Please rank your top 5 defensive long-guns for beginner

[DannyB1954]

If you people wish to convince me that a shotgun has the same power to penetrate as a 223/5.56, how about giving me a you tube example?

Yes shotgun pellets can go through drywall. Will they go through the neighbors house?
http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/theboxotruth.htm has some penetration tests. With a 223. The bullet went through twelve 3/4" pine boards. Tell me about a 20ga, shotgun round, (other than maybe a slug), that will do that. If your bullet misses your target, or goes through it, you have an uncontrollable situation. The more powerful the round, the more liability you have.

 

[Theohazard]

DannyB1954, that video you linked is using FMJs. No one should use FMJs for home defense. Here's a test that shows a JHP or JSP .223 round penetrates less through interior walls than handgun or shotgun loads:

http://how-i-did-it.org/drywall/results.html

And here's another test:

http://www.olyarms.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=15&Itemid=26

 

[Deaf Smith]

No one should use FMJs for home defense.

If you live on Social Security and have little money for $2 bullets then yea, FMJ is all they can afford IF they are lucky enough to afford a gun.

Deaf

 

[Theohazard]

The more powerful the round, the more liability you have.

That's not necessarily true; in fact, often the opposite is true. Super-fast rounds often fragment much faster than slower rounds, and the resulting pieces lose velocity much more quickly. This is why .223 hollowpoints penetrate so much less than shotgun or handgun loads. It also helps that the .223 is a small bullet.

It's similar to the results the Mythbusters had when they tested how far various guns would shoot into water. They shot into a pool and discovered that the high-powered rifle rounds traveled the shortest distance into the water due to violent and rapid fragmentation, whereas the handgun rounds would stay intact and travel a lot father. So if you decide to dive underwater to avoid being shot, a 9mm is going to go a lot deeper than a .50 BMG round.

 

[Glenn E. Meyer]

A touch of a revival. Yesterday, we had a mixed match - handgun, handgun + rifle, or classic three gun.

A nice newbie young man or two were trying out 12 gauge pumps.

Things I noticed:

1. They did miss quite a bit shooting birdshot at steel. At three gun distances, they shoot in front, left or right. Thus, the idea that you can't miss - well, we know that wasn't true.

2. Manipulation was so very slow. Loading, second shots, etc.

Point is that for a novice, the shotgun isn't a wonder weapon.