What is a good home defense 12 gauge?

Question

I want a shorter barrel (about 20 inches perhaps) and definitely am lookin for a good quality brand. I can spend about $400... any thoughts?

Answer 1

I HIGHLY recommend the Remington 870 Express 12 gauge Pump Shotgun for home defense. As a Gunsmith and Dealer I sell this particular Shotgun in my shop 5-1 over any other brand. Quality made,Good Price,Reliable,Dependable, lots of accessories to custom make it into a personal defense weapon, Pistol Grip,Magazine Extensions, Folding Stocks, Or use it as is straight out of the box.This is also the #1 Shotgun used by Police Agencies all over the U.S..
(This gun is easily within your budget of $400)

NOTE* This isn't a recommendation read about on some "Wikipedia" website. This is hands on experience I'm talking about. If you compare the Remington 870 quality to the Mossberg 590 or 500 series, You will immediately notice the difference yourself and you will see why Remington reigns supreme...

Answer 2

I will concur with Rosebud on this one. For a maximum budget of $400 a Mossberg 500A is about as good as it gets. The Mossberg is simpler to use than the 870, and is more reliable than an 870 Express would be. The feed ramp is in the up position when the bolt is closed, so it's easier to load than a Remington. This also makes it more likely to short-stroke an 870 and cause it to jam. It's also equipped with a thumb safety, which unlike the 870 and others with a trigger guard safety, can be switched without moving your hand. Racking open a Mossberg does seem to be easier than the 870, but it's close. Mossbergs are equiped with dual extractor and a replaceable ejector, while Remingtons have a single extractor and a pinned in place ejector. In my opinion, a Mossberg ejects spent shells(live ones too, if need be.) better. Stripping an 870 is apparently easier, as the Mossberg has two feed control tabs that fit into the sides of the receiver. It's still pretty easy to strip, especially if you watch the "Life, Liberty, Etc." video on how to strip it. I don't know of any video that good for the 870.

The 870, however, does have an advantage when it comes to magazine size. The normal Mossberg magazine can hold 5+1, and cannot accept extensions due to the way the barrel mounts. There is a longer magazine tube available, but it requires you to buy another barrel, which is only available in a 20" smoothbore. Cost from Brownells is about $140. Remington's will accept magazine extensions, but should not be extended past the muzzle, and require a clamp. This only works on their more expensive Police models, since the Wingmaster and Express models are now shipping with a dimpled magazine tube to prevent fully loading the magazine. The Mossberg also takes measures to prevent more than three shells in the magazine, but the dowel they drop in the tube is easily removed. If you're not going to need that many shots all at once, then this is completely irrelevant.

You'll likely want to get a sidesaddle, as well. They're cheap and it's a great way to carry extra ammunition with your gun, especially for jurisdictions where keeping a loaded gun is illegal. With the money you saved from not buying an 870, go get some #4 steel shot, and practice loading and firing it where it's safe. This size of shot will not penetrate walls as readily when it spreads, and the steel is less dense, meaning it will lose velocity faster. Most manufacturers will make steel loads a few hundred fps faster in order to overcome this. The shot at any range you're likely to encounter indoors will still be tight enough to be extremely lethal, but will spread enough to be safe. This will all be useless if you don't know how to use it when the time comes.

As far as accessories, if you have all the lights, bells, whistles and lasers you can fit on your three rail tactical fore end, it's not going to look good to a jury if you ever have to use this. It's also not going to increase the lethality whatsoever. It will also be getting pretty front-heavy and hard to use at that point, so you might not have to worry about what the jury would think. Just something to keep in mind. If you can find one with a wooden stock it'll help keep you clear from the scariness of 'black guns', and they're more likely to think you just grabbed your dad's old hunting shotgun. If you need a light, carry it with the pump hand, or duct-tape it in place.

Answer 3

A few considerations you might take into account. A shotgun is designed to be used with two hands. Any function that requires another hand such as opening a door, turning on a light or calling 911 is going to leave you with a single hand on a two handed weapon. It is a training issue, but still one to consider. The shotgun is far more intimidating. But don't get the idea that when shooting across your living room that you hit any and everything on the far side. Across a typical living room the spread of the shot will be only a couple of inches. You still have to aim. A shotgun has considerably more recoil, holds fewer rounds and takes longer to reload. They are also more difficult to maneuver with. I am not a fan of weapons mounted lights. Think about it. In order to point the light at something, you must also point the weapon. I don't know if you have kids but I'd not want to point my gun at them just to assure it was them. Second if it is a bad guy, they will most likely shoot at the light. Now think about how you hold the gun either a shotgun or the pistol. Where is that light in relationship to your body and what will the bad guy hit if he shoots at the light? My point is, a hand held light gives you the option of not pointing your weapon to illuminate the object and also allows you to hold it off to one side. This is far easier accomplished with a handgun than with a long arm. A pistol is a poor stopper when compared to a shotgun. If you go with the shotgun, I'd suggest nothing bigger than #4 buckshot as anything else will give you some serious penetration concerns. No matter which you choose, I'd advise going through a class and getting adequate training from a qualified instructor. Good Luck!

Answer 4

The Remington 870 Express Magnum with an 18 " barrel and bead sight, and 6 magazine capacity is what I recommend. It costs about $350. I equipped mine with a pistol gripped AR-15 style adjustable stock made by Advanced Technologies.

The Mossberg 500 is also another great shotgun with an 18 " barrel and 5 shot magazine capacity. The guns sells for about $240.

Answer 5

Remington 870 Express

Answer 6

I think just about any shotgun in 12 gauge that shoots 2 or more shots is a good home defense weapon. I think I'd take a shotgun over a pistol in terms of a defense weapon whether it would be playing around in the backcountry or having it handy to put down attackers.

Answer 7

Ithaca Model 37.


I've had the Rem 870 and Winchester 1300 too and for what's available today, it's the 870 for quality, durability and accessories.

Answer 8

Mossberg 590A1 from the Mossberg 500 series. It's the one the US Army sometimes issues. Link below.

But it's hardcore defense. It doesn't have much use except for killing people. It'd go with the Mossberg 500 which can be used for hunting or home defense. Sure it may not look like a killing machine, but it sure would if your looking down the barrel.

"With the appropriate parts, the same Model 500 can be a field gun, a slug gun, defensive weapon for civilian, police, or military use, trap and skeet gun, or .50 caliber (12.7mm) rifled muzzleloader." - quoted from the below website

Answer 9

Remington 870 - 2 3/4in, #4 buck

Answer 10

Mossberg defender or persuader.

Its a model 500A with a heat shield, available with an extended mag tube, and has a 20" barrel or smaller.

Add a side saddle shell holder and a blackhawk sling, and you will have a great home defense weapon, like mine :)