A Shotgun is my recommended "only" homestead gun.

[Adam Helmer]

As a retired federal lawman, I learned greater respect for the shotgun. For 10 years I instructed and qualified 100+/- agents twice a year on handguns and the shotgun. In my later years before retirement, my agency added the H&K, MP-5 9mm submachine gun to our arms inventory. All the new agents salivated over the MP-5. On the range at 25 yards, I showed them how a 12 gauge stoked with 5 rounds of #4 Buckshot exceeded a 30-round mag of 9mm on our B-27 target.

Now retired to my rural farm, I am often asked by new residents from urban areas, about a recommended farm gun? Since most of these folks never fired any gun before, I offer handgun and shotgun instruction and lean to a shotgun for their first gun. Most folks opt for a pump 20 gauge, with the 12 gauge coming in second.

The anti-gun folks lack gun savvy! That is a Very Good Thing! If they had any clue, they would ban shotguns FAR ahead of any "nasty", "ugly" assault weapon! CLUELESS is sometimes good. LOL.

For NEW country residents, lacking any firearms skills, the shotgun is the best option for their first gun living in the country for 2 or 4 legged critters on their homestead.

Adam

[BLAHUT]

Agree, a shot gun with shot or buck is great for close work on two or for legged critters, I still prefer my long gun, would rather deal with a threat at 400 yds than 4 yds.

[Winger Ed.]

I've known people from Europe that are perfectly comfortable with their Police carrying sub-machine guns,
But to see them with our common 12 ga. riot guns is just terrifying.

I also figure if they're asking me for advice, they may not be the brightest candle in the Y2K kit to start with.
However:
When people that aren't really shooters ask me to recommend a home defense weapon- I always tell them
to look at getting a cheap, Walmart 12ga. pump shotgun.
1. It's easy and simple to use.
2. Being big and long--- You're less likely to shoot yourself handling it than a pistol.
3. Like the old stage coach robbers used to say,
"The bigger of a gun you stick under someone's nose, the less likely you'll need to use it".*****
4. The sight and sound of one and hearing it pump & chamber a shell is VERY intimidating.
5. You don't need to find your glasses first to hit something with it.

6. If you have to surrender it to the Police, depending on where you live, it might be the hassle of your life to get it back.
Just let it go..... It isn't a $10,000. antique Holland and Holland or something...All you have lost is $200. Go buy another one.

7. Same thing with a carry gun. Get something used, that works, and is dependable from a pawn shop.
If you have to surrender it for any reason, you won't have to give up your $5,000. tricked out Colt or Les Baer.

******
I stress that most of all. You never want to shoot someone. I tell people that it ain't like TV.
If you shoot someone-- no matter how justified it was, and even if that person needed killing--
Life as you know it, is over.

[Adam Helmer]

Agree, a shot gun with shot or buck is great for close work on two or for legged critters, I still prefer my long gun, would rather deal with a threat at 400 yds than 4 yds.

BLAHUT,

ROGER THAT! I think our most urgent need is to repel a home invasion in the county where ONLY one state trooper is on duty for the entire county. My only call ever resulted in the dispatcher advising, "It will be about an hour until the trooper arrives."

My friendly neighbors want, and need, caring advice. All connected well to a 20 gauge, loaded right, for various needs. In this most rural of 67 counties in PA, the new "Flatlanders" finally understood cops are only minutes, Or HOURS, away when SECONDS count!

Shotguns cover a multitude of issues: shooter inexperience, multiple alleged violators, the need for immediate response, and no need for exact aiming. Merely point and click, the ultimate interface with bad situations. I would say 90% of my students opt for a shotgun. I support their choice.

Adam

[HWooldridge]

I generally make a similar, rhetorical remark to my wife after that type of news reporting is made public...why wasn't a shotgun used with buckshot?

The Germans in WW1 weren't concerned about any particular weapon, until we hauled out '97 Winchester pumps - then it was "unprofessional and unfair", deserving international condemnation. Machine guns and poison gas were everywhere - but everyone was worked up about the lowly shotgun.

[Winger Ed.]

I generally make a similar, rhetorical remark to my wife after that type of news reporting is made public...why wasn't a shotgun used with buckshot?.

I've been asked what's the big deal with buckshot?

I tell 'em, 'Think about it-- a .38Special shoots one 36 caliber bullet. A common 2 3/4" 12ga. buckshot load is nine 33 caliber balls.
They are coming out faster than the .38 bullet.
A 12ga buckshot shell is not too far away from shooting nine .357Magnum shots at once,
and they hit in a pattern about the size of a dinner plate'.

[Char-Gar]

Wise, thoughtful and truthful words. The "gun that won the West", was not a Winchester rifle or a Colt pistol, it was the shotgun.

[Char-Gar]

I have a friend who is now a retired DEA Agent stationed on the New Mexico/Mexico border. He related to me the story of a smuggler who climbed a tree to hide. He was discovered by the Border Patrol and when he arrived they were yelling at the guy to come down with no results. My friend got out of his vehicle, took his pump shotgun and stood under the tree. He racked the pump and put a shell in the chamber without saying a word. The guy came down out of the tree as fast as he could. He told me, some people understand English and some people understand Spanish, but everybody underatands Shotgun. It is indeed the universal language.

[HWooldridge]

I've been asked what's the big deal with buckshot?

I tell 'em, 'Think about it-- a .38Special shoots one 36 caliber bullet. A common 2 3/4" 12ga. buckshot load is nine 33 caliber balls.
They are coming out faster than the .38 bullet.
A 12ga buckshot shell is not too far away from shooting nine .357Magnum shots at once,
and they hit in a pattern about the size of a dinner plate'.

My great-uncle always opted for #1 because the diameter only dropped to .30 caliber but the pellet count in a standard 12 ga shell went up to 16. Personally, I like #4 for general use but find it fails in the penetration department on anything except light skinned targets - would be fine on a bad guy in jeans and a shirt; won't do as well with a barrier separating the shooter and shootee.

[country gent]

THE shot gun is a universal tool that can handle many different situations depending on the loads, Lighter bird shot for most hunting and pests, heavy buck shot for bigger animals and protection, slugs for big game. Easy to operate, no real sights to align point and shoot, easier to defend in court, and lower risk of unintended damage do to its limited range.
Almost anyone on the jury can relate to the shotgun as "Uncle Johns" or grandpas deer rabbit duck gun.

I normally recommend the shot gun for home and property defense. Single shot,double barrel, pump,or auto the shot gun is "understood".

A quick modification I do is to polish the crown mirror bright with a brass ball and flannel patch. When done its an optic illusion your looking into the bore making it look huge.

My preferred load in 12 gauge is the #4 buckshot load with 18 pellets. Second is the 00 buck with 11 pellets.

Gettin the new comer to understand that at most room distances is inkly going to be a small pattern around 2" at most is hard

[stubshaft]

I agree wholeheartedly with using a shotgun for defense. The easiest way to determine spread is to imagine 1" for every yard from the muzzle, 10 yards = 10".

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Interesting discussion, but not a new one. I also have a 12 Ga. pump in my everyday/home defense arsenal and loaded with No.1 Buck, which has been a choice for many years. Oh--and it's a 3" magnum, so there's also a few more buck shot for that reason, being a bit longer. Just for interest, and perhaps laughs, although I own several pumps of various brands, the one I've got handy was made by the Shan Dong Machine Works No. 1, in China, and cost around $125. So, if Wal-Mart cheap is good, this has to be better! It's solid steel, built like a tank, and a out and out copy of the Ithaca Mod. 37.

But, let's consider a few other points. First, one is best armed with that in which they have the most confidence. Be that rifle, pistol, or shotgun, one must build that confidence with handling and practice. The novice who picks up a pump shotgun "for real" and finds himself unable to operate it because he has to release the slide lock or doesn't know which way the push safety button must be pushed in order to be able to fire is in dire straits.

The shotgun is a good weapon to perhaps 25 yards, but somewhere between that distance and 40 yards looses a lot of hit probability with buckshot as the pattern opens. On the other hand, a proficient handgunner will score reliable hits at 50 yards, and most weekend riflemen practice at 100 yards. I've seen some nice accuracy with 12 Ga. slugs at 100 yards, but not too many keep their home defense shotgun loaded with slugs, as that defeats the short range aspect of lots of buckshot.

Choke is also a consideration that will effect range and pattern. Just a few months ago I was showing a visitor an actual Ithaca Mod. 37 with a 30 inch barrel dating back to perhaps the 1930s. It is exceptionally smooth, and I said that I'd keep it in the gunlocker if the barrel wasn't so long. The visitor, knowing a bit about guns himself, being a CAS shooter with shotgun as part of the match drill, said, "Well, you've got a pipe cutter in your toolbox, don't you? Just clamp it on there and make it the length you want." Being kind of slow witted that day I expressed my horror at shortening this very fine bird gun, but couldn't immediately come up with a reply. Later it hit me, of course, that I'd be cutting off the choked part of the barrel. So, another thing to consider when thinking about having a shotgun as your primary defense is barrel length.

Shorter is probably better, but if the need arises to use it inside a building even a short barrel can be a hindrance by bumping into objects such a furniture and also giving an intruder something to grab and attempt to disarm you. Imagine this: You hear something bumping around in your living room in the middle of the night. You get out of bed and arm yourself with your trusty riot gun. On the way to the living room, as you pass by the bathroom or a blind corner, a hairy arm reaches out of the gloomy semi-darkness and grabs the barrel of your shotgun, pushes it up and away from you. If you don't react immediately with
a counter measure such as stepping toward the intruder and rotating the butt of the shogun upward in a butt stroke you will shortly lose possession of the weapon. You may not have the strength to disable the intruder, especially if you're elderly, sick, a diminutive female, etc. Also, don't forget that you're dealing with a loaded shotgun, and that somewhere in the struggle the muzzle will likely be pointed at you-- especially dangerous if you took the safety off.

I'm not at all knocking having a shotgun as a primary home defense weapon, just (hopefully) making some points for consideration. It's my observation that most home shooting incidents are with a handgun, and I believe that they are chosen for portability, close range defense, better retention, and now days...easier to prevent access by the kids.

So, if you carefully read the first paragraph, I said that my Chinese 12 Ga. pump is "a" choice, but it is not necessarily "the" choice. I've got a 1911 by the bed for inside the house, and if the problem is outside the house I'm much more likely to pick up my M1 Carbine. Many shots, low recoil, not overly long. But, given the time to select and certain circumstances I'd not feel poorly armed with the shotgun.

DG

[poppy42]

Agree, a shot gun with shot or buck is great for close work on two or for legged critters, I still prefer my long gun, would rather deal with a threat at 400 yds than 4 yds.

Ah try explaining how you felt you were in danger of serious bodily harm or death from a 400 yards away threat. Assuming you’re not talking about a bear or a moose but a two legged threat.

[Adam Helmer]

My neighbors are looking for a good homestead gun. They have no desire to become handgun proficient. Just like me, they all have resident dogs inside their homes as a first alert. I also have a hostile mother-in-law, in case of need. LOL.

My 12 gauge #4 Buckshot loads have 27 balls of .25 caliber. I have a M1911 on the night stand.

Adam

[Der Gebirgsjager]

If I was a bad guy the mother-in-law would be enough to make me look for another target!

DG

[Mk42gunner]

I'll agree that a pump shotgun is a good choice, but it does take a bit of practice to work one smoothly. I cannot count the number of times I have seen people (both sailors and LEO) on my range causing themselves problems by short stroking the fore end.

I have sneaking suspicion that a gas operated semi auto may be a better choice. I've seen way to many failures of a recoil operated gun caused by either a loose hold or lack of weight in the shooter to blankly recommend a recoil operated gun.

Robert

[Winger Ed.]

If I was a bad guy the mother-in-law would be enough to make me look for another target!

DG

That's worse than throwing a cat on someone.

[txbirdman]

I have an old 12 ga Savage tucked away that’s had the barrel cut to 18 1/2” and been retreaded for screw in choke tubes. I keep the mag tube full but the chamber empty with the trigger pulled so I don’t have to fumble for a button in order to rack the slide. One issue is that it takes 2 hands to operate a pump gun effectively. I also have an 1100 Remington 12 ga with a 20” barrel in my bedroom. Once loaded I can operate the 1100 with one hand if necessary

[HWooldridge]

I have a double barrel 12 ga behind the door - no shucking to worry about. 26” barrels, both full choke.

[armoredman]

Disregard