Why a shotgun?

[JodyH]

Here's what's in my bedroom safe, 3' from my bed.
This safe has the guns I carry or want available immediately.
The door to this safe is open when I'm home.

Notice the Beretta 1301 Tactical is first on deck followed by a 12" suppressed AR, 20 round PMAG with a Surefire Mini-Scout light. Both have iron sights only.
An ancient Remington Scoremaster bolt action .22 is in there for varmints.
Carry and bedside handguns are on the top shelf.

[LHS]

Given my rural, non-LE/non-MIL background, I have far more time behind an 870 than any other long gun. I'm comfortable with it, I know it intimately, and that counts for a lot. Is the AR a 'superior' HD weapon? Depends. For me, I'm kind of on the fence, trying to balance capacity and ability to penetrate soft armor vs. lethality-per-round and familiarity. I do think that the AR is probably easier to run. Shotguns, especially pumps, seem to me to require more training to use at baseline efficiency. I've seen a lot of new shooters short-stroke a pump gun and lock it up hard. I know I did it when I first started using them. I think the AR's more versatile, works well in more situations, and is easier for most folks to use. That said... I still keep the 870 handy.

[JodyH]

btw: steel USPSA silhouette at 10 yards, #6 high brass (kicks as hard as Fed #00), Beretta 1301 Tactical = 8 rounds on target in <3 seconds from low ready.

[Jay Cunningham]

I'd prefer the shotgun if I had to deal with a 4 legged threat, generally speaking. Rabid dog vs. 870 = problem solved, problem staying solved.

I'm no hunter, but I imagine slugs could handle a bear if that's a realistic threat in your neck of the woods.

[czech6]

I look at shotguns like bumbles bees. They don't work out all that well on paper, but in the real world they do surprisingly well.

From a police perspective, one thing that rarely rears it's ugly little head, but it's a major fiasco when it does, is dealing with big dangerous animals. A 12 gauge with Rottweil/Brenneke/Fed DPRS slugs are the only common weapon in LE inventory available to deal with big animals (not saying ideal). Some of the high profile events include the elephant in HI, the tiger at the San Fran Zoo, a Gorilla in Dallas, and the suicidal guy in Ohio who released his private zoo. Even livestock animals can be deadly when they escape. A sheriff's deputy near Tyler, Tx was killed a couple years ago by an injured cow that had gotten loose, and then been hit by a car.

Anecdotally, shotguns at my agency have been historically been low round count fight stoppers. There several shootings where bad guys have had limbs effectively detached from their bodies and a lot of one shot DRT outcomes. Once again, anecdotally, rifles haven't been the magic that some folks have billed them up to be, the range advantage has not been much of a factor. There's been a couple shootings where that round count has hit double digits stopping bad guys, and 5-8 round burst of fire aren't uncommon.

[NH Shooter]

Here's what's in my bedroom safe, 3' from my bed.

Nice selection, that suppressed SBR is nice. :-)

[UNK]

From Doc KGR http://pistol-forum.com/showthread.p...ense-Long-Guns

1/4/14

As many of the previous posts note, there are multiple factors that will play a role in determining which weapon might be the best choice for home defense.

From a pure wound trauma standpoint on a shot against unarmored soft tissue, a close range hit from a 12 ga shotgun using buckshot will create more damage than any 5.56 mm projectile; it is for this reason that Dr. Fackler has expressed his preference for 12 ga buckshot over 5.56 mm for close range defensive use. Compared to pistol caliber weapons, virtually any shoulder fired carbine caliber weapon or 12 ga shotgun will prove superior from a wound ballistic standpoint. Keep in mind that over the past 20 years, the vast majority of the 5.56mm/.223 loads we tested have exhibited significantly less penetration than 9mm, .40 S&W, .45 ACP, and 12 ga. shotgun projectiles after first penetrating through interior walls. Stray 5.56mm/.223 bullets seem to offer a reduced risk of injuring innocent bystanders and an inherent reduced risk of civil litigation in situations where bullets miss their intended target and enter or exit structures, thus 5.56mm/.223 caliber weapons may be safer to use in CQB situations, home defense scenarios, and in crowded urban environments than handgun service caliber or 12 ga. weapons. Below are the wound profiles of unobstructed shots at 3 meters, comparing several weapons that might be used for home defense:



Note that the M1 carbine, 16” barrel AR15, 18” barrel shotgun with a “youth” stock, and 16” barrel lever action carbine are all approximately the same length and offer the equivalent ease of maneuvering, so bickering about weapon size is a somewhat moot point when comparing weapons of this type. From an ergonomic and weapon manipulation standpoint, the AR15 is far superior to the other weapons, followed by the M1 carbine, and then distantly trailed by the shotgun and lever action carbine. Likewise, the AR15 is the most modular and allows the easiest mounting of various accessories. Unfortunately, AR15’s are also usually more expensive. In addition, in some locales, AR15’s are more highly regulated and/or feared than other less “scary” looking weapons; in those areas, an AR15’s “military” appearance may prejudice some LE officers who respond to a lethal force incident, as well as the DA and jury… If living in a state with asinine legal restrictions on firearms regulations or a liberal “weapon phobic” region, a PC, plain-jane appearing shoulder fired weapon that does not scare the metaphorical sheep might be prudent…

In an indoors static defensive role against a single violent assailant who was advancing on me, a 12 ga. shotgun would be my first choice. However, if multiple criminals were assaulting me, if a precision shot was required, if the assailant was wearing body armor, in a time of domestic unrest and upheaval with potentially large crowds of hostile individuals roaming about, or in situations that would require movement outdoors, then I would far prefer a magazine fed shoulder fired weapon capable of greater range, faster reloading, and greater ammunition capacity than a shotgun. In addition, of the shoulder fired weapons commonly used for self-defense, shotguns are the most difficult to effectively employ and require the most training to properly use.

Most citizens would do well to follow the lead of LE agencies in their locale and pick similar weapons to what LE feels is prudent and necessary for defensive use against the criminals in that jurisdiction. Often times these days that is 9 mm or .40 pistols with a 15-17 round magazines and AR15's with 30 rd magazines.

Finally, there is the matter of weapon familiarity and training. In 20+ years of military and LE use, I have fired far more rounds of ammunition, had more training with, and greater experience using AR15 based rifles than any other type of shoulder fired weapon. And while I have also trained with and used other shoulder fired weapons including MP5’s, M14’s/M1A’s, shotguns, bolt guns, and the odd M1 "Garand" rifle, M1 carbine, and lever gun—baring legal restrictions, in a chaotic, stress filled situation, I would feel most comfortable and confident using an AR15 based weapon due to my previous training and experience.

[Jack Ryan]

And look how much better a shotgun is at skeet than an AR-15! I mean, since we're picking things with extremely tenuous relationships to shooting some dude in your living room.

(And I say this as someone who switched the 870 propped in the corner out for a 16" 5.56 AR carbine nearly a decade ago.)

If I lived in Faluja, I'd almost agree with you. Since the topic given was home defense I just assumed it was America. No one mentioned skeet but it is a great way to keep up your skills. You'd never hit one in a million years with an AR.

You can kill or hunt anything in north America with one 12 gauge shotgun and never change a thing on it other than ammunition. You can load it on the run and if you can't handle a lot of bulky ammunition in your own home, where will you? Ever?

Do as you like but more people take down more targets faster with semi auto shotguns than any other weapon.

[Tamara]

If I lived in Faluja, I'd almost agree with you. Since the topic given was home defense I just assumed it was America. No one mentioned skeet but it is a great way to keep up your skills. You'd never hit one in a million years with an AR.

Wasn't saying a shotgun won't work, just pointing out that Friday Night Steel has nothing in common with home defense except there's a gun generally involved. But if I ever have my living room invaded by five widely spaced bad guys that can each be dropped with a single round of #7.5 Wally World promo birdshot, I'll remember to grab the gauge. Or maybe my M&P 15/22; those things look blistering fast at Speed Steel matches, too.

[UNK]

Hey Jack Check out these photos. :-) You are going to love this. http://www.chiefaj.com/rifle_trap_shooting.htm

If I lived in Faluja, I'd almost agree with you. Since the topic given was home defense I just assumed it was America. No one mentioned skeet but it is a great way to keep up your skills. You'd never hit one in a million years with an AR.

You can kill or hunt anything in north America with one 12 gauge shotgun and never change a thing on it other than ammunition. You can load it on the run and if you can't handle a lot of bulky ammunition in your own home, where will you? Ever?

Do as you like but more people take down more targets faster with semi auto shotguns than any other weapon.