Home Defense - Handgun or Shotgun

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In your opinion, which is a better home defense gun?

  • Handgun

    Votes: 77 30.2%
  • Shotgun

    Votes: 178 69.8%

  • Total voters
    255

SMS

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I have been known to be able to turn a door knob with something small in my hand, maybe something as small as my flashlight, you could probably do it to with a little effort. :)

True, I know my house better than in intruder, especially in the dark, I know my house is dark, so if I had kids I woudn't go shooting at things that move without knowing what or who it was, a flashlight is a good idea, but not on the end of a shotgun, that's all I'm saying. I didn't know I would be critiqued so much. That's just what I read in a magazine about this very topic.

Whatever works for you, works for you...just make sure you have on the tacticool drawers that Shooter00 mentioned...LOL. My point was that carrying a light in one hand and a pistol in the other doesn't make one hand any more free than carrying a long gun.

No poking the shotgun OR pistol around the corner...slice the pie baby!
 

shotty

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Shotgun may be the way to go, but only if you've shot it some and know how to work the slide and the safety. Most the women and some men I've introduced to firearms for home defense were very imtimidated by the shot gun and often didn't shoot it well or like all the noise and recoil. By comparision most of them shot a simple Mod 10 revolver 38 very well and acheiving 6 center mass hits @ 15 yards after a couple of sessions. I think the revolver is the way to go. Not a snub, but a 4inch barrel and a 38.
 

WhiteyMacD

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All I will say, if I was a BG, the sound of a shotgun being racked is a little more apt to making me crap myself than hearing a slide slap forward. They dont have to be a good shot with a shotty to put a serious hurt on me.
 

dennishoddy

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All I will say, if I was a BG, the sound of a shotgun being racked is a little more apt to making me crap myself than hearing a slide slap forward. They dont have to be a good shot with a shotty to put a serious hurt on me.

Why would one want to rack a pump or close a slide when a percieved threat is in the home?
Would this not give away your position, and for me, with no kids in the home, all of my guns are loaded at all times.

Just something to consider, In our house, I use the LED night lights placed around the house that will show the shadow of anybody in a room that I'm not in. We have tested these, and if I have to go to the den or frontroom and one of those lights is not working, that is were my intruder will be standing.
 

Repubiman

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I just keep a .45 on the night stand.

However, choosing between a shotgun or handgun got me to thinking.
I have a Tarus 4410 that will shoot .45 long colt and/or .410 shells. I'm
thinking it make an awesome home defense gun loaded with maybe some
#4 shot .410 shotgun shells. That would give you a safer load for in the home
and a shorter barrel to poke around the corners with.
 

CASTRATE

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i keep the scatter gun close with 8 slugs.the fottie is also close, as well as the ol' lady's handgun, and the AR.we've had a lot of close calls living in tulsa, so we keep a lot of firepower close
 

dennishoddy

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I just keep a .45 on the night stand.

However, choosing between a shotgun or handgun got me to thinking.
I have a Tarus 4410 that will shoot .45 long colt and/or .410 shells. I'm
thinking it make an awesome home defense gun loaded with maybe some
#4 shot .410 shotgun shells. That would give you a safer load for in the home
and a shorter barrel to poke around the corners with.

I have a Stainless Judge 3X3. I did a pretty extensive test that I posted on here awhile back with pics. I came to the conclusion that shooting birdshot, or even the OOO rounds made for a long barrel shotgun do not generate the velocities needed for good penetration, as the majority of the slow burning powder was being burned out the end of the barrel. The OOO buck rounds flattened out before leaving the barrel,and flew all over the place with the lead being too soft.

BUT! Holy Bejesus somebody at Federal was listening to our complaints, and they have recently came out with the OOObuck round in a 2 1/2" that has copper coated hard shot that stays round out the barrel, and has a fast burning powder designed for a short barrel. In a little preliminary testing at the farm last weekend, I have an old wooden shed, and using the OOO buck rounds designed for a long barrel, at 7 yds, I got a 2' pattern with some of holes being round, and others a rectangle, telling me they were flat and some had gone thru the wall sideways. None penetrated the other side of the shed.

With the new Federal OOO buck, I used the same 7 yd distance but shot into the building at a 45 degree angle. It maintained a group of less than 1" with all of the pellets, and went through both sides of the barn. leaving perfectly round holes.

"Federal states the 000 contains four pellets that penetrate to a depth of up to 15″ in bare gelatin. The #4 pellets (approximately 10) penetrate to a depth of up to 6″.
 

shooterdc9

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I saw this question posed on another forum but really didn't care for the responses. I would rather hear from my fellow Okies because your opinions are more regarded than someone I dont' know from "whoknowswhere".

BC
Burklee, I think, hands down, a shotgun. But, with that said, I also have and will use the trusty handgun. I feel that if you do use a shotgun, use a pump shotgun so the intruder can really HEAR the shell going into the chamber as you pump it. That also would and could be a deterrent to the intruder.

I use both. I found a system that fits inbetween the matress and box spring. It's a piece of flat pressed metal painted black and formed into an "L". You velcro the long piece on top of the box springs which leaves a thin short piece standing up straight. Attach a molded holster such as a slide holster which is designed to fit it. Keep in mind the holster is included with two sizes provided, one for the smaller gun and one for a full size. That's how simple it is. I found this setup on the NRA web site. Very inexpensive.

As far as the shotgun, I have a Mossberg 500 12ga. pump. I found the short barrel for it, took off the long barrel and put on the short barrel and voila, the perfect home protection system. The short barrel helps much, much more inside a small area like your home.

So I have one handgun right next to me in between the matress and box spring right up in the area of my hand when I am laying down and one across the room hidden behind the bedroom door locked and loaded. :rubhands:
 

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