Shotgun question

[tlanning]

Like I said in the PM this link should work

http://www.georgiawildlife.org/content/displaynavigation.asp?TopCategory=2

but if not as close as we are the offer stands

 

[Sue]

Another vote for finding someone near you with enough land to shoot outdoors.

Oh, and i'd recommend a Remington 870. It's a reliable workhorse that everyone who knows guns is familiar with. You don't even need shells for home defense. Mythbusters says there is no brown note, but the sound of an 870 being racked in a dark house you're breaking into would do it for most burglars. Crap pants and flee the scene.

Who doesn't know that sound?

How much practice does it take to aim in the general direction using a shotgun? You can't miss. A Model 12 is a repeater.
Sue

 

[Topgumby]

Hate to be the grumpy old marksmanship instructor here, but you certainly can miss with a shotgun...they need to be aimed like any other weapon. At household ranges, even an 18" barrel will deliver fist size patterns.

As to the idea that "You don't even need shells for home defense" because of the scary sound a pump action shotgun makes, I hope that was entirely in jest, because otherwise it's crazy. Anybody who has decided to invade a home has already exhibited a tendency to score pretty near rock bottom on the smart meter, so depending on the sound to make them smart enough to run, ain't smart.

In fact, bringing a weapon in to play by announcing in advance that you are armed with the Arnold slide racking sound has just escalated the scenario in to a kill-or-be killed zero sum game, and if you have family, if you lose, you might get them all killed too. You sure better have shells, and better be prepared to use them.

We all would hope that the sound makes an intruder run, but if it doesn't you absolutely have to back up your play.

 

[valmara1971]

May I suggest a red dot holographic sight? Easy to attach easy to use and you can keep both eyes open.

 

[Kratos]

Who doesn't know that sound?

How much practice does it take to aim in the general direction using a shotgun? You can't miss. A Model 12 is a repeater.
Sue

That is one of the biggest gun myths going. I typically get buckshot spreads of 8 or 10 inches at 25 yards. Not very big. At home defense range there is going to be even less of a spread. Marksmanship is absolutely inportant. Then there is the issue of what to do if the weapon jams or you have to reload. There is a lot more to utilizing a gun than pointing and pulling the trigger.

Big, big +1 to what Topgumby said. An unloaded gun is simply a paperweight, or at best, a club. What if his response to you racking the slide is to unload his gun in the direction he heard it from? Wastes of DNA who break into a house while it is occupied are generally not as skittish as those who hit you when you are gone.

 

[Sue]

25 yards would be one heck of a big room. How about in proportion to the room of an average home?
Sue

 

[millertime150]

Like I said in the PM this link should work

http://www.georgiawildlife.org/content/displaynavigation.asp?TopCategory=2

but if not as close as we are the offer stands

Thanks for the offer

 

[millertime150]

Even though the spread isn't beach ball size like in the movies, I would think that it would be easier to hit an intruder with a shotgun than a pistol.


Also has does anyone have any good or bad comments about a Taurus Judge?

 

[Jim]

As has been said already- inside a home- no matter what size shot or shell you use in your shotgun it will be an almost solid golf ball sized mass at that range.

00 buck 2 1/2″ spread from 12 feet.

 

[Kratos]

25 yards would be one heck of a big room. How about in proportion to the room of an average home?
Sue

At 10 or 12 feet, you're likely working with a 2 to 3-inch spread or so. That's a lot of room to miss. Of course, there are shotgun variables that can affect this, like the choke and type of shells being fired. All weapons require some training to be really useful. If you don't know what to do when something goes wrong you can find yourself in a bad spot, in short order.

 

[Kratos]

Even though the spread isn't beach ball size like in the movies, I would think that it would be easier to hit an intruder with a shotgun than a pistol.


Also has does anyone have any good or bad comments about a Taurus Judge?

It's not that great with the .410 rounds. You are better off with the .45 Colt rounds. It would be easier with a shotgun, but you still need to put the shot where it's going to incapacitate. If you just wing someone they may not stop.

Thanks for the pics, Jim. Exactly what I was trying to get across.

 

[Blondie]

25 yards would be one heck of a big room. How about in proportion to the room of an average home?
Sue

Much smaller. Size of your fist or smaller. If you are using a sabot slug, there is no spread.

 

[tg16]

As was previously stated, you can miss with a shotgun. And putting the tough talk aside and entering the realm of reality, you will be scared, it will be dark and you may or may not have a family member panicking. Add to this scenario, have you ever killed? Again, put the tough talk aside because tough talk and claims of what you can or will do have never saved anyone; some have frozen in the face of death.

Get the gun and get some training from someone who knows from experience what you will be dealing with. Even if you know how to shoot, get some training on using a gun for home defense. You hear a noise of someone breaking in, you get up and make a lot of noise getting the gun and racking a shell into place and ...what do you have between you and the noise...you kids bedroom? What are you going to do?

Personally, I recommend the 870 with an 18" barrell and a low recoil load of around 8 pellets. In the house, you probably will be shooting less than 8 yards and the pattern will be small. This load will give you recovery and still do the job. You can buy an additional barrell for whatever hunting you like to do.

 

[gerwen]

As to the idea that "You don't even need shells for home defense" because of the scary sound a pump action shotgun makes, I hope that was entirely in jest, because otherwise it's crazy.

It was. I probably should have stuck a smiley in there somewhere.

Don't bring a club to a gunfight.

 

[Sue]

It was. I probably should have stuck a smiley in there somewhere.

Don't bring a club to a gunfight.

Yes, me too. Dedicated 911 is the first and best option. You don't even need to say anything. Dial and forget it, help will arrive in moments. Knowledge of using a firearm of any type is so very important. It appears my opinion is wrong here but I still think a shotgun (no paperweights) is easier to load, aim and use than a side arm. That is only in a do or die situation.
Sue

 

[Kratos]

Yes, me too. Dedicated 911 is the first and best option. You don't even need to say anything. Dial and forget it, help will arrive in moments. Knowledge of using a firearm of any type is so very important. It appears my opinion is wrong here but I still think a shotgun (no paperweights) is easier to load, aim and use than a side arm. That is only in a do or die situation.
Sue

Good point on the 911. I tell people that all the time, particularly women who use the excuse of sorry SOB boyfriend gets mad if I call so I don't. Dial it, drop the phone. Dispatch will tell us what they hear.

You are right on the shotgun being easier to aim and use, I say. Loading is another story. It's a lot easier to slap a mag in and rack a slide than it is to load shells one-by-one. I can empty all 13 rounds from my Glock and have 13 more racked and ready probably before I can get 3 rounds into a shotgun.

 

[Sue]

Although it's been a long time, I am much better with a compound. Consistant bulls quickly. That would be pretty clumsy with an intruder situation but it would be an interesting call to the responding sheriff.
There's an intruder in my house wearing 3 razor tips.
Sue

 

[Topgumby]

Yes, it's easier to hit your target in most situations with a shotgun, or for that matter, a rifle. For that reason, as well as some others, I'd stay away from pistol grip only shotguns. You lose the advantages of the stock and have a gangster looking weapon in court. A shotgun is probably the best firearm for most home defense scenarios, but it isn't a magic wand.

As an aside, the Taurus Judge has always struck me as one of the most poorly named firearms ever put on the market. There is a pretty good chance that some slick lawyer is going to try and make the full grown, knife wielding meth-head burglar you shot in self defense into little Johnny the poor high school kid, who was engaging in some ill advised pranks when the defendant decided to be "Judge, jury and executioner".

 

[Fnord5]

 

[Prince]

Pardon me for asking, but what kinda shot is that?