No pistol grips?? hmm... I hadnt thought of that. I have never shot a shotgun with them so dont know. But it seems all the Tac SGs have them?
Again, let me say they are un-naturally inconducive to good aim. Do yourself a favor... if you know someone who will let you try, you will soon understand. Hold one in the store. You’ll find your grip hand will be against the side of your belly. When fired, it often kicks your belly and it is painful.
I think he’s talking about a pistol grip only, and I agree. A pistol grip with a full sized stock is fine.
You don’t have to have a pistol grip on a shotgun for home defense. A shotgun with a short barrel is the ticket. If you don’t want to just get a short barrel for the Benelli, I’d suggest a Mossberg 500. If the wife has no trouble with a 12 gauge recoil, get a 12. If she(or you) likes a 20 gauge better, that will do the trick too. I wouldn’t worry too much about a silencer, either, I’ve fired a short barrel shotgun inside a small dirt floor barn a number of times and unless you do it all the time, about the most you will experience is a slight ringing in your ears for a minute. If you are having to use a self defense shotgun indoors often enough to ruin your hearing, you are living in the wrong neighborhood....IMHO They will pretty much all work, the short barrel being the most important asset for a gun to be used in tight spaces. I kept a short double barrel shotgun by my bed for many years.
Tactical and home defense aren't mutually exclusive terms, but they are not necessarily compatible, either. In my experience, simple is best, but I took the long - and pointlessly expensive - route to that conclusion. My HD shotty might get some mythical "cool card" revoked, but it is easy to use, isn't unecessarily bulky and isn't going to snag every knob and cord in the house, nor tire me out just holding it.
One size doesn't fit all in almost everything shotgun. Leaving pistol grip ONLY shotguns aside, a stock with a pistol grip is fine for many people, while a conventional stock works better for others- and that's not even considering where the safety is on any particular gun. There's no substitute for actually handling a gun configured similarly to what you are considering.
I would advise only in broad generalities: a 12 gauge if everyone can handle low-recoil loadings, a 20 gauge if they can't; the shortest barrel you can legally get/use (usually just over 18"); a minimum of five rounds in the magazine (which may require an extension); a stock that fits everyone who may use the gun well enough to call it good (it often needs to be cut slightly shorter or be a "youth" stock); and, finally, buy the best gun you can afford/justify, because there are no free lunches.
Mr. niteowl77
There are several companies that make AR-style adjustable stocks that fit various shotguns. I have one on a Mossberg 500. Works great. Pistol grip with an extendable stock.
Pistol grips suck—stay traditional—one less piece of furniture to fumble with.
I think umgud meant pistol grip only...I agree about that option...But pistol grip with butt stock is a good combo, especially for ladies with smaller hands...