Shotgun vs Rifle for home self-defense?

Question

Could someone please give me a primer on the differences between shotguns and rifles?

Also, which brand and model would be good for a beginner? I am simply interested in a home self-defense weapon for both short and long-range distances, not hunting. Thanks.

Answer 1

a shot gun would be best in your home. A rifle is for when you are shooting long range. With a shot gun it has a wad (pellets in a tight group) that goes about 30 yards. And I would recommend a Remmington 12 gauge pump, or a 20 guage. A 20 guage would be good for a starter. I has some kick, but not as much as a 10 or 12 guage. Its like shooting a camera, just point and click.

Answer 2

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Answer 3

It's a personal choice made after weighing the pros and cons.

The shotgun has noticeable recoil especially with buckshot type loads. The pattern at 15 yards is about 8-12" but at 15 feet it is only 2-3". So you must still aim it. The shotgun (with 00 buck) fires 8 or 9 small caliber, low velocity rounds. All will penetrate interior walls with ease and some external walls. The number of pellets do increase your chance of hitting a vital area, but properly aimed will do more for you than "pointing in the general direction" where you are likely to miss. Plus all those little pellets that do not hit the target can easily go several hundred yards endangering others, just as can any misplaced shot. Practice, Aim well, and hit your target.

A rifle has much more power per projectile than the shotgun. It usually carries more rounds than the shotgun which mean that you have to manipulate the gun less. The recoil is much less than the shotgun and makes for a weapon that is easier to shoot, and easier to employ with confidence. It allows for surgical precision placement of rounds and will keep you from hitting someone you care about if the bad guy gets to your family before you do. You have much greater fire superiority than the shotgun as after 6-8 rounds the shotgun needs reloading compared to the 30 rounds in a rifle.

Not any rifle will do. There are many calibers that are too large for self defense work in rifles. I'd recommend a .223 / 5.56mm in either the Ruger Mini-14 or the AR-15. Both have negligible recoil, are semi automatic are small and compact and accessories can be bought that make them smaller, and can carry 30 round magazines (bad guys come in packs). With good Hornady 55gn ammo you have a weapon that will hit hard, with surgical precision, and incapacitate an attacker, with multiple follow up shots at will.

Also regardless of which you choose, GET A WHITE LIGHT!!
Something mounted to the gun, that you can turn on and off easily, to identify your target. The blinding white light will make it hard for an attacker to identify you and will put him at the disadvantage since he will not be able to see past the blinding white glare coming at him.

Answer 4

If you simply want a home security long gun, you can't beat a shot gun. I would recommend anything from a 20 gage to a 12 gage, full cylinder bore "no choke" generally sold as slug guns. This will allow the widest possible pattern as well as the use of slugs if you should ever feed the need for such knock down and killing power.
Shot suns are very effective up to about 30 to 35 yards and that is much farther than you will ever need as a personal or home protection gun. As a self defense weapon a cheap, brand will work as well as a 1000 dollar gun.
I'd get an automatic or pump, this allows a few more shots without reloading.
Good luck, be careful and not shoot yourself in the foot :-))

Answer 5

Shotguns are best for home defense. Rifles have the serious possiblity penetrating out the side of your house and hit a neighbor.
I've been to gun stores many times, and I'd recommend a consigned weapon (used). Shop around nearby gun stores for a good deal on any single shot or pump action shotgun.
If you never used a gun before ask the gun counter guy which type of gun is best for you.
If you only intend it for self defense, any cheap single shot or pump action shotgun will do. I've seen many decent guns at stores go as low as 50$. Like other people's answers, go for buckshot, 00 or 000 shot. Normal game shot is too small for humans. And shotshell slugs act just like rifle ammo- they also carry the possiblity of over-penetration, so don't buy those.
A many gunstores sell 12 gauge, the biggest and kicks the hardest. some people would recommend 16 or 20 gauge, but a .410 is the smallest and easiest to handle, at the cost of the amount of shot thrown.

Also, before buying a gun for self-defense, check your local laws about the use of a gun for self-defense. Many areas only justify the use of a gun when serious bodily harm is inevitable- like the guy has another gun or some massive knife.

Answer 6

The increased shooting range of the rifle makes it less than practical for home defense except as a weapon of opportunity. The shotgun is better suited for this. Of course a carbine would work. The old .30 US M-1 carbine holds plenty of ammo and is comparable in power to say a .357 Magnum revolver with a 6" barrel. Of course, the shotgun is more practical for home defense.

Best.

H

Answer 7

Well since you want this for H.D., I would go with a shotgun. Rifles are great when you have plenty of time to make a shot and have a clear background, but are prone to over penetration. This is particularly important when the intruder is standing on the wall where the children are sleeping. You don't want .223 slugs going through drywall and injuring family. Besides, at short range, a shotgun offers more knock-down power and a higher % chance of hitting the target than a rifle. If you still want/need longer range contact, you'll have time to load a few slugs into the chamber. Here is a list of what you need:

Remington 870 Express w/ an 18" barrel
Tru-Glo Ghost Ring Sight
6 round Side Saddle
Federal 000 and 00 Buckshot (3" or 2 3/4")
Federal 2 3/4 Tru-Ball Slugs
Pistol Grip Stock(optional)
Magazine Extension(optional)
Sure-Fire Tac Light(optional)

Hope this helps out with your descion!

Answer 8

Well a rifle is more for long-range shooting, so I would go with a shotgun with a shorter length. You say home self-defense weapon for both short and long-range distances. But I don't see how you get long-range distances in a home defense situation. If the person is not inside your home, then call 911. It doesn't become a home defense situation until that person breaks into your home.
Using a rifle or even a slug in a shotgun you have a real risk of the bullet going through the walls of your home into other rooms or even other homes and injuring or killing innocent people so consider using small shot shells or even the bean bag shells.

Answer 9

While most of the answers so far seem to favor shotguns, I disagree. My recommendation would be some type of pistol caliber carbine. Examples include HighPoint (costs less than most shotguns), the Ruger 96/44, cowboy action lever actions like the Winchester 1873 (replicas are made by Uberti).

My reasons are fairly basic. The shotgun's often advertised advantages are a wide spray pattern and inability to penetrate walls. This is generally untrue at ranges where confrontations occur. When pattern testing shotguns, we generally did it at 25 yard or 75 feet. In your home, you will engage targets much closer than that. Larger shot can penetrate several inches of wood at short range, drywall is no match even for "bird shot". Additionally, Shotguns, even 20 gages have a fairly hard kick for someone who doesn't have lots of firearms experience and the muzzle blast (explosion) could cause permanent hearing loss in confined spaces.

Pistol caliber carbines are about the same as shotguns for penetration. If proper ammunition is used (rapid hollow points or Glasser safety slugs) the penetration is diminished. Also, the recoil is much less, and the muzzle blast is much less. Ball ammunition in pistol calibers is much cheaper so practice becomes less cost prohibitive.

No firearm should ever be considered "safe" in the sense of "will not penetrate the walls". Good advanced planning for home defense is a must. If you can afford the training, I highly recommend www.FrontSight.com. Their choice of training locations outside of Las Vegas has made airfare very cheap (less than $200 for me). They have firearm rentals, so you can try a firearm before you buy.

Tactically the way to reduce the risk of shooting a loved one is to have "burglar drills" where everyone knows to retreat to a fixed location and then engage from behind a concealed position if the burglar follows. Firing from a low position and through the rest of the house can reduce the possibility of any weapon making it to the neighbors. Because you are angling up, from a low position, any bullets that mis the target will be going up towards the roof, they will have to pass through several interior walls, the exterior wall, your neighbor's exterior wall, before you would have to worry about it hitting someone. (hopefully you have practiced enough that you don't mis) If you live in a two story house, perhaps a better approach is to engage the bad guy coming up the stairs. You will be shooting down at such a steep angle that the bullet will probably stop in the floor or foundation wall and not ricochet.

Answer 10

Yes sir. I have a 500A. I have the 18.5 inch barrel, I had the pistol grip on it but had to stop myself from using it as a cane so I put the factory stock back on it. I have mine for home defense and if I go outside at night. I also have a tac-star light system with remote for-end mounted switch and a laser mounted on the end of the mag tube. I have it topped off with alternating #9 Buckshot(For Bears) and slugsters same for my bandoleer. The first and every fourth shot is #9 Buckshot and I got slugs in between. Geraldine --- yes that is what I meant. The shells just say #9 on them but that is what they are.

Answer 11

A rifle fires 1 projectile at a much higher velocity than the shotgun's many projectiles. The rifle will also penetrate several walls, and depending on the caliber and power, maybe even a brick wall. The shotgun will not penetrate more than 1 dividing wall if it is more than 3 feet away when fired. This makes it much safer for those who might be behind the target. The target will still be damaged severely.