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by PersonalSecurityZone.com
We aim to help you choose a home defense
shotgun that you can have confidence in
and feel comfortable about owning. We know
you want a shotgun that you can rest assured
you can rely on - a shotgun you will feel
good about having. It may even impress your
friends or others at the shooting range
when you go out to practice you shooting
and self defense skills! Impressing friends
is an added bonues, but we know you are
serious about finding the right shotgun
for your personal self defense.
First off, please note that each and every
shotgun in our online store is reliable
and suitable for self defense and home defense.
This is because at PersonalSecurityZone.com
everything we sell is made by a high quality
firearm manufacturer. We only sell top notch
firearms that are new and include manufacturers'
warranties. So, you can buy with confidence
that the shotgun you purchase from us will
be made by a manufacturer or importer who
stands by their products. But also, there
are some features that make certain shotguns
more maneuverable and easy to use for self
defense and home defense, which is what
we'll discuss in this article.
W.P. from Arizona asked us...
"Which shotgun would you suggest for
home protection. I am 72 and my wife is
67 so we don't want a shotgun that will
knock us on our butts. :) Thank you very
much."
Here's what we replied...
Thank you for your inquiry. Being a small
woman, I am also concerned about recoil
when it comes to a personal defense shotgun!
A really good choice is a 410 or 20 gauge
(20GA) shotgun with an 18 1/2 inch barrel
and a pistol grip. But don't avoid the longer
barrels and you don't need a pistol grip,
especially if you are used to rifle style
standard long gun stocks.
What are the most popular self
defense shotguns?
- Remington
870 shotgun with 5 or 7 shot capacity
& 18.5" barrel - the Remington
870 is the top selling shotgun of all
time for a good reason: reliability and
features. It's the choice of police departments
nationwide.
- Saiga
12, 20 and 410 semi auto authentic Russian
AK action shotguns have short barrels.
They're robust well-made Russian imports
brought into the U.S.A. by several importers.
In recent years, the Saiga 12 shotgun
has become the #1 choice for many of our
customers. Saiga 12 is built on the proven
AK action: very ergonomic and dependable.
- Mossberg
500 Cruiser pistol grip shotgun sometimes
comes packaged with with both a pistol
grip and standard stock - you can try
both types of stocks and see what works
best for you.
- Mossberg
500 persuader shotgun has a standard
stock. Later, you can change to a pistol
grip if you want, since you can buy a
Mossberg 500 pistol grip stock separately.
- Looking for a lower priced shotgun?
Economical and still tops in reliability
with stopping power are european American
Arms, Interstate Arms, Norinco, USSG,
NEF and Maverick by Mossberg shotguns:
shotguns
under $250.
- For more top quality there's Winchester
Super-X Pump Defender, Weatherby, Savage
and other home defense shotguns are made
by proven and quality manufacturers of
hunting firearms: all
shotgun manufacturers in stock.
- Mossberg 500HS home security 410 shotgun
offers less recoil in 410 and a short
18.5" barrel plus vertical foregrip
on the pump: all
mossberg shotguns in stock.
- Important: with a 20" barrel you
can get even higher capacity such as 9
shots. Comparing 18.5" to 20"
next to eachother, you will see that there
isn't much difference in length and maneuveability,
so the trade-off for more rounds of ammo
may be for you.
- Also: due to the popularity and workability
of the AR15 platform modern sporting rifle,
many customers also choose an ar15
rifle over a shotgun for home defense
and self defense. This is just something
to think about when making your choice.
Remember, you don't
have to have the shortest barrel! Just One
and a half inch more will give you more
capacity. Here are some very helpful links
so you can find shotguns...
All
Shotguns in stock.
Shotguns
with...
18.5"-19"
Barrels
20"
Barrels
All
20GA shotguns
with short barrels
(19" or less) in stock.
All
410 shotguns
with short barrels
(19" or less) in stock.
You may also search for shotguns by manufacturer
or other criteria using our Advanced
Search. Then, you can select by manufacturer
or otherwise narrow down your search even
more. For example, you can type Cruiser
into the "Title Contains" field
to see just the Cruiser shotguns in stock.
For more info. about solving
the problem of recoil, keep reading.
But, first, let's cover some more basic
informaton about shotguns.
The most-recommended
home defense shotgun is a short barreled 18
1/2 inch to 22-inch shotgun that is a 12 or
20-gauge shotgun. Also most-recommended are
pump or autoloaders, for ease of shooting
& maneuverability.
Some examples from our online
store:
- Mossberg 500 Special Purpose
shotguns: 18.5-inch barrel pump action
(featured above)
- Remington 870 pump action
series, including Remington's Police model,
870 Tactical and the Marine Magnum
- Winchester pump model shotguns:
Defender, Camp Defender, and Stainless
Marine.
- Saiga 12 Gauge is popular
among customers who want a shotgun they
can also have a lot of fun with at the
shooting range or for sporting and hunting.
It's like having a modern sporting rifle
but with shotgun loads.
- Also, we have many more
manufacturers with suitable shotguns
in stock
Many experts say that high
quality pump action shotguns offer an advantage
over autoloaders, because their operation
is mechanically reliable, even under difficult
conditions. This is why pump action shotguns
are more often recommended for home defense.
These shotguns can also be stored or carried
in a relatively safe setup: with the magazine
loaded, chamber empty, safety on and hammer
down. From this state the pump can be used
to STOP The Bad Guy very quickly. However,
for home defense, as a gun owner you always
want to secure any loaded firearm, including
a pump action shotgun, in a responsible
manner.
It is often said that there
is no sound in the world quite as identifiable
or as intimidating as the "rack-rack"
of a pump action shotgun! However, we at
Personal Security Zone don't recommend relying
on scaring the wits out of The Bad Guy with
the sound or look of your shotgun. Instead,
we recommend being prepared with a gun that
is reliable, that you know how to use, and
that you hopefully will never have to use
to defend yourself.
Price is always consideration.
A reliable, well made pump action shotgun
can usually be purchased at a cost less
than a comparable quality handgun. Other
advantages of the shotgun include:
- There is less danger
of a poorly aimed shot harming family
or friends through walls.
- The stopping power is greater.
The potential for inflicting wound trauma
to a criminal assailant is maximized with
a shotgun, hopefully with the effect of
stopping a violent confrontation quickly.
- For many people, it is easier
to aim a shotgun when compared to a handgun,
especially in a tense situation.
A high quality autoloader
is an alternative to the pump shotgun. The
action of the finer autoloader models tends
to be flawless. However, as with any autoloader,
you must be careful after the initial shot
not to inadvertently discharge the already-loaded
firearm.
In order to familiarize yourself
with making-safe a loaded autoloader, you
should practice unloading a cocked autoloader
with a shell in the chamber. Practice again
and again, until this becomes second nature.
Of course, you will practice in a safe place,
such as the shooting range, to allow for
the potential of accidental discharge. Or,
use Snap Caps if you are practicing at home,
so that you will never have to worry about
the gun going off during practice.
Always remember the most important
rule of gun safety. Never touch the trigger
until you are ready to shoot. This rule
is followed by all marksmen, from experts
to novices.
For versatility, it is desirable
to select a shotgun with a receiver chambered
for at least 3-inch Magnum shot shells.
This receiver will accommodate both 2-3/4-inch
Standard and 3-inch Magnum shells, a worthy
feature in the event ammunition ever becomes
scarce. The "Super Magnum" receivers
now available will function with 2-3/4-inch,
3-inch, and 3-1/2-inch shells interchangeably.
For home defense, 2-3/4-inch
shells are recommended. The Magnum and Super
Magnum loadings offer little incremental
benefit in this type of application. Their
tremendous recoil makes shooting uncomfortable
for many, a factor which inhibits follow-up
shot accuracy. For the 12-gauge, shoot Standard
2-3/4-inch, 00 buck. Shells for the 20-gauge
should also be 2-3/4-inch Standard, loaded
with #3 buck.
How can you be prepared in
case you need to use your shotgun for self
defense? Make sure you have all the right
equipment readily available and that you
practice with it. If you haven't been out
to the shooting range to practice in the
last few months, then it's time to go out
and renew your shotgun shooting skills.
Or, if you are buying your first shotgun
or don't have any friends to teach you the
in's and out's of shooting, you can find
licensed firearms instructors in your local
phone book. Take a class and gain a wealth
of information.
You will need to have enough
ammunition for practice, plus you need it
handy in case you need to use your shotgun
for self defense. In addition to having
at least 100 rounds of your favorite buck
shot load, you might also get five or six
boxes of rifled slugs to keep on hand. This
will give you some ammo to practice with,
and it will also provide you with the ammo
you need just in case.
Safety is a priority and requires
taking the time to do a proper gun cleaning
on your shotgun.
What other equipment or accessories
are useful for a home defense shotgun?
At PersonalSecurityZone.com
we think accessorizing your shotgun has
value beyond just "what you need."
This is because buying accessories provide
you with more incentive to practice more
with it, which is the only way to maintain
your shooting skills and increase your preparedness.
Some common accessories for
shotguns:
- Synthetic stock and fore end (if your
shotgun did not come with one),
- Pistol grip,
- Shotgun scope (like hunting rifle sights),
- Bead sight,
- Sling (if your shotgun did not come
with one),
- Holder for additional ammunition: bandolier,
shell-holding stock or side caddy,
- Extended magazine,
- Tactical light to illuminate your target
in the dark. Tactical lights are very
popular items, and we sell a lot of them.
Bandoliers are useful for
keeping extra ammunition handy. Shell-holding
stocks are also useful. Or, side saddle
shell caddies are another alternative, however
many experts say that these may actually
get in the way under tense circumstances.
You may want to attach an
extended magazine to your shotgun, to increase
its ammunition holding capacity. These extensions
are installed without any special tools,
because they are machined to fit a shotgun's
existing tubular magazine once the end cap
is unscrewed. An extension can add up to
five additional rounds of capacity to the
existing magazine on some makes and models.
What about tactical lights?
Is illumination desirable? Yes. In defending
your home, especially at night, you need
to be absolutely sure of the intent of any
intruder and identify your target. You need
to find out if a criminal is actually invading
your home, or is it just one of your kids'
friends playing a prank? Could it be a family
member who is coming home late, instead
of The Bad Guy? Of course, you want to be
able to answer these questions quickly in
order to be certain of your need for self
defense.
Tactical lights mount to the
shotgun forearm, providing a way for you
to positively idenfity (and possbily blind)
any night-time intruder. A tactical light
may also allow for hands-free operation,
in case you really do need to use your shotgun
to defend yourself or your family.
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Here are great
tips from Giovanni Cidranes,
security professional, formerly
sales rep. for a major firearm
distributor and formerly Western
Sales Manager for Legacy Sports.
To some who can't
handle the recoil "regrettably
12 gauge shotguns are pretty
much 12 gauge shotguns.
"Recoil
reducing stocks are truly
viable solutions to the dilemma.
"My other
recommendation along with the
addition of a recoil reducing
stock is to have the consumer
use "light recoil"
ammo:
- Federal
Premium Ammo 12GA 2.75"
LOW RECOIL SLUGS 5/box
- Hornady Ammo
12GA OO BUCK LIGHT MAG 5/box
- PMC Ammo Buckshot
12GA 2.75 00 LOW RECOIL 5/box
"Lastly, especially
for older or not-very-large
consumers, other gauges are
perfectly acceptable. Mossberg
and other firearm manufacturers
make great home defense .410,
the 20 gauge shotguns will work
just fine. Sometimes there are
perceptions that need to be
addressed.
"Remember,
it does not matter how powerful
your weapon of choice is if
you cannot hit your target.
"I hope this helps."
--
Giovanni Cidranes |
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We hope this article has provided
you with helpful information about choosing
a shotgun for self defense. Just let us
know if you would like to purchase a shotgun
or accessories from our online store at
PersonalSecurityZone.com.
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