Shotgun or Handgun for home defense?

[Lord vader]

My personal preference is a side by side 12 gauge shotgun because when in a low light situation I would stand a better chance of hitting the target.When using a handgun you really have to take time to aim.My question is what would your choice be, shotgun or handgun,and why.

[Monocrom]

For home defense, shotgun; definitely.

[JD Spydo]

My personal preference is a side by side 12 gauge shotgun because when in a low light situation I would stand a better chance of hitting the target.When using a handgun you really have to take time to aim.My question is what would your choice be, shotgun or handgun,and why.

Lord Vader I used to have a 12 gauge, side by side just like the one you described. I ended up giving it to a relative and got a Mossberg Pump which I like really well. It chambers 3 inch magnums which I believe would be a real beast in a self defense situation.

Since my recent encounter with 2 of humanity's scumwad variety I can't say enough about having protection. I guess maybe I would just say at this point it would be whatever you're most comfortable with. If you do go the handgun route I would very much recommend a big caliber like a 44 or 357 magnum. I personally like the 357 because I can personally hit better with it.

But also don't rule out having some type of a sword, Gurkha Kukri or hand forged machete. I would definitely stay away from any rip-mart grade edged tools for obvious reasons

Cold Steel has a great selection of big edged weapons which I find great for self defense purposes. Great thread!! :cool:

[Fred Sanford]

Mossberg or Remington shotgun that will take 6 to 8 rounds at a time.

$300 give or take and well worth it.

[JLS]

I'm generally partial to shotguns as well...

BUT, the real solution is to have a plan and practice accordingly. If you practice with a handgun, you'll be good with a handgun. If you practice with a shotgun, you'll be good with a shotgun. If you don't practice, you won't be good, though you might get lucky (which is also perfectly acceptable but not to be counted on).

One other note regarding low light encounters. Change the situation to have the light you need to ID the threat and engage if necessary. Whether you have a spotlight outside the bedroom that you can engage or a weapon mounted light, have the light you need where and when you need it.

[HellHound]

Ya have to agree,the shotgun has lower range accuracy but the spread of the projectiles is greater in short range. But if you might encounter trespasers in a low light envirnoment then I would subjest going with a pistol with a flash light attachment or with a laser sight,the pistol would also be more effective close quarters,with a big shotgun you couldnt move fast enough (unless its one of those sawn of pistol gripped ones). Remember in a CQC (close quarter combat) situation the best weapon is the one that grants you the most freedom to move freely.

[FIMS]

Shotgun with rail light.

Laser as well as a show of force.

[Jordan]

Low light, high stress situations in which you might have family members sleeping peacefully with 3 inches of plaster and dry wall between them and the bad guy? I say go with the scattergun all the way... hard to miss, less risk of over penetration leading to unacceptable collateral damage, and makes a better bludgeon when you run out of ammo than a handgun. Not that I would say cost makes much of a difference (ideally, you'd be willing to shell out a fair amount of cash for a weapon you intend to use in defense of your life and your property), but shotguns are significantly cheaper to purchase and practice with (assuming you practice with bird shot anyway. 00 buck, slug, or self-defense specialty ammo can set you back as much as or more than pistol ammo).

[Brad S.]

Ever come to my place uninvited in the middle of the night your likely to see the barrel end of my Mossberg 590... followed by the barrel end of my Smith and Wesson M&P 9mm... hopefully both wont be needed.

[AH2525]

Snub nosed .38 with shrouded or concealed hammer, lasergrips (full size for better grip) and loaded with Glaser Safety Slugs.

[Switchback]

I also have a snub nose .38 for home defense. I keep mine loaded with Hi-Shok hollowpoints. I really need to get a .357 though.

I have considered a pump shotgun but I won't use anything that has even a remote possibility of jamming for home defense. Revolvers never jam.

I have a couple of over & under shotguns but they are too long and bulky for home defense.

So for me, it's a revolver. I just need to get a bigger one.

[Evil D]

Shotgun hands down. It's a pitty that you're going to spray your house and belongings with buckshot in the event of having to use it, but that's a small price to pay to stop an intruder.

Really though, a Taurus Judge is another great option if used with the 410 shells. They have enough spread to cover the gray areas when you're in the dark and they're smaller and less cumbersome than a shotgun which could be better in tight areas.

[2cha]

Revolver.

If I didn't have kids in the house, I'd use a shotgun. Much more chance of scaring off bad guy and much less chance of killing good neighbors.

I've debated internally about this quite a bit.

Issue is that, knowing myself, I wouldn't keep a shotgun out because I find it much more work to lock it up than my .357.

Sometimes I don't even keep the .357 out because I don't want the hassle of unsecuring it and resecuring it.

Plus, wife doesn't like guns lying around, and we agreed that my sons won't see them lying around.

My grandfather accidently killed his best friend when he was 14 years old while "plying" with his father's guns. With that reality in heart and mind, guns are stored in a locked cabinet. My shotguns are stored in gun safe at vacation home. If I get one here, I'd "need" to buy another gun cabinet and negotiate a place with my wife to put it. .357 kept locked in locked file cabinet, other pistols in small safe. It's a snap for me to drop it in the cabinet when I go to check "newspaper" and email in the a.m. It's the last thing I do before going to bed too.

[fret]

Both. Savage 410 / 22 mag. o/u shotgun. Also Ruger 357 mag. Blackhawk. No problem with either. I am used to both of these as I grew up with them.

[yablanowitz]

I also have a snub nose .38 for home defense. I keep mine loaded with Hi-Shok hollowpoints. I really need to get a .357 though.

I have considered a pump shotgun but I won't use anything that has even a remote possibility of jamming for home defense. Revolvers never jam.

I have a couple of over & under shotguns but they are too long and bulky for home defense.

So for me, it's a revolver. I just need to get a bigger one.

Yeah, right. I have bad news for you. Never is a really, really long time, and I have personally seen more than one revolver jam. Higher pressure rounds (+P or +P+), which are often suggested for self-defense purposes, increase the chances of it happening. All it takes is a slightly loose chamber with a high pressure load and a below average cartridge case (or a case with an oversized flash hole) to let the primer back out a few thousandths of an inch and wedge the cylinder. That may sound like a lot of variables lining up to cause it, but I've seen it happen a dozen times in competition shooting.

Whatever combination of gun and ammo you choose, don't trust it until you have put at least a hundred of those rounds through that gun without a problem.

I'd most likely reach for my Glock 20 first, although the Winchester 12ga. is close by as well. I've put so many roiunds through that Glock that I'm much more likely to hit the target with it than the shotgun.

[Switchback]

Sounds like some good, solid advice. I didn't know the cylinder could jam like that.

Thanks for the heads-up.

[StangBang]

Shotgun. My Remington 870.

Chances are all you have to do is chamber a shell and when the perp hears that lovely noise...

well they will probably run away.

[yablanowitz]

Sounds like some good, solid advice. I didn't know the cylinder could jam like that.

Thanks for the heads-up.

I'd rather you find out this way than the way I did (posting a D.N.F. for the stage and using a block of wood and a hammer to open the cylinder). :o Even that was better than finding out in a home defense scenario.

[Evil D]

Shotgun. My Remington 870.

Chances are all you have to do is chamber a shell and when the perp hears that lovely noise...

well they will probably run anyway.

This is very true. I don't know many people, criminals or not, gun owners or not, who wouldn't be able to tell you what that sound is if they heard it. You'd have to be cracked out of your mind if you're breaking into a house and you hear that sound and don't turn around and run.

[Sequimite]

Pump action shotgun, for reasons already mentioned. Chambering a shell will likely cause the perp to run and avoid a confrontation and the danger of bullets penetrating walls and accidentally striking someone else.