Best Home Defense Shotty?

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Far more important than the gun and accessories is the skill of knowing how to defend your home and family.
And that has little to do with the choice of gun.
Now, that I've gotten that off my chest, you can, indeed, outfit yourself for under $500.
There's tons of good, used Remington 1100 autoloaders out there, in the $300 to $350 range.
Even less if you don't care how pretty it is and if it has a fixed choke barrel without a ventilated rib.
Add a mag extension and the sights, and you're well under the budget.
 
jaguarxk120 said:
The slang is what brings the forums down to mall ninja level.

Please do not forget there are people who want to take what we shoot away from us that read the web sites and forums.

The slang does not help the shooting world.
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I agree 100%. I feel the same way when people here call semi-auto rifles "assault rifles". They're not helping anything and only giving fuel to the gun-banners.

Back to the OPs question: I'm surprised I'm the only person who has mentioned the Mossberg 930. It seems like it's the only shotgun that fits the OP's criteria.
 
Theohazard said:
I agree 100%. I feel the same way when people here call semi-auto rifles "assault rifles". They're not helping anything and only giving fuel to the gun-banners.

Back to the OPs question: I'm surprised I'm the only person who has mentioned the Mossberg 930. It seems like it's the only shotgun that fits the OP's criteria.
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Except for reliability.
 
I've never owned a 930, but from talking to those who have I hear it's plenty reliable as long as you clean it regularly and don't use super-light loads. Besides, is there a better semi-auto HD shotgun anywhere near his price range?
 
Theohazard said:
I've never owned a 930, but from talking to those who have I hear it's plenty reliable as long as you clean it regularly and don't use super-light loads. Besides, is there a better semi-auto HD shotgun anywhere near his price range?
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I see more malfunctions and problems with Mossberg 930 shotguns than any other semi automatic shotgun. I run one in competition (930 JM Pro Series), and even I run into more problems than most while keeping the gun clean and using proper ammo.

For a defensive gun, I would get a used Remington 1100 for the price of the 930 or a Remington 870 or Mossberg 500/590 well before I used any 930 variant.
 
Besides, is there a better semi-auto HD shotgun anywhere near his price range?
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Well..."better semi-auto HD shotgun" would most likely be just an opinion but as already been said, there are many shotguns, especially used that would fit the bill well. In semi-auto and pump.
IMO,with the OP's price range of $500, he has a fairly wide range of selection if he considers used. Then he can be more selective on which he is more comfortable/ handles/likes better.
 
allaroundhunter said:
I see more malfunctions and problems with Mossberg 930 shotguns than any other semi automatic shotgun. I run one in competition (930 JM Pro Series), and even I run into more problems than most while keeping the gun clean and using proper ammo.
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Good to know. I've heard mostly good things about 930s, but it seems like you have more experience with them than most people. Are you mostly talking about your 930 or have you seen firsthand the same problems in other people's 930s as well? I was thinking about picking one up, but now I want to find one to borrow so I can try it out first. Thanks for the info.
 
Theohazard said:
Good to know. I've heard mostly good things about 930s, but it seems like you have more experience with them than most people. Are you mostly talking about your 930 or have you seen firsthand the same problems in other people's 930s as well? I was thinking about picking one up, but now I want to find one to borrow so I can try it out first. Thanks for the info.
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I honestly have never seen a 930 go through a full 3 gun match consisting of more than 40 rounds without a malfunction (and I have seen quite a few try). I then watch Benelli M2s, FN SLPs, and Remington VersaMaxs handle all of it without a problem.

Add to that the many QC problems that have been immediately evident upon unboxing Mossberg shotguns and I have little faith in the manufacturer.
 
allaroundhunter said:
I honestly have never seen a 930 go through a full 3 gun match consisting of more than 40 rounds without a malfunction
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Wow. That's not exactly comforting in a home-defense shotgun...
 
All the snarkiness aside, I think the OP now understands that his wants and his budget are not in agreement, so he needs to alter one or both to achieve his desire to own a shotGUN for home defense.

OP, double the budget and you double your choices
 
Doubling a budget can be hard to do. I personally would just drop the semi requirement and go with a reliable pump. People have given good options there already. I'd probably go with a mossberg 590 or rem 870 to start with.

Personally, I would prefer a bullpup as well, the KSG being at the top of the list. I'd heard many of the initial problems are gone with them, but there's still the price and availability. Incidentally, there's a conversion for the 870, but it looks ugly (built around the reliability of the 870, though). For me, I opted to just rely on my pistol until more affordable reliable bullpups became available.

As to kitting it out, do what you want with it, but keep it as light and maneuverable as possible. I would personally need a pistol grip as I can't stand/use a regular shotgun grip. A light may be handy (since you can't have 1 hand free for a flashlight). Instead of 2 sights, maybe look into some more basic night iron sights (tritium, etc). Save a little weight and still be practical. You're not gonna be speed clearing rooms, so you don't *need* a red dot. Keep it non-electronic and you won't need a backup, either. That's probably all I'd put on it.
 
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I'm familiar with the 870, in fact it's the only shotgun I've fired. But some questions about it...

Slugs. From what I've seen they are awesome penetrators(punches thru bulletproof glass), and you can get rifled barrels for the 870 to fire slugs accurately, would an 870 shotgun with rifled barrel firing slugs no longer be considered a shotgun? But a large bore rifle? What kind of effective range would an 870 with the shortest legal rifled barrel and slugs have?

Just an idea, how about an 870 with red dot sight, extended mag tube, and short rifled barrel for home defense? Too extreme?
 
Oh, and wouldn't firing 00buck through a rifled barrel damage the rifling? I'm sure it would so you couldn't alternate rounds. You'd have to use a smoothbore for that.

And sorry for all the questions, been shooting pistols all my life and looking to get more into it, make it a hobby, expand to shotguns and rifles. Thank you all for the replies so far.
 
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Yeah, at ranges up to 50 yards or so, regular ole' slugs through a smooth bore barrel are plenty accurate.
Shot loads fired through a rifled barrel make really lousy patterns.
For home defense use, stay with the smooth bore.
 
Slugs. From what I've seen they are awesome penetrators(punches thru bulletproof glass), and you can get rifled barrels for the 870 to fire slugs accurately, would an 870 shotgun with rifled barrel firing slugs no longer be considered a shotgun?
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Rifled bbl or smooth, shooting slugs or shot, it would still be considered a shotgun.
A very important thing to consider about using slugs for SD/HD is over- penetration. Don't want to be shooting through your walls into your neighbors house. And the 'kill range' of a "free flying', unobstructed slug can be several hundred yards.
You should survey your home/surroundings and then decide what load to use for SD/HD. Have never seen a pole on the topic but would guess that most people using a shotgun for SD/HD use some form of buckshot for two reasons:
1) buckshot does not penetrate as much as slugs but is still more then adequate enough for most SD/HD situations.
2) buckshot spreads giving it a better 'hit' ratio then a single slug.

Just an idea, how about an 870 with red dot sight, extended mag tube, and short rifled barrel for home defense? Too extreme?
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Would work just fine if you do your part and is not to extreme.

Oh, and wouldn't firing 00buck through a rifled barrel damage the rifling?
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No it will not. The shot is softer then the bbl. It WILL lead up the bbl rifling so shooting any lead projectile out of a rifled bbl. will require cleaning with a 'lead removing' solvent.

Bottom line: on shooting buckshot out of a rifled or smooth bbl for SD/HD would again, first include surveying the area you are trying to protect, IE: furthest distance you would be shooting in your home, and pattern your shotgun at that distance with different loads till you find a load that gets most shot center mass on your target, will do the job and not over-penetrate.

FWIW...Kudo's to you for asking the questions you have. Many don't and it show's much responsibility on your part. ;)
 
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I recommend a Remington 870 12 ga smooth bore. I have five 870's, they are very reliable, and easy to maintain. Sights are virtually irrelevant at home defense distances inside the dwelling. An extended magazine may be valuable in an extreme situation and - like insurance - is probably worth the cost. I recommend No. 1 buckshot - definitely not slugs - for home defense. Home defense shotgun loads have been addressed several times here on TFL. For example, see this thread and the reference in the quote:

http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=510474

12 ga. 2 3/4 " #1 buck is the best for home defense.

See: http://www.firearmstactical.com/briefs10.htm
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