shotgun vs. pistol

Well lets see now, bumps in the night can take on many forms from the was that the dog knocking over the trashcan in the kitchen again to the entire sliding glass door exploding as a brick goes flying into it.

Plus is it day or night time, yes I realize we are addressing bumps in the night, nighttime, but all here know you get those odd bumps in the daytime as well which send your antennae up too!

General, nighttime I think the dog is in the trash again- Walther P99 or Glock 17 and Surefire E2E depending on which I placed on the nite stand before bed.

Odd bump, not too loud but stirring, never heard before- Again Walther or Glock with Surefire E2E, make way quickly to bedroom door, listen and determine if something may be wrong.

If I feel more firepower may be needed the Shotty (Wilson Combat Standard Model Remington 870) comes out of the closet.

If the sound is enough to send me standing straight up in the bed, condition double red my Springfield SOCOM 16 with 30 round mags comes out from under the bed. My three Shepards will be going nuts by now (all down stairs) should cause the intruders enough worry for me to determine if I want to hold up in my room or head out.

Daylight would be much the same.

The last big alert I had around Camp Sleepy was in daylight, when I saw someone creeping around the Westside of my house just about sundown.

I live on a large parcel of property, which unfortunately borders on a rather bad trailer park. All that separates me from them is a large tree line and a few strands of barbwire.

I greeted this particular individual with a proper GTFOOH and my Walther P99, he quickly complied.
 
we have two fur bearing alarms...

If the general (the wifes yapper dog) goes to alert we wake up and wait and see holding a 1911 and streamlight, If the gunny(the yellow lab in my daughters room) wakes and growls then I grab the 870 and hit the lights.

I did a lot of work on my house a few years back and I installed three-way switches in the hall both up and down stairs that turn on eight eaves lights and both entry lights in and out. We also have two motion detectors that are wired to lights and door bells that are separately switched.
200 bucks worth of stuff=lots of night time security.

I figure if two dogs barking and instaneous illumination does not scare away whoever is coming in, I need Mr 12 guage. My son has a 20 guage in his room and daughter has a commander under her mattress. Both kids have been taught that they plug in the cell phone either on the bed or on the nightstandand my cell phone is plugged in every night on the head board.
 
Whatever I have ammo for. Probably my maverick 88 12ga. Not exactly manuverable but I plan to get a folding stock. If I don't have any 12ga. ammo then I guess my 10/22 will have to do (it's not entireley useless as it does have 25rd. capacity and that "evil" look) and If I don't have any .22 ammo then I guess (providing I have ammo) I pick up the trusty mosin nagant 91/30. :D
 
We've got two "recon" home defenders in the household, decent pistol shots, and one to secure the "LZ". The tactic therefore is to work precision - don't want to take each other out and all that - so for us it's pistols and those impossibly bright focused flashlights.

If I were alone, I'd probably choose a semi-auto shotty with an attached flashlight for the ultimate in point-and-click goblin interface, loaded with "000".

As for hanging back or investigating, I would definitely investigate an intrusion.. I don't think I could just sit around and wait for them to set the house on fire or make off with the RAID server, dammit! ;)
 
For a bump in the night the pistol is the weapon of choice if leaving the bedroom. If staying put it is the shotgun.
 
Bump in the middle of the night?
I would have the wife investigate while I seek cover and concealement!
Seriously,
12 ga pump (loaded or unloaded) -that racking sound is unmistakeable.
 
Call 911 and sit on your bed with a shot gun using 00 buck. I keep a turkey call next to the phone, use that to lure the turkey to you.
 
ROFL thats funny bill... but a good point, however those of us with families to look after staying put isnt always an option... so most of us dressed in our midnight combat attire... (a pair of hanes a handgun and a flashlight) have no choice but to venture thru the house and investigate the sound... hopefully my morning wood will be enuf to scare off the intruder !! LOL
 
You got me there, it's just the wife and me. Not to mention our two weinnie dogs, parrot, lab, and hound. If a flea farts in our house it sounds like WWIII with all the barking etc.
 
Good discussion. If you had a clear shot I think everyone would choose a shotty or rifle. In the bedroom I'll have the 1100 stuffed with 8 rounds of OO buck with the STI Edge and 21 rounds of .40SW as backup. The problem is movement for me.

I have some BAD angles in my house. The type where the Edge has a distinct advantage (yeah, I've tried them with the 16" AR Carbine and the 22" 1100). I think the most important variable in this is to assume that the goblin is as at least good as you are. In other words, all bets are off and stack the deck. THAT is why we choose the stopping power of the long guns.

Dane Burns coined the phrase: "Situational awareness is situational dominance".

Depending on your layout and your skill level the AR, the shotty or the pistol may be completely right for you.
 
German Shepherd bite trained in Russian followed by either a shotgun loaded with rocksalt for the first round (hurts but generally hard to get a kill shot) or a Colt Trooper Mk 3 6". If neither of the weapons is loaded, the dog tends to go for the throat. That's why he was retired young. So come on in. :)
 
For home protection, especially with other family members in the home, stick with a shot gun. Dry wall generally will not stop a rifle round or pistol round.
 
What I Will Use And What Leads To Choice

1. Double deadbolts at all points of entry.
2. Security and specific interior lights on all night.
3. Three very sensitive furpersons on duty inside the house - two small yappers and one large agressive Boxer (mainly to alert us) all three sleep in our bedroom, free to roam the house.
4. 12 guage riot gun, 18" barrel, extended mag loaded with #1 buck, with handgun backup, all within arms reach while in bed.
5. Wife on floor behind solid pedestal bed with cell phone and handgun (to give me clear shooting lanes and to call the good guys).
6. Decision to investigate or stay put in defensive mode will be made based upon nature of situation. Since there is no one else in the home, most likely will stay put and wait for the calvary.
 
Long gun is my preference; pistol as a backup. Unless the enemy has dug a tunnel system underneath us - and I pursue the rats with pistol only leaving the long gun at ground level.
 
All this talk about house clearing makes me glad I live in a studio apartment with clear lines of fire from the bed to the door and all the windows. I hate roaming around in the dark in my undies. :D
 
I am going with the old 870 pump loaded with 00 buck which is in the bedroom closet, I have my sig P226 .40 in a leg holster in the nightstand for back up.
 
... 16 and the only gun owner in my home...

Yeah, that title's right. At the moment, we don't have a safe, so all my guns have trigger locks and are in locked cases with ALL keys hidden on the far end of the house (except my BP muzzle loader)... Effectively, my best bet for defence is my machete or my knife.

'Course, we're re-doing my room right now, and turning the closet into a sorta gun safe (outdoor-style doors, deadbolt, door-to-frame anchors)... So when that's done, I'll be keeping a loaded mag for my 10/22 under the bed and the 10/22 itself'll be well hidden but readily accessible.
 
First I send my 2 Dobies, Duke and Duchess out, then I get my 2 kids and head back to my room, in the corner behind the bed with my P89 with a 30 round clip pointed at the door. Then I call 911 and wait. Then I wake up my wife and tell her I'm buying another gun, she will be so pissed off :eek: , aint a man in the world, let alone in the house, that would wanna be within 100 yards of her. Even the dogs will run away.
 
For those of you with kids. . . .what if the bump is one of your kids getting a drink of water?
As something else to consider, along with a bump in the night, what if your dorbell rings? What do you do then? If you are single? Married? Kid (but only gun owner in house)??
 
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