"For a moment he felt good about this. A moment or two later he felt bad about feeling good about it. Then he felt good about feeling bad about feeling good about it and, satisfied, drove on into the night."
-- Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy --
I’m the same.
For me a shotgun is inside the house/inside the yard tool. A carbine or rifle is for all things beyond that domain.
Growing up in a rural area, we had a fenced back yard for dogs and livestock that was maybe 25 yards by 20 yards in size and a front yard that was similar in size. The “pasture” (just over 5 acres) was laid out in an odd shape. Such that you’d have to try hard to take a rifle shot in excess of 300 yards. It was 209 yards, exactly, from the end of the driveway to the back fence. The rifle in the gun cabinet was a Remington 700 BDL, with 3-9x duplex reticle Weaver on top in .243 Winchester. That was what you took “if you’re going out past the end of the driveway”
I would recommend which ever you are the most familiar with - meaning the one you shoot and handle the most or have done so in the past.
For me, that is an AR. For me shotgun vs AR in the house is really a wash - what tips the scales is I shoot and handle the AR more.
I was not and LEO and shot 3-4 rounds of clays every week or two like my neighbor, shotgun would get the nod.
FWIW, every single person in my case files who lost a home defense with a shotgun got physically engaged with an attacker. One guy just wouldn't pull the trigger, bad guy eventually caught on and disarmed him. Another charged down the hallway port arms smack into a bad guy and ended up losing his gun in a tug of war after it was discharged harmlessly into dry wall and the second bad guy came around the corner with a handgun. Another was furiously working on removing a trigger lock when discovered by the intruders.
The same is true of ARs, although honestly AR users have tended to be more dedicated and/or trained defenders. While my bucket of AR defenses is much smaller than shotgun defenses, nobody has been disarmed.
Sorta around sometimes for some of your shitty mod needs.
@BehindBlueI's
Good stuff, BBI. Out of curiosity, what are the relevant statistics in regard to handguns in the same scenario?
Last edited by blues; 09-04-2019 at 10:33 AM.
There's nothing civil about this war.
I don't have the spreadsheet on this computer so forgive the lack of exact numbers, but pretty similar outcomes. Failing to discharge it lead to losses, but usually failure to defeat a thumb safety over having it taken from them. I don't recall any losses where a handgun was discharged from a distance (as opposed to an entangled fight over it), but I'll double check.
Anecdotally, those with handguns tended to stay put and wait vs charging in. Note that's been a recipe for success regardless of weapon, and even non-firearm defenses have a very high success percentage when sprung from ambush. One memorable example was applying rapid dental work to an intruder by smashing his face in with a golf driver as he topped the stairs. There were teeth scattered along the stairs. It looked like it probably stung.
Sorta around sometimes for some of your shitty mod needs.
@BehindBlueI's if I'm understanding you correctly, it seem people encounter the same failures regardless of the type of weapon?
Last edited by Guerrero; 09-04-2019 at 11:55 AM.
It's not apples to apples but it seems, (as has been mentioned), that the length and weight of a shotgun can be a hindrance in some hands...which may contribute to issues, especially if the bearer goes hunting rather than fighting from concealment.
There's a reason why clearing the home, (absent exigency and necessity), is not the most recommended action during an "event".
There's nothing civil about this war.