Went To A Gunshow

[TSwizzle]

I've had a number of people tell me that for home security, a shotgun is the way to go. The reasons are pretty obvious but it seems such a clumsy weapon to handle and it's not easy to squeeze it into the night stand.

Go with one with a "tactical" barrel. That is, a semi-auto with an 18.5" barrel. In 12 gauge it would vaporize any unwanted person in your house in about 2 seconds. You can't really miss if you load it with OO and unlike a bullet, it won't travel through all of your walls and potentially hit someone in another house. The Mossberg 930 is worth a look. Mine came with the 18.5" as well as a longer barrel one could use to hunt turkeys with.

I see the advantage of shot/pellets over a single bullet but I wouldn't want to vaporize anyone !

 

[Malintent]

I've had a number of people tell me that for home security, a shotgun is the way to go. The reasons are pretty obvious but it seems such a clumsy weapon to handle and it's not easy to squeeze it into the night stand.

Go with one with a "tactical" barrel. That is, a semi-auto with an 18.5" barrel. In 12 gauge it would vaporize any unwanted person in your house in about 2 seconds. You can't really miss if you load it with OO and unlike a bullet, it won't travel through all of your walls and potentially hit someone in another house. The Mossberg 930 is worth a look. Mine came with the 18.5" as well as a longer barrel one could use to hunt turkeys with.

yup +1... Mossberg is great. They have an even cheaper version of what he is talking about... the Maverick. Great $200 (or less at Dick's) package. The 500 and the 930 are both increasingly better quality... but same barrels... and interchangeable with Remington as well. The Mossberg Maverick (or 500) should be anyone's first shotgun.

For home defense there is nothing like a shotgun loaded with light bird shot (like #7 or #6)... very hard to kill a person with it, but it will stop them and drop them with over 600 tiny non-lethal wounds. It won't penetrate a wall with much remaining force either, so the kid's room is safe.

Also worth mentioning, changing a barrel on a shotgun requires no tools (1 thumb screw), and takes about 5 seconds.

It is pretty much every kind of gun in one.

 

[Elixir]

I don't think the gun fatalities per gun are of any importance....

If two countries have the same absolute number of gun deaths and one country has
twice as many guns as the other, don't you think that might indicate something
about responsible gun ownership?

No. The stereotype of some cowboy blazing away with a gun in each hand is largely inaccurate.

Seriously, I don't know how it can make any difference in the shootings/capita once the number of guns exceeds the number of people.

 

[TSwizzle]

The Mossberg Maverick (or 500) should be anyone's first shotgun.

For home defense there is nothing like a shotgun loaded with light bird shot (like #7 or #6)... very hard to kill a person with it, but it will stop them and drop them with over 600 tiny non-lethal wounds. It won't penetrate a wall with much remaining force either, so the kid's room is safe.

This is more like it, I think. I doubt I will ever have a gun in the house though but if I do, this would probably be it.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

The only real safety with a Glock is to keep your fingers off the trigger. I can tell you from experience, the standard Glock 5 1/2" pound trigger is hardly a hard to pull trigger.

Wrong word. Replace with "gun".

Don't put your finger on the trigger until the muzzle is on the target!

 

[Opoponax]

For home defense there is nothing like a shotgun loaded with light bird shot (like #7 or #6)... very hard to kill a person with it, but it will stop them and drop them with over 600 tiny non-lethal wounds. It won't penetrate a wall with much remaining force either, so the kid's room is safe.

I was gonna mention birdshot, but every time I think of someone getting shot with birdshot, I think of Dick Cheney shooting that guy in the face, and then that guy being fine (and then apologizing to good old Dick for allowing Dick to shoot him in the face).

Also, for someone without a lot, or any, shooting experience, maybe a 20 gauge would a better choice, or is that the 500 you mentioned? Either way, I'd eschew Dick Cheney Victim ammo.

 

[Malintent]

The only real safety with a Glock is to keep your fingers off the trigger. I can tell you from experience, the standard Glock 5 1/2" pound trigger is hardly a hard to pull trigger.

Wrong word. Replace with "gun".

Don't put your finger on the trigger until the muzzle is on the target!

4 universal rules of gun safety:

Treat any gun as if it is loaded, even if you think you know it isn't
don't point the gun at anything you don't want to destroy
be aware of what may come between you and the target, as well as what me lay beyond
NEVER touch the trigger until you are ready to fire (see rules 1 - 3)

When teaching my wife how to safely handle our rifles, that last rule was the hardest for her. The index finger really wants to rest on the trigger or the trigger guard... it is a natural position and a natural motion upon attempting to grasp any gun. It takes a conscious effort to keep that finger in the right place.

 

[Malintent]

For home defense there is nothing like a shotgun loaded with light bird shot (like #7 or #6)... very hard to kill a person with it, but it will stop them and drop them with over 600 tiny non-lethal wounds. It won't penetrate a wall with much remaining force either, so the kid's room is safe.

I was gonna mention birdshot, but every time I think of someone getting shot with birdshot, I think of Dick Cheney shooting that guy in the face, and then that guy being fine (and then apologizing to good old Dick for allowing Dick to shoot him in the face).

Also, for someone without a lot, or any, shooting experience, maybe a 20 gauge would a better choice, or is that the 500 you mentioned? Either way, I'd eschew Dick Cheney Victim ammo.

All of those models come in either 20 and 12 gauge. In my opinion, there is very little difference in handling the 20 versus 12. there is far more difference in handling characteristics between different ammo types, though. Shooting a 20 gauge Remington slug at 1500 fps is going to kick you like a mule, and really bruise your shoulder if your mounting technique is poor. whereas a 12 gauge Winchester clay target shotshell feels more like a love-pat.

 

[Malintent]

... I'd say that the reason to go for a 20 over a 12 would be due to low upper body strength. The 20 is slightly lighter weight and generally does not come in the longest of barrel options, so it is easier to maintain a solid and comfortable mount without your arms getting tired. 20 gauge is considered a good learning experience for women and children (stereotypically).