“Shotgun. No need for accuracy, just point and spray.”
Stupid answer I’m tired of hearing.
Indoors, there is no appreciable spread. Accuracy is still important.
Outdoors at a range where the spread is appreciable, you’ll need a rifle.
This is about indoors.
I know. I have to educate people as to this all the time.
Inside home room-sized distances, most modern shotgun rounds haven’t even left the shot cup/buffer yet.
Most people here on FR clearly don’t actually shoot shotguns much. I do. I work on shotguns.
For someone who trains with them, shotguns are very fearsome weapons. For someone who doesn’t have the money to train with the weapon, a revolver is about as close as we can get to a firearm with a low-training-requirement for operation.
The advocates of semi-autos forget that some women (of ALL ages) lack the upper chest strength to rack the slides on some semi-autos. Oh, yes, and women? Don’t try chewing my buttocks on this issue. I’m relating my experience in helping lots of women choose a gun. I’ve seen women from 25 to 75 who can and can’t rack the slide on a semi-auto. I’ve seen some women who can handle a 1911 like it’s a toy. I’ve seen some women who have trouble pulling the DA trigger on a Smith revolver. I don’t try to force a gun onto a human. I find guns that work for the human requirements at hand.
What’s nice about a revolver? The user interface is simple. Pick it up, pull the trigger. Want another shot? Release the trigger and pull it again.
No external (or internal) safeties. five to seven rounds at hand in a simple, straightforward package that just sits there, waiting to be used.
Shotguns are fine if they’re semi-auto. This nonsense about “scaring people with the sound of a racking pump” is just stupid. Want to scare an intruder? Get a big dog. A German Shepard is the low end of the size I’d entertain. Our Kuvasz had a bark that would shake the house to it’s foundation. No one screwed around with that dog. I never had to do anything but hold him back.
But for older women on fixed income, a dog is a big expense. They have vet bills, food bills, they require walking in all types of weather, etc. They’re great companionship, but they’re expensive and they never quit being expensive.
A S&W Model 10 in .38 Special can be found from $250 on up, with holster wear and worn blueing - which won’t phase a homeowner in need of a quality, inexpensive home defense gun. Unlike new handguns in the $250 to $400 range, a S&W Model 10 is a quality piece, which can be repaired for basically forever. They work, they work well, and with minimal maintenance they will work forever.