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The Home Defense
Shotgun |
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By Dan S. Defense
The home defense shotgun is a mighty weapon. Many
consider the home defense shotgun to be the ultimate
tool for dealing with home invasions. The home defense
shotgun is simple to operate and reliable. The home
defense shotgun is affordable and easy to maintain. But
above all the home defense shotgun is powerful and
deadly.
A home defense shotgun with proper self defense
ammunition can stop any human in their tracks. In fact,
in my mind, the home defense shotgun is unmatched by any
other long gun in short distances. I own a home defense
shotgun and just knowing its around makes me sleep
better at night. In this article we'll look at the home
defense shotgun to see if it is a proper tool for you. A
home defense shotgun can come in a few different
calibers, but here we'll look at the 12 gauge, which is
popular, strong and affordable.
To provide a complete picture of the home defense
shotgun, we'll look at good self defense ammunition; and
we'll look at a few home defense shotgun options, to get
your research going. By the end of this article you'll
know if you ought to look hard at a home defense
shotgun.
Thus far it appears that the home defense shotgun is a
perfect firearm. It's a very good firearm but it has
significant drawbacks that you must consider. The first
thing to realize is that a home defense shotgun is long
and somewhat heavy. Navigating through doors and
hallways can be difficult and tricky. That can be
mitigated with proper training and tactics.
The second thing to realize is that the home defense
shotgun generates significant recoil when it sends its
ammunition toward your attacker. That is probably the
biggest drawback, but that too can be mitigated by good
ammo selection and technology. You can use reduced
recoil home defense ammo to reduce the kick. There are
several "shock absorbers" that can be installed on the
stock to further reduce the punch (e.g. Blackhawk's Koxx
stock). Add to that a proper grip and range time and
you'll be fine.
Having looked at the limitations and showing how they
can be mitigated, we can move toward a few recommended
shotgun loads. As I mentioned, for home defense I prefer
reduced recoil ammo for better control and less risk of
over penetration. I use one of two brands: The
Winchester Ranger Buckshot (several small projectiles)
and Slugs (one large projectile), or the Federal
Buckshot and Tactical TruBall Rifled Slug ammo. My home
defense shotgun is loaded with one of these (i.e. inside
the internal magazine) and a different type as spare
ammo.
Typically the buckshot is internal and the slugs
external. I recommend you spend time researching the
different types of ammunition, until you find one that
you think works for you; then test that ammo in your
home defense shotgun to be sure.The last thing to
examine in this article are a few options for a home
defense shotgun. There are many brands out there, but I
chose two pump guns-The Remington 870 and the Mossberg
590A1. I'll write reviews about both later, but as
always, research on your own and see which home defense
shotgun is right for you. I hope this helps you start
this interesting investigation.
Until next time, stay safe by staying alert!
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