Guns: Home Defense Shotguns for the Non-Shooter (long)

Introduction

Shooting is one of my favorite hobbies; whether it's busting clays on the trap field, cutting out that perfect ragged group at the pistol range, or wondering which match bullet to try in my AR-15 handloads, I like pretty much every aspect of the shooting sports.

It isn't like that for a lot of people.

For many, including most of my friends, owning a firearm is about as exciting as owning a fire extinguisher or a lawn mower. This post is mostly directed towards this group of people - the non-shooters who might only go out to shoot once a month or less, but still want a firearm for home defense. Whether it's the lone criminal or a loss of the rule of law (think New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina), there are surely some situations where it's better to have a gun than not.

Some initial thoughts: after you've installed doors and windows with decent locking mechanisms, motion-sensing outdoor lights, and after you've acquired a conventional phone (cellphones have a tendency to get lost or lose their charge - not a good thing when you need to call 911 in a hurry), then you can start worrying about picking out a gun. If minors could gain access to your firearm, you also need to worry about securing it, too.

Why A Shotgun?



The title of this post implies that a non-shooter should choose a shotgun as a home defense firearm. Note that shotguns have plenty of disadvantages - their effectiveness is extremely ammo-sensitive, they're not very effective at long range, and they tend to be larger and heavier than other guns, while at the same time holding fewer rounds. Even with these caveats, I think a non-shooter or novice should choose a shotgun anyway. Here's why:

1. Inexpensive - Shotguns tend to be cheaper than other firearms of equivalent quality. Sure, there are super-expensive over-unders for people who want to get fancy, but it's not hard to find suitable defense shotguns that don't break the bank (there are still new, name brand pump shotguns that come in at about $300, for instance).

2. Easy to Buy - Shotguns, especially pump and break-action varieties, are usually the last firearms that are affected by gun control laws. My house gun is an AR-15, but I'd be foolish to recommend that to the non-shooter, especially for the 30-odd million people living in California.

3. Easy to Learn - One of the hardest parts of shooting is getting and maintaining an appropriate sight picture. Focusing on the front sight when you are being attacked by a criminal is unnatural to say the least, but if that front post isn't in line with the rear, you could end up missing by a lot. Shotguns are pointed rather than aimed; once the shotgun is shouldered and the barrel is in its familiar position in your field of view, the shotgun shooter can focus on the target and still have a good chance of hitting.

Which Shotgun?

There are a ton of shotguns out there, for all different gauges. For a non-shooter, I think a 20 gauge is probably best, mostly because the actual shotgun will be easier to handle for a smaller individual. 20 gauge shotguns tend to have less recoil, too, but lower recoil loads do exist for the 12 gauge, so I don't think the recoil is the main issue. The big problem with the 20 gauge is that suitable defense shotguns and ammo will be a bit harder to find, but they're still fairly common.



Here are some choices, separated by action type:

1. Pump Action - The traditional choice for shotgunning in America, pump actions are generally inexpensive and easy to find. Unfortunately, it's fairly easy to short-stroke a pump action if you're not careful, so I actually think the pump is slightly less-than-optimal for someone who will only occasionally train with their shotgun.

The main choices in the pump action arena are the Remington 870 and the Mossberg 500, either will work for defense. In terms of specific models, try out the Remington 870 Express and 870 Express Compact, and the various 20 gauge Bantam and Persuader models offered by Mossberg. Length of pull and gun fit is critical here, since you will need to forcefully shuck the action if you want reliable feeding. Still, a pump action works well, especially if you're as good as this guy:



2. Break Action - These shotguns have a number of virtues. They are simple to operate and will never fail to feed, and they are easy to load and unload. A single shot break-action is probably only suitable for bedroom defense (where you've barricaded yourself and are merely waiting for the cavalry to arrive), but a double-barrelled shotgun at least offers an instant follow-up shot in case you need it.

With the rise of "Cowboy Action Shooting," you can find inexpensive coach guns that would do fine in a home defense role (and would also be a lot of fun in CAS, too). Something like the Stoeger Coach Gun would be just the thing for facing off against an attacker; they worked then, and they work now.



3. Semiautomatic (AKA autoloading or self-loading)

These shotguns use some of the energy of the shell in order to cycle the action. I think semiautomatic shotguns are decent choices for beginners - they're easier to operate than pump-actions (just squeeze the trigger) and they carry more shells than a double-barrelled shotgun (even a standard magazine tube will hold four). The self-loading mechanism also tends to mitigate recoil by spreading the impulse out over a longer period, which can encourage a recoil-sensitive shooter to practice more.

Autoloaders are more sensitive to ammo than other shotguns (since the cartridge must provide enough oomph to cycle the action), and the presence of a spring-loaded bolt means that there's one more mechanism that could malfunction. They're also a bit more expensive than other varieties, with most retailing for well over $500. At the low end of the market are the Remington 1100/11-87 models; the higher end is mostly occupied by Benelli's autoloaders.

If you are skilled enough, you can do some pretty crazy things with an autoloader - like shoot ten thrown clays out of the air before any hit the ground:



What else is needed?

There's an old THR saying when it comes to equipping a shotgun - "BA/UU/R." That means "buy ammo, use up, repeat." In other words, it's way more important to shoot a gun than to gussy it up if you want to be proficient. The more experience you can get shooting clays and fixed targets on the ground, the better.

For practice, birdshot will work, but for defense, you need buckshot. 20 gauge buckshot may be a bit hard to find, and is probably best ordered online through a website like MidwayUSA. A simple cleaning kit (less than $10 at Wally World) is a sound investment, too, especially if you live in a humid area.

Conclusion



As Captain Kirk shows us, man is a tool-using animal. Almost any modern firearm is a huge advantage in a fight, especially if you're the defender. If you don't particularly enjoy shooting, or if you don't shoot that often, a shotgun can still be viable, as long as you obtain and maintain a basic level of skill. Anyway, thanks for reading.

For additional background info, try out these posts:

The Pistol Grip Shotgun Stock
Shotgun Lights
Accessories for the Home Defense Shotgun

Also check out other gunblogs and webpages, particularly those written with a self-defense emphasis like Hell in a Handbasket and Cornered Cat. You can get a lot of information (mostly good, with some Errornet thrown in) from gun forums like The Firing Line.