Quote:
Originally Posted by tdw28210
Home defense? Get a pump action shotgun. Wifey should be able to handle it as long as it is not a 10 gauge. Hell, just racking it will stop most intruders. Plus you don't have to be an expert shot to hit your target.
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I am not a big fan of simply having a shotgun for home defense. First and foremost, if in a home defense situation you are pinned behind a bed or behind a bookcase, it becomes very difficult to aquire a target with a long gun. Granted, a shotgun doesn't need pin-point accuracy, but it does have to be pointed in the general direction of a perp. Try this: take a 3 foot long piece of 2x4 and hide behind your bed. Now take that 2x4 and aim it at your bedroom door. While this can be done, how much of your body did you expose when doing this? Repeat with a 6-inch long piece of 2x4. A lot easier to do this while keeping your body behind your cover. Another thing to try is to hide behind a bookshelf where your dominant hand is on the inner side of the bookshelf. How are you going to aquire your target without fully exposing your body? ( when at the range, it is essential to also practice shooting with your non-dominant hand, but I digress...)
Second - if the perp also has a firearm or weapon, and manages to wound one of your hands, how are you going to take aim and pull the trigger on a shotgun with one hand? If you have a pump action shot gun, how are you going to charge the firearm once you've managed to fire a round - with just one hand? Sure - the movies show how easy it is to rack a shotgun with one hand - but try it without practice - and it isn't as easy as it seems.
Third - the notion that just racking a shotgun will stop most perps -- if that is your thought, then I suggest you NOT get a firearm for home defense.
If you have a firearm for home defense, you MUST be ready and willing to use it. That means you have to come to terms with the consequences of that action before the situation even comes to light. Racking the slide should not be considered a deterrant, but rather a means of having your firearm ready for action. What if your racking the slide of a shotgun is matched by the racking of multiple guns by multiple perpetrators who have entered your home? This is an ethical and moral decision you must make before owning a firearm for home defense. We are talking about killing another human being, after all. A better warning to a perp is to shout loudly these four sentences:
WHO ARE YOU?
GET OUT!
THE POLICE ARE COMING!
I HAVE A GUN!
I believe that gets the message across far clearer than the clickety-clack of a shotgun.
As always - one size does not fit all, your mileage may vary, enter at your own risk, and objects in mirror are larger than they appear...
My $0.42,
-Z-man.