Looking for a shotgun for home defense

[righteousbarbarian]

i don't own a shotgun but the Remington 870 Marine Magnum series is one of the first guns I will evaluate for shotgun home defense.

[410kid]

ever think of a taurus judge 410/45 lc
http://www.northcarolinasportsman.co...ils.php?id=577 good write up about judge

[blackirish]

Originally Posted by 410kid

ever think of a taurus judge 410/45 lc
http://www.northcarolinasportsman.co...ils.php?id=577 good write up about judge

Yeah, I have been giving the Judge some very serious thought. For the exact reasons that were stated in the article. Considering the fact that my house is only 975 sq ft. Manevering a shotgun in such a small space was a serious concern to me. I'm going to have to try and get my hands on one to test it out.

[wop65]

I own 2 Mossberg 500 20 gauge (18.5” barrel) shotguns and am very happy with them. (They come with stock and pistol grips.)

I keep one in my kitchen area (rifle stock) and the other down stairs (pistol grip.) They shot (they are pumps) great and never jammed.

I would have bought the Mossberg 590 but the 12 gauge is a bit too much for me and my wife. The 590 has a longer barrel but holds 3 more rounds. (That’s good!) My next Mossberg is going in my auto trunk with the pistol grip.

I suggest the Mossberg – reliable, reasonably priced and available.

Hope this helps. Hank

PS: The 590 also has Ghost Sights, which makes it good for slugs and perhaps deer hunting, or if needed in a bad situation where you need extra distance.

[Exbiker]

Originally Posted by wop65

I own 2 Mossberg 500 20 gauge (18.5” barrel) shotguns and am very happy with them. (They come with stock and pistol grips.)

If you shop carefully you can find them in the 279 to 299 dollar range. Great choice.

[WVBob]

A 500 is good and the 870 is good. Think ammo. If you put OO buck in it and use it for defence, some lawyer will try to hang you. But if you have your No 4 hunting rounds in it they can't say much. Even from a short barrel you will not get a big spread across the room. I like an 870 in 16ga with copper no.4's.

[Rex Havoc]

I used my 870 Marine Magnum until I picked up my P Max then made the switch. I like having the light and the pistol grip with a stock.
The Mossberg's are ok I just prefer the action on the 870's.
All can be found for a decent price if you look.

[cms81586]

Originally Posted by WVBob

A 500 is good and the 870 is good. Think ammo. If you put OO buck in it and use it for defence, some lawyer will try to hang you. But if you have your No 4 hunting rounds in it they can't say much. Even from a short barrel you will not get a big spread across the room. I like an 870 in 16ga with copper no.4's.

#4's will work but if someone is in my house the last thing I'm worried about is some lawyer trying to piss on me. If you legally shoot someone in self defense it don't matter what ammo you used. In fact it don't really matter what firearm you use, until you start getting into NFA items. I'm loaded with either 00 Buck or Breneeke slugs.



To stray away from everyones trend towards Mossberg 500's and Rem 870's, I use an autoloader. If you buy a good one you don't need to worry about reliability. I bought a Benelli M4. Mine cycles the lightest loads all the way up to buckshot and slugs 100% of the time. Once I get a +2 extension I'll have 7+1+1 to give me a total of 9 rounds in a 18" barreled shotgun. The extra +1 is because you can place an extra round on the shell elevator underr the bolt carrier. The ghost ring sights are good for indoors as well as outside in the yard or from a vehicle if need be. I run a modified choke that keeps buckshot patterns nice and tight and also handles slugs fine with no accuracy effects.

It's fast too...and I'm pretty slow on the trigger...

Quick 7rnds out of a Benelli M4...

Slapping steel at 100yds with slugs...

[acebarracuda]

I will throw my 2 cents in here as well.

I have owned Remington 870's (3 of them).
I have owned Winchester Defenders (2 of them).
I have also owned a Mossberg 590, a Berretta O/U and a Winchester SX3.

I have shot quite easily over 30 000 rounds out of these shotguns combined.

The Winchesters were garbage. After approximately 5000 rounds each, the breach block screw hardened and broke, allowing the firing pin to exit into the receiver area completely disabling the shotgun.

The Mossberg action was weak at best. The breach block is cycled using only one rail to move it. The rail is pinned on one side of the block and is sloppy and weak at best.

The Berretta is a sporting clays gun and the SX3 is used for that as well.

In my opinion, the Remington 870 is the best and virtually indestructable shotgun. The breach block is cycled with a rail on each side which is smooth and virtually trouble free. There are many options available such as magazine extensions and piston grips. Thousands of rounds of ammunition and not so much as a burp.

If you decide to have a little fun with this shotgun it will last for many, many years and will eat any ammunition that you feed it.

Be very careful when it comes to home defense loads. OO buck will shoot through up to 8 layers of drywall. (This is hard on neighbors). #7 or 8 shot will peel all of the skin off of a target and not harm the guy next door watching Sportsdesk in his living room.

Just a thought.

Ace

[ccp72]

Originally Posted by blackirish

I am a pistol man myself, however if there was one thing my grandfather tought me; if you going to throw down in your own home, why wouldn't you want a shotgun. That being said, I'm looking for input on a reliable shotgun for home defense. I have had my eye on the mossberg 500 Tactical 6 shot and the 500 Cruiser 8 shot.

Second question.
What are people's feeling on pistol grips vs. adjustible stocks?

I have a Mossberg 500 Tactical Breacher 12ga. w/ a Knoxx Stock Breacher Grip that does it for me. It has the 18" barrel w/ super nasty breacher muzzle w/ TEETH and a fiber optic front sight from the factory. It cones stock w/ a strap on the forearm for better retention. I added the Knoxx Breacher Grip (active recoil dampening), and a sidesaddle shell carrier. I bought it at American Sport Shooting in Brodheadsville. (570)992-4450. I have it stoked with Hornady T.A.P.(Tactical Application Police) blue-hull, low recoil 00Buck (low recoil, low flash, groups real tight) Ammo from Precision Armaments in Slatington (610)767-0123 Cost: about $3 for box of 5 00Buck.

Check out this video on the breacher that I found on YouTube - No Knoxx Grip, or TAP's, but pretty impressive nontheless.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Gji9GoHksw

Good luck.