Posted on 11/18/2008 9:29:52 PM PST by USAFJeeper
I have a pistol that shoots shotgun shells. Saturday I heard honking, a dude I have never seen before tells me he is looking for handy work. He stays in the truck (my pitbull by my side at the door). I tell him husband isn’t home, I have no money. We live at the end of a half mile dirt road. Anyway, I now have the gun within easy reach.
Mossberg 590 12 gauge.
Well, you’re gonna get an earful tonight.
This topic has been heavily discussed over the last week or so.
Most FReeper have offered traditional choices - Mossberg 500, Winchester 870, etc.
Most say to get 5-7 round capacity pumps, which is not a bad suggestion at all, for home defense.
I would look for a short barreled (around 18 inch), pump action, 20 gauge with a 7-shot magazine. I would look at Remington and Mossberg. This is a great self defense weapon even for smaller shooters. Make no mistake though, even a 20 gauge has a recoil.
This is the shotgun that I purchased for home defense. The recoil reducing stock is just excellent, this weapon is a joy to shoot. Here’s a link, however, the gun is now out of stock at this website:
http://www.impactguns.com/store/047700814001.html
This is one of tis pistols that I recently purchased. It’s excellent, has virtually no recoil, and strips in seconds for cleaning. I stockpiled ammo for it earlier, but now it seems that hollow point .40cal ammo is not easy to find. Here’s a link for viewing, however the gun is out of stock at this website currently:
http://www.impactguns.com/store/706397866518.html
Georgia is great! Try to get up in the north county, if you haven’t yet.
This is the right forum, you should get some expert advise.
Many will recommend a 12ga pump - Mossberg 500, $300+- or a Remington 870 for a few more bucks. You can run Dogpile for a comparison. Use a load that is not likely to go through walls.
Make sure your wife gets practice both outside and then walk through the house a number of times to be sure to quickly know in which direction not to fire the weapon (assuming there are or may be others in the house).
You are right, they both must practice. A pump action is easy to use, but you need to practice and get the feel for the action so that in pressure situations you can quickly eject a spent shell and load the next one.
I’d go with a Mossberg 500.
It’s a short 12 gauge pump, holds lots of shells, and is relatively inexpensive.
..easy reach?
Hell, just wear it around the house and yard. Get a leg holster with and extra magazine clip holder.
Go to your gun dealer and fire various weapons. If your local gun dealer can not let you fire his weapons. you have the wrong dealer.
Find and fire the one you like. Then go practice with it.
My personal favorite is a 12 gauge Browning Humpback. It “ain't” pretty but it is relentlessly reliable.
At the risk of being redundant, the Mossberg 500 “Persuader/Cruiser” is one of the best values on the market. It’s not fancy, but it’s economical, and very reliable.
Give your friends and relatives an NRA membership for Christmas. That's what I may do for the ones of mine that aren't anti-gun :-). I really don't care for guns and haven't decided yet.
Since we’re having fun here, this is the Remington I would choose:
It’s true that a 12-gauge has quite a recoil, which is why many recommend a 20-gauge. As I wrote above though, even a 20 gauge is not a light kicking gun. Anyone who is going to use any gun for self defense should become proficient with the weapon and periodically practice to maintain competence.
Having said all that, I think recoil is often over-stated. Even smaller shooters (being one myself) can learn to handle the recoil on these guns with a little practice. My 80 pound nephew fires his 20 gauge for a solid hour like it’s nothing. If he can do it, so can a full-grown woman.
So, you get a 12-gauge with a confident wife behind it, and you got a pretty secure home in your absence, I'd say...
go with Mossberg 500 or 590. But, if you have the money get a Benelli
A Maverick is a Mossberg 500 clone. It costs a little less and if it's going to spend a lot of time at home and little time at the range may be a better choice but there's no difference in recoil.
I shoot 12 guage 23/4 double aught loads from my Mossberg 500 and it's not something that is going to knock someone down. I have an Asian friend who is 5' 1" and weighs about 100 pounds (maybe). He shoots a Mossberg 590 and loves it. If recoil is really an issue maybe consider a 20 gauge.
The only current production shotgun I'd be concerned about recoil with would be something like a double barrel Stoeger Coach. Mine seems to weigh just slightly more than two shotgun shells and the action is a little looser than I'd like. When I fire it there is a definite bump. After about 20 rounds there's no bruise but my shoulder is sore the next morning. Shoots a nice open pattern though and will put 30 x 53 grain, .33 inch diameter projectiles on a target at 1250 fps quicker than anything else I own.
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