Beside my bed right now is a PPK blue in.380. There is a round in the chamber and the safety is off. Although the double action pull is a bit heavy, I see it as a fast way to cock the pistol besides I probably will hit the perp anyway. Leaning against the doorframe is a Winchester Defender with 8, 23/4 inch OO buck. Right beside the front door is an asagi stabbing spear along with a home made sword. I would like to have an HK MP5 semi auto but they will not sell me one nor could I afford it.
In a bag under the table is a Browning HP loaded with a 15 round Mec-Gar mag and silvertips.
If money were no object I would have either an 870 or 1187 set up the same way. 18 inch bore barrel and 8 shot mag with some brands of 23/4 inch buck (yes some brands are shorter than others). The shotguns would be ready to fire except for the safety. If my grandkids were visiting I would leave the chamber empty. I would exchange the Walther for a Beretta model 84 which would be kept chambered with the safety off.
I would keep the Browning HP but put it in a drawer and put a Sig P226 under the table, fully loaded with one of the newer black talon type loads. If I did have time to go to the 9mm, either what I have now or would get, there would be around a dozen mags fully loaded with silvertips. If I could afford to I would change the silvertips to one of the newer hi performance rounds.
I would also go and get a used HK MP5 and hang it on the wall.
For many years I have contemplated what load in the shotgun and have eventually decided to just use the short 00buck load. Just about any thing else would also do.
I once had a Benelli M1 Super 90. If I could get one of those recoil reducing stocks they now have for their other models, I might just get it instead of the Remington. My Benelli was beautiful, worked perfectly, looked wicked, but kicked as hard as any gun I have ever fired. Ever!
I have arthritis in my hands and find the pistol grip stock on a shotgun allows me to hold it much easier. That also includes a butt stock. I once tried shooting one of those ultra short models with a pistol grip and no butt stock. I don’t ever intend to fire another one.
So here is what would happen. I would immediately grab the Walther .380 and a Browning black ice 5 watt LED flashlight.
After looking to make sure the perp was not in my vision, I would pick up the shotgun and take the safety off. I would place the Walther in my pocket (if I had one) and glance quickly around the door and if I didn’t see anyone would look further. If I still didn’t see anyone I would just stay put with the flashlight on but held away from me.
Here is the answer to any hard kicking shottie and something I did very successfully with my Benelli: PRO-PORT! I find it hard to believe that the Benelli was so hard kicking because all that moving steel in the action absorbs so much energy, but your arthritis might explain that. It might not only appear in your hands. So a recoil pad might be a good idea, too. You can get those in Sorbothane which is a material they put into athletic shoes to absorb heel impacts on runners. Works very well.