Best Home Defense Shotgun for the Money

[NateTheShake]

I'm probably gonna get flamed for this, but I keep hearing about intimdation, the racking of the slide and accessories.

None of this stuff is important when you have to defend your family. Reliability, dependability and a gun that works the way it should are the only factors that should matter.

I don't have a collapsible stock, pistol grip or heat shield. If someone is in my house, a shell is already racked in the chamber and ready to go.

You are defending your home and your family. You are not showing off for the intruder.

The best shotgun for home defense is the closest one to you.
The best shotgun for home defense is the one you know how to use proficiently.
The best shotgun for home defense is the the one you will never have to use.

Couldn't agree more. Of course I still prefer the handgun for home defense, but that follows the same rules.

 

[damifinowfish]

Pumps are great for HD. In the middle of the night when you load a round it echos through the house.

And that was the last time I tried to sneak into the house without waking my wife first. A phone call letting her know I was on my way home was better then hearing her pumping the shot gun.

Wouldn't a smaller gauge be better then the 12 gauge for a non experienced shooter? My current HD is a 20 gauge youth model 870 with a 24 inch barrel. I think this is a good size shot gun for my little town house.

 

[NY Transplant]

I'm probably gonna get flamed for this, but I keep hearing about intimdation, the racking of the slide and accessories.

None of this stuff is important when you have to defend your family. Reliability, dependability and a gun that works the way it should are the only factors that should matter.

I don't have a collapsible stock, pistol grip or heat shield. If someone is in my house, a shell is already racked in the chamber and ready to go.

You are defending your home and your family. You are not showing off for the intruder.

The best shotgun for home defense is the closest one to you.
The best shotgun for home defense is the one you know how to use proficiently.
The best shotgun for home defense is the the one you will never have to use.

14 rds!!!! I think i'm saving up to get one now.

Pumps are great for HD. In the middle of the night when you load a round it echos through the house.

And that was the last time I tried to sneak into the house without waking my wife first. A phone call letting her know I was on my way home was better then hearing her pumping the shot gun.

Wouldn't a smaller gauge be better then the 12 gauge for a non experienced shooter? My current HD is a 20 gauge youth model 870 with a 24 inch barrel. I think this is a good size shot gun for my little town house.

Besides my Glock 22 for HD, I have a Mossberg 500 youth 20 Gauge with a 22 inch barrel primarily for my wife. It holds 5 + 1 and if I can't bring down a bad guy with 5 rounds or less with 000 Buck then I don't deserve to have the gun.

But I will tell you this...I've been shooting shotguns way longer than handguns so bad guy beware!!

 

[trippinout]

Have to agree with shooting ANY HD gun. Don't care if its a handgun or shotgun. If you don't become proficient with it, under pressure you will struggle with it.

Wonder what the kick is like with the Keltec shotgun!?

 

[kohburn]

with 14 rounds the kick probably starts off nice but gets worse with every shot.

 

[Rmc]

Two considerations for HD Shotgun:

- You have fired at least 100 rounds with no malfunctions.

- Your quick release/security set up allows you to access the shotgun quickly yet is sufficiently secure that you don't face your own shotgun on returning home!

 

[teratos]

Pumps are great for HD. In the middle of the night when you load a round it echos through the house.

And that was the last time I tried to sneak into the house without waking my wife first. A phone call letting her know I was on my way home was better then hearing her pumping the shot gun.

Wouldn't a smaller gauge be better then the 12 gauge for a non experienced shooter? My current HD is a 20 gauge youth model 870 with a 24 inch barrel. I think this is a good size shot gun for my little town house.

I'm torn on the whole "rack the slide" thing. If there is someone in my house in the middle of the night, they mean my family harm....period. Even if 95% of BG's will be scared off by the sound of a slide racking, the other 5% will not be, and you have just given away a lot of information:

1. Where you are
2. You have a shotgun

I would prefer to have the element of surprise. My Mossy 500 has one in the pipe. It is stored with a trigger lock that I put the key in when I go to sleep, and take the key out of when I wake up. If I need it, I quietly walk over to the closet that is 6 feet from my bed, quietly take off the trigger lock, quietly push the safety forward. The wife will be calling 911. My bedroom overlooks the top of the stairs, and I am between me and my kids. If I see the BG, I can have him in my sights from less than 5 feet away. I have the upper hand.

 

[clandestine]

Im going to disagree with everyone here on the 870. The Mossberg is a better shotgun IMO.

Heres my reasons:

The 590 is used by the U.S. Armed Services

The finish on current 500/590s dont rust like modern production 870s do

If you need to change parts on a 500/590 no special tools are needed

Safety is ambidextrious on the 500/590

Slide Release is Easier to use/manipulate on the 500/590

500/590 is lighter

500/590 Factory Barrels tend to be a little more affordable sompared to 870

Mossberg has dual extractors for better extraction when fouled


If you have a 500/590 problem anyone can fix one at home, not so much for a 870.

Dented Tube on a 870? Requires a Gunsmith With Soldering Skills
Dented Tube on a 590? Strap Wrench
Bad Ejector on a 870? Riveting Jig and a Gunsmith
Bad Ejector on a 590? Screwdriver
Worn Lockup on 870? Receiver is toast
Worn Lockup on a 590? Replace the Barrel
Worn Feed Latches on a 870? Needs Staking Tool
Worn Feed Latches on a 590? No Tools

People will say the 870 will have a better action (Smoother) out of the box, but with break in both guns will be equally smooth.


I agree with Blackthorne. The cheap Chinese, Turkish, ect... Shotguns are JUNK. I have worked on them. Parts may LOOK like the cloned models but they arent cross compatible in most cases and if parts to interchange it takes ALOT of fitting.

After people get a shotgun take a SHOTGUN course from an NRA or certified instructior on how to use the weapon safely and effectivelty. Pattern the gun, learn where it shoots and its strengths and weaknesses. Try different loads to be sure it will eat what you feed it.

Once thats done get some dummy rounds and a magpul Shotgun DVD and watch and learn. Take more advanced classes after that because a DVD wont show you where your flaws are like an instructor will.

 

[browning guy]

Im going to disagree with everyone here on the 870. The Mossberg is a better shotgun IMO.

Heres my reasons:

The 590 is used by the U.S. Armed Services

The finish on current 500/590s dont rust like modern production 870s do

If you need to change parts on a 500/590 no special tools are needed

Safety is ambidextrious on the 500/590

Slide Release is Easier to use/manipulate on the 500/590

500/590 is lighter

500/590 Factory Barrels tend to be a little more affordable sompared to 870

Mossberg has dual extractors for better extraction when fouled


If you have a 500/590 problem anyone can fix one at home, not so much for a 870.

Dented Tube on a 870? Requires a Gunsmith With Soldering Skills
Dented Tube on a 590? Strap Wrench
Bad Ejector on a 870? Riveting Jig and a Gunsmith
Bad Ejector on a 590? Screwdriver
Worn Lockup on 870? Receiver is toast
Worn Lockup on a 590? Replace the Barrel
Worn Feed Latches on a 870? Needs Staking Tool
Worn Feed Latches on a 590? No Tools

People will say the 870 will have a better action (Smoother) out of the box, but with break in both guns will be equally smooth.


I agree with Blackthorne. The cheap Chinese, Turkish, ect... Shotguns are JUNK. I have worked on them. Parts may LOOK like the cloned models but they arent cross compatible in most cases and if parts to interchange it takes ALOT of fitting.

After people get a shotgun take a SHOTGUN course from an NRA or certified instructior on how to use the weapon safely and effectivelty. Pattern the gun, learn where it shoots and its strengths and weaknesses. Try different loads to be sure it will eat what you feed it.

Once thats done get some dummy rounds and a magpul Shotgun DVD and watch and learn. Take more advanced classes after that because a DVD wont show you where your flaws are like an instructor will.

LORD CHAD!!!

I Agree 100% we sell hundreds of "defense" shotguns and hands down people who really shot them and work with them choose the mossberg over the 870 everytime. their are very few problems on a 500/590 you can not fix in the average garage

there is a 590 in my bed room.

 

[jaywade]

best thing I like about the 500/590 over the 870 is the safety.... if you have the gun pointed at said bad guy the safety is in your line of sight ...ie you know if the weapon is hot or not, w/ the 879 you have to remember in the middle of a panic and fear and confusion if the button pushed through the left is on or off, while in the 590 it's in your line of sight... to me that's the biggest and best reason

 

[Sirex]

I had a Mossberg 20G for HD then switched up to a Rem 870 Police Magnum. Loved the gun but didn't feel right. Sold it and bought a Mossberg 500 combo in 12G. I like the Mossberg over the Remington for the fact that I can get to the safety and action release without moving my hand from the trigger group, I think the controls are more user friendly. I don't think I'll ever wear it out, and it came with another barrel so I can keep it primarily for HD, but I can quickly swap the barrel if I should ever go hunting or trap shooting. Having had both the 500 and 870, I chose the 500 based on usability. I still don't think I'll wear out the Mossberg.

 

[erwos]

To be fair, the 590A1 is also like $100+ more than the 870, or such was my research.

I also think inadequate attention is being provided to the issue of short-stroking. Pumps are more reliable if the operator is trained right, but if you store your shotgun with one in the chamber, the auto is going to be more reliable on the follow-ups if you bought a reliable auto (eg, Benelli M1).

I think the KSG has a lot of potential, but the T&E prototypes they sent out were not universally well-received - lots of recoil, and some feeding issues. I think a tweaked version with a simultaneous dual feed will be pretty impressive. That said, I have some serious doubts that it's really worth an extra $400-$500 over the 590A1 in an HD capacity. How many shells do you really need? Is chopping it down to the absolute smallest legal OAL really going to add a lot when it comes to maneuverability? Do you need those top and bottom rails really? *shrugs*

I am not a huge fan of the Saiga 12 as a "value choice" HD shotgun. It's simply not reliable enough out of the box. After you've dumped another five hundred bucks of reliability work and parts in it, it's pretty astounding, but it's not a super value as an HD gun.

 

[jawn]

To be fair, the 590A1 is also like $100+ more than the 870, or such was my research.

Eh, only if you compare the 590A1 to the 870 Express models, which isn't at all equivalent. The more accurate comparison would be with the 870 Police models.

 

[NY Transplant]

Have to agree with shooting ANY HD gun. Don't care if its a handgun or shotgun. If you don't become proficient with it, under pressure you will struggle with it.

Wonder what the kick is like with the Keltec shotgun!?

That's why every once in a while I take my Mossberg 500 to the AGC trap range to "blow out the dust" in the barrel.

 

[Hopalong]

Im going to disagree with everyone here on the 870. The Mossberg is a better shotgun IMO.

Heres my reasons...

That's the most BS-free answer to this question I've ever seen. And it was perfectly timed because I've been trying to decide between an 870 and a 500/590. Thanks!

 

[clandestine]

That's the most BS-free answer to this question I've ever seen. And it was perfectly timed because I've been trying to decide between an 870 and a 500/590. Thanks!

My pleasure.

 

[rob]

If I don't grab my pistol, I'll stick with the simplicity of my OU. Put in two shells. take off safety. pull trigger twice. repeat as necessary. problem solved.

Although, I do need to shoot it more.

Rob

 

[Bart_man]

I'm probably gonna get flamed for this, but I keep hearing about intimdation, the racking of the slide and accessories.

None of this stuff is important when you have to defend your family. Reliability, dependability and a gun that works the way it should are the only factors that should matter.

I don't have a collapsible stock, pistol grip or heat shield. If someone is in my house, a shell is already racked in the chamber and ready to go.

You are defending your home and your family. You are not showing off for the intruder.

The best shotgun for home defense is the closest one to you.
The best shotgun for home defense is the one you know how to use proficiently.
The best shotgun for home defense is the the one you will never have to use.

FLAME ON

ok not really...

SG Joe. I agree with all your points. except one statement that is conflicting with the others

I think

The best shotgun for home defense is the the one you will never have to use.

is the opposite of complaining about

a shell is already racked in the chamber and ready to go.

Heres my thinking..If someone comes in my house I am going to hear them before I visually see them.
Confrontation comes in many forms including - Challenge & Intimidation without physical confrontation. This is the object in this scenario, if you are actually forced to discharge a firearm in your own home to protect loved ones the aftermath of the event will likely involve legal troubles and home repair
However IF you send a message to an intruder to GET OUT NOW then whatever they carry out the door while fleeing the sound of a SG slide racking will be much less expense and hassle.

so to repeat your own statement

The best shotgun for home defense is the the one you will never have to use.

If I can defend my home through intimidation, I am not trying to "Impress" anyone..I'm trying to avoid the hassles involved with killing or wouding someone.


My personal Moss 500A has been returned to stock wood with an 18.5 in Cyl bore barrel. I keep a full mag tube but an empty chamber.
I will rack it once - then use it.

The wood was more natural for me since my first gun was skeet SG so I am following your other statement

The best shotgun for home defense is the one you know how to use proficiently.

 

[BenL]

For those of you storing your shotgun for HD, how are you doing it?

I'd like a finger scanner lock or "Gun Vault" style release (for speed), but haven't seen anything like that.

I've considered one of these, as well.

http://www.vlineind.com/html/long_gun_case.html

It'd be nice to recess in the wall and cover with a mirror.

 

[Hopalong]

My pleasure.

Since you seem to be cutting through the BS: do you see any benefits to having sights on a HD shotgun beyond the basic bead? I see models with impressive-looking ghost ring sights and tritium night sights, but are they worth the extra I'd pay for them?

From a practical standpoint (i.e. ignoring personal preference, AR-fanboi-hood, etc.), is there any benefit to having an AR-style setup (pistol grip, collapsing stock) as opposed a "traditional" stock? (And yes, I know that stocks on a Mossberg are easy to change. I'll probably try both, I was just wondering which one I should be shopping for.)

Lastly: 18" and 6 shots or 20" and 9? I'm torn between capacity and maneuverability.

Others may contribute as well of course, but if I'm already pleasing Lord Chad, I gotta hear what he has to say....