Shotgun for HD

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TedKennedy

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I have a 20ga 870 Tactical. It is loaded with Remington #3 Buckshot 2 3/4in shell w/20 pellets. From my front door to my bedroom is a straight 13yd shot. All the bedrooms are behind me, back wall by FD is garage. Tell me why I'm wrong or right with this set up, and tell me what and why you use for HD.

Good setup.
My HD is:
Crazy Malanois, Meat Cleaver. I don't believe in killing, so my plan is not to shoot, just horribly disfigure.
 

Shriner

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Back when I worked for Texaco in oil change shop and we had started doing safety insp the OHP would check our logbooks , one afternoon our Female Trooper Freeiad come by pumped because she had just been at a Shotgun course leaning to use a shotgun for Hostage negotiation and though removing a bad guy head sounded neat , I think she was a JarHead
 

tRidiot

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Here is mine:

20200508_133459-X2.jpg
 

zghorner

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300blk AR pistol would be superior in all ways to a shotty IMO.

but to stay on topic...i would take my VEPR12 over any pump gun. saigas suck and need a lot of love to run right 90% of the time. Remington 870 was one of my first loves in this hobby so they will always be special but most do have problems. how many 870 FTE threads can you find on a quick google search? tons. It is easily remedied but the fact proves remington has **** the bed the past few decades.

FIMEVPR-12-04_3.jpg
 

OK Corgi Rancher

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I have a 20ga 870 Tactical. It is loaded with Remington #3 Buckshot 2 3/4in shell w/20 pellets. From my front door to my bedroom is a straight 13yd shot. All the bedrooms are behind me, back wall by FD is garage. Tell me why I'm wrong or right with this set up, and tell me what and why you use for HD.

Lotsa love for shotguns in this thread and that's OK. If it works for you and you're comfortable with it, knock yourself out.

Personally, I find a shotgun will do very little, if anything, an AR or similar carbine won't do. Multiple projectiles in one round is about the only thing and it's debatable whether that's a good thing or not.

From many years of teaching cops how to shoot shotguns and rifles I can say, in my experience anyway, virtually everyone I saw on the range had a far easier time learning the rifle and maintaining proficiency with the rifle over the shotgun. The last agency where I worked for several years didn't even authorize shotguns for normal patrol. SWAT had some and supervisors had access to one in their cars. They did have designated less-lethal shotguns. They'd been carrying ARs since the late 70s.

My reasons for choosing a rifle over a shotgun:
* Accurate up close or far away.
* A quality, defensive rifle round to the torso is at least as effective as a 20 or 12 ga round.
* More ammo.
* Reliability. Shotguns aren't necessarily unreliable...but more manipulation = more chance something can go wrong.
* Less recoil. Very important for some people.
* With less recoil comes faster sight picture recovery and faster follow up shots.
* Usually, not always, shorter, lighter and more maneuverable.
* Like many shotguns, plenty of accessories...lights, sights, etc...

There aren't many downsides to a rifle over a handgun. Maneuverability is about the only thing that comes to mind.

I'll take an AR for home defense, or defense anywhere else it's practicable, over a shotgun every day.
 

dennishoddy

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Lotsa love for shotguns in this thread and that's OK. If it works for you and you're comfortable with it, knock yourself out.

Personally, I find a shotgun will do very little, if anything, an AR or similar carbine won't do. Multiple projectiles in one round is about the only thing and it's debatable whether that's a good thing or not.

From many years of teaching cops how to shoot shotguns and rifles I can say, in my experience anyway, virtually everyone I saw on the range had a far easier time learning the rifle and maintaining proficiency with the rifle over the shotgun. The last agency where I worked for several years didn't even authorize shotguns for normal patrol. SWAT had some and supervisors had access to one in their cars. They did have designated less-lethal shotguns. They'd been carrying ARs since the late 70s.

My reasons for choosing a rifle over a shotgun:
* Accurate up close or far away.
* A quality, defensive rifle round to the torso is at least as effective as a 20 or 12 ga round.
* More ammo.
* Reliability. Shotguns aren't necessarily unreliable...but more manipulation = more chance something can go wrong.
* Less recoil. Very important for some people.
* With less recoil comes faster sight picture recovery and faster follow up shots.
* Usually, not always, shorter, lighter and more maneuverable.
* Like many shotguns, plenty of accessories...lights, sights, etc...

There aren't many downsides to a rifle over a handgun. Maneuverability is about the only thing that comes to mind.

I'll take an AR for home defense, or defense anywhere else it's practicable, over a shotgun every day.

Well thought reasoning. I keep an AR and a pistol at bedside.
Maybe I've overthought it, but if there is a bump in the night that needs to be looked at, I want a pistol to lead the way.
Leading with the barrel of a shotgun or rifle past doorways can be mitigated by the opponent just grabbing the barrel. They have complete control of the firearm at that time. Has that ever happened? I don't know. It's part of my overthinking?
A pistol on the other hand can brought into action with a shorter radius to achieve the point of aim in a close area.
There are folks in this thread that have multitudes of more training that I do, but those are my thoughts and practices.
If wading into a larger area, the rifle would lead the way.
 

OK Corgi Rancher

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Well thought reasoning. I keep an AR and a pistol at bedside.
Maybe I've overthought it, but if there is a bump in the night that needs to be looked at, I want a pistol to lead the way.
Leading with the barrel of a shotgun or rifle past doorways can be mitigated by the opponent just grabbing the barrel. They have complete control of the firearm at that time. Has that ever happened? I don't know. It's part of my overthinking?
A pistol on the other hand can brought into action with a shorter radius to achieve the point of aim in a close area.
There are folks in this thread that have multitudes of more training that I do, but those are my thoughts and practices.
If wading into a larger area, the rifle would lead the way.

Yes...the longer barrel of a rifle makes for an easier grab target. But that becomes a matter of training and practice to mitigate that. And, if someone grabs the barrel of a long gun it's fairly easy to defend. Probably easier than if they manage to grab your handgun.

You might be surprised how little difference there is in where the muzzle of a rifle, shotgun and handgun are in relation to the shooter when shouldered/held in a shooting stance. Almost negligible with a short carbine vs handgun, maybe 5 or 6 inches with a typical defensive shotgun vs handgun.

Training and tactics can overcome this minor downside.

Not to mention, if possible and safe, it might be wise to stay where you are inside your home and call for help on the phone. Nothing says you have to go out wandering about your home if you/your family is safe where you are. If you put yourself into harm's way by leaving a safe location to look for trouble you might just find it.

Don't get me wrong...I'm not being critical of you and your choices, just maybe providing a little food for thought.
 

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