• Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!

Recommend me a shotgun for home protection

Status
Not open for further replies.
Pistols aren't good home defense weapons because the bullet fired from one has a lot more penetrating power than each pellet from a shotgun. A wall will probably stop a shotgun blast, but a stray shot from a pistol can hit someone outside the house.

There's so much misinformation in this thread. It depends on your shotgun load. Sure, a pistol might have more penetration then birdshot, but in a self defense situation you don't want birdshot, you want buckshot or a slug. The latter, especially will punch through several walls. Sometimes you need penetration but should always be mindful of where the bullets will travel.
 
america is a fascinating country.

It really is. Reading through this thread, it's incredible to me that people are talking about going and having a look in their local store. The general attitude to guns is so different to the UK it's crazy, casually talking about gettin a 'good spread' and shit like that.
 
It really is. Reading through this thread, it's incredible to me that people are talking about going and having a look in their local store. The general attitude to guns is so different to the UK it's crazy, casually talking about gettin a 'good spread' and shit like that.

(this country was built by your people)
 
I'm of two minds about this stuff. On one hand, I think many Americans fetishize the idea of "self defense" to a disturbing and unhealthy degree. Seeing this kind of shit bothers me:

phd-311x417.jpg


There's a whole culture built around the fantasy of being able to justifiably kill someone (or just to "get away with it"). You can see this reflected in a lot of American media and entertainment, and it's making the weapons industry a fortune.

On the other hand, I can see certain situations where owning a gun might be justifiable. If I lived way out in the country in an area where cops wouldn't be able to respond quickly, I might feel safer knowing I could protect myself if I absolutely needed to.

But if you're living in the suburbs, just get an alarm system.

I like the door breaching barrel. That will come in handy during a home invasion...
 
I'm interested in the viability of a firearm that is used for protection that is also safely kept away from people in the household who shouldn't have access to it. I would worry more about a kid getting at my gun, than a home invader. And then I wonder how quickly I could get to a weapon that has been properly stashed and locked to be useful in a home invasion situation.

I don't mean to be disparaging at all, these are just thoughts I've had myself about the pros and cons of a firearm in the house. I would probably just get a big dog, personally.

I got one of these from Lowes on a blackfriday sale. It only takes a couple of seconds to open. The keypad disables itself for a couple of minutes after several wrong guesses. It won't keep a determined person with power tools out for long but it's a good balance of accessibility and security with kids.
blkj98G.jpg
 
As an Aussie...i really don't get the the gun culture but i respect that its your right to own one but i do agree that gun control laws need to be tighter over there

when you have one of the worst mass shootings in modern history and the government then bans pretty much any sort of gun that can kill or maim people in quick succession
and then not have one since then....id say gun control works

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_Arthur_massacre_(Australia)

some of the guns they allow in some US states are not really self defense but are simply a device to turn human limbs into chunks

i understand its embedded deep within the culture but surely some of you americans can see the silly logic behind arming everyone with more guns to stop more shootings??
 
OP if you live with other people want a shotgun but I forget what kinda of shells so it doesn't go through drywall as easy to injury roommates incase you have to fire it in the house. Pistols are harder to hit the target and will go through drywall way easier. I took a home defense class but haven't bought a shotgun yet.
 
OP if you live with other people want a shotgun but I forget what kinda of shells so it doesn't go through drywall as easy to injury roommates incase you have to fire it in the house. Pistols are harder to hit the target and will go through drywall way easier. I took a home defense class but haven't bought a shotgun yet.

I believe he would want birdshot depending on walls. Don't want slugs =).

9mm ammo would go through drywall and keep going, possibly into the neighbors house.
 
This thread is hilarious :lol

Don't think I've ever seen a gun in person.

I live in the UK, the only real gun I've ever seen is carried by special armed unit of the police, usually in airports and major train terminals.

The average American is more readily armed than a bobby on the beat (regular police) in the UK

That is a chilling thought
 
As an Aussie...i really don't get the the gun culture but i respect that its your right to own one but i do agree that gun control laws need to be tighter over there

when you have one of the worst mass shootings in modern history and the government then bans pretty much any sort of gun that can kill or maim people in quick succession
and then not have one since then....id say gun control works

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_Arthur_massacre_(Australia)

some of the guns they allow in some US states are not really self defense but are simply a device to turn human limbs into chunks

i understand its embedded deep within the culture but surely some of you americans can see the silly logic behind arming everyone with more guns to stop more shootings??

The people in this thread are not arguing against that logic. The gun owners in this thread are not supporting willy nilly gun laws. Nor are they getting guns to fight people with other guns. You don't get a gun in America because you think everyone is armed. You get a gun in America because there are deeply ingrained social constructs here that force people into desperation.

Poverty, drugs, lack of upward mobility, mental disease, and the sense of entitlement every American has drilled into them all lead to instances of people, from a population of 300 million, doing bad shit. I'm not afraid of the stereotypical trench coat kid or gang member, I'm afraid of the guy with two kids who loses his job and thinks this is it, I have to go crazy and do crazy shit because there is no system in place here to help. Or at least help expeditiously, as this country is just fucking huge.

People do bad shit to one another in this country, plain and simple. Guns aren't the reason why. Guns just help you sleep at night a little better if you do live in an area where there's more people who have a need to be desperate. Or, like the link I posted last page, it doesn't matter where you live and crazy shit will just always happen.
 
I recommend the Mossy 500.


I technically have a shotgun for home defense but it's my trap gun. I keep a box of 00 buck in my dresser if I ever need to use it.

I also own an XDS .45 which I keep on my nightstand and have a license to carry it so the shotgun would be my second option.
 
Why do you need a shotgun for home protection? Wouldn't a handgun or two suffice?

Depends on who you ask. Ammo that is used in handguns would penetrate walls easily and can harm people outside or inside your home in other rooms. A shotgun you can load with different types of rounds that will have a harder time penetrating walls. But they can be cumbersome and hard to work with. Something along the lines of a Mossberg 500 Flex that can change the stock and barrel to shorten it.
 
As an Aussie...i really don't get the the gun culture but i respect that its your right to own one but i do agree that gun control laws need to be tighter over there

when you have one of the worst mass shootings in modern history and the government then bans pretty much any sort of gun that can kill or maim people in quick succession
and then not have one since then....id say gun control works

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_Arthur_massacre_(Australia)

some of the guns they allow in some US states are not really self defense but are simply a device to turn human limbs into chunks

i understand its embedded deep within the culture but surely some of you americans can see the silly logic behind arming everyone with more guns to stop more shootings??

It is great that everything worked out for Australia. I am happy for you guys.

But things don't happen here like that. We've had bad shootings and nothing has been done about it. And until things change and until the government figures out a way to keep firearms out of the hands of criminals, my family and I will continue to own firearms for defensive reasons.

It might seem silly to everybody else for some people to continue arming themselves, but the question is why not? My not buying a shotgun for home defense is not going to prevent a criminal from getting one. My neighbor not owning a pistol is not going to tell some potential home invader to rethink his or her actions and not obtain a weapon.

I do not know what they are thinking and I would prefer to err on the side of caution. Owning firearms is not required for a good chunk of Americans, but who am I to question what they want to do when you have news stories like the ones posted a few times in here? Where robberies turn into rapes which turn into murders?

Do things need to change? Yes. Should they? Yes. Will they? Not any time soon. I'm not going to become some type of keyboard pacifist in the hopes of it happening. I will continue to vote for people who know what they are doing in the hopes that they enact some type of legislation that will help curb the problem, but beyond that I am still going to buy firearms. I grew up around them, I enjoy having them, I have fun shooting them, and I plan on having quite a collection within the next few years. One of them will probably end up being a specialized home defense weapon. And until I see things change with the policies of our country, for better or worse, that will not change.
 
I hate to bring this into the conversation but I really think one of the key issues here comes down to cops carrying guns. I understand this is essentially a catch-22 situation but it certainly explains some of the rationale for criminals to acquire weapons, and therefore homeowners too.

Countries with unarmed police forces, I suspect, have fewer instances of gun crime. Pointing weapons at each other doesn't solve the problem. It sustains the problem. The core issue is far more complex and isn't addressed with enough importance in today's society.

All cops in Australia carry guns, very few ever have a need to use them, largely because they know they will very rarely encounter anyone with a gun themselves; they only really carry guns as a last resort.

I would suggest a part of the reason US police shoot so many people is largely because there is a significantly higher chance people they come across will possess a gun, which makes them jumpy. If someone acts nervous, reaches over in there car or fidgets with thier clothes in the US its seems you stand a greater chance of being fired on. In Australia with so few people having guns, if there is someone who wont comply or goes for a weapon, its usually no worse than a knife, meaning the police can give themselves a wider berth giving them time to assess the situation as opposed to if someone had a gun and the police seemingly just being ready to be the fire one to fire off a shot.

We do have guns, and we do have gun crime. But the key point is that during a random stop, police will very likely never encounter someone with a gun on them. The only real shootings we get are from biker gangs targeting one another, there is next to no random gun crime, there is usually a reason that can be attributed to it and the assailants will be known to the victim. Gun stand offs or occurances where police expect to even encounter a weapon like a gun is during police raids, in which case they usually send special forces. We have maybe one or two instances where someone flies off the handle and produces a gun, but these arent random either so again our officers tend to be far less jumpy or ready to produce a their firearm.
 
OP, avoid pistol grip shotguns, like the kind posted in this thread, unless you actually want to miss subsequent shots, or are breaching doors, or require the smaller frame/silhouette for tactical reasons.
 
I know you're married. You don't have kids yet?

My dad used to keep his hunting rifles under his bed in a case. I was raised around them and was taught to shoot at a young age by responsible adults. I believe that took the curiosity out of my mind at the time. I never thought of it as a toy or wanted to sneak a peek with my friends. To be honest it was just there. If kids are taught properly by responsible people it helps. But to be honest with you I wouldn't repeat that same thing. I have taught my son about proper handling but I wouldn't leave my Beretta laying under a bed. Not worth the risk. I don't keep it loaded even where it is. Again not worth the risk of a curious child.

Now looking at the recent news of the little girl at a firing range with the instructor shooting the UZI. That was dumb and irresponsible.
 
Hollow points don't penetrate much because they mushroom. You can also lower the grain for a slower bullet.

KednK38.jpg

You Raise the grain for a slower bullet, but it has more kinetic energy and slower heavier objects penetrate farther than lighter faster ones.

JHP's are made to expand in soft targets, in hard targets often they simply clog and behave like a normal FMJ. They can easily go through a couple of rooms, even if they expanded.
http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2012/03/ryan-finn/sheetrock-penetration-testing-take-1/
 
You Raise the grain for a slower bullet, but it has more kinetic energy and slower heavier objects penetrate farther than lighter faster ones.

JHP's are made to expand in soft targets, in hard targets often they simply clog and behave like a normal FMJ. They can easily go through a couple of rooms, even if they expanded.
http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2012/03/ryan-finn/sheetrock-penetration-testing-take-1/

I stand corrected, self defense ammunition isn't something I use often at the range seeing how expensive they can be compared to ball ammo.
 
Depends on who you ask. Ammo that is used in handguns would penetrate walls easily and can harm people outside or inside your home in other rooms. A shotgun you can load with different types of rounds that will have a harder time penetrating walls. But they can be cumbersome and hard to work with. Something along the lines of a Mossberg 500 Flex that can change the stock and barrel to shorten it.
I was always under the impression that a shotgun would be more ideal for blowing out a wall.
 
Why do you need a shotgun for home protection? Wouldn't a handgun or two suffice?

Handguns are super inaccurate and their bullets tend to penetrate walls, meaning you can shoot someone in another room by accident

edit: beat


seriously movies have made handguns look way way more accurate than they actually are. they are the worst guns.
 
Hollow points don't penetrate much because they mushroom. You can also lower the grain for a slower bullet.

KednK38.jpg

Hollow points have zero impact as a deterrent. If you're close enough to warn the hypotetical thief about them, Just stating you're there and armed (with normal bullets, into the smallest, least powerful gun) will have the same effect.

They are great, howeve, to turn serious injuries into fatal ones. But then, it's not a matter of self-protection anymore, we're going into murder territory.
 
I guess not. But the prospect of everyone owning guns is.

My neighbor that has a job and a family that pays his taxes and follows the law doesn't bother me. Let him own as many guns as he wants. Just lock em up.

It's the wanna be banger that concerns me.
 
Hollow points have zero impact as a deterrent. If you're close enough to warn the hypotetical thief about them, Just stating you're there and armed (with normal bullets, into the smallest, least powerful gun) will have the same effect.

They are great, howeve, to turn serious injuries into fatal ones. But then, it's not a matter of self-protection anymore, we're going into murder territory.

Yea I'm from Florida so there's no warning from me, just a chest full of bullets. I'm not looking to tickle someone with bullets, if I'm shooting at you that's because i want you to die. That's the point of a gun for self defense.
 
Handguns are super inaccurate and their bullets tend to penetrate walls, meaning you can shoot someone in another room by accident

edit: beat


seriously movies have made handguns look way way more accurate than they actually are. they are the worst guns.
Handguns are very accurate, they are just much more difficult to fire accurately under pressure.
 
Yea I'm from Florida so there's no warning from me, just a chest full of bullets. I'm not looking to tickle someone with bullets, if I'm shooting at you that's because i want you to die. That's the point of a gun for self defense.
Yeah this sounds like someone who lives in a welcoming neighborhood.

Why do you all want to kill each other?
 
Yeah this sounds like someone who lives in a welcoming neighborhood.

Why do you all want to kill each other?

If you break into my home, you die. If you run up to me when I'm in my car at try and assault me, you die. If I'm walking down the road and your pittbull gets loose and tries to bite me, it dies.
 
I'm sure the gun culture in America boggles the mind of anyone that doesn't live there.

I'm from a part of Canada where hunting is very common and a lot of people own guns, hell I went hunting with my dad as a kid and he taught me all about gun safety. After firing a shotgun for the first time I wasn't too keen on doing it again, that's for sure. But the thing is, even in a place with a lot of hunters I don't know a single person who got one for the specific purpose of protecting their home.

Another vote for the AA-12.

it sure has served me well in dozens of hours of Killing Floor. I can only imagine there wouldn't be much left of an intruder (or your house) afterwards.
 
If you break into my home, you die. If you run up to me when I'm in my car at try and assault me, you die. If I'm walking down the road and your pittbull gets loose and tries to bite me, it dies.
You keep a gun in your house, on you when you are in your car, and when you are walking down the road?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top Bottom