My eyes on this subject were opened wide when I first tried to take game for the meat bag with a handgun. I was shocked and amazed at how much more difficult it is to hit moving, real world targets with a short gun than a long. I know it *can* be done and I still enjoy the sport of it, but if my life depends on it I want a long gun if at all possible. The handgun's role is primarily for concealed carry and in situations where a long gun isn't practical or possible to carry loaded. But for home defense I prefer a short rifle, shotgun or carbine of some type over any handgun. The long guns offer:
--Vastly more stopping power
--Vastly better chance to hit
--Much greater control over projectile speed and type
--Better ability to mount lights and other aids on, if so desired
--Better retention
--Better as a less-lethal weapon, should that arise.
you're not going to be alert enough, or be able to see what's going on well enough to decide what rifle to pick up, make sure it's loaded and start pretending you're on a SWAT team assignment
Where are you getting all this about SWAT teams and picking out rifles from the safe? I just keep whatever long gun I'm using loaded with the safety on next to me. Same as a handgun. What's the big deal? You hear someone bashing the door down or tripping over the mantraps, you grab your carbine or rifle and go see what's what. Or you grab it and hunker down, circumstances depending.
When they get in closer, the shotgun is better than the rifle.
Why is that? Nothing against a slug gun or a buckshot load, but I don't see the shotgun having any inherent advantage over a carbine or short rifle.
Thankfully I've never had to shoot any human man, and hopefully I never will. But I *have* had the pleasure of shooting other things that woke me in the middle of the night and many more times of taking the rifle out to see what's making a certain thumping noise. Up to and including an enraged muskrat fighting with a pupy (long story). In that and the other situations I was much happier to have a suitable long gun with me than any handgun. Simply because I knew at 3 AM I was going to be hitting things better with a long gun than a short. And when you have to shoot something, hitting it is a really super high priority. If you miss, who knows what you might hit instead. Yet this seems to be something that gets lost in theoretical discussions.
I also like me a big tactical light, though that's another controversy for another thread.