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Considerations for the Defensive Shotgun

Talyn

SAINT
Founding Member

A top choice for all-around defensive performance, the shotgun presents many points to ponder for the beginner

Considerations for the Defensive Shotgun

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I can't find much if anything to disagree with him about. There are a whole lot of articles out there who's goal is to inform new or inexperienced shooters about the many considerations if one chooses a shotgun for home defense. This article does a good job covering all those bases.
 
12 gauge is a High Standard 7 shot Riot model w/ 18.25" barrel. Love it. Picked it up around 1973.
My new home defense is a 410/45LC Taurus Judge Magnum takes the 3" shells. Shoots great. Easier to handle in tight quarters.

Forgot to add pics.
 

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Bought my beautiful old 870 Wingmaster, 30" barrel in 1985. Bought an 18" smooth bore barrel for rifled slugs for some hunting areas. I use to leave the 18" barrel on it when at home with my heavy turkey loads in it.

A few years ago (when the mob mentality world went nuts) I changed my self defense thinking. Now it has all 00 buck.

Recently I the bought the Keltec KSG, 16" barrel, dual tube magazine 7+7+1, bullpup, pump action in FDE, fully ambidextrious. It hasn't had the thousands of shots through it as my ole 870 has so the action is not as loose and free, yet, but it will be one day.

Shotguns are also now backed up by multiple new high capacity EDC pistols and rifles.
 
Bought my beautiful old 870 Wingmaster, 30" barrel in 1985. Bought an 18" smooth bore barrel for rifled slugs for some hunting areas. I use to leave the 18" barrel on it when at home with my heavy turkey loads in it.

A few years ago (when the mob mentality world went nuts) I changed my self defense thinking. Now it has all 00 buck.

Recently I the bought the Keltec KSG, 16" barrel, dual tube magazine 7+7+1, bullpup, pump action in FDE, fully ambidextrious. It hasn't had the thousands of shots through it as my ole 870 has so the action is not as loose and free, yet, but it will be one day.

Shotguns are also now backed up by multiple new high capacity EDC pistols and rifles.
The earlier iterations of the KSG had some issues and needed some fluff and buff. Those issues have been ironed out for a few years now. The only thing you gotta watch is that selector switch. It should have been designed with a shoulder screw so it would tighten down snug without choking the movement. When they get loose it will cause FTF. Other than that it will run hard. I have thousands through my KSG-25 and it is smooth as can be. Those shotguns ( action) are based on the Ithaca 37.
 
The earlier iterations of the KSG had some issues and needed some fluff and buff. Those issues have been ironed out for a few years now. The only thing you gotta watch is that selector switch. It should have been designed with a shoulder screw so it would tighten down snug without choking the movement. When they get loose it will cause FTF. Other than that it will run hard. I have thousands through my KSG-25 and it is smooth as can be. Those shotguns ( action) are based on the Ithaca 37.
Thnx, I'll keep an eye on it.
 
Thnx, I'll keep an eye on it.
This is the one time you'll hear me recommend blue loctite. Take the screw out, degrease it, dab of blue loctite, tighten it until it's snug and you can still move the selector switch. I did this at least 1500 rounds ago and it's still fine.
 
This is probably the most comprehensive article on defensive shotguns that I have ever read. I've read many similar articles that always reach the conclusion that nothing short of 00 Buck from 12 gauge will do the job. These articles always seem to imply that reduced-recoil loads make 20 gauge defensive shotguns obsolete, and that any load smaller than #4 Buck will bounce off anything without feathers.

I'm a big fan of shotguns, and have accumulated several of them over the years. While I like them all, my go-to HD shotgun is still a 20 gauge Remington 870 Home-Defense model with a youth stock installed. It's lighter and more maneuverable than any of my 12 gauges, but packs more than enough power for close-range encounters. The 20 gauge may not be best option for every shooter, but it works for me.

Remington Home Defense 20 GA.jpg
 
I have been using and training others on the police shotgun, mostly the Remington 870, and some Ithacas and Winchesters, for many years. It has been the LE standard for 70 years. The gun is incredibly durable and nearly foolproof. The 870 was the primary SWAT weapon back when we first started SWAT teams, and you could find one in every police car.

Training in shotguns has typically been dismal, which was always a point of frustration for me. The shotgun a simple and powerful weapon, but tactical handling is not intuitive. Building neuromuscular memory requires a lot of repetitive drills, and a lot of shooting. Learning to load, reload, select load under stress, while remembering the safety and slide release, will result in train wrecks until you master the skills.

I have a day long shotgun course that involves a lot of shooting, moving, reloading, and select loading on the clock. Many of my students arrived for the course believing they had mastered the shotgun, and learned when the time pressure was on that they did not have the skills to keep the gun running. Like any other platform, you have to train with these guns to make them function properly for you under pressure.
 
This is probably the most comprehensive article on defensive shotguns that I have ever read. I've read many similar articles that always reach the conclusion that nothing short of 00 Buck from 12 gauge will do the job. These articles always seem to imply that reduced-recoil loads make 20 gauge defensive shotguns obsolete, and that any load smaller than #4 Buck will bounce off anything without feathers.

I'm a big fan of shotguns, and have accumulated several of them over the years. While I like them all, my go-to HD shotgun is still a 20 gauge Remington 870 Home-Defense model with a youth stock installed. It's lighter and more maneuverable than any of my 12 gauges, but packs more than enough power for close-range encounters. The 20 gauge may not be best option for every shooter, but it works for me.

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Funny you say that because almost every “ gun writer” falls all over themselves to not commit to any hard rules regarding ammo choices for shotguns.

Shotgun facts:

If you want to use #7.5 birdshot for home defense a shotgun is probably not the best choice for you for home defense.

12 gauge, 20 gauge, 4.10, all have ammo choices that make them viable as HD/ SD weapons. No one disputes that.

In order to effectively wield a shotgun ( or any gun) in a defensive manner you must be comfortable with the handling, manipulating and recoil of the gun so use the one that suits you best.

The use of #1, #4 or 00B should depend on a couple things. How close are you to your neighbors ? Do you have a house full of kids or people scattered among all the rooms and if so have you formulated a HD plan that includes funneling any potential threat into a shooting alley that is safe for your neighbors and family.

Can you handle the recoil of a heavy 00B load or is #4 more comfortable for you? Have you patterned YOUR shotgun with the rounds you intend to use for HD? Can you accurately place all fired projectiles into a safe place or the bad guy ?

Bonus tip. A youth Remington 870 in 20 gauge is a perfectly acceptable option for HD. Again, use what you can comfortably manipulate and handle. That said, my 12 gauge Beretta is lighter, faster, has a higher capacity and is a softer shooting shotgun than a 20 gauge pump. That’s what is comfortable for me, although I can run the crap out of almost any shotgun frankly.
 
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