Latest thoughts on handgun vs shotgun

[Norton]

One of my wive's co-workers has decided that, with the purchase of his new home, he would like to have a firearm for home protection.

He's never been anti-gun, per se, just not a gun guy. We've talked a lot about what he wants the firearm for and it's exclusively for home defense scenarios. He probably will purchase one, and only, one firearm and train enough on it to be proficient for when the time comes.

We've discussed that what ever he decides to buy, his wife has to become minimally proficient as well.

It comes down to my recommendation that he go with a .357 revolver of some sort (we're going tomorrow for a range session) or an 870.

I'm not interested in a discussion of ballistics, over penetration, etc because that's been done to death here and I feel very comfortable presenting to him the different considerations there.

I'm looking to cogently present to him the issues regarding actually deploying said firearms within the confines of your basic split foyer tract house. Things like corners, maneuvering with the shotgun barrel length etc. In other words, the "ergonomic" issues of defending a home with a shotgun vs. a handgun.

I've done a lot of training with a handgun and feel pretty comfortable with that side of the discussion, but long guns present a unique challenge within the narrow confines of a house.

Fire away....

 

[MICHAEL T]

357 shooting 38spl. I belive shot gun overrated in houseThey don't spread that much at home distance so they must be aimed same as a Pistol.Add a pistol grip and just got worst. Stick with hand gun

 

[TCB in TN]

For a novice shooter a 20ga short stocked 18in 870 or mossy 500 would be a very good starter weapon. In my experience most people can become proficient much quicker with a centerfire long gun than a centerfire handgun. Also shottys give you the option to go between slugs and buckshot.

 

[bluestarlizzard]

my vote would be a good .357 revolver. But then again, thats my home defense weapon, so i may be a little bias.

 

[Srigs]

Get both a revolver and shotgun. Then he would have options.

If only one then a 2 to 4" revolver would be a good choice.

 

[Norton]

my vote would be a good .357 revolver

For the intended purpose, this is where I'm leaning towards advising him. I was thinking something along the lines of a Ruger SP101 model KSP-331X. 3 and 1/16" barrel but a moderate sized frame.

Still open to opinions though

 

[Norton]

Get both a revolver and shotgun. Then he would have options.

I agree 100%.

We're going baby steps here, so for now it's a single gun purchase.

 

[GRB]

Over all the shotgun is the better weappn. It is probaby also the easier one of the two you mentioned with which one can become proficient. There is, or should be little problem ever maneuvering through a home with a shotgun. Am 870 with a 20 inch (or is it 22 inch, I always forget) barrel with rifle sights would be a good one to get, ghost ring sights would be better.

Here are the advantages of the shotgun as I see them:

More powerful, and will hurt a perp even if he is wearing body armor and you hit dead center in most types of body armor.

More easily defended from a gun take away, if only because you normally handle it with two hands at all times. It also has more for you to hold when preventing a gun take away.

More accurate at distance than a revolver. This can be a home defense concern in some cases such as having to shoot at someone outside on your property. It is also a concern inside if you own a house with big spaces.

Can be shot from the hip with relatively good accuracy at close in distances (and I mean with slugs, I am not even considering buck or samaller shot).

Is easily cleared in case of a jam.

More difficult for a young child (an important care if you have young children in the hosue) to operate and accidentally kill themself or even another child; if left with loaded mag and none in the chamber.

Very easy to maneuver properly thoughout a house if need be (even though hunkering down with it would probably be the smarter thing to do in the great majority of home intrusions).

Can be shot with reduced recoil ammunition, enough to incapacitate an intruder, and still little recoil for a person of smaller stature.

All the best,
GB

 

[bluestarlizzard]

norten,
get the revolver, but then after he's bought it, invite him shooting and bring a shotgun. then demenstraight how fun shooting a shotgun is. get him hooked. so then he'll go out and buy a shotgun. then a rifle. then a semi-auto.
and on and on it goes.

 

[RyanM]

I'd recommend a decent quality AK-47 over either. Less recoil, more power, easier to shoot (compared to either shotgun or .357 revolver), and with Wolf ammo, pretty cheap to practice with.

 

[Mazeman]

He say's he'll train with the gun.

I think the handgun is a lot more fun to train with, therefore he's more likely to actually get out there and do it.

 

[Bartholomew Roberts]

Well, given that the criteria is that he is going to use it only for home defense, will train minimally with it, and it must also be used by his wife, I would suggest a centerfire rifle or pistol-caliber carbine instead. Barring that, I'd say the shotgun with low-recoil loads.

However, as far as ergonomic issues. The .357 revolver is limited in capacity, slow to reload and nowhere near as effective as the shotgun. In most cases people will shoot cheap .38 ball out of it for practice (if they practice) but carry full-power defensive .357 mag for defense which can be a bit of a surprise, even when they do fire some occasional .357. You can put all my revolver knowledge in a tiny little box and still have room leftover for my knowledge of quantum physics though

Ergonomically, the shotgun seems to have it all over the revolver. More effective, easier to aim, not much difference in capacity, easier to reload. An 18" shotgun is going to be a little less handy inside the house; but if he knows he has intruders, he is better off calling the police and forting up in his house instead of trying to clear it solo. If he is just checking weird noises in the night, then the shotgun will be less convenient; but a lot more authoritive if needed.

He'll need to practice enough with the shotgun to get used to the recoil and not short-stroke it when he gets excited. The shotgun may also be a lot of recoil for his wife. A lot of that will depend on her interest in firearms. If she isn't real keen on them, then neither a shotgun or a .357 is going to be a great choice for someone with minimal training.

 

[bluestarlizzard]

there are plenty of good .38 spl defensive loads. i keep mine loaded with .38 spl federal hydroshocks.

 

[RNB65]

A shotgun in the hands of a novice under stress is an accident waiting to happen. In the hands of a highly experienced shotgun shooter, shotguns are excellent for HD. But in the hands of an inexperienced novice, shotguns are large, bulky weapons which are going to be difficult to use effectively in close quarters.

I would suggest a simple to use handgun (.357 revovler, Glock, etc.) as primary home defense with a shotgun or rifle as backup. Only when they've gotten a great deal of experience handling and firing a long gun should they reach for it first.

 

[Deanimator]

If they're buying a home, the odds are that there will be room enough to wield a long gun. To me, that's the biggest consideration. I live in a smallish apartment and a shotgun would be horribly inappropriate as my primary defensive tool.

If you've got the room, use a long gun. If not, pick the easiest to use handgun you can find, and to me that's a 4"-6" double action revolver, in .38 Special or up.

 

[bluestarlizzard]

>>If they're buying a home, the odds are that there will be room enough to wield a long gun. To me, that's the biggest consideration.<<

not nessasarly. the split level houses i've been in seem to be a little crampt. the spot that would (from my perspective) that would be tricky with a shotgun would be the steps down to the main floor from the upper or lower hall/rooms. for someone with practice, it wouldn't be a big deal, but someone new to the house, new to the shotgun and freaked out 'cause soemthings going on, that would be the spot to bounce off the wall.

 

[Nix]

shotgun. home defense are you really wanting to kill someone or intimidate them enough to leave? nothing strikes fear into someone like the pumping of a shotgun in the dark.

 

[possum]

if only one i would say the shotgun, and attend a good 2 day trainning course. like tactical response's fighting shotgu course.

if it were up to me i would say both and the main reason for that is so that both the man and his wife would be able to defend the home in a home invasion or other sd/hd situation, 2 guns are better than one in that situation, they cn work as a team.

 

[General Geoff]

I'd go with a shotgun as well. Cheaper and more effective. If there's not enough room to swing a shotgun around a corner, then why on earth would you put your pistol/revolver (and arm) out in front of you without being able to see around the corner? I honestly don't see any real downside to a shotgun over almost any pistol/revolver, as far as home defense goes.

 

[akodo]

357 revolver
what it has going FOR it:
1) size allows it to be placed in many many easy to access locations
2) simple and mechanically sound design
3) easy access as most shooting that allow handgun use
what it has going AGAINST it:
1) it is harder to shoot a handgun accurately than a shoulder weapon
2) size means defensive rounds will recoil a lot
3) stopping power of the hottest 125gr good, but makes above problem worse
4) handgun heald out at arms length is more cumbersome than a short carbine for getting around in a house
5) limited capacity
6)slow reload time

870 pump shotgun 12/20 guage
what is has going FOR it:
1) power level this beast is unrivaled
2) you can combine an 18 inch barrel with a flashlight mount and have somethig very hand for in the home
3) ability to 'top off' the magazine
4) wide variety of readily available loadings to cover any need
5) shoulder fired weapons are always easier to shoot well than handguns
6) simple and mechanically sound device
what it has going AGAINT it:
1) potential to underpenetrate vs human target with 'birdshot', potential to over penetrate with slugs on misses
2) extreme recoil makes it hard to handle
3) easy for novice to 'short stroke' and fail to feed the next round
4) large size limits storage options for having it close by when needed
5) less places allow tactical shotgun shooting for practice than allow handguns
6) silly mythic belief in a)just the sound of pump racking and b)no need to aim work against the gun.
7) a 'tactical' model is less PC, a PC 28" wingmaster is limited ammo wise and too log

357 lever action carbine
What it has going FOR it
1) power level of a 357 already good, is magnified by the 16 inch barrel
2) you can combine an 16 inch barrel with a flashlight mount and have somethig very hand for in the home
3) ability to 'top off' the magazine
4) wide variety of readily available loadings to cover any need
5) shoulder fired weapons are always easier to shoot well than handgun
6) easy access to shooting ranges that allow it's use - any handgun range will allow it too.
7) the standard model is very PC looking and non-threatening, hardest of all to spin as some 'evil device'
What it has going AGAINST it:
1) less well known than the others, so less likely to find a good deal on a slightly used model, less chance to price compare etc.
2) while not as easy to 'shortstroke' a levergun as it is to do the same with a pump, the possibility still exists

 

[goon]

I disagree with the handgun as a primary defensive weapon. It took me literally daily practice to get the skills down to shoot a handgun well and that was under ideal conditions at shooting ranges - not with lead flying back at me.
Realistically, I'm only "minimally" trained right now. I made my first trip to the range in about two months today so I am nowhere near an "expert" at this point.
But I have owned and shot one of almost everything short of class III.
My choice for myself if I had to use a weapon to defend myself at this point would be my Mossberg 500.
I consider it to be about the best gun that someone who is only going to shoot a few times a year could have. A good pump action shotgun is generally less expensive to buy and easier to make hits with when you don't have much practice. I haven't shot the mossy since summer but I would still feel confident grabbing it and using it right now. I couldn't say the same thing of most handguns. They just require more practice to stay reasonably proficient with.
IMO, if they also planned to carry and only wanted one gun the handgun would be the obvious choice. It would do both jobs well.
But if HD is the only concern why wouldn't you use the more powerful weapon that is easier to hit with?
This isn't to say that training with a shotgun isn't beneficial though because I'm sure that the shotgunners on here would probably stand a better chance in a fight than I would right now if all things were equal. But I also feel that my chances are pretty good if I have the Mossy and a reload on hand.

Also, if the wife is smaller statured or recoil sensitive they may want to consider a 20 gauge or at least go with some of the lower recoiling "tactical" 12 gauge loads instead of full power loads.
I am a 27 year old male, Army veteran, shooting since I was 4, and about 220 pounds (a little chunky) and after 10 rounds of full power buckshot or slugs I will be wearing a nice purple bruise on my right shoulder. I'll admit that I kind of like that. But someone who isn't experienced with guns might be put off by harder recoil and then not practice at all. That would be bad.

If not the shotgun, maybe a lever action or semiauto pistol caliber carbine would also work.

Whatever gets chosen, the wife should also have a HUGE say in helping choose it. If it becomes his choice for her don't be suprised if she quickly loses interest or flat out refuses to shoot it at all. I have seen that happen before.
Besides, I have found that sometimes women just have a way of thinking of things that we don't. It just makes sense to get their take on things when you can.

 

[arflattop]

I keep a .45 acp loaded in the house, but just bought a Beretta Cx4 Carbine (in .45 acp). You might want to consider the Beretta -- it's a bullpup design that has the accuracy benefits of a long gun but not as overpowering as a shotgun. It's tremendously maneuverable in the house. I may switch to it after I'm more familiar with the firearm. If not acceptable to your friend, I vote for the .357 wheelgun for simplicity and manageability. Best of luck.

 

[geronimotwo]

two words for you.......short.....stroke!

 

[General Geoff]

You might want to consider the Beretta -- it's a bullpup design that has the accuracy benefits of a long gun but not as overpowering as a shotgun.

I wasn't aware that the Cx4 was a bullpup...?

 

[Patrick_Henry]

Shotgun, because they are more forgiving in general.

1. The shotgun is far easier to learn to shoot. Yes you do have to aim but the shotgun is much more forgiving. While at HD distances it will not spread much some spread is better than none.

2. Shotguns are more powerful, again back to the forgivingness of the shotgun, a hit with a 12 gauge does way more damage and therefore a less than perfect center of body shot still has strong potential to floor a home invader. While I am not advocating not practicing, I am saying that an inexperienced shooter has better odds of hitting and doing serious damage to an attacker with a bigger more powerful weapons such a shotgun.

3. Price, shotguns are cheaper to buy and shoot.

Just my thoughts...