Self defense shotgun for the missus.

[firewire]

Well respected Massad Ayoob recommends 20ga.
http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/ayoob120.html

You can buy a $300 870 from walmart then cut the 21" barrel to 18" and replace the stock with a birdshead grip for a very comfortable shooting and easy to handle shotgun.

 

[Erick]

Personally I'm not a fan of shotguns for home defense with the exception of maybe a 20 gauge but even then. If you live somewhere where a load of buckshot can go through an interior wall, exterior wall or both without endangering other people then it's an option but otherwise I don't use them. Too many people have been brainwashed into thinking a shotgun will magically get rid of bad guys by racking the slide or sheer intimidation or because a shotgun is a general point and shoot gun that doesn't require aiming like a rifle or handgun and it's all totally false.

I find them bad choices for women especially because they do kick harder than other options, reloading is slow and they are long and difficult to move through a house without a lot of specific training. If you live where over penetration isn't an issue and she's comfortable with the recoil of buckshot (birdshot is not an option in any form) and she's well trained/skilled in reloading on the fly and proper operation and understands a shotgun doesn't really have any of the mystical powers attributed to them, then go for it but I suspect with her limited knowledge of guns she's suffering from the shotgun brainwashing and wouldn't want one for home defense if she knew better.

If she's not comfortable with a handgun, a lightweight AR using ammo designed not to go through multiple walls like Hornady TAP (I HIGHLY recommend Hornady TAP as THE home defense ammo). Most people think an AR is going to send rounds through the bad guy and out through the wall and into something they don't want to hit and with other ammo, that is a real possibility but Hornady TAP is far different stuff. It's the best home defense ammo available for the AR and it won't penetrate walls as far as a 9mm, .40S&W or .45acp. Check out the various YouTube videos on penetration of handgun calibers vs AR's using Hornady TAP, it'll amaze you. You can build/buy a lightweight AR15 that will recoil less, weigh less, offer far more capacity, much easier to reload and give you a far safer environment in respect to the over penetration.

Just my opinion...

I agree with Brandi. For many reasons, the AR makes sense for home defense over a shotgun, especially for women. Practically no recoil, easy to operate, 30 rd capacity, fast reload and now they are reasonably inexpensive.

If you are going with a shotgun, either recommended pump will be great but I would also add a Benelli Nova. The semi auto will be lighter recoil. I would certainly stick with a 20 gauge.

 

[henschman]

I don't have much to add that Brandi didn't already say. A 5.56 AR is a better home defense option, especially for a woman. A semi auto shotgun would be your next best bet. I would not recommend a pump. They are easy to short stroke in a stressful moment, especially for someone with little experience, and even more so if you're of small stature. Plus of course they're slower to fire. Whatever you get, a quality red dot sight is the way to go for home defense.

 

[ProBusiness]

I was just wondering the size of your wife.

I find a shotgun punishing and I am 6.3 and 245. They just kick.

If she can handle a shotgun then good.

Pumps kick more than a semi-auto and like has been said. Short stroking can happen especially during an adreline dump.

In my classes I find very few women that like to shoot a shotgun.

 

[JEEPr]

She is 5'9". We have done a little trap shooting with her with my Rem 1100 20 ga. After a couple of boxes of shells she was done. That's the shotgun currently in play. I get the points about an AR. Unfortunately my budget is the primary decision maker in this venture. I want something simple, reliable, and relatively easy to use. That's why I am leaning towards a shotgun. I've had my wife handle an AR, she has shot my SKS and is familiar with my 1911. For my wife in her own words she is drawn to simplicity, that's what she wants. I suggested an AR and she believes it is too complicated. She has expressed interest in a shotgun. As we all know if you are uncomfortable shooting something it affects your mindset, especially in an stress filled environment. I want to provide something easy to use, easily to deploy in a stressed environment, and easy to activate if needed.

 

[SigInBoots]

Shooting from the hip for defense rather than the shoulder makes handling any shotgun easier for smaller people and women. You're aiming for center mass anyway. No problems with my 12 gauge Remington 870 or Mossberg 590, but prefer the Mossberg due to higher shell capacity. Loaded with Winchester PDX ammo rather than straight buckshot in order to minimize the likelihood of overpenetration but still stop an attack with a single shot.

If you're reloading a shotgun in a gun fight, you're doing it wrong.

 

[ProBusiness]

She is 5'9". We have done a little trap shooting with her with my Rem 1100 20 ga. After a couple of boxes of shells she was done. That's the shotgun currently in play. I get the points about an AR. Unfortunately my budget is the primary decision maker in this venture. I want something simple, reliable, and relatively easy to use. That's why I am leaning towards a shotgun. I've had my wife handle an AR, she has shot my SKS and is familiar with my 1911. For my wife in her own words she is drawn to simplicity, that's what she wants. I suggested an AR and she believes it is too complicated. She has expressed interest in a shotgun. As we all know if you are uncomfortable shooting something it affects your mindset, especially in an stress filled environment. I want to provide something easy to use, easily to deploy in a stressed environment, and easy to activate if needed.

i have a 1100 20 gauge, it shoots pretty light. i like it, not much recoil. IMO a whole lot less kick than a 12 gauge. could you guy a short barrel for the 1100? make it more manageable in the home? barrels can be $180 last i looked.

 

[ProBusiness]

concerning recoil which is always an issue for me, i shot a gun with a afer market recoil reducing stock, and man did it work. it turned the 12 guage 870 into a 20 gauge. i cannot remember the brand of the stock but the guy said he got the last one. kind of expensive but an option if a person is bothered with recoil.

shotguns are devistating for home defense. if you shoot a guy with three bullets from a 9 mm he has 3, .357 caliber bullets in him. if you shoot a guy with 3, 2 3/4 shells - 00 buck, he has 27 - .33.8 caliber bullets in him.

a student of mine who is a nurse at St. Francis said she had treated several guys with shotgun woulds from brid shot. she said very messy but they lived.

 

[D V US]

Check out the Tri-Star Raptor. It's made in Turkey yes, but I fell in love with it. 18 1/2 inch barrel, rubber pistol grip, semi-auto 2 3/4 and 3 inch shells, lightweight and easy to handle and shoot. My little 14 year old daughter loves shooting it as well. And best of all I paid $275 new for it. And it uses Benelli\Beretta choke tubes. Mine handles trap loads to 3 inch turkey loads without a hitch.

 

[Grindstone]

She is 5'9". We have done a little trap shooting with her with my Rem 1100 20 ga. After a couple of boxes of shells she was done. That's the shotgun currently in play. I get the points about an AR. Unfortunately my budget is the primary decision maker in this venture. I want something simple, reliable, and relatively easy to use. That's why I am leaning towards a shotgun. I've had my wife handle an AR, she has shot my SKS and is familiar with my 1911. For my wife in her own words she is drawn to simplicity, that's what she wants. I suggested an AR and she believes it is too complicated. She has expressed interest in a shotgun. As we all know if you are uncomfortable shooting something it affects your mindset, especially in an stress filled environment. I want to provide something easy to use, easily to deploy in a stressed environment, and easy to activate if needed.

If you're using a couple boxes of shells in a home defense situation, you might want to look for something more... belt-fed.