The wife and I are contemplating a Maverick 88 with the 28in barrel for sporting and an extra 18.5in barrel for home defense. My reasoning is after using it for clays/hunting it will need to be cleaned, I will then switch to the shorter barrel for handy storage. Sound like a decent idea?
Are you usually allowed to shoot shotguns at a rifle range so my wife can learn shoot? Are home defense shells loaded with less power?
If you are going to leave the shotgun loaded at home as a home defense weapon, you will always want it to be the short barrel in the house. It is easier to maneuver if you must, and it is less of a handle for a bad guy to charge and wrest away from you and particularly from women.
I didn't see if you were contemplating a 12 gauge or 20 gauge. The 12 has plenty of "powered down" loads in the defense line. That doesn't necessarily mean less powder, but less projectile load (say 8 pieces of buckshot as opposed to 10). Think of the felt recoil (or kick) as the opposite of what is coming out the barrel. The less weight shot out the barrel the less punishment to your shoulder. The 20 gauge will usually have less felt recoil than the 12 gauge, depending on gun shape and weight.
EDIT: When I say you want the short barrel for use in the house, I do not mean a shotgun barrel that is fully rifled and intended to be used for slugs. I mean a smooth cylinder bore barrel meant to be used for defensive purposes.
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