Home Self-Defense: Shotgun or Handgun?

Question

Is a shotgun better for home self-defense than a handgun?

Also, what is a reliable and effective type/brand of shotgun for a beginner? And in what price range do good shotguns and ammunition run?

If you believe a handgun to be a better choice would you please explain why?

Thank you.

Answer 1

Rather than to sound like the other Stupid asses in here. Jesus christ! Your defense weapon should be loaded at all times. None of the bullshit, "racking a shell into the chamber to let them know i mean business!) I do not own unloaded guns, they are all loaded! My concealed carry guns inlcude a Glock model 20, 10 mm, loaded in 180 grain+p Speer Gold Dot Jacketed hollow points, or my Steyr M-40A1 loaded with Black Hills, 180 grain Speer Gold Dot hollows, or my Taurus 24/7 PRO 9mm, loaded with 124 grain*Gold Dot hollows! None of my concealed carry weapons are shotguns and for damn good reason! hanguns are easy to conceal, and quick to bring ready to fight. Add more shot capacity, and longer capable range, and the handgun wins all out! Where is the Wells Fargo "shotgun" riding stage coach guard? He is obsolete! The up-to-date equivalent is always armed with a hangun, and more often than not, it will be a semi auto polymer model like a Glock, rather than a Smith and Wesson 6-shot revolver! Any other questions?

Answer 2

Simple...,If you lack experience or are just beginning a shotgun is best without question. You don't have to be proficient, or a skilled marksman, you just point and pull the trigger. I would recommend a Pump action shotgun like a Mossberg 500 or a Remington 870 Express in 12 gauge.
Easy to operate, holds plenty of back up shells to get the job done.

Anyone with any real experience will tell you that a handgun is only effective if you have the ability to use it under duress and High stress situations and circumstances,NOT as in waking up to glass breaking from a dead sleep, and still managing to get off a few "accurate" shots. (Highly unlikely)As a retired LEO/Detective and a current Combat Pistol Instructor, I would still recommend a shotgun over a handgun any day any time.....As far as the noise that results when you chamber a round in a pump shotgun..YES..very impressive but at the same time that noise doesn't stop or kill anything.

Handguns can wait until later when you've have had a chance to practice and shoot a shotgun first. A decent Shotgun like I described will coast between $250-$350
new. You might be able to find one on sale or a great shotgun in used condition for even less money. I would suggest #4 shot size or #00 Buckshot (9-32 caliber pellets per shell) for home defense......

Answer 3

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Answer 4

In my opinion yes it is/does. It is a little more forgiving than a handgun in the accuracy department. You still have to aim but not it's not as critical as with a pistol. In a home defense situation it will probably be low light and you're going to be shaking like a leaf most likely. Pointing down the barrel of a shotgun is going to be much easier and accurate than trying to point the pistol. Depending on the range, the pattern of the shotgun will also give you a little larger target area. I don't mind having the pistol grip as I've done tons of training with the M16 so it feels very natural, but stay away from all of the other gadgets and gizmos. They are just more things to get in the way or catch on something when you're trying to get it out or move around. Slings are a very bad idea for inside the house. Some guys will tell you your best approach is to pick a safe area and stay there and if they come within your radius take them out, if not let them take what they want and go. In my situation, I have 4 kids upstairs with 2 stair cases = very poor place to defend. I pretty much have to go to them. The point is, know your house and have a plan. If you're able to sit in a safe area and wait, the handgun will be about as good, but I would still take the shotgun any day. 18" is as short as you can go but most all defense shotguns are 18.5" Ammo selection is always a source of controversy but I have to agree with Tahoe guy, a smaller buckshot is probably the best way to go.

Answer 5

I had a family friend who ran a Bass Pro Shop firearms department. He told those who were new to firearms to forget the idea of a handgun and go with a coach style shotgun. It's a relatively cheap, very short double-barreled gun. The shot pattern would spread well for home defense. In the end, the shotgun has better stopping and deterrent power and is less likely to go through a culprit and injure someone else.

Overall, I would say that the ammo you use would be more important than the brand of the shotgun. Since we are talking about life here, you may want to think about going all out and keeping some Hornady FPD (For Personal Defense) buckshot on hand.

On the other side of the issue, a handgun is easier to raise at an attacker, and is less likely to reveal your position as you turn a corner. For safety reasons frangible or hollow point rounds are a must! I use my carry handgun as my current choice for home protection as well, but only because I've practiced enough to become very confident with it.

Every brand of firearms has its fans and critics. For the entry level, it is hard to say what you will personally prefer. Make sure the reviews you see promise a reliable firearm (if you get a chance, try them out, first) and make sure you are using reliable factory ammo. There is one place (precisioncartridge.com) that has a million dollar insurance policy on its reloads, so that would be another idea.

Whatever your choice is, please be aware of the gravity of what you have decided. Choosing not to be a victim is noble and within your human rights. However, you have the responsibility to become proficient and knowledgeable with whatever weapon you choose.

You should also have a basic plan in case of a home invasion. This will reduce the risk of injury for you and family members, and increase the speed of your defense.

Most of this you could read up on in a book by someone like Massad Ayoob.

Answer 6

A shotgun is more effective but truthfully, you're probably better off with a handgun. A handgun is quicker to deploy and easier to store somewhere handy like a nightstand drawer. I wouldn't use a .22 handgun for defensive purpose except as a last resort weapon of opportunity. Someone crazy enough to break into your home may not go down quick enough. He could be really desperate, drugged up or just plain crazy.

Another advantage with a handgun is the pre-fragmented Glazier type ammo that is a good stopper and won't go through dry wall endangering others in your home. Anything .380 acp or larger in auto loader and .38 Special and larger in revolver.

Good luck.

H

Answer 7

In close quarters, a handgun is best, but an 18" barrel shotgun like the Remington 870, or the Mossberg 500 are also excellent. If you use a shotgun for home defense use birdshot loads. They tend to penetrate less through walls and injure others by overpenetration. At the distances you will be shooting at, these rounds will produce a rathole pattern, because the shot pattern will not start to spread until about 20-25 ft.The Rem. 870 cost about $ 350, and the Mossberg is about $240 in my area.

Answer 8

Looks like a few good answers...
A shotgun is probably the right choice for your home/apartment : a round from a handgun can go through your target and into the next room. You still need to practice with it.
A pistol is the weapon you use to get back to where you keep your shotgun. :-)
No one said that you can only have one. Mossberg makes a decent shotgun for about $300.00 or less.

Answer 9

The deciding factor between shotgun and handgun is basically the level of competence you have with the two guns. The shotgun won't do you much good if you can not handle it effectively.

One thing to consider is the layout of your home. If you have long hallways and large open rooms, then a shotgun works quite well. You have room to swing the long gun around. If you have short halls, small rooms, then a handgun might work better.

Get yourself a yardstick and try to clear hallways and rooms using it like the shotgun. Can you enter the room without bumping the yardstick into doors or walls? Can you get around a corner without the yardstick giving away your position? Can you turn around in the hallway with the yardstick (to cover a threat in the rear) without hitting the walls?

Searching your house for intruders while armed with the shotgun is something that requires practice and training. It is easier to do with a handgun.

I have always taken my personal security very seriously. My long career in LE has left me cynicial of my fellow man. So, what do I have? On my wife's side of the bedroom, she keeps a S&W .40 cal. semi auto equipped with a laser sight. The gun is loaded with 155 gr. jacketed hollow points. On my side is my S&W snubby .44 mag. It is loaded with 240 gr. lead, .44 Special rounds. In the closet is the Rem. 870, holding seven rounds of #4 shot. My foul tempered Rottweiler, Buttercup, sleeps on the floor at the foot of the bed. The rounds loaded in the guns were chosen with care. My wife is an excellent shot and the laser sight makes for incredibily accurate shooting. The light bullet will not over penetrate. The heavy lead .44 special stuff in my magnum is quite capable of putting down any human intruder without blowing through the body, my walls, and into the neighbor's house. Same with the #4 loads in the shotgun, no danger of overpenetration but plenty of power to stop anything on two legs. I sleep well at night. . .

Answer 10

Anybody who says you don't have to be accurate with a shotgun has never really learned to shoot one. Yes, the shotgun pellets do form an ever-growing pattern as they fly down the range. But at self-defense distances, the shot patterns are still going to be fairly tight. And if you miss, it's going to take some time to rack the slide and/or swing that long barrel back towards your target.

Although I do have a shotgun at home (a Mossberg 500 with an 18.5" barrel, 7-shot tube), I prefer to rely on handguns for investigating those things which go bump in the night.

For one thing, they're far easier to maneuver. They can be kept close to the body when rounding corners, and are therefore easier to maintain control over (read:harder for bad guys to take away from you.) As mentioned before, follow-up shots, if necessary, are faster. And in a situation where I might have to worry about friends and family in other rooms, I would prefer to send a single .45 towards the bad guy, rather than the equivalent of 12 9mm bullets (a 12-gauge 00-Buck load) with each pull of the trigger.

If you have little experience with firearms, I would recommend a double-action revolver, no smaller than .38 Special in caliber. Something with about a 4" barrel. If you really don't think that you're going to be practicing with it much, I would reluctantly suggest putting a set of LaserGrips on the gun, which will help you to aim much easier--but I have to stress that they are a poor substitute for regular practice.

Answer 11

Let me give you a little lesson here. The only weapon in the world that speaks the universal language that this home is armed and is for real is the sound of a shotgun being pumped. 12 gauge is my choice. Never a sawed off.
I also have a nice 9mm S&W for close range.
Buy used. A shotgun is cheaper. A box of ammo can be somewhere around $7. Price of ammo is going up because of the price of metal. A used 9mm handgun can run you around $350 to $450 in very good condition. A box of ammo around $12 for 50 rounds.
First-First-First. Know the laws of your state. Second, take a gun safety course preferably one by a certified NRA gun club. Most of the time they will rent you the gun cheap. Safety first.
Know C-O-L-D the laws of your state so as to prevent trouble down the road. For your sake, I hope you live in a state that will issue you a permit easily. If you live in Massachusettes or New Jersey, or New York stop. You're wasting your time.