By R.K. Campbell | Contributing editor
A generation ago the most common home defense long gun was a pump action shotgun.
Today a good many home owners deploy a semi auto carbine in 5.56mm. 300 Blackout, or 9mm. That ok for an experienced shooter. But even for the best trained and most experienced shooter I believe the pump action shotgun has the advantage. Best of all you don’t have to spend a lot of money. A cheap handgun or rifle is seldom a source of pride or efficiency. On the other hand, the cheapest pump action shotguns are reliable and while thy may not be as smooth as a Remington or Mossberg they are useful. The handy fast handling shotgun has plenty of wound potential and also offers real versatility.
I carry a capable handgun concealed on a daily basis. When I retire, the handgun becomes a bedside pistol. Just the same the primary home defender is a pump action shotgun. I occasionally have pests and larger animals as a nuisance around the homestead and the shotgun offers a neat fast handling problem solver. It is important to consider the likely problem ahead of time. Think over the likely threat, where they may enter the home, the various funnels and target indicators in the home and what tactics you may use.
Absolute familiarity with the firearm is essential. Otherwise you will be confused as to operating the firearm if you have not practiced. There will be enough on the plate during the terror of the moment without short shucking the shotgun! The pump action shotgun is simple to load, operate, and handle. The shotgun points in a natural manner. At short range the pattern of the shotgun requires the shotgun be aimed carefully. Just the same the shotgun handles naturally and offers an advantage over moving targets. Practice is easy enough. Dry fire with a triple checked unloaded firearm at least fifteen minutes a week.
Wound Potential
The shotgun offers a higher likelihood of stopping a threat with a single load than any other shoulder fired firearm commonly used for personal defense. Compared to a shotgun the .38 and .45 are more alike than they differ. The 12-gauge shotgun throws an ounce of shot more of less. #00 buckshot, #4 buckshot, or #1 are all effective for home defense. At longer range, outdoors, #00 buckshot with a tighter pattern may be preferred. This means Hornady Critical Defense for most uses.
Don’t use light shot. Birdshot doesn’t have the penetration needed for home defense. It is designed to humanely hill a small animal you may cup in the palm of your hand up to rabbit size animals. There is a real chance of under penetration if the adversary is heavily clad. Stick with buckshot for two legged threats. A reasonable alternative for the recoil shy is the 20-gauge shotgun. The 20 gauge offers about ¾ the payload of the 12 gauge with about 75 percent of the recoil as well. I find that a reduced recoil 12-gauge buckshot load isn’t really much more difficult to control than a 20-gauge loading. Yet the lower velocity reduced recoil load offers plenty of wound potential. It is all in control, the proper stance, and keeping the shotgun firm into the shoulder.
The pump action shotgun is simple enough to operate. Thumb shells into the magazine one at a time. While this isn’t as fast as using a detachable magazine firearm on the other hand the shotgun may be topped off one shell at a time during action. This isn’t possible with a firearm using a detachable magazine. Next release the bolt with the bolt release- usually located near the trigger guard- and operate the action with a firm movement to the rear, hand firmly on the firearm. Fire, pump the action again to re-load, and you are ready to address the threat again or another threat. Home invaders seldom are alone these days.
A shotgun with a simple bead front sight is all that is needed. The bead is placed on the center of the target. In the dark the shotgun points well and you should at least see the outline of the bead. Remember there are worse things than being shot and one of them is shooting the wrong person. Be certain of your target.
I prefer a fixed stock over a folding stock. Quite a few shotguns are available with pistol grip stocks. Some don’t fit my hands well, others do. It is a personal choice. Don’t consider the short barrel pistol gripped shotguns. Sure, the Shockwave types look cool but these things are a terror even for the most experienced shooters. They aren’t worthless but they are much inferior in every way to a standard shotgun with a solid stock and an 18- to 20-inch barrel. While I prefer Ithaca, Mossberg, and Remington shotguns there are a number of inexpensive shotguns that are useful. The Maverick 88 and several of the Turkish imports will serve well for very little money.
I advocate practice but the shotgun handles so naturally than muscle memory is quickly built. Getting to the range and working with the shotgun is essential. If you cannot go every week every few weeks will maintain an acceptable skill level. You should have familiarity with harder kicking buckshot but birdshot and other light loads may be used for practice. Take a solid stance and lean into recoil with the stock firmly planted into the shoulder. The pump action shotgun is credible home defender, available on the cheap, and it will save your life.
