Peprape for the fight, avoid, the fight, when you must fight, fight to win
This is a good topic with lots of differing opinions. I think the best gun/round combination is the one you're most likely to be effective with. If you can't find the safety, aim it quickly, and hit a moving target in the dark, then it's probably not for you. If you are not proficient with your weapon, the odds are very good that it will be taken from you and maybe used against you. People who break into a house they know is occupied are extremely dangerous. 12 guage birdshot has killed lions at a couple of feet (Peter Hathaway Capstick, "Death in the Dark Continent"), but is probably useless at 20 feet for home defense purposes. Buckshot has failed to kill deer at 25 yards pretty often. The best way to win a battle is before it starts. A dog is the most reliable alarm there is, and is the best way to make sure you get to your gun before the BG does. Ultimately, it is best if you don't get into a gunfight at all. Many posters assume they are better armed, better shots, and better tacticians than whomever has broken in, but the fact is you have no idea who an intruder might be. We studied the Dade County shootout where 8 heavily armed, well trained, and prepared FBI agents cornered 2 bank robbery suspects, who turned out to be very well trained. One a former Army Ranger. 2 FBI agents were killed, and all but 1 were wounded. The 2 bad guys died, but when you break even with 8 against 2, it shows nothing is reliable. (this shootout worth reading about if you think you'd like to get into a gunfight in your home with your wife and children present) You don't want to break even, you want a flawless victory. So dont be a target. Take precautions to prevent being chosen as a victim, using lighting, obvious security measures, etc. Mentally examine "firing lanes" in your home, anything big enough to stop a bad guy is big enough to go through interior walls, so don't shoot towards anyone important. Period. Call the police at your earliest opportunity. Find a good defensive position (Established beforehand) and hope like heck you don't have to do what you've hopefully prepared for anyway. Probably the knock on the door is for help, at least in our area. You can call a wrecker/ambulance/police car with the door closed, so there's no need to open it. If I recall correctly, one bad guy in the Dade County shootout was killed by the 12th bullet that hit him. How many hits can you take?