Yard/ home defense gun

20 is fine for the shotgun; I would suggest a handgun that you can comfortably wear OWB in and around the homestead. Carrying a shotgun everywhere you go on 8 acres would grow tiresome, I would think. I have a shotgun also, but I carry a .45 ACP or 10mm handgun always.
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^^^^^
THIS!
 
It's pretty clear that the OP is not planning to carry this gun around with him. In fact, the additional details indicate that he is most worried about coyotes and vermin bothering his animals.

I'd get a 22 rifle, use the already owned 20ga with the appropriate ammo for the situation and a higher caliber rifle (22-250, 243) for longer shots or larger critters.

You could get it all for probably $500.
 
Your 20 gauge with #4 Turkey loads will do fine for the cat that won't leave.

Anything much bigger, I'd go with a minimum of #4 or #3 Buck (Coyotes, BGs) and, yes, I agree that your 20 guage will do fine.

Best,

Will
 
If I ever had to protect my yard or home from another bad yard or home, I don't
know what I'd do...

Seriously, while a twelve gauge shotgun comes to mind, I don't own one.
IMO it's very personal, and what makes you happy is best for you.
 
I keep a Ruger 10/22 handy at all times. It has a 30 round mag. I believe presence of a firearm is a huge deterrent. If that fails, 30 rounds should be very adequate. I keep a pistol on the bed for night crawlers.
 
I keep an old 30-30 in a cabin I've got on about 10 acres. When I'm at my cabin, I can hear someone coming down the gravel road a good 3 minutes before they even hit my gravel drive. Since no one EVER goes up my driveway without me knowing that they are coming, I reckon I just don't need to carry a gun when I'm out on my land. If someone showed up who doesn't belong (doubt it would ever happen) I can access my 30-30 or any other gun I happen to have with me in plenty of time.

I suppose I look at it this way: "Do I really need to carry a gun on my own land" and I guess I've answered "Nope". Now, when I'm at home, I still don't carry when I'm out and about on my property, but I do keep a couple of guns closer, in the event I might need one.
 
You know the Remington 870 20 gauge youth model or for that mater any youth model 20 is just about perfect for home defense or a behind the seat truck gun.
 
bjones870

Would an AR (in .223) be a good choice, or something to consider?
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You have the handgun and the shotgun. I think an AR-15 would be a great choice for your rifle. Plus an AR is a lot of fun to shoot.
 
The bottom line is that you need 2 guns. Some type of handgun in a decent caliber with good capacity for indoor/outdoor and a 12 or 20 ga shotgun with decent capacity for outdoors and to repel boarders.
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I fixed the above comment, but agree with the general sentiment.

I grew up spending a lot of time in the woods as a kid. The 10/22 was my handy always around rifle. The shotgun was carried often in place of the 10/22, depending upon what I was doing, but I kept a revolver on my person as well. To be 15 again, and have the woods at my backdoor.

Nope, no parental supervision most days. I was big enough to get myself in a mess, I better be big enough to get myself out of it.

Biker
 
bjones870

Yard/ home defense gun
Ok, I'm not new to firearms at all. But when this question came about, I was lost. So here's my situation. I am looking for a gun that is good for home defense, and yard defense. I live in the country, and have around an 8 acre yard, and my closest neighbor is around 2/3 of a mile away. If I see someone/something in my yard, I want a good gun I know i can grab that'd be good for around 25 yards or so. Im also looking for a gun to keep by my bed in case something goes bump in the night. Am I looking at buying two different guns, or is there a gun for my "situation"?
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You set a few parameters in you post.
Not new to firearms
for home defense and good to 25 yards

Assuming you are only concerned with human threats:

Since you are not concerned with with concealment or a small size to carry around, you can go to the much more effective platform of a long-arm firearm, rather than a handgun. A 12GA shotgun with buckshot is much more effective round, shot for shot, than any defensive handgun. A carbine in .223, 7.62 x 39mm, or similar carbine round (not a handgun round in a carbine sized platform) would also be much more effective shot for shot than a defensive hand gun. The long arms also have the great advantage of being more accurate at longer ranged due to the ability to stabilize the firearm with two hands at two different points and a shoulder.
One consideration of a 12GA with buckshot is the choice of barrel and sights. A slug barrel is open bore and allows the buckshot to spread quickly. It has been determined that with such a barrel only 3 or 4 (usually 3) of the 9 buckshot pellets hit a 42" "Pepper Popper" at 25 yards. That is sufficient to knock a Pepper Popper down which is calibrated to fall when hit with a .45ACP 230gr round to the center of the target. Using slugs is a possible choice.

Pepper Popper

Since you are familiar with firearms you may also want to consider a carbine which can be short enough for inside defense and can reach out and touch someone for outside defense.

However, the more distance between you and your target, the more difficulty you might have in justifying that target as an imminent threat and the use of deadly force. Shooting someone inside of your home versus shooting someone outside of your home at a range or 25 or 30 yards is something to consider.
 
If you have an XDM and a 20 ga 870 already then maybe a repeater rifle would be good. AR 15 is fine so is a mini-14. You could get an AK if you want to save a little money but you'll get what you pay for.

The most often used guns when I lived in the woods were 22 rifles for pests and food, 12 ga 870 for birds and bigger pests and a 22 single action revolver because I had it at hand all the time. I also had a 357 that I carried 1/2 the time and during big game season because it's of better use than the rifle or shotgun I left in the house or truck.
 
My Bushmaster AK .223 w/ 30 round mag is my "outside" weapon of choice.
Shotguns are nice, but w/ the longer range capabilities of the .223, plus the extra rounds, it's applications aren't as limited as the shotgun.
 
A slug barrel is open bore and allows the buckshot to spread quickly. It has been determined that with such a barrel only 3 or 4 (usually 3) of the 9 buckshot pellets hit a 42" "Pepper Popper" at 25 yards. That is sufficient to knock a Pepper Popper down which is calibrated to fall when hit with a .45ACP 230gr round to the center of the target. Using slugs is a possible choice.
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I was under the impression that using shot in a slug barrel produces a "doughnut" shaped pattern, which is highly undesirable.

Isn't a tightly clustered pattern preferred, especially at extended distances?
 
i keep a 243 dpms with r/g dot sight for long range. in my home i keep my 45 1911 tauras nearby with silencer (i hate noise most my guns are silenced) but where your situation come to mind... do you wanna hit it with a pot shot or are you wantin to dead aim the bg or other ?
 
I would get a megaphone. Then yell.

If you warn them and they don't duck.... A Mosin Nagant 7.62 54mm. Or what ever ammo I buy when I an not having refreshments. I hear this $89 thing is good out to 1000 yards. I really don't know for sure the fireball obsures the view. Best to warn them with a verbal command. It tends to keep you out of the court system. Try.... "Hey you stupid moronic jerk, you are on my rifle range and land.... get off before we practice". Might be a legal disclaimer, just not sure. Other wise, release the hounds..... or attack chickens.
 
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