12-gauge pump or .357 lever action better for HD?

My thought is that if you hole-up in your room waiting for the cavalry, then the range involved would not yield any significant spread. I am disabled and neither the pump, nor the lever gun, appeal to me. My choice is between a Remington 1100, semiauto 12 gage, and a USGI M1 Carbine, auto loading .30 Carbine, or a Desert Eagle in .357 magnum, with 6" barrel.

I choose the lighter, shorter autoloader for holing up and waiting for the good guys ... the Desert Eagle.

I suspect if those are your only choices you must decide if you can manipulate the lever gun easier than the pump. You do not want any malfunctions under a real ugly situation. Take care of yourself the best you can.
 
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I really like the Winchester pdx1 slug buckshot combo they have for hd. It's a slug and three 00 buck balls packed together specifically designed for hd. Keeps a nice tight pattern and the recoil is very tolerable.

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I have never understood the practicality of combo loads like the PDX1. If you need a slug, use a slug load....if you need buckshot, use a buckshot load.
 
Touche Hook! I'm a .357 devotee. I was responding more to the sentiment that buckshot might not be an effective stopper at longer distances within a home.
 
Short barrels rule for H.D.

A shorter barrel for your shotgun is preferred because it presents less of a lever to your assailant. In a home invasion, you are likely to have close contact with the perpetrator and you don't want him (or her, since we just had a rash of women burglars in my area) to get a chance to grab a longer barrel and pull the gun away from you.

If you go with the shotgun as well you should, then I would definitely recommend a 18" barrel with no chokes, just standard cylinder bore.

The 1894 is a good choice since it is higher capacity but you won't need the range of a rifle unless you're defending a farm, which you aren't. The shotgun slide action is likely to be faster on follow-up for most people.
 
I agree that what's most important is what you are more proficient with, but assuming you can hit your target with either, in terms of wounding, a 2¾" 12ga shotshell with 16 pellets of #1 Buck has a cross sectional area of 1.13 square inches and produces significantly more effective wound trauma.

Federal's FLITECONTROL® ammo keeps the shot relatively tight, but you'd have to pattern it at your range as has been said.
 
Which have you trained with in HD scenarios and usage under stress?

Kind of more important than the gun. Either would work and I opine there isn't a whit of difference for the well trained good person with the correct mindset.
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Exactly that! I have an AR-15 by my side sometimes along with my Glock 21 OR SIG 226...Since my finger broke...The AR has been out. Long story..Easier to shoot the rifle since the recoil won't go to my right hand in full. Or hands alone in general really. I have my body for it. These metal pins come out in about 2 days then I need therapy to make it normal again. BUT bottom line is..Even when I'm 100% again..I'd choose the G21 over my Mossberg 590 because I've trained heavily with my handguns for the scenario. The AR as well..but c'mon now...I have neighbors.

So Glock 21 with 3 mags. That should do the trick :)

Whatever you're the most comfy with. I went into a personal view of my current situation.


ALSO! Train with your off hand every time you go to that range. This is a devastating injury for me and my trigger finger.
 
Either gun would serve you well. Of the two I would chose the Marlin since the shotgun presently has a 24" barrel. Install an 18" barrel and I would lean towards the shotgun by a small margin.
 
Both are great HD rounds. I personally would go with between the two, the shotgun. Especially using #4 buck shells. I have done my own personal research in the past on this and have found #4 buck to be the most powerful while least penatration. It will have a more difficult time penetrating your walls especially considering if you have other people(children) in your house. you may not be able to fire in the most wanted direction and need to consider a miss or penetration. i have also fired a .357 HP in my house before by accident :o and let me tell you it still has penatration.
 
I feel confident that either would serve the intended purpose. I have a rack hidden in my closet for two guns. Quite often there'll be a lever carbine and a shotgun there. As for ammo if I were to use my 1894c for SD I'd probably use 145gr silvertips and shotguns get buckshot.
 
Keep the rifle by the door, and the shotgun in the "safe room" (or visa-versa), then you will have one near entrance to house, and if you can't get to it in time, you retreat to the safe room and the other is there in case the badguy should try to enter, that would end poorly I would think for him. Practice with both until they are both comfortable and smooth to use. As for ammo- hard to argu with a #4 or larger buckshot at close range, for the .357 I would think that something along the lines of 125 gr HP would be pure evil out of a rifle at short range and just about any JHP load should work fine as long as the rifle will run it smooth and clean. Either one is gonna be loud in a house, not much you can do about that. Better to lose a little hearing than a lot of life.

I would be a little concerned about a safe room unless there were some upgrades or something solid in it to hide behind. (gun safes full of more guns work well).:D
 
I love my Marlin 1894C but would choose my 870 shotgun for HD without any hesitation. The Marlin is usually in the safe. The 870 is almost never in the safe.
 
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