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  • Skipjacks

    Ultimate Member
    "Best" is a personal decision

    Can you handle a 12 gauge? It is a lot of gun.

    If you can handle it and not be intimidated by it then a 12 gauge loading with 00 buckshot will make a very effective home defense weapon

    If you can't handle the size or recoil it is virtually useless to you

    (Research wall overpenetration to ensure you position yourself in a way that makes the area behind a potential target safe)

    Don't just buy it and put it under the bed either. Take it to a range and shoot it. A lot. Learn how it handled. Learn how to work the safety without thinking. These are not things you want to learn with an intruder coming up your stairs while you can hear your own heart beating in your ears

    Advantages....it's an affordable firearm with affordable ammunition (usually). It has a lot of stopping power with the right ammunition (buck shot will disable an intruder...birdshot will just piss someone off)

    Disadvantages....it is a lot of handle if you are smaller of stature.
     

    28Shooter

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Sep 19, 2010
    8,206
    Baltimore, Maryland
    Can't go wrong with a 12 gauge pump loaded with buckshot - but remember, SAFETY FIRSTand be sure to take it out and shoot it so you know what to expect - recoil, noise, smoke, etc. If you have a friend who has one, ask him/her to take you out and teach you how to use it.
     

    Alphabrew

    Binary male Lesbian
    MDS Supporter
    Jan 27, 2013
    40,749
    Woodbine
    Can't go wrong with a 12 gauge pump loaded with buckshot - but remember, SAFETY FIRSTand be sure to take it out and shoot it so you know what to expect - recoil, noise, smoke, etc. If you have a friend who has one, ask him/her to take you out and teach you how to use it.

    ^^Agreed with all that.

    My aunt bought a 12 ga for home defense and she didn’t even know how to unload it. If you don’t train with it, it’s not going to help you when you need it. Train like you fight.
     

    Darkemp

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Aug 18, 2009
    7,808
    Marylandistan
    It’s a good choice for most- just be sure you or whoever will have access to it has had some experience using it and that they are prepared to use it without hesitation should the unfortunate arise. The comments about safety and training are spot on. Arming yourself for lawful self defense is a right as well as a huge responsibility to take on.
     

    Darkemp

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Aug 18, 2009
    7,808
    Marylandistan
    Just to tack on also- the firearm should not be the first line of defense- invest in quality home security system (they are very cheap and DIY nowadays), cameras (they can validate your actions better than any statement ever will), and physical security (deadbolts on top of door handle locks, security bars and or shatter resistant film and glassbreak detector on sliding glass doors. The firearm should be the final element of a layered approach particularly if defending others. Those layers give you valuable time to prepare for the encounter.
     

    Biggfoot44

    Ultimate Member
    Aug 2, 2009
    32,881
    Particularly since this is Prepper's subforum ,and Prepping is wide form ;

    12ga pump is the #1 pick for a single firearm to do absolutely anything and everything , not just Home Defense .

    And yes , while a pump shotgun is relatively simple and straightforward ( at basic operation level), just as with all firearms, education in safety and at least basic shooting skills is mandatory .

    And yes , for Devil's Advocate ;

    Takes a certain amount of statute and strength to properly handle a grown-up sized long gun weighing 7 - 9 lbs . Some loads have recoil . ( In ideal times there are a plethora of Tactical aka Low Recoil defensive/ duty rounds available . During our current semi - panic , ammo availability is spotty at best , see our recent thread about someone who's Only available ammo was 3in mag goose loads .)
     

    Antarctica

    YEEEEEHAWWW!!!!
    MDS Supporter
    Sep 29, 2012
    1,728
    Southern Anne Arundel
    What Bigfoot44 said...

    Nothing more versatile than a 12 gauge pump (talking regular old R870/M500, not a tacticool thingy).

    From there, the sky's the limit...

    But a 12 gauge pump always has a place in the safe....
     

    Biggfoot44

    Ultimate Member
    Aug 2, 2009
    32,881
    As a side effect of the panic for tactical firearms,a week ago I saw a very good price for Win M12 26in IC Takedown . Ironically , single shot break open shotguns are substantially Up .
     

    grimnar15

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Jul 21, 2019
    1,645
    There are several "best" a 12 ga pump is one of them.

    I am going to get scorched for saying this, but, if you and your family do not train with a 12 Gauge shotgun, then it’s no good to you. It’s a big heavy weapon that packs a serious punch. The manual of arms requires a lot of muscle memory and under stress that can be a real disadvantage and even intimidating to the untrained.
     

    paperwork351

    no error code for stupid
    Mar 7, 2008
    867
    Gaithersburg
    I am going to get scorched for saying this, but, if you and your family do not train with a 12 Gauge shotgun, then it’s no good to you. It’s a big heavy weapon that packs a serious punch. The manual of arms requires a lot of muscle memory and under stress that can be a real disadvantage and even intimidating to the untrained.

    I agree with the training. It can be leveraged out of your control.
     

    Uncle Duke

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Feb 2, 2013
    11,667
    Not Far Enough from the City
    I am going to get scorched for saying this, but, if you and your family do not train with a 12 Gauge shotgun, then it’s no good to you. It’s a big heavy weapon that packs a serious punch. The manual of arms requires a lot of muscle memory and under stress that can be a real disadvantage and even intimidating to the untrained.

    You shouldn't get scorched for saying it. It's true. And it's true for any firearm, not just a 12ga. shotgun.
     

    Darkemp

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Aug 18, 2009
    7,808
    Marylandistan
    I agree with the others- if I had to have only one firearm, it would be a 12ga shotgun w/00 buckshot: A Benelli or Berretta semi-auto if I had the cash, a Mossberg 590 pump if I had half that cash and a Mossberg 500 if I was cash-strapped.

    If I could have only one Shotgun- then agree to the 12ga 00buck statement, one of mine is a 590, one of the best pumps IMHO.

    If I could have only one firearm becomes a more complex discussion currently ongoing in other threads.
     

    Inigoes

    Head'n for the hills
    MDS Supporter
    Dec 21, 2008
    49,365
    SoMD / West PA
    For the family? 20 guage shotgun.

    It can be shot from your youngest children to you, including the wife and mother in law.

    And it shoots buckshot also.
     

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