Home Defense Rifle

Don't know if you have made your decision yet....

But I found that Big 5 (if there is one in your area) has sales sometimes on Mossberg 500s. They are great because they come with a 28" barrel for hunting and an 18.5" barrel for HD. I picked mine up for $289 and I have seen camo painted ones for a little more. That camo painted one would be perfect if you are worried about appearances if you end up in court (help to explain that you got it for the camo paint when hunting and it just came with the HD barrel).
It sounds like you liked the idea of the 20ga due to the more mild recoil. Just don't put magnums in it and take the house out for some training time. Make sure to focus more on the HD holding of the gun rather then the sporting grip (you probably already knew that).
I think that a nice short shot gun loaded up with 00 buckshot can't be beat for HD. Not too much a fan of the Winchester PDX line because it has a 1oz slug with buckshot, so that can be some killer recoil for smaller folks.
 
BIG P... that Reminton 7615 pump rifle looks very cool. I might just yearn after one of those regardless of how I fix my immediate problem. The only thing I'm puzzled by is why they would not have irons on it right from the box.

Yung.gunr... we do have a Big 5 near by. I haven't been there for a while, maybe I should pay them a visit this coming weekend.

So here's another (peripheral) question. RE over-penetration: I have developed a load for rabbits using Trailboss. I don't have a chronograph but from felt recoil I'd put that load above a 22 mag... a real big guess but maybe 40gr at about 2500 fps. With a frangible bullet I wonder if this would be enough... probably not. Just a thought.

-SS-
 
I have my family with me which includes my wife and kids. I have never had a loaded firearm in the house and have a strict policy to remove bolts and let down/relax the firing pins. This puts those firearms about a minute away from service for me and inoperable to my family. It's not quick enough obviously.
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I have a Beretta 1201FP shotgun that is designated a home defense weapon. The problem is that it is in my RSC locked up. It is loaded so if I need it I can get it pretty quick. However, the gun that I have at my immediate access is a Glock 17 9mm handgun that is in my handgun safe bolted to my bed frame. The problem that many people have with using a long gun for home defense is how to store it in manner that is safe with kids in the home but accessible when needed. That's why a handgun is such a popular choice. Not because it is the best choice in many instances.
 
Big 5 has the best priced on mossberg shotguns, mossberg 500 is the way to ho if you decide on a shotgun. Tons of accessories for sprucing it up.

FWIW big 5 has the best prices for mosin nagants (off subject, I know)
 
^ what 44 amp said... if you have the ammo stockpiled then an AR wouldn't hurt but when I think of home defense I think of that trusty handgun sitting in the nightstand or the stockless pump gun behind the headboard. lever guns and bolt rifles are very poorly suited for home defense due to length and the time it takes to line up a follow up shot. an M4 style AR15 is probably the only centerfire long gun I would use for this purpose but that's just my .02
 
Like the Caliber Wars in the Handgun forums, we will be debating/arguing this till the Crack of Doom and still not come up with The Right Answer.
My $.02
1. Only the Hits Count.
2. At Close Range, EVERYTHING hurts.
3. Nothing takes the place of practice and familiarity with an SD weapon.
4. SD scenarios should always be base on Worst Case situations-you can't find your glasses, your spare magazines, you've stumbled, lost your footing, etc. Practice accordingly.
 
A 12 ga. pump with OO buck is always a good home defense gun. A rem 870, or Mossberg can be had without breaking the bank.

One of my all time favorite home protection guns was a 20 ga. 870 youth loaded with buckshot. It was compact, easy to swing in tight spaces, and could stop anything on two legs.
 
Without the ballistics, I would have to go with a shotgun or a AK. You could go with a short barreled M14 type rifle also.

One thing to consider..... a shotgun with buckshot will be less likely to do a lot of through the wall damage like a .223 or .30 caliber round.
 
Without the ballistics, I would have to go with a shotgun or a AK. You could go with a short barreled M14 type rifle also.

One thing to consider..... a shotgun with buckshot will be less likely to do a lot of through the wall damage like a .223 or .30 caliber round.
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um....the AK47 IS a 30 cal round and the M14 IS as well and both would have greater wall penetration than a 223
 
I've always thought of the shotgun as more of a one-on-one weapon.
For me, if I felt endangered by a group of gangbanging thugs, I'd want to be sure I could outgun them. A shotgun wouldn't be my choice.

There's a thread running here now about the Mini-14, and in it I mentioned that Richard Venola (Editor) of Guns 'N Ammo chooses the Mini as his "zombie" (his words) gun that sits next to his front door....

That would be my choice as well. Much simpler than the AR, easier for your family members to handle, and more reliable.
 
The question is interesting, but misdirected.
Most firearms will do the job is YOU will do the job.
Tactics are 98% of the equation, and the gun is 2%

I taught combat tactics for the USMC and later the USN, and have several years worth of experience in the field.

I am a lover of good guns and like most shooters, I also like to think of the options, but it's mostly just because of the interest in guns and ballistics.

The real world shows us that the man is ALWAYS 98% of the solution and the weapon is seldom more then 2%.

If you want to go out and buy a new gun, please do so. Better guns for the job are.....well.......better.

But understand clearly, any new gun is going to make almost no difference at all in a fight for your life if you don't employ the correct tactics and employ them at the right time.
If you have (A) the correct mind set and (B) any level of good training at all, you would probably do fine with any deer rifle, or any bird hunting shotgun.

Tactic-cool may be “cool” but it doesn’t matter much in a real fight.

A good man with a 30-30 lever gun will defeat untrained thugs armed with AK-47s in about 90% of the cases. Nothing overcomes bad luck, but we can’t train to get lucky. We can train to become proficient, and that will be very “unlucky" for thugs that make a fatal mistake in their victim selection process.
 
Mmmm, I'm not into tactics and training. I'm into having to hand the right gun. The stage has been set... it's a family house in a quiet street with good neighbors but with a local contingent of arse holes that are starting to bug everyone. We don't know who is breaking in to our houses. We are making an effort to deter the petty criminals. It could get serious, and I'm not sure if the perps know how serious it is going to get for them. Since I started this thread I have decided to have one of my rifles in commission in the house 24/7. Not loaded but the swipe of a bolt away.

My rifles are scoped and the scopes just get in the way in the house, can't be used. I'm still thinking the 20 ga shotgun. I'm not about to drop and roll and emerge doing double taps, I'm going to stand there and defend my home and my family.

-SS-
 
"Just standing there" is an excellent way to get shot. It makes a big, easy target.

You want to consider, at the very least, learning to use basic cover and concealment.
 
I recommend at least one farm(home) defense/hunting rifle and shotgun.

I have a 44 magnum rifle and a mossberg 500. The rifle is one of my prized possessions for sentimental reasons only, and it is definately the most reliable for anything besides close encounters.
 
I gotta go along with Wyosmith. First, engage brain and control adrenalin. With any sort of forethought, odds are that .22 semi-auto would likely work. My own preference would be for one of the mid-range semis in .223 or AK. Or a lever gun, maybe.

Whatever you're good with for controlled rapid fire. "Controlled". :)
 
My 357 revolver the first thing I grab while I am still in bed. Once I am up on my hind legs my 20 gauge pump gun is my primary gun for getting out of the bedroom and moving around the house. If I have to go outside my 32 Win spcl is loaded and ready for duty but only if I have an identified target, otherwise my 20 will serve for porch and immediate yard duty.

32 because I have it and I have a lot of time on the range and in the field with it. I am intimately familiar with it and I'm not worried an errant shot is going to come down and hurt somebody a half mile away. At in yard distance under 100 yards the round nose SP lead tipped 170 grain bullet will do quite nicely. Feral pig, black bear or boogerman makes not difference, it's more than plenty without getting silly over the old velocity vs weight argument and 7 rounds is more then plenty if I do my part. If I don't do my part than even a 20 or 30 round magazine gun isn't going to help much.

For those who recommend the 44 mag/spcl lever action guns that would be my second choice if you don't want to go shotgun.
 
There's a 21" Remington 1100 20 guage "Special field" bird gun loaded with four "00" 3" Shells under the bed. I wish it were a 12 guage with a few more rounds which I'll probably get in the near future. If I have reason to be concerned one of several pistols with night sights will be placed on the nightstand. We had one attempted breakin years ago (daytime) but since then an alarm system was installed and the ADT sign in the front yard seems to have detered any further interest.

I really don't think you can beat a shotgun for home defense but also think you need to know the layout of your house in the dark and strategically place your guns(s) (glasses, slippers, etc) and practice every now and then your first critical moves (know where an attack is likely to come from). If an attack is likely to be from the french doors of your bedroom to the deck, practice retrieving the gun in the dark and positioning yourself using walls, furniture etc as cover. Have your spouse know her role when the sound of shattering glass is heard. 911 on speed dial would be smart too.
 
I know the .223 will stop a BG in my house but would that be the beginning of a legal battle?
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Not sure why you made this statement in your original post.


Anyway, you're a self-professed 223 nut. So just go buy a decent AR (...a S&W MP15 Sporter would be a good start) and learn to shoot it WELL.
 
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