Location: Smith Valley, Nevada Posts: 179	Consider a replacement forend with a Surefire light, if you can part with the cash. LEOs say that many HD situations are low light encounters, so the light is pretty useful.

August 15, 2001, 11:04 PM	#7
PreserveFreedom Guest Posts: n/a	A 20 or 12 gauge with an 18" barrel is a great home defense weapon. Consider a Mossberg 500 or Remington 870.

August 16, 2001, 07:52 PM	#9
CWL Senior Member Join Date: May 23, 2001 Location: Bay Area, CA Posts: 1,576	Just DONT get on in pistol grip-only config. You won't be able to hit a thing, especially under stress (your Glock would work better). Get anything with a full stock (or stock+grip). Beyond that, do a search on previous postings.