What slug gun for home defense.

[Dusty Miller]

I'd like to get a rifled 12 ga. shotgun for home defense.  Most that I've seen have too long of a barrel and I'd prefer a pump action.  Any suggestions.

[Ramrod]

Well, you asked for it, so here we go...Rifled slugs are a pretty poor choice for home defense. They are not one bit more accurate, or have one ounce more killing power than buckshot or birdshot at the ranges needed, and have the downside of overpenetration of almost all house walls. So if you want to miss your target, and endanger your neighbors, go for it! Or else do the smart thing, and get a short barreled smoothbore.

[williek]

In this day and age of laws, He had better be inside the house or you have a big problem in court more than likely.
Considering the above, the distance we are looking at is around 30 or 40 feet. I have settled on #4 bird shot.  If anyone can handle being shot at 30 feet with 1 1/2 oz. of #4 shot I hope to never meet them.  Secondly, it will be much easier to defend your actions than if you use a slug. I'm aware of the cute little saying of better tried by 12 than carried by 6 but you still need to consider the aftermath of your actions.  Secondly, you won't have to worry about killing your neighbor with a stray shot and then having to be dragged through court for that also.
If anyone, other than the houserat your dealing with, gets hurt- you will be dragged into court.  Some money hungry lawyer will see to that.  There are a large number of really good lawyers out there, but there are also some bottom feeders.
In the end it will be your call, but I thought I would give you a couple of things to think about.  Obviously, I already have.
Good Luck,
williek

[Shorty]

Dusty,
You've received good advice.  

[Dusty Miller]

If I lived in an apartment or in close proximity to other houses that'd be a real consideration.  However, lets assume for the moment that I live in a rural area where the nearest house if a mile away.

[mjbgalt]

then you have to consider that a lawyer will be asking you in court why you had slugs in your gun. if you had birdshot you could explain that you just grabbed your hunting ammo to protect yourself. if you had slugs it could look pretty damn obvious that you meant to kill him and had premeditated on it.

not that i agree with that logic but i am just bringing up other points.

at house ranges it wont make much difference in "missing" either way because the pattern for the shot is going to be the same approximate size as the slug.

-Matt

[Robert]

Yup, dosent matter if you live in the country or in town.  That is not the point.  A single projectile is prone to missing. Heavy bird shot or small buckshot is the best bet.  Consider that if someone is breaking into your house,....it is probably dark, if you turn on the lights, he can also see you.  You are better off using your advantage of having YOUR eyes adjusted to the dark and being more FAMILIAR with your surroundings than the intruder.  You turn on the light and you have just 'evened' the playing feild.  With shot, you can just fire in the 'general' direction and have a better chance of at least winging the suspect.  The other advantage of a shotgun for home defence is that with a 'PUMP'....All you usually will need to do is work the action once, and say I have a shotgun!  The guy will be GONE when he hears that sound.  What a lovely sound!  This IS NOT A THEORY of mine.  I actually had an occasion when my family was threatened out in the country.  The guy was behind some bushes, and could not see my shotgun, but after I chambered a shell....All of the swearing and anger were replaced by very sincere apologies.  I have never had to shoot a human, and I hope I am always so fortuneate to not have it on my conscience.  A pump really works.

[IntrepidWizard]

I recommend from experience a Riot Gun,I have a 1200 and I load #1 and #2 buck with 2 00 and 3 slugs on the side.

[JoeG52]

Like Shorty said, You've received good advice.

[Ramrod]

I won't argue about the hair-raising sound of a pump being racked. But, I still remember the stories of a childhood friend's dad, in the NYPD. He carried a 12 gauge Stevens 311 double on drug raids, which were usually carried out during daylight hours back then. He never had to shoot anyone. One look at those gaping barrels caused everyone to either freeze, throw their hands in the air, or in one case he loved to re-tell, crap themselves!

[Mac11700]

With shot, you can just fire in the 'general' direction and have a better chance of at least winging the suspect.

 
 
 No Offence...but this is far from being accurate or even safe...while just firing in the general direction may sound like good advice...it isn't...shotguns...even open choked shotguns...will throw very tight patterns at the ranges usually inside homes where intruders are likely to be shot and even stray #2's-4's or 6's will still penetrate a wall made out of drywall and injure or kill a innocent family member..so if your going to shoot someone to protect you or your family that may be close by...do it in a safe manner...for you...and for them.....while point shooting may work well in the dove fields or over a covey of quial...shooting at a intruder inside your home where your family may be just in the next room... must be done deliberatly....Shooting inside homes is a matter of FEET and inches...take any shotgun without a spreader load or spreader tube and see for yourself...put up a mansized target...and try out the different loads thru it and the various choke sizes and the ranges that you would probably shoot someone inside your home...see which combination will saturate the majority of the target...every gun and choke combination will pattern a little differently...some a little tighter...some a whole lot more open...but...at 10 feet...were talking 6"-10" for a field load of 1-1/8oz. 6 shot out of a cyclinder bore...this is more than enough to take care of any 2 legged intruder...unless they are in full riot gear...
 
Mac

[Couger]

For home defense I'd have a barrel 18-20 inches in length - 12 or 20 gauge.

As for a rifled barrel and buckshot, why not?

The rifling and centrifical force of the spinning load will make it spread out faster, giving a wider pattern in the short range one would be using it in a home.

I've set up several 12 gauge pumpguns for home defense, with the M1200 or M870 all.

For an exclusive home defense shotgun, I'd use an 18 1/4" barrel (the NFA '34 federal gun law requires that shotgun barrels can be not shorter than 18 inches).

Also the shorter the better, with a stock of course.  With a youth-size gunstock, a shotgun with 18 1/4" barrel would be @36" long - and plenty nimble and manueverable in a tight hallway.

I would have an extended 7-shot mag on that gun, and possibly a light I could turn on and off with my trigger hand.  No need IMO to have other accessories except a side saddle or elastic bandolier to reload with.

During high school back in the seventies, I hunted deer [and black bear] in N.W. Florida with the 12 and 20 gauge.  Helped carry out a smallish adult bear killed with #1B from a Browning Sweet 16 Auto-5 SG.  I never killed anything while living in Florida, but years later I killed two mule deer with #4B at 40-50 yards.

BUCKSHOT WORKS!

Provided your particular gun and barrel will pattern it well.

For home defense, a standard trap load with 7 1/2 shot will easily penetrate an intruder's carotid artery at most ranges.  Certainly with a medium field load of sixes or fours.

Whatever you use, consider using a shell with a moderate to low velocity so you can recover quickly for follow-up shots.

A slug might be useful if you had to shoot through walls or furniture a BG was using for cover ...... if necessary.

Two books I found extremely useful were;

Tony Lesce's "The Shotgun In Combat"  and

Gabrial Suarez's "The Tactical Shotgun."

Lesce spent a lot of time discussing loads for inside defense, including what will and won't over-penetrate sheetrock or regular walls.  Lesce is who recommended the 7 1/2's as adequate for defense.

Suarez is an LEO, and recommended using the old-style PolyChoke  for shooting slugs and buckshot, and also a bunjicord for use a sling when the gun needs to "be close."

I also strongly urge consideration using a 20 gauge over a 12 gauge if one has a wife or children who might need to use the weapon, to better handle the recoil and recover for follow-up shots.  Plus 1-ounce #7 1/2 birdshot loads in the 20 gagg are plenty stout, but if not the 20 pellets in a #3Buck pattern should be.

FWIW.  Luck!