Personally I have both a shotgun and a pistol at the ready at pretty much all times. The Remington 870 sits next to the bed at all times and I always have a .45 on the nightstand. I don't really discriminate..........I just choose according to the amount of noise.
(BTW...sometimes it is just the cat :xeye: sometimes it is just "WTF" factor,)
Though the shotgun is probably the ultimate home defense weapon, I wouldn't expect to be outgunned while wielding my .40 carbine. The carbine has decent stopping power in its .40 cal ammunition, while being more accurate than a pistol and certainly not as blatantly overpowered as a more powerful rifle.
As such, I'd be happy with either my carbine or a shotgun, whichever I could get to quicker.
I would have to say pistol. Unless the carbine or shotgun was a ultra shorty or had a folder and pistol grip. To long otherwise when trying to clear rooms...
JMO :
Well, I live in an apartment. I do not own a shotgun (yet) But I own many handguns, and AR and SKS. So with these options I go for a handgun for HD. I do not want to be sending 556 or x39 through the walls to the neighbors.
a) Over penetration is less likely (dependant on the shells you use).
b) with pistol grip/folder and shorter barrel version its easily swingable inside a house/hallway and you still have a secure two-handed grip on the firearm.
c) ... "some countries" don't allow their citizens access to pistols.
d) You have the choice of using less than lethal loads (I know thats a whole thread of arguing in itself there - but at least its an option with a shotty) and/or making the first round a warning load.
e) Nothing talks louder or says "I'm well armed and you need to get the hell out of my house now" more eloquently than a nice meaty ***ChA-CHuNK*** of a shotgun action being racked.
Kinda the rattlesnake of the firearms family.
I voted for pistol and shotgun. Not sure if it registered my vote that way or not.
It depends on the overall situation. If it is entirely happening inside the house then a pistol. Easier to move about, shoot around objects and corners.
If it spills over to the outside or even starts outside on your property then a shotgun would be a much better choice. Better accuracy and range. More firepower in every aspect.
When pressed to choose one, I chose shotgun. I've found the learning curve on handgun usage to be steeper than a shotgun for basic proficiency. As a firearms noob, I found a shotgun easier to aim and fire with some backyard practice.
Pistol and shotgun. I have the pistol handy by the bed and is the first thing I grab if I hear something. The pistol is just handier for negotiating corners and narrow hallways. I have a shotgun at the ready, but it's really more of an escalation of force weapon if something is going on outside.
I'm going to have to say pistol is best. Here's why:
1. High ammo capacity is easily double that of any shotgun and reloads are very fast by just slapping in a new magazine.
2. Fast follow up shots.
3. Most maneuverable in an indoor environment.
4. Overpenetration is a problem with any defense capable weapon. Buckshot will penetrate several layers of drywall, slugs much more, and there are several pellets to disperse and increase risk to others. Pistol has one bullet to worry about.
5. Pistol is handier and quicker to grab and have ready to fire. My "nightstand" pistols are all DA/SA with one in the chamber.
If I hear glass break or a door jamb splinter:
911 first- leave the phone connected, put it on speaker phone if you can.
next comes the sound of a round being jacked into the 870
(the Glock is already at hand)
Loud challenge from cover. "Drop you weapons! Identify yourself! Don't move!
Maintain cover until the cavalry arrives (pretty quick in my town)
shoot as a last resort and then, only when you have positively identified the target as hostile.
Shotgun ... because if someone breaks into my home, where my wife and child reside, while I am here, then I intend to throw down and turn medieval on their @$$. I'll have no problems unleashing my wicked pent-up temper on them in that situation and nothing would serve my needs better than the tool known as a shotgun.
Besides, I'm getting older and I do not see as well as I used to unless I have my contacts in or my glasses on ... a shotgun helps compensate for that in certain ways.
Shotgun ... because if someone breaks into my home, where my wife and child reside, while I am here, then I intend to throw down and turn medieval on their @$$.
Handgun, for me it's a 1911 Colt in 45acp
Someone posted that you keep your handgun locked because of children? I never understood that, at all. When my daughter was young, I told her where I kept my then .357 and like other things of mine, that this was hands off, and that this was extremely dangerous. 'nough said. These kids of yours, they don't listen?
Shotgun backed up by a pistol which is backed up by a good sheath knife for inside work. For outside or longer range work, I'd go with a good tactical rifle backed up by a pistol backed up by a sheath knife. The rifle would probably be a scoped AK that shoots 7.62 X 39 ammo.
pistol, i vote pistol (1911) over the shotgun because its just easier to clear a room with a pistol than a shotty. more handy too, u can take the pistol from the bedroom to the couch cushion in the living room, unless u got kids.
Unless you live on your own land and the nearest neighbor is a mile away on all sides, the pump shotgun loaded with slugs and #7 is the tool of choice for confronting intruders, in accordance with your local laws, of course. If they don't heed the sound of cocking that SOB, they will indeed recognize their own entrails splattered on the wall behind them.
The pistol is use to get to the long gun.. i would use my pistol until i could get to my .40carbine rifle or my shotgun.. Racking the action on a pump action shotgun would put the fear into anyone...
a shotgun doesnt manuver inside like a pistol, if the fight goes outside than yes by all means, rifle/shotgun. and u cant count on a the sound of a shotgun chambering to do ****.
i actually talked to a guy who was a convicted felon (for b&e gta and robbery) and flat out asked him if he would rob a house if he knew the owner was armed and he said F*** no then i asked him what he would do if he was in a house and heard a shotgun slide getting racked and he said put my hands up and pi** my pants
very insightful conversation
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