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What is the best Home Defense Weapon?

TSiWRX said:
@RandomHero , this is perhaps one of the biggest fallacies/urban myths of the shotgun. Especially if you're going to procure one for home-defense, you'll want to take heed of 10mmLife's words, which I think are worth reiterating:



^ To give you a solid visual of this ------>

hickok45



....and his follow-up video:



^ Look at how tight those pellets group, RandomHero.

And again, this, Mr Guns N Gear:


^ Here, pay special attention to how the difference in the chosen load/cartridge can make.

Any way you cut it, that's not a "general-direction" weapon: not at typical across-the-room/down-the-hall distances in the average American home, at least. ;) It's very, very, very possible to miss, without aiming.



And this, RandomHero is really where the lethality of the shotgun comes into play. As you've now seen from the videos above, with the shot patterning so close together, that's a tremendous amount of damage, and it drastically increases the odds of effecting a true physiologic stop on the threat which it impacts. It's just like 10mmLife noted above: it's like shooting that threat 8 to 9 times with the typical 9mm handgun.

This is also actually why for defensive/duty use, wads which help keep the pellets together - like Federal's FliteControl - are so popular: it helps keep that shot all together for a longer distance, which helps mitigate the risk to the backdrop (i.e. bystanders).

Here is a video which I think I may have cited before on this Forum, where John Correia of Active Self Protection examines a police shooting incident in which the officer used the shotgun in a "surgical" manner to eliminate the threat, while he was still in close proximity to an innocent:



To effectively be able to use the shotgun in self-defense or duty service, one must know how the gun patterns with one's chosen ammo, and know also at what point a slug change-over will be necessary to effect precision shots.

This is exemplified in the response I'd posted earlier in this thread to Peglegjoe - https://www.thearmorylife.com/forum...2-gauge-ammo-for-home-defense.597/#post-11114

Hope this helps to bring the shotgun into better perspective! :)
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I really do appreciate the effort put in to educate me on the shotgun. I am truly glad that you did so. For if I had no knowledge of the shotgun it would be of great value. I am fluent with the operation and patterns in which shotguns perform. As I qualify with them on a regular basis. I just don't own one at the moment. However, TSiWRX as I am new to being on a forum and this being the first and only one I have ever been on I think my post was misunderstood. And possibly assumed others new what I meant. So, I now have learned I need to be descriptive as possible to reduce the possibility of being misunderstood in the future. For that I apologize. So please allow me to explain what I was meaning. What I meant by saying "Reasoning is you don't have to be super accurate, just point in general area and your good." What I meant for this post was referencing someone breaking into a home. So that the intruder is in what is known as "The Fatal Funnel". Like a window, doorway, or hallway. In this case the shotgun pointed center mass of the doorway, window, or hallway will without question hit its target. Unlike a handgun/pistol where you would have to focus on your shot placement much more. Sorry for the confusion.
 
RandomHero said:
Sorry for the confusion.
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No need to apologize at all! :) I am glad that you are aware of the limitations of the shotgun (and its advantages!).

Indeed, it's super-hard on Forums and other online social media to truly communicate in the way that we would otherwise in-person or even on the phone - a lot of things can indeed slip through the cracks or be misinterpreted.

Well, at least this way someone who doesn't have your experience or is otherwise an novice who comes along can read and reason through it! :)
 
KLGunner said:
Good response it’s things like this that everyone needs to be considering when choosing a good home defense weapon. Yes some go for the sound of cycling a round into a shotgun barrel to detour the intruder others go for the fact that a shotgun has a very wide track pattern which is where it got its name the “Scatter Gun”. But things like barrel length and over penetration like one might get from a rifle aren’t considered.
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Anyone who counts on the sound of shotgun cycling as a deterrent is making at least 3 serious mistakes. And yeah, you absolutely should run drills with your ( unloaded) shotguns, clearing your house room by room. And if you can't do it adequately because your shotgun is too long, you have the wrong shotgun for the job or you need more practice. You also should have a tac light with a pressure switch. Things like night time lighting, proximity to your neighbor's houses and whether you have kids or people sleeping in other rooms all need to be carefully considered. It's good to have pistols around too in some situations. There are way too many variables to state unequivocally that "X" is the best home defense weapon.

I'd say this is a pretty obvious good place to start.


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EPPfIJG.jpg



And this is good, but ultimately more suited to other jobs besides being woke up in the middle of the night and plodding through the house in the dark.

d5coVER.jpg
 
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Bassbob said:
Anyone who counts on the sound of shotgun cycling as a deterrent is making at least 3 serious mistakes. And yeah, you absolutely should run drills with your ( unloaded) shotguns, clearing your house room by room. And if you can't do it adequately because your shotgun is too long, you have the wrong shotgun for the job or you need more practice. You also should have a tac light with a pressure switch. Things like night time lighting, proximity to your neighbor's houses and whether you have kids or people sleeping in other rooms all need to be carefully considered. It's good to have pistols around too in some situations. There are way too many variables to state unequivocally that "X" is the best home defense weapon.

I'd say this is a pretty obvious good place to start.


1Txyqbw.jpg




EPPfIJG.jpg



And this is good, but ultimately more suited to other jobs besides being woke up in the middle of the night and plodding through the house in the dark.

d5coVER.jpg
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Your absolutely right and that’s kinda what I’m getting at when choosing the right home defense weapon. I also think you’ve made a great point maybe there should be multiple weapons for home defense. Another point I’d like to add is cover. Can you get adequate cover with the firearm or firearms you choose? All great things to think about when picking home defense weapons.
 
Talyn said:
We all have our preferences and experiences.
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Absolutely. My situation likely isn't your situation. Likewise with training and planning. I spend as much time or more with shotguns as I do handguns. My take on it is this. As far as firearms are concerned, handguns are the least effective and are inherently a compromise. If I need to conceal or I have a tenth of a second to present and engage I have handguns for that. I have the room, the right size shotguns and the training, preparedness and planning in my home so the first thing I'm grabbing is a shotgun
 
Simple. The best weapon is whatever you're proficient with. If, by chance, you're unable to handle a 12g, or any number of other weapons, I feel it's ridiculous to depend upon them unless you've put the time in behind them.
 
Mr.W. said:
Simple. The best weapon is whatever you're proficient with. If, by chance, you're unable to handle a 12g, or any number of other weapons, I feel it's ridiculous to depend upon them unless you've put the time in behind them.
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Absolutely. In my father’s case for example, the best weapon for him in his current condition is the easy to rack M&P .380 EZ. And we’ve spent a lot of time at the range and over 1000 rounds making sure he is capable with it.
 
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