There are reasons why the shotgun is a solid choice for home defense: It is fast, powerful and versatile. You can load it with No. 6, 7.5 or 8 shot for predators near your rural home; you can feed it slugs for longer-range scenarios; or you can use buckshot for home defense. What’s more, the mere presence of a shotgun is intimidating. It also greatly reduces the margin for error in missing—and there’s nothing better than a pump or semi-automatic shotgun held by trained hands.
The shotgun is not without its tradeoffs, however, and these downsides must be weighed before deciding if it’s the best choice for your home-defense plan. Primarily, most shotguns are heavy—averaging around 8.5 pounds loaded—and require two hands to carry, load and fire, making it difficult to simultaneously use the gun and perform lifesaving acts such as calling 911; second, recoil is substantial, a trait that can cause poor shooting if proper technique is not learned; and most shotguns don’t hold many rounds—typically between 5 and 8—and are slow to reload.
We are left with one truism and one question to consider before we contemplate selecting a shotgun for home defense. The truism is this: Guns that are painful to shoot are no fun to shoot, and those that are no fun to shoot tend to be less-frequently practiced with; meanwhile, the best way to mitigate a shotgun’s significant recoil is with proper technique—something that is only developed through practice. Considering this, here’s the question: Are you willing to practice with a shotgun regularly so that its advantages can be realized? I believe a modern shotgun remains the best option for home defense, but if that level of training and practice is unlikely for you, there are better options available, such as a carbine that has less recoil, holds 30 rounds and can be reloaded fast, or a handgun that can be kept on you.
How to Choose an Action Type
Once you’ve decided to go with a shotgun, step one is choosing whether a pump-action or semi-automatic is best for you. (While there are other types of shotguns available, including a new wave of high-capacity bullpup-style and AR-10-style shotguns, I haven’t found one yet that is intuitive to shoot and supremely reliable.)
Fifty years ago, a pump-action was regarded as being vastly more reliable than its semi-automatic brethren. Semi-auto systems just weren’t perfected yet, and it was the reason why soldiers and police trusted their lives to pumps. But things are different now. Top-notch semis have become so reliable that the disparity between the two is negligible (assuming you clean the shotgun). Indeed, if a shooter is unaccustomed to a pump-action, a pump can be less reliable than a semi-auto due mainly to the tendency of new users to “short stroke” a pump, which causes a feeding malfunction. Of course, soldiers don’t always have the luxury of keeping semi-automatic guns pristinely clean and lubed for max reliability, but home defenders have no such excuse, so cleanliness should never be an issue.
So, if you grew up shooting a pump while duck hunting or are willing to practice until proficient with one or you don’t wish to spend the higher prices commanded by a high-quality semi-automatic or you plan to store the gun in extremely humid, dusty, salty or freezing environments that cause reliability issues, then a pump gun is your best choice. If significantly faster shooting and lower recoil are worth the higher price tag and perhaps a slight decrease in reliability to you, go with a semi-automatic. Me? I like top-end semi-autos.
Gauge and Choke
For 95% of all home-defense applications, the ubiquitous 12-gauge is the gun to get. For the remaining 5% who need a lighter gun, a small-framed 20-gauge that can be more easily wielded could make sense—just know that if the gun’s weight is significantly less, recoil will be very similar to a 12-gauge, regardless of what many people think. Whatever gauge you choose, screw in a cylinder choke.
Semi-Automatic Action Types
There are two semi-automatic designs that dominate the market: Gas-operated and inertia-operated actions. Historically, gas guns were overall slightly less reliable than inertia actions and required more cleaning, but these days, the gap between inertia guns and top-end gas guns has narrowed. Gas-action models are superior at mitigating recoil, though, if all else is equal.
Shotgun Fit
Traditional, full-figured shotgun stocks were developed and perfected by English wingshooters who ultimately found that a properly fitting shotgun stock aligns the shoulder, cheek, eyes and arms so that the gun will naturally shoot its pattern where the shooter looks. This is how master shotgunners consistently shoot small, fast-moving objects from the sky with little conscious thought. The other purpose of a properly fitting stock is to greatly mitigate recoil, which increases control, shooting speed, enjoyment and overall shooting proficiency. A well-fitting shotgun stock is so important that if a shotgun does not wear one, the gun’s inherent advantages over a carbine are squandered. Therefore, defensive shotgun buyers should be leery of skeletonized, tactical-style stocks, pistol-grip-only stocks and accessories that are commonly found on AR-15s, despite such the fact that such cool-looking things are all the rage right now. I’ll make one exception for a full-figured stock that also has a pistol grip because such a grip can give the home defender better one-handed control.
Top Picks
Before unholstering your credit card, you should know that pump guns, because their actions are operated manually, are less susceptible to mechanical malfunction even if they are cheaply produced. Conversely, low-priced semi-autos tend to be less reliable than refined ones. In other words, even the least-expensive pumps are often extremely reliable. Even so, I’d recommend a quality, feature-filled pump, such as a Remington 870 Synthetic Tactical, Mossberg 590A1, Mossberg 590M (that has a detachable box magazine), Benelli Nova 3 Tactical or a handful of others that range from $350 to $800. On the other hand, if you choose to go with a semi-automatic, don’t go for the least-expensive options. Under $600, in my experience, is too cheap; the moving parts aren’t as polished, tolerances are lower and jams are more frequent. Expect to spend at least $1,000, with guns over $1,500 being the best in most cases.
I like the Benelli M2 Tactical, Benelli M3 (an inertia-driven semi-auto with a pump override feature), Benelli M4, Beretta 1301 Tactical, Remington V3 Tactical, Mossberg 940 Pro Tactical SPX and a few others. You can’t go wrong with any of these guns, provided they are kept clean, lubed and loaded with good ammunition.
Ammunition
For typical home-defense scenarios, go with a 12-gauge, 23/4-inch, 9-pellet load of 00 Buck. Where ricochets and wall pass throughs are a major concern, such as in an apartment or a bedroom that adjoins other family members’ bedrooms, consider going with No. 6, 7.5 or 8 birdshot, provided the load is proven to cycle in your gun if it’s a semi-automatic. Likewise, stay away from reduced-recoil buckshot loads with semi-automatics, because sometimes these sub-power loads will cause reliability issues. I could list more-powerful loads containing more pellets fired at higher velocities, as well as cute shot sizes like No. 4 and No. 1 buck, but there’s really no need. The standard 00 buckshot load is a solid choice. Just make sure it proves itself in your shotgun of choice on the range, after a 200-round break-in period and well before trouble knocks.
Accoutrements
Most of the guns above are “tactical” models due to the features and accessories that come standard on them. They tend to have short, 18- or 20-inch barrels for maximum maneuverability; most have extended magazines, oversized safeties, quality recoil pads and robust sights. If your home-defense shotgun doesn’t have any of these features, consider adding them—especially the extended magazine. But even the most tricked-out tactical guns don’t come with three accessories I believe are advantageous for home defense: a gun-mounted flashlight, such as Surefire’s Scout Light Pro, a receiver-mounted shell holder and a simple sling.
Sights
Despite a shotgun’s “street-sweeping” reputation, in reality, its spread at short range is very small—roughly 2 inches in diameter at 5 yards and 10 inches at 15 yards. So, it’s easy to miss with a shotgun if the shooter doesn’t practice good shooting fundamentals or if he flinches.
Shotguns are not designed to be aimed in the same sense that rifles are. This is why red-dot sights add an unnecessary degree of complexity and unreliability (due to their batteries). I recommend a simple brass-bead front sight that doesn’t impede the shooter’s peripheral vision or focus on the target; however, if you choose a shotgun that doesn’t wear a conventional buttstock, such as one with a pistol grip, then a laser sight can be advantageous.
A Shotgun Drill
It’s one thing to be able to shoot a shotgun from a stationary position as we do while hunting or target shooting. But in a real-world home-defense emergency, remaining in one unfortified place is often dangerous. You need to be able to move to cover while shooting.
For this “move-and-shoot” drill, set up two or more barricades such as barrels or pallets. Set them 7 yards or so apart. Starting from behind cover, fire a shot before immediately moving to the next point of cover while firing two more shots on the move. Swiftly reload when you reach the new cover point, and then continue the drill. Start by walking while firing. As you develop your skills, racewalk, jog and run. If your shots are not on target, slow down until they are, then speed up as you gain proficiency.
Pro Tip: Practice reloading the magazine and directly into the chamber using your left hand while retaining control of the gun in the right. Drill this until you can grab two and even three shells at a time and reload them quickly without looking.
