I knew I was gonna have to explain this to you. I said…“shot one at a time at twenty feet won’t penetrate through a wall with enough force to kill someone on the other side.”
Then I said…"Both barrels fired simultaneously will take out a half a sheet of plywood. "
Note, I didn’t say make toothpicks out of it. It will make a nice pattern about 3’x5’ and most of the shot will penetrate the plywood. After that the energy is expended. The shot falls to the ground within a few feet. It would probably sting like hell. Maybe even penetrate the skin but it wouldn’t be a necessarily fatal blow. Using only one round, even less. BUT within twenty feet. You’re ass is in trouble. It’s a sawed off shotgun. I actually sawed it off with a hacksaw, (ie: no choke) it’s not supposed to have range.
Now let me grab my old Long Tom or my 870. That’s another story.
I have no opinion on autoloaders, as I’m more of a revolver-type myself. But I wanted to join the chorus singing “Go try a bunch out!” Go to a range, go spend some time handling a lot of choices for basic feel, and then go shoot lots of rounds through all of your candidates. I chose mine by working for a firearms retailer (had to handle them all to put them away and bring them out every day) and falling in love with the balance of the gun before I ever shot it, but if it hadn’t shot well for me, I would have kept on looking. Ruger GP100, by the way.
I’ll grant that there are ways to have one, and I’m all for everyone owning whatever flavor of boomstick does it for them. Still there is an equally important reason that it shouldn’t be your primary home defense weapon- it’s up there on the list of the last things you want a prosecuting attorney waving around in front of a jury as “Exhibit A”.
It’s hard to argue you used your “sawed off” duck gun to foil an attack.
FWIW, I conducted a form of ballistic test once which involved an old 486 Computer Tower (made of metal, with computer components still inside).
I set the 486 up at 10m, and then emptied the magazine from a Beretta M92 into it (more specifically, a magazine full of 9mm FMJ rounds).
Every round hit the side of the computer, but not ONE went through and out the other side of the computer. Not one.
Next test: six rounds of .357 Magnum JHP, fired from a Ruger GP100. Same results, with even less penetration.
Final test: Four rounds of No 4 shot (Birdshot), from a 12ga double-barrel SxS Shotgun. Two rounds singly, two rounds discharging both barrels at the same time. The shot bounced off the computer- quite literally. Put a dent in it, but didn’t actually get through it at all- never mind coming out the other side.
The tests are acceptable given the circumstances. The barrel was a bit longer and it was fired at nearly half the distance into sheetrock with no reinforced studs or insulation etc. just some sheets stood up. It did say that 00 buck is the best round, but the shot might penetrate the adjoining room. That’s probably true at 12’ through a wall w/ no studs. As far as the shot pattern goes, that’s a variable the test really can’t establish on guns unlike the one tested. especially since range is a huge variable w/ sawed offs.
but we digress… sorry about the hijack
so what’s up with revolvers? are you not interested?
I’d just like to point out that a three inch hole, while larger than the entrance wound
of most any other firearm, still requires a fair amount of accuracy. You still have to aim a shotgun. I’d say it is a little easier than damn hard to miss with one.
As far as my recommendation, I enjoy shooting the FN Five-seveN, but thats just me. I’ll echo the peanut gallery’s chatter about trying out several for yourself. One thing to think about is the cost of the ammo. I have a TT-33 and the 5.7 and both are pretty expensive to shoot.
If the Berettas eat you on price, try Taurus. If the Smith and Wessons eat you on price, try Ruger. A rather basic rule of thumb is that there are good quality, low cost brands of revolvers, but that the same is simply not true of self-loading pistols.
A nice choice as a defensive revolver is a .357Mag, stainless steel, large frame revolver with a 4" barrel. If possible, equip it with rubber grips.
The problem with the FNFiveSeven is that the only legal civvie ammunition is the subsonic rounds. The rounds that make the 5.7mm round useful are the supersonic rounds. US police and tactical teams are just beginning to appreciate the FiveSeven / P90 combination, The P90 is a really good CQB/Entry weapon, due in no part to the penetrative talent of the supersonic 5.7mm round, and the impressive volume of fire availbe from a single P90 magazine. The FiveSeven was tossed in by FN as a sort of accessory to the P90. As a standalone pistol, not useful to me without a gauarnateed supply of the supersonic 5.7mm rounds.
Well I going to go against the tide and offend all the aficionados.
I rather like my “new crap”.
$140, brand new, Hi-Point 9mm Luger. Saw it at gun show and took it home 20 minutes later.
So far, I’ve fire almost 500 rounds through it, it’s never ever jammed, it shoots as fast as I can pull the trigger, and I can hit a paper plate at 20 paces. Feels good in my hand too.
Perfect for me, on a very tight budget, mostly for fun and plinking, but it’s there if I need it for home defense.
Hi-Point .380, haven’t shot it as much as you, but no real problems with it - just kinda odd feeling since it’s fairly top-heavy.
Much better than that old Davis, and I don’t think Pheonix is any better. Hi-Point never dissassembled itself while I was shooting it, which it nice.
Heh, sometimes forget that a $200 gun used to be out of reach. Cheapest new I’ve bought was the $70 Davis, and I pawned it for about what I payed for it so even that hunk-o-junk turned out ok.
Is the OP still following this? I’d like to hear what s/he decided and how it’s going.
