SxS's for H/D!

Z

ZVP

New member
It amazes me how effective one can be with the old Double Barrels! They ave protected home and hearth for a century and a half!
There's a lot to say for simplicity and it doesn't get much more "agricurtial" than a plain old SxS!
As I grow past 65, and being crippled up from a work accident, I have found my 20 ga hunting gun to be the best tool for the job. It fits like a glove, is lighter than my Riot gun, and loaded with #3 Buck is pretty devistating at home ranges!
Yes it's slower to reload but you can work on it and borrow from the CAAS guys (Holding 2 shells in the fingers) and just working on dexterity.
Ofttimes the gaping bores work but if they dont, the second shot is VERY fast! I have a double trigger version on purpose(simplicity) and at least ONE barrel will fire.
These old style Doubles have a lot to say for themselves, Backed up by a sturdy revolver, youare definatelly in the game!
What's your take on the topic?
BPDave
 
As far as simplicity goes, exactly the same theory. Its hard to beat a good SXS. Not to mention, it takes a big mistake usually to disable a SXS. The only downfall I really see is capacity. But 2 rounds of OOO or OO buck that WILL fire beats a semi or even a pump if it jams.
 
No double barrel shotgun is a perfect "fighting" gun....but I think its great for Home Defense.../ learning to reload as necessary is just fine...

My go to gun for home defense is always a handgun ...either a 1911 in .45 acp or a S&W 6" revolver ( model 686 ) in .357 Mag....my shotguns and rifles are secondary weapons.
 
I don't know. Sure, most HD scenarios don't involve a firefight, but two shots? Even a basic pump-action holds 5 rounds. Why not enjoy the peace of mind that comes with additional firepower?
 
sort and light,+ & -

The typical Cowboy SXS is much shorter than a correspondingly barreled pump. A double with 18-20" tubes is very short indeed. That can be a plus indoors. You can break the gun down and transport it pretty discreetly too. But the curse is they are light and kick hard with all up ammo, especially in 12 ga. Too hard for women and teens maybe. The reduced recoil shotgun ammo is a plus with the stubby double.

The pump is an icon, but many find the "manual of arms" for them confusing.

I'd back a short double with a handgun if I could, and equip the shotgun with a butt cuff for sure.
 
Use what you want to, although I would advise against the Stoeger pictured. They've had issues with the single trigger models, and 2 triggers almost insures one shot even if something goes wrong. Also realize that ALL of the home defense info is anecdotal. Not one person writing has actual experience. The ONLY documented instances I know of were a single barrel and a teenage girl with a trap auto. All the combat and police doctrine is not applicable to true home defense in my opinion. If you want 14 rounds, a bayonet lug, a breecher choke extension, and a laser, and above all to look deadly, that is absolutely fine with me, but don't try to tell me one needs it for home defense.
 
The best HD weapon, is the one you can get to first. My BT's, O/U's, autos, and 2 of my pumps are in my safe. The one shotgun not in the safe, is the one shotgun I would be willing the lose.
 
While no doubt they would work, the only thing they have going for them is simplicity.

I like the peace of mind of having 9 rounds of 2 3/4" 00 buckshot instead of 2, that's why I use a Mossberg M590A1 combat shotgun for home defense work.

To each his own.
 
Joe Biden says a double barrel is plenty! And you just shoot in the air!!!
:eek:

I have a coach gun for an HD shotgun, and feel fine with it. Not living in a war zone, I find there is a considerable difference between home defense and combat.

I am also a dinosaur (and have the weak puny arms to prove it!:rolleyes:), so simplicity and smooth handling are not things to be discounted. NO RAILS! And I think that a proper gun has a trigger for each barrel.

Pumps are iconic, but short shuck a combat Mossberg (or any pump) and you have nothing, until (A) you realize what you did, and (B) work the action, again.

Two shots for sure has some appeal to me. Yep, I know its not a lot of firepower, but I think it will still do as well today as it did a century and more, ago.
 
I think it (two barrels) will still do as well today as it did a century and more, ago.
Click to expand...

I doubt that those in need of a defense gun a century ago would have opted for a double over a pump or semi if they were available. Still, the ZVP's selection of a double isn't a bad one, given his circumstances and the fact that he has a handgun.
 
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I have seen the FBI reports that the average gunfight/SD use of a handgun is 2.7 rounds, I think at 10 feet 2 rounds of No. 4 buck-or birdshot-would do fine. I have a Rossi Coach Gun, it will do nicely.
 
Good luck with the bird shot. That horse has been beaten to death. I believe the average shots fired by NYPD officers is well over 7 per incident.
 
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I doubt that all or any of those police shots are fired in "home defense". The police have an entirely different mission, and I do not question their need for more firepower. If I was about to wade into a potential confrontation I would probably have more firepower than Josey Wales. I remember the story of two California cops who pulled over a suspected druggie. He had a wondernine and so did they. Like 89 shots fired, no one hit, suspect got away and two damaged cars.
 
Virginia-in-LA, Of course few of those NYPD officer shooting incidents, if any, were home defense, but I was responding to a claim of what FBI stats show for gunfight/sd incidents involving the use of a handgun. That post didn't say it was limited to home defense. Nor was I able to locate that FBI report.

I would like to know if the 2.7 rounds fired on average include those persons losing the gunfight and if the average is a arithmetic average or a median. Also, in how many of those gunfights involved a single armed person, the defender, or multiple intruders.

Anyway, the basic question is not the average rounds fired in an HD scenario, but how many rounds one may need. While two shots might get the job done and is better than nothing, to suggest that more is not better is irresponsible, IMO.

As many have noted, trained officers often are unable to score a hit or at least a debilitating even with numerous shots. Given that, I wouldn't expect a homeowner, roused in the middle of the night to do so much better that all they need is their trusty coach gun. Forget about whether there are multiple intruders.
 
A double gun is fine for home defense. I find it humorous that people "think" they have to have an 8 shot shotgun with rails and flashlights and lasers and a folding stock and heat shield and side saddle, with a sling that holds an extra 50 rounds. Really- that type gun, while useful to some degree, is really a toy or project gun.
They don't even think a standard 5 shot pump gun is satisfactory without all the add-ons!
A short, light, fast handling gun that you can shoot well is all you need.
A 15 pound, front-heavy, tricked out shotgun is more hindrance than a regular gun.
 
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