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

I personally have never shot a .357 lever but I do own a marlin .44 magnum lever action and it is wonderful!
If I had to choose between a 12ga and a lever action rifle I would choose a 12ga. Nothing against a lever action but you can just cover a larger area with a shotgun and in home defends that can mean less aiming and more blasting!!!
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A statement that smack's of Hollywood, rather than the real world. You know, where the bartender fires his dbl. barrel and one bad guy is knocked out through the swinging doors, and the other is blown back through the window and lands in the horse trough.

When I patterned some Fed. Tac low recoil 00 buck--with FliteControl wad, the results were as follows.

10 yds. one hole
15yds. 4" pattern
25 yds. 7"

32 yds, fired yesterday when I was zeroing some slug loads, (one round) 8.5" pattern for 9 00 buck

Same precise sighting is required as if you were using a slug, though there is a narrow zone where the pattern is still effective, but big enough so that you have some margin for error. But that zone is small, just before the pattern is too big for an effective number of hits no matter how precise.

Hornady Tap uses same wad, and produces same results, though shot is lead rather than plated like Fed.

Even with traditional buckshot loads with larger patterns, the pattern at typical home SD ranges is so small as to make precicse sighting of the shotgun mandatory---same as if you were shooting your lever .357.:cool:
 
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I think 357 and 44 are pistol rounds. Although I see the point of rifles chambered for them (for cowboy action and certain hunting rules), I think that I'd rather my long gun be a 12 gauge than a pistol caliber of any sort.

Not saying I don't want pistol cartridge rifles, of course, but, to pick between them for home defense, I want the 12.
 
My side by side 12g with 3" nitro mags would decimate anything I aim towards. At 30' with bird shot #6 both barrels I leave a pretty large print and anything coming down my hallway or through my door is not going to know what hit them!
 
RAMZ707 said:
My side by side 12g with 3" nitro mags would decimate anything I aim towards. At 30' with bird shot #6 both barrels I leave a pretty large print and anything coming down my hallway or through my door is not going to know what hit them!
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[1] When fired from a cylinder choke shotgun, the shot pattern at 10 yards is about 7 to 10 inches.

[2] While 1.75 ounces of #6 shot is about 390 pellets, each pellet is only 0.11 inch in diameter (about half the diameter of a .22 lr bullet) and weighs only about 2 grains.

[3] Each pellet has a low sectional density and low ballistic coefficient, and so it will lose velocity rapidly.

[4] Even assuming a muzzle velocity of 1300 fps, a pellet of #6 shot is unlikely to have much penetration at 10 yards on a clothed target.
 
My side by side 12g with 3" nitro mags would decimate anything I aim towards. At 30' with bird shot #6 both barrels I leave a pretty large print and anything coming down my hallway or through my door is not going to know what hit them!
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WOW! There's a home SD gun for you. Twice as much shot as you need, and if you miss in the hallway, you'll blow out Bubba's ear drums--and yours, too. Nobody will want to fight anymore---peace, Bro. :p

OK, once in a while I get a little humour streak, maybe the Red Bull. But, you don't need 3" mag's for home defense, and you can't make up for the lack of birdshots' penetration just by having more of it. Would be like the B1 bomber dropping 100 lb. bombs. I hear that Remington has a new HD load that uses #2 shot. I always called 'em goose loads, myself. At least that would be an improvement--and still lacking penetration thru a couch or a chair that Bubba might duck behind.
 
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I don't have to worry about close neighbors or children in another room and I have handguns, rifles and shotguns. I do have a lot of training and experience with all three and due to my past career as a LEO have seen people wounded and or killed by various types of weapons. With that said I sleep with a 18" double barrel loaded with # 1 buck nearby and one of my revolvers and a flashlight in arms reach. However, if I had only the OP's choices I would go with the shotgun.
 
I remember Ayoob's take on things. The pistol is infantry, the shotgun is artillery.

Not always interchangeable for the specific task at hand (that's me says that:D).:cool:
 
I would go with the shot gun unless there are children in the house. While the odds of a hostage situation are very slim if I was in a hostage situation where one of my children was the hostage I would want the rifle over the shot gun.
 
I have tested the 357 magnum Marlin in the dark. It gives a dull blue flash at the muzzle. It is nothing like the muzzle flash from a pistol. In my case the carbine is best for defense because my wife can use it effectively. 357 mag recoil is very light in a carbine. Almost anyone in the house can be trained to use the Marlin. The shotgun requires a dedicated user who can endure recoil. Also, there are certain jurisdictions where an AR type weapon would prejudice the case and/or the jury. The Marlin is user friendly and court friendly.
 
This is obviously a rhetorical question. 12 gauge is unmatched inside of 50 yards. I doubt the inside of your home will exceed this length.
 
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