Recently something happened that made me worry for my safety. It’s a mild worry, but real nevertheless. I live alone in a big house and if someone did get in, no one would hear me scream. Hence, I am considering exercising my 2nd Amendment right and getting a gun.
I’m thinking shotgun. The idea of a handgun repels me somewhat, plus I know you have to go through a lot of paperwork to get one, and they’re expensive. The sound of a pump action shotgun racking should scare away all but the most determined intruders. Is there a best kind to get? Would I be better of with a handgun after all?
You’re correct in that getting your hands on a shotgun will require much less red tape than a handgun, so in terms of actually getting a firearm, I would go with the shotgun. As for what type or brand, I don’t think it much matters. Get a decent pump action 20 gauge and just hope to hell you don’t have to use it. The idea of the shotgun should be one of intimidation, not actual performance. You probably will never have to use it, even if you encounter an intruder, so I wouldn’t get too wrapped up on getting the best gun available.
shotgun for sure,with a sling,case you want to carry it around with you all the time,Mosseburg brand is fair priced,well built.If you have never shot a gun before,take a saftey cource,or get a good friend familiar with fire arms to take you to the local shooting range and show you how everything works,how to load it,hold it,the whole nine yards.
I load mine with double OO buckshot,and slugs,back to back,if one does’nt get em,the other one will,and get a dog,doesnt have to be big.Just enough to alert you when somethings going on in the house,and around the yard.
OH, NEVER leave it layig around with kids around-EVER,and never point a gun at someone you dont intend on shooting,not even joking around,serious buisness!!
hope this helps
I can’t recommend a firearm, but I would suggest if you get one you must be mentally and emotionally prepared to use it. Just racking a round and hoping the bad guy will go away may not work. And that assumes you hear him before he’s in your bedroom with a knife at your throat. I would also urge you to get an alarm system, consider getting a dog (it doesn’t have to a Rottweiler, just a yappy mutt that notices strangers in your yard), and participate in or form a Neighborhood Watch program so you and your neighbors can look out for each other.
Even if you kill an intruder justifiably, the legal and emotional aftermath will probably be something you wish you could have avoided.
For advice on guns, I recommend visiting Kim du Toit’s weblog - he’s more than an enthusiast and has written several articles in the past about first guns.
My only advice is to be very sure of your state’s law regarding home invasions. Here in California, I believe you need to show that you had no options for escape if you do shoot.
Also, don’t point the gun unless you intend on shooting, and don’t shoot unless you intend on killing.
You should get whatever you feel comfortable with. No such thing as a ‘good’ gun to be shot by, you know! But if you want a specific recommendation:
Mossberg 500 or Remington 870 (whatever is cheaper in your area), in 12 gauge, shooting 1 3/4 buckshot of some flavor. You can get 1 3/4" ‘law enforcement’ loads from Federal (a ammunition maker). These recoil mildly compared to hunting loads, making them fairly easy to fire.
But if 20 guage is what you settle on, go for it. And whatever you get: take some classes or get a knowledgable person to teach you firearm saftey (first and foremost) and then how to actually use it for defense.
A pump action shotgun is a good choice for another reason… the sound it makes when you rack the action is unmistakable, and very intimidating.
During the Watergate era, Dan Rather woke one night to hear sounds coming from downstairs. He got his shotgun, went to the top of the stairs, and said in a loud voice: “I don’t know who you are or what you are doing, but I want you to listen to this.” He then racked the action, and whoever or whatever it was, left quickly.
He never knew if it was Watergate-connected or just a random burglery, but in either case, it worked. (This is all described in his autobiograph The Camera Never Blinks, which was written well before he became so damned weird.)
If it WAS Watergate-related, you on the anti-gun side of the argument might want to think about it a little more. Is it really a comforting thought that “when guns are outlawed only the government will have them?”
I have a 4-10 shotgun, pump action. This weapon is very light when you consider recoil, and the ammo is easy to carry as well. It will blow a hole about an inch in diameter in an intruder. I feel safe with it around.
Someone already said it, but it can’t be stressed enough, do not leave it lying around. And do not leave it lying around for anyone to play with. Its surprising how many adults pick the thing up.
I’m going to be the voice of dissent here regarding intimidation through shotgun-racking. It is plain old bad tactics to do something like that. The first hint that you have a gun your opponent should get is when you shoot him with it. Furthermore, if you are racking the slide it indicates one of two things:
The piece was stored w/o a round in the chamber.
You are ejecting a perfectly good shell from a very limited capacity weapon.
The pump shotgun, though it was (and is) used by a good many police departments isn’t quite the ideal weapon that some portray it as. Right near the top of the list of its shortcomings is the very real and easy possibility of short-stroking the action under stress. When that happens, at best the weapon goes click instead of bang when you pull the trigger: no shell fed into the chamber. If Og hates you that day, you can get a not-easy-to-clear jam instead. If you want to go with a shotgun, one of the autoloading models stored loaded is a far better choice.
I would go with a 20 gauge if you aren’t a shooting enthusiast.
What is the springlife on a typical tube-feed shotgun? I know my Glock mags are just wee bit younger than Moses, and they still feel reliably with the original springs (Though paranoia has me putting in new Wolff springs biannually for my carry mags) .
Coil springs become fatigued based on how many times they are cycled more than from static compression. One can leave a tube fed shotgun loaded for extemely long periods. If you are really worried about it, though, Wolff makes shotgun springs too.
Ya, and they make AK springs that cost more than AK mags. Shotgun springs are only 5 buck or so a pop, though. Quality stuff. Good point about cycled vs. static compression; but since the spring is so long, and the ‘compression ratio’ (if that is a real phase) seems rather higher on a shotgun than on a pistol magazine. Eh. My 590 stays unloaded, so I’ll never find out.
With all the caveats offered by other posters having been said, a shotgun is the only way to go. Whatever training you get in a handgun, it won’t be enough to deal with handling one in a wild adrenaline rush. The main reason to get a shotgun is because you don’t have to aim much. Not only is it easier to hit you target, but you also don’t have to go for the largest part (ie chest). You can go non-lethal by shooting ahead of his/her foot and incapacitating him for the moment but possibly not even maiming him/her.
For the record, I think that’s a bad idea. Firearms are for fun and lethal force, while chemical irritants/stun guns/etc are for less-than-lethal force. After all, blow his leg off, he can still shoot you. But you knew that.
Would I be better off with a hunting rifle? The point about racking a shotgun is well taken; I wouldn’t want to come out wielding a gun that wouldn’t fire when I needed it to. I’d rather not get a handgun, though, for a lot of reasons. I won’t be carrying it around with me; I’d want it for home defense only and a hunting rifle is a pretty standard item in homes around here. Would the kick be less on a hunting rifle? I’ve fired a shotgun and it nearly knocked me over (I’m a very small woman). Also, what’s the price range on that kind of thing? Where’s the best place to go to buy a hunting rifle? Sporting goods store?
The biggest problem with a rifle is the danger of over-penetration. Sure, that .30-30 or .30-06 will put a serious hurt on a intruder, but the bullet will keep going as long as it has the energy to do so. A shotgun, firing some flavor of shot, presents much less of an over-pentration threat.
Not to mention, they could be a good deal more unwieldy for inside use. Of course, the wrong shotgun could be as well.
FWIW, you might want to consider a 10/22 Magnum. Recoil is essentially non-existant. The 10/22 series feeds from a0 shot magazines and is extremely reliable. At typical self-defense range and from a rifle-length barrel, the .22 magnum is a reasonably effective performer. Better than reasonable actually, since the lack of recoil makes scoring effective hits that much easier. Since the 10/22 Magnum is a long gun, you still get the benefit of avoiding handgun red tape.
But if you want a specific recommendation: