20 Gauge H&R Pardner Pump Youth Shotgun 3" Chamber Synthetic Stock $234.99
Barrel Length :21" Capacity :4 + 1 Chamber :3" Length :40" Weight :6 1/2 lbs
Posted on 01/06/2013 9:42:01 PM PST by ru4liberty
This question pertains to a diminutive woman in her mid-60s. She has a .38 handgun but has been told by a few people (shooting range owner, RTC instructor's cousin, co-worker, etc.) that the best thing to have is a shotgun. They pretty much said that sometimes the only thing a perp needs is to hear the cocking of the shotgun and he'll flee the scene.
I wanted to tap into the expertise of those FReepers who are knowledgeable of such things so I can pass along the info. Also, her funds are limited (fixed income), so any recommendations that would keep her from having to spend too much and where would be the best place to buy it would be helpful.
However, if there are others in the home regularly there is a chance they may be in the same room or near an attacker when she needs to shoot. In that case she may want something with a little more precision. Some form of handgun is probably a good alternative. 9mm gets a bad rap sometimes for lacking the punch of say 40 S&W, or 45 ACP. However that added punch comes at a cost - in ammo and recoil. For home defense size and concealed carry isn't a factor, so a full sized pistol would be great. A little heavier, but they absorb more recoil, higher capacity magazines...
I recently saw an interview with a reformed burglar and he said, a loud barking dog kept him away every time from that house.
You can have a howitzer at home, but if the intruder surprises you in sleep, he has the upper hand.
ping for reference
LOL!!!!!!!!
Can she operate the .38 competently?
Then she doesn’t need anything else. Make sure the revolver is in good repair, make sure she has good quality ammo. If she has problems with the trigger pull, take it to a ‘smith and ask for an ‘action job’ - which involves smoothing out the internals of the revolver to smooth the double action pull, and if we’re talking of a S&W, the DA trigger pull can be lightened from about 12# to 9#.
Here’s why I think a shotgun is utter nonsense for this person:
Shotguns aren’t that portable. They kick. They don’t move well in tight places.
An older lady could put a .38 in the pocket of her housecoat and have it on here everywhere she goes in the house. That’s not going to happen with a shotty, period. If she’s answering the door and has to deal with someone trying to get in, I’ll wager that she can’t manage the door and a shotgun at the same time.
People need to remember the rules to a gunfight:
Rule 1: Have a gun.
Rule 2: Have a gun that you can get on target in the required amount of time.
Rule 3. Re-read Rules 1 & 2.
A .38 in her housecoat pocket beats a shotgun left propped in the corner of her bedroom when trouble comes calling.
You’re doing a FINE “kiss-up” here, Dude....mighty fine. ;)
The gal obviously is NOT comfortable with the .38 snubby and I don’t blame her.
Everyone recommends that gun to women and they hate it, particularly the airweight.
Recoil is atrocious and accuracy is dubious at best.
The gal needs a shotgun for home defense.
Keep your gun loaded unless you have useless idiots running around. My .40 and .223 carbine are loaded and chambered. My little mosquito is also ready with .22 CCI mini-mags. The 370 takes care if i’m still groggy.
Little shi-thead bust my door or window he may get an entire buffet of fun.
She could rent and try out different calibers at a good gun range. Then pick the most powerful gun she can handle...
Well, we do have the barking dog -- three of them, in fact, so perhaps we've gone in for overkill. Still, while the dogs bark, they are NOT guard dogs. Anyone offering them a treat gets a big doggie welcome.
We've relied on pepper spray -- the really nasty brand used by police forces -- and it has its own advantages and disadvantages. I don't really relish using it against someone inside a house ... blowback, and general pollution, dontcha know.
With the pepper spray AND the Judge I've got some options. The dogs help, I'm sure. I just can't depend on them if the bad guy is determined, hopped up on crack, or whatever.
20 Gauge H&R Pardner Pump Youth Shotgun 3" Chamber Synthetic Stock $234.99
Barrel Length :21" Capacity :4 + 1 Chamber :3" Length :40" Weight :6 1/2 lbs
Pretty much much comes down to the same thing: at short range, the shotgun is essentially a rifle, but a devastating one, unlike a .223 round that might well just zip on through and not hit anything vital. You have to aim. And that barrel is an excellent handle if the bad guy gets too close.
Why would a person leave a shotgun propped in the corner when trouble comes calling?
For downstairs, I have a Ruger 38 special with P, loaded with hollow points and it has a red laser to spot the target and not miss it.
Downstairs, I also have a pink pepper spray gun, yes it is a gun, and it has a laser and shoots severe paper spray 20 feet. I got pink so it wouldn't look like a bad gun, but it is. It was not expensive when speaking of the cost of regular guns.
I have a defensive bat close to my front door. This is a true defensive bat and a blow with that crushes skulls and breaks limbs, it feels like a lethal weapon when you pick it up. If you are interested in that bat, freepmail me and I'll tell you the name, it's on Amazon.
Most homes are broken in by kicking in the front door. I have a heavy duty Buddybar and it sits under the door knob to reinforce the door. It would take some time to keep kicking that door to finally open it and I would know he was there by that time and he is dead if that door gives way. There is also an alarm stuck under that door and if it moves at all, that alarm screams.
No one can get through the one front window I have. There is an alarm in that window that is also a bar and a bad guy would see in big red letters, ALARM, and it also keeps the window from opening. I also put special locks on there to prevent the window opening and they can only be removed with an Allen wrench. There is also a vibration alarm on that window and if that device senses a vibration of that window that alarm screams.
I suggest a bad guy not try to get in my house.
If she can have a dog-—fore warned is fore armed.....otherwise, upgrade her ammo to glasser or other high performance or prefragmented rounds.......and take madam OUT for some practice.
A .308 “low caliber” handgun?
Superman, it’s a real honor to have you with us tonight!
“Shotgun. No need for accuracy, just point and spray.”
You couldn’t be more mistaken. A standard spread on a cylinder bore is about one inch per yard. Across a normal living room, you will be talking a 3 to 4 inch pattern. Even down a 20 foot hall you still will only get a 7 inch pattern. You had better point it properly.
Mistake number two is anyone who is conditioned to believe, and fully expecting, the the racking of the slide to cause instant obedience. If you make that poor tactical choice, your -expectation- should be that they will laugh and walk towards you. You better be ready, and point properly.
Some sureno will laugh and come kill you if you are too amazed for a moment that he didn’t flee when you racked it.
More better to be chambered, and fire.
Waiting till you have a target to rack it is a bad time to find out that you had some kind of feed stoppage. They are rare, but do indeed happen.
And yes, 20 Ga,, buckshot.
That should do it. Getting back to the point.
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