Home defense spoon

[TGTIW]

I'm currently looking to purchase a "home defense" spoon, and have a couple of questions and concerns that I'm hoping to get some feedback on.

Now I know when a subject like this is brought up it comes along with a certain amount of internet toughness, so if we could skip that it would be great. Should a situation arise I don't think I will be shooting trigger fingers off and monkey rolling to safety. I'm more concerned that my wife feels safe when I'm not home.

What would you consider the best option to be? - I already have two dogs. Though they are Standard Poodles, I have no doubt they would lay down their lives to protect my wife and our daughter, people are not necessarily intimidated by them.

I'm looking at a variety of pump spoons, in 12 and 20 gauge. Would you consider a 20 gauge enough? Would a 20, or a 12 for that matter, exit the house should a miss occur?

For those with the spoon option already covered, what is the plan should you need to use one in your house? Do you have hearing protection nearby?

[VincentVega]

Remington 870. Run out of shells you can use it as a club. Whatever you get is only useful if you/she knows how to and is comfortable using it. Go to a range and shoot any and everything you are thinking about.

Hearing protection? What? No.

[J P Stein]

I have found that my shorty, pistol grip 12 (2-7/8 cartridge) gauge scared the crap out of my wife....hurting her hand didn't help either. A long shotgun is too hard to handle in the house, IMO. A 20 (or .410) gauge may be somewhat better in this regard but I have no input there.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

The Remmington 870 is a good choice. So is a Mossberg 550. If you really want to go nuts, get a Saiga 12, but personally I'd use one of the first two for simplicity, ease of operation and less potential for stuff to go wrong.

They're both excellent and a 12-gauge is about as good as you're going to get for a home invasion/defense kind of situation. PRACTICE with it, plan ahead (angles, sight lines, what's beyond for a particular shot, etc.)

[flipper35]

3" chambered Judge with 000?

[iplagolf]

Get a good light weight 12 GA with a short barrel length (riot type) 6 to 8 shell capacity. The bore should be wide open. You want to take out everything 10 to 12 feet in front of you. 00 buck is good #2 is good close up too. Both of you learn to shoot it and be comfortable with it. No ear protection, you need to hear the perp.

[HardDrive]

No hearing protection. My go to gun is a Sig Saur 226, .40.

I have a Smith and Wesson .38 next to it as a back up. Might make a good gun for your wife. Very simple to operate, no fiddling with the magazine, action. Mines hammerless.

[Don Ro]

Pelican Search is your friend:
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Home defense spoons?
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My post is #20.
I would suggest that you run a few boxes through it to get acquainted w/its quirks in that particular config.
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Ear protection? That will be the least of your concerns...you'll want to hear everything you can.

[RWebb]

you want to practice what the guys in the embassy defense business practice -- the transition from using a sidearm to hand to hand combat

[aigel]

The shotgun is a good idea as aiming and handling it is pretty easy. However, how strong is the wife? Handling a 12 gauge even with a light load is not something I'd expect from a petite lady.

A 20 gauge will work as well and reduce recoil. Even better would be a semi-auto to further reduce recoil, but that adds complexity.

I would not go with a pistol grip - maybe a 20 gauge with a youth stock if the wife is a smaller frame. The barrel absolutely needs to be short for the weapon to be useful in tight quarters. 18.5 inches is usually what is offered as 18" is the legal limit.

Loads I would stay light with a #2 pellet. This will not penetrate walls a few feet away but still take anyone out of commission that gets hit by it up to 15 yards out.

If the shotgun isn't going to work, a simple 5 shot .38 with a light self defense round may do the trick too.

At any rate, make sure you practice!

Hope this helps.

G

[Tim Hancock]

Where we live, we do not worry too much about burgulars breaking into our house while we are home, but I keep a loaded 18" barreled simple Mossberg pump shotgun with cheap folding stock and a flashlight mounted on it by the bed. It gets used mainly by me for dispatching varmints at night, but my wife knows how to use it.

If I lived in a high crime area, I would likely keep a couple loaded simple to use handguns positioned in different rooms of the house..... something simple to operate like a Glock or a revolver so that my wife could simply pick it up and squeeze the trigger. My wife and kids ALWAYS treat every gun like it is loaded and cocked, so keeping loaded guns in the house that are ready to be instantly used has never been an issue with my family. YMMV

[Head416]

Go with a 20 guage pump, possibly a youth model. My wife can barely lift my full size 870. Load it with 00 buck and yes, it will go through walls. But you need something that can go through bad guys so not many options there.

I don't think handguns are a good option if you don't train with them. The short sight radius (think barrel length of handgun vs shotgun) and tendency to flinch and/or jerk the trigger just make it to easy to miss with a handgun if you have limited experience and are under stress.

[And when I say train I don't mean shoot it a couple times a year. I mean train to the point that it's like second nature, and keep that training up on a regular basis. A new shooter just shooting a handgun a couple times won't be prepared for a real self defense scenario. Having said that, anything is better than nothing.]

[Head416]

FYI even #8 bird shot will penetrate drywall, so don't load with birdshot and think all your damage will be limited to the room you're in. I recommend something bigger like #4 buck at a minimum.

[targa911S]

yawn....yes 20 ga. pump. 870 or 550 500. Short stock short barrel. remember that 18" is the Federal barrel requirement but 30" LOA is important too. They WILL bust you for that. Or pay for the tax stamp, get screened for a class 3 weapon permit and buy one of these. Super Shorty

[Rick V]

Originally Posted by VincentVega

Remington 870. Run out of shells you can use it as a club. Whatever you get is only useful if you/she knows how to and is comfortable using it. Go to a range and shoot any and everything you are thinking about.

Hearing protection? What? No.

Tis what I use..

[azasadny]

I'm a fan of the Remington 870 (pump) and 1187 (semi-auto) shotguns in 12 or 20 gauge. Practice with it and keep it in a safe place that you can get to and keep the safety "off"!

[Groesbeck Hurricane]

I'm the type of person who likes old school.

Have you and your wife ever shot anything?

What is the ultimate purpose of the spoon? (Home defense)

Do you have a primary or back-up plan? (Standard poodles, breed originally was working dogs and a well bred animal will provide primary protection or at the least a warning, this will deter MOST intruders)

Are you in an area that allows for concealed/open carry, are you planning on carrying?

Hearing protection is a good thought, ALWAYS wear it when practicing. You will not have the chance to put it on in an emergency, you will also not notice the noise until AFTER the situation is over and you notice your ears are ringing. Such is life.

IF one of you is scared of the kick you will NOT want to use the tool. Of course, in an emergency situation you will not notice the kick at the time.

Shotguns can be a fine choice however they can be hard to get around a corner and are easier to take away from you.

Semi-auto handguns are all the rage. They may or may not be your best choice. Most people, not all but most, are less accurate with the semi-auto and tend to throw lead around in an emergency. They are also prone to more malfunctions though many will say they are not.

Revolvers are most reliable. You can also search out options for revolvers with shot rounds. The .357 can shoot either the magnums or .38 special (including +P). There is a rather interesting shot round in .38 special that does a nice close spread and will put a person down.

Do not believe all the hype about larger is better. You are not hunting elephants. The lowly .22LR round can permanently ruin a person's day. A .30 caliber will go through an engine block. A 9mm FMJ can travel through your walls, but so can many other calibers.

Take your wife down and shoot several options. If you provide the ammo some people will allow you to try theirs out. From my experience, limited though it is, most women prefer to start off with the .38 special in either a larger or .357 frame. Less kick and they can be deadly accurate. Make sure the frame fits her hands as well as yours!

[MotoSook]

870 with Magpul furniture.

http://store.magpul.com/product/MAG460/shotgun

[legion]

The best gun for home defense? It is the one that the person who needs to use it is comfortable and proficient with.

I will say that shotguns can generally be wielded with less practice than a handgun, but I wouldn't use anything without practice.

Don't rule out the light end of the spectrum either. .22 Magnum and .410 are very effective at close ranges, which accounts for most indoors confrontations. (It is my personal belief that .22 Long Rifle is too light for all but target practice.)

[pwd72s]

COMBAT FIRING WITH HAND GUNS - YouTube