shotgun for home defence

P

psychobilly

Inactive
I'm more of a handgun/rifle type but my wife thinks she would feel more comfortable with a scattergun for HD when she is home alone.(living in Stockton CA) I can understand her feelings.We have a Mossberg 500 with the 18 in barrel installed.My wife is a small lady,5.2'115# and I don't think she could handle a full on buckshot/slug shell.What would be a low recoil round but still potent enough to make the low life types take it elsewhere?
 
A 12 ga 00 buck reduced recoil load works very well .You don't need any more for home defence and it's easy to handle.

Does the stock fit her ? If not get a short stock. I hope you don't have a pistol grip on the gun that can cause injury especially for short people and it's hard to handle.
 
Mete is right on. I might try for #1 Buckshot Reduced Recoil tho. The 12 ga. is a big, heavier, gun than 20's and .410's but I agree a big issue is the LOP -- it makes the gun too big to handle for women and makes the gun act as a lever against their balance!
 
One more vote for making sure the stock fits her first of all.

Softest kicking buckshot round I've come across so far has been from Fiocchi -

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- pic from http://www.midwayusa.com/product/48...00-buckshot-9-nickel-plated-pellets-box-of-10, looks as if Midway is out of stock tho...
 
If your wife will be using the scatter gun, then consider a Stoeger 20 gauge Coach Gun. Massad Ayoob declares for self defense distances, the 20 gauge with buck shot will do the job just fine. Also the recoil is much lighter. I bought one for my wife for cowboy action and I end up shooting it too. I also have a lever action 12 gauge that can kick like a mule.
 
I think an inexpensive .410 Mossberg 500/505/510 would work well. 20 guage still has a fair amount of recoil where a .410 can be confortable for anyone. Advances in .410 ammunition have been great with the advent of .45/.410 revolvers. A load of OOO buckshot even from a .410 is "enough gun" to take care of any problem.
 
If you stick with your 500 12-gauge, Hogue 12" LOP stocks are pretty popular for HD guns.

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/16...k-mossberg-500-12-length-of-pull-rubber-black

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/91...d-mossberg-500-12-length-of-pull-rubber-black

The second link includes the forend, which I personally don't care for. It's shorter than standard forends and can feel awkward to reach.

If you choose to gett a smaller gauge, keep in mind that you may not end up reducing recoil, because the guns will tend to be lighter. A reduced recoil load out of a 7-pound 12-gauge will probably have less free recoil than a 6.5 pound 20-gauge shooting standard ammo.

I've already argued the merits (or lack thereof) of the .410 with jmortimer on a different thread :p and it wouldn't be my first choice for HD, but I'll agree that something like this is nothing to sneeze at.

Also, if you choose to get something else, a coach gun may not be a bad idea, but something with more capacity is what "experts" (whoever they are) would generally recommend.
 
+1 Stoeger coach gun 20 gauge.

Doubles look nasty, discourages attackers on sight alone, who is going to charge a double barrel when told to HALT?
 
If you get a double barrel, I'd go for O/U. I have a Stoegor Condor 12 gauge and it's practically the same speed as shooting it as a semi auto, but you only have 2 shots. I have 2 3/4 Federal 000 and I'd consider it low recoil. Probably between 3 inch magnum loaded Winchester #2 and white box target loads.

If you go the .410 route I highly suggest a Rossi Circuit Judge. They are light, small, amazing sights, easy, and fast. It's a single/double action revolving long gun. And if you modify the stock, there's even speed loaders. If you don't modify the stock, 3 shot speed loaders are made (for hunting). Federal and Winchester make 3 inch 000, 5 pellots in each round. All 5 shots can be fired in a few seconds.

Another option is a Saiga .410, but I have no experience with one.
 
I don't understand the recommendations for a SxS Stoeger Coach gun. What would be the scenario if the two loaded shells don't do the trick? How comfortable would his wife be under stress, at zero-dark-thirty, breaking down the gun and reloading (especially since those guns do not have extractors/ejectors), vs. having a pump loaded 6+1? And, as we all know, all things being equal, lighter guns produce heavier recoil than heavier guns.

I would recommend a 12g 870 with a short LOP stock, a Limbsaver pad, and LE132 1B ammo (low velocity, FliteControl). An alternative would be an 870 20g, same stock and pad, with a heavier load. The gun will be lighter and easier to handle, but the recoil will be about the same.
 
+1 Stoeger coach gun 20 gauge.

Doubles look nasty, discourages attackers on sight alone, who is going to charge a double barrel when told to HALT?
Click to expand...

:eek: You would bet your life on that? Any more so than the sound of a pump gun being racked will send the bad guys running for their lives? You have been watching too many movies and I would suggest obtaining some serious training with your weapon.
 
My Saiga 12 gauge works great as a hunter AND is very comforting as a Home Defense gun as well. The Tapco adjustable stock allows for my wife's shorter reach, and the semi-auto , even with the 5 round factory mag has the ability to put out a LOT of pellets in a hurry, if necessary. For my reassurance I don't use the low recoil ammo. I want to be sure what I shoot will feed and eject on schedule...and full-kick #2 or#4 Turkey-shot will do that for me (and not destroy the house). I keep a slug as the 5th round in my HD mags. If we get to #5, the guy needs some serious stopping !:D

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I picked up my Mossberg 500 12 guage used for under $200, couldnt pass it up because it was in near immaculate condition and the price was amazing. The 500 feels very natural and straight forward, and not to mention the extensive list of accessories and parts you can get for it makes it well worth the buy. My wife is 5'6" 110lbs and she shoots 00buck with no issues whatsoever. Great HD weapon.
 
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