[fred cook]

I don't particularly like shooting a 12 gauge (prefer a 20 ga) but I keep a Remington 870 handy with several OO buck rounds in a stock mounted bandolier. I don't keep it loaded but can have it up and running in seconds! I also keep a 9mm close to the bed for immediate use if needed. My wife likes the 38 revolver with 2 rds of snake shot and then 3 more of the nasty hollow point bad boys. Bottom line is that whatever you have is better than nothing! Another choice for someone sensitive to recoil/noise would be a Ruger PCC in 9mm. They can be set up to use Glock mags with 17 to 33 rds available. Not too heavy, not too long but quite accurate. "You must choose wisely, grasshopper"!