Of all the "Home Defense" weapons one might think of only the Shotgun can really do it all. In times of civil unrest or disorder even law enforcement turns to this as their ace in the hole. If you ride "shotgun" on the west bound stage a double barrel might do. If you need to take on the "TERMINATOR" a semi automatic might be the right tool, but for everything else the PUMP gun is King.The 12 Gauge pump shotgun has the reputation (deserved or not) as the ultimate man stopper. Lets face it, this particular weapon can drop a Grizzly Bear at close range, what chance does a man have?
The Pump - Trombone - Slide - Jerk gun, whatever you call it, is a dependable and formidable weapon to keep in your home battery.
Many styles of "pump" guns have been developed over the years. The configuration of these weapons was based on user preferences, sites, stock, finish and so on. But the barrel of a 12 gauge is pretty much a pipe. A 12 Gauge is roughly 75 Caliber or 18.5 mm, the "choke" or muzzle constriction imparts a desired "pattern" to the shot as it exits the weapon. Commonly these are "FULL" which is the tightest pattern and will hold the cloud of pellets together longer for greater range. "MODIFIED" is a bit wider for mid ranged or faster cross flying targets and "IMPROVED" which is wider still for shots in dense cover where targets will be very close.
But none of this really matters to the defensive shooter. The choke you will most likely want is ...none, cylinder bore, wide open. Here the ammo you use is what dictates your shooting options.
Styles and makes of scatter guns vary like any other firearm, but I urge you not to make more of it then it needs to be. Keep it simple and you wont go wrong. Weapons with allot of bells and whistles on them tend to be problematic to non professional "civilian" type shooters. Oh sure they look cool and I see every one use em in the movies but unless you plan to practise much and that goes for family as well, the plain Jane pumps will serve you best.
Extended magazine tubes, shell carriers, slings and pistol grips all have their place IF you know how to use them. Putting a tactical light on your weapon might only show a perpetrator your location if you don't know how and when to use it. Lasers on shotguns are just stupid....there I said it, it's like plowing a field with a scalpel, to put such a site on a non surgical weapon is nothing more then Hollywood hype.
The one thing you will notice I do fully approve of and consider standard on any home defense shotgun is an extended magazine tube. sure this is not Beirut, but when the wolf is at your door and he brought friends, you'll want that extra round or two.
Shot size is what you need to consider now. Every one I know will say good old OO buck. Ever since Steve McQueen shot up that police car in "THE GETAWAY" every body wanted OO buck in their pump guns. OK it was a cool scene, but reality dictates that the more stuff flying through the air, the better your chances of hitting something. That's not to say you should go out and stock up on 8 Shot. That's just it. You need to find the right combination of shot size - number of pellets in the round- and practical expected distance / pattern of the round. Add to this you must have knock down power over the greatest number of "perceived" contacts ranges and you really have allot of work to do. I for one hate math.
Shotgun shells although many and diverse can be broken down into three categories, Bird - Buck and Ball.
Bird shot is the finest and holds a great number of small pellets. Buck shot holds fewer projectiles but they are of a larger caliber, more suited to taking larger game. Ball or "slug" is a single projectile like a large caliber bullet. These fly farther , hit harder and do incredible damage BUT you lose the scatter properties of your scatter gun.
Although I think you should have a mixture of shot sizes to suit your needs, such as hunting for game, I found after testing many types and sizes that for home defense NUMBER 4 BUCK (not #4 Bird) is the best all around shot size.
It is dense enough for distant shots, groups into a deadly pattern at threat distances, and has good stopping power. Number 4 Buck has excellent penetration through standard building material and has great "skip" firing characteristics. Which means it can be used to bounce shots off of pavement, walls, automobiles etc. this is an important consideration in an urban environment.
Now the exception to the rule:
The 410 bore shotgun. This diminutive little scatter gun is perfect for younger family members both as a trainer and as a fast handling low recoil close range defense weapon. Don't laugh and for God's sake don't step out in front of one, the 410 may be small by comparison but it will flatten you out like a puddle of milk.By no means would I chose the 410 over a 12 gauge as my primary scatter gun but as a lite number two for the teens this gun rules. As to the 20 gauge for the wife instead of a 12 gauge I say baloney, a 2 3/4 inch low brass 12 gauge is easy to tolerate and in fact is fun to shoot. Standardize!
The last thing you need is a draw full of mixed gauge shells.
Practice Practice Practice.
remember, rounds do not go where they are wished, they go where they are aimed.
Watch your six
RJ
