I was shocked to find that there isn't a "pumps vs autos" thread here, at least not according to the search function.
I've only had experience with autos, except for BB guns, but I keep hearing about using pumps for self defense.
As I understand it if you go back in time autos could be quite unreliable, but these days they seem to have pretty well sorted that out.
And in the unlikely event of a jam how much faster is one really with a pump vs a large sized bolt handle?
I also hear a lot about the sound. But it seems you either have to leave it empty or toss a shell if you want it. Also a bolt slamming home on an auto is quite a sound as well.
Of course even a small increase in reliability and clearing speed would be worth it if there were no drawbacks.
However it seems like it would be all too easy to short stroke the thing in a home defense situation. Yeah you can train with the thing. But how often are you going to have your buddy shoot you and then practice taking nice proper strokes? Even before that, people get weird when groggy, when going through a fight or flight response, and when having to consider tons of factors at once. Home defense has a way of combining all of those.
Actually if someone is feeling really macho I'd be curious how well you operate the thing with snap caps if your buddy gets to throw body punches from the side or rear until you fire it four times properly.
The second issue is speed. With an auto the follow up shots are fast and accurate. A pump would seem to significantly slow one's rate of fire. If some drugged up maniac is rushing you Tueller style so you've got 1.5 seconds how many accurate shots are you getting off? I'm not going to worry overmuch about the reliability on my third shot if the alternative is not even getting to take one.
Finally it would seem that things like doorknobs or having to pull a family member behind you would suddenly become huge problems.
I've only had experience with autos, except for BB guns, but I keep hearing about using pumps for self defense.
As I understand it if you go back in time autos could be quite unreliable, but these days they seem to have pretty well sorted that out.
And in the unlikely event of a jam how much faster is one really with a pump vs a large sized bolt handle?
I also hear a lot about the sound. But it seems you either have to leave it empty or toss a shell if you want it. Also a bolt slamming home on an auto is quite a sound as well.
Of course even a small increase in reliability and clearing speed would be worth it if there were no drawbacks.
However it seems like it would be all too easy to short stroke the thing in a home defense situation. Yeah you can train with the thing. But how often are you going to have your buddy shoot you and then practice taking nice proper strokes? Even before that, people get weird when groggy, when going through a fight or flight response, and when having to consider tons of factors at once. Home defense has a way of combining all of those.
Actually if someone is feeling really macho I'd be curious how well you operate the thing with snap caps if your buddy gets to throw body punches from the side or rear until you fire it four times properly.
The second issue is speed. With an auto the follow up shots are fast and accurate. A pump would seem to significantly slow one's rate of fire. If some drugged up maniac is rushing you Tueller style so you've got 1.5 seconds how many accurate shots are you getting off? I'm not going to worry overmuch about the reliability on my third shot if the alternative is not even getting to take one.
Finally it would seem that things like doorknobs or having to pull a family member behind you would suddenly become huge problems.
