Home Defense Shotgun

The shotgun is the classic American home defense weapon. The shotgun likely gained this status from it being a ubiquitous gun found in nearly every American home at one time or another in our country’s history. As of late, the shotgun has been challenged more and more by the rifle and the handgun in the home defense role. That said, I do feel the shotgun is still an excellent choice for home defense. So now you might be asking, “Why the shotgun?”

Why the shotgun?

Affordability

A quality shotgun can be had for less than a rifle or handgun of the same quality. There are a lot of great options at the $300 price point that are being imported from Turkey and other countries. You may not recognize the brand, but they’ve proven to be simple yet effective home defense shotguns.

Ease of Use

Shotguns are easy to use, easy to clean, and easy to maintain. A pump-action shotgun will reliably handle any standard load. This includes reduced recoil ammo, and less lethal options. Everything about a shotgun is simple: loading, aiming, shooting, etc.

Legal Access

Unlike semi-automatic rifles, shotguns are not nearly as restricted in states that favor gun control. Many states like California make owning a proper defensive rifle a real pain. Just look at all the weird and wacky things that are done to get ARs approved for ownership in California! The same could be said for handguns due to age restrictions and other ridiculous state laws. While some shotguns are targeted by these laws, the majority are not. They are typically the least affected by assault weapons bans or other restrictive laws.

Stopping Power

The shotgun’s biggest advantage is the power it can pack. A 12 or 20 gauge shotgun’s strength is the multiple projectiles it fires per shot. Multiple projectiles mean you have a higher likelihood of hitting a vital organ, artery, or spinal column. Multiple projectiles also mean more pain compliance and blood loss for an attacker. Make no mistake about it, a shotgun is a powerhouse of a weapon. Keep in mind, however, the more is not always better. For example, do not use birdshot – which contains far more pellets than other loads – for home defense, as it has been proven to not be a fight-stopping load.

What Kind of Shotgun?

There are lots of different types and calibers of shotguns. I mentioned above the best defensive shotguns are going to be in 20 and 12 gauge. No doubt 16 gauge shotguns are potent, but they are harder to find than their bigger brothers. What’s even harder is finding affordable 16 gauge ammo. Thankfully, 12 and 20 gauge shotguns are very common and so is their ammunition.

Here are the very basics of shotgun selection that should give you a good framework for a self-defense shotgun:

Pump or Semi-Auto

You can disregard single and double-barrel shotguns (this isn’t the wild west), as well as lever and bolt action shotguns. Pump and semi-auto shotguns are much better choices for a home defense shotgun. Pump shotguns are manually operated, but with some practice, they are still rapid-fire weapons. Pump shotguns are insanely reliable and can handle all lower recoil rounds.

 

Semi-automatic shotguns can be fired considerably faster since the action is not manually operated. There is also less human error to be made with a semi-auto shotgun. Semi-auto shotguns have become considerably more reliable in the last 20 years but won’t match a pump action in terms of limiting human operation error. Semi-autos may also have issues with lighter loaded rounds.

Capacity

Five rounds are the absolute minimum a shotgun should be able to hold for a fight. Anything less and you are entering bird gun territory pretty quickly. Five rounds gives you decent fighting power for a home defense scenario. In most situations, pointing the weapon at the door and calling the police is a solid strategy. I personally prefer at least eight rounds in my semi-auto shotgun.

robably not enough rounds.

Stocks

While I enjoy my pistol grip-only shotguns for their wrist-breaking fun, I recognize they are niche shotguns. A shotgun with a stock is much better suited for home defense. It’s easier to handle, more stable, and helps with recoil reduction and control. It also makes the gun easy to aim, and rapid follow-up shots possible.

A stock and pistol grip combo is fine, as is just having a standard stock. As long as there is a stock, it’s really up to user preference on the style.

Barrel Length

Unless you want to go the NFA route, 18 inches is as short as you are legally allowed to go with a shotgun barrel. A range of 18 to 20 inches is desired to keep the gun compact and easy to maneuver. It keeps the shotgun balanced and keeps it at a lighter weight.

(Of course, there’s also the not-technically-a-shotgun shotguns that are just classified as firearms, but that’s a whole different blog post in and of itself.)

Accessories

Lights

When something goes bump in the night you need to be able to bump back. You also need to be able to see what’s doing all that bumping. Proper target identification is an absolute necessity when it comes to a justified defensive shoot. A light makes it so you can easily identify the threat (or non-threat) and act accordingly. A light can also simply help you see, and momentarily blind a threat.

Lasers

This isn’t a necessity, but in a low-light situation (remember, light batteries can fail), having a laser to help with aiming your shot could be a good thing to have. Plus, there are also some good light-and-laser combo options on the market.

Side Saddle

It’s highly unlikely you’ll need a reload in a home defense scenario, but it’s good to have the ability to, just in case. Since you are unlikely to be rocking a plate carrier with shotgun pouches when a home intruder kicks the door down, a side saddle is the best solution. Side saddles typically offer five to six rounds of extra ammunition that mount directly to the side of the gun. This ensures that you’ve got a little extra ammo on you at all times in an easy-to-access location. Side saddles are rapid to reload from and easy to use – they are also affordable and commonly available.

Red Dot Optics

This is the least necessary of accessories since shotguns have sights, but a red dot optic can be a valued addition. They make aiming much faster, work in all light conditions, and make aiming in a stressful situation much easier to do. The ability to hit a target with the first shot is of critical importance when it comes to a home defense situation.

Ammo

The last and most important topic we’ll cover is ammunition selection. I prefer a No 1 buckshot load because it delivers the most lead per trigger pull. However, any 00 load is an effective fight stopper. Mini shells have grown in popularity and usefulness in recent years. While not my first choice, they’re definitely an option to consider if you want to have as many rounds as possible in the gun before needing to reload.

Parting Thoughts

The shotgun is a powerful and decisive weapon that works perfectly for home and self-defense. It’s big, it’s loud, and man is it effective. The shotgun earned its place in the home defense pantheon for good reasons. Like any gun, it’s only as effective as the end-user. If a shotgun is your go-to for home defense, remember to get some training with it. The better you are, the more effective your shotgun will be.