Hell Freezes Over: I need gun buying advice

[Silenced Fred]

Whatever you are comfortable with. A pump shotgun like an 870 would go well, especially since you are by yourself. For the most part, racking a round in the chamber will scare the bad guy away if anything happens. If you don't like 12 gauge, 20 gauge will work fine as well

[Tman5293]

http://www.google.co...:0&tx=146&ty=61

 

Mi6 A4 with shotgun attachment. shotgun for close range, assault rifle for far away.

 

You been playing too much cod man!?

 

Anyway, I would never get a non lethal weapon. I want to make sure that the intruder is down and my family, me included, is safe. If someone breaks in he's gonna get what he deserves.

[milod]

Okay, I've been involved in this sorta stuff - including teaching some of it for money - for a long time.

 

Here's the bottom line: Anything can work, including a pillow - and nothing will work. Worse, there are legal ramifications regardless.

 

For clearing a building you know in total darkness against an unknown number of potential bad guys, a good knife, quiet shoes and good training probably is better than anything else. The dark and determination are your friend. Lights on? A different game. That's where a projectile arm starts to make sense except for very close quarters.

 

Long guns? If burglaries are common in your neighborhood, do you wanna get one ripped off and used on somebody else? Yeah, it's probably safer in a close neighborhood, especially with low-powered ammunition, but... Do you know how to use it in close quarters as a bayonet or short staff?

 

For general purposes a .38 special revolver, an inexpensive one, with store-bought frangible bullets, may be among the best choices if the household is adult-only or in a "country" family. It goes bang 5 or 6 times when you pull the trigger, seldom will jam regardless how little you pay attention to it. The frangible bullets are to keep neighbors relatively safe. But as with any firearm, it's likely to be considered something easy to steal by burglars. You can sleep with it at hand and get it into action faster than a long gun, and could take it with you out of the house.

 

Swords, etc. Same objection as a long gun.

 

As mentioned above you need to know the law, not just about firearms, but general laws governing self defense.

 

Whatever you decide, even just escape, needs to be planned and practiced.

 

Also realize that even training of one sort or another may not suit your personality - or worse, may not fit a situation. My perfect example is a young woman I knew who had taught martial arts to swat team guys and had been nurse in charge of a program for criminally insane males; she was quite good with a firearm.

 

But wrapping a towel "girl-style" after a shower in her own bathtub was her undoing. As she stepped out her foot slipped and instead of doing the breakfall she'd trained with for years, both hands went to hold onto the towel. She hit the floor face first.

 

Similar concerns must needs be considered in any defense situation.

 

Also, consider that the adrenalin "rush" will expand time and give you literal tunnel vision. Muscle strength seems increased but fine motor skills are degraded. Are you ready for that, and to cope with it?

 

m

[djroge1]

I've been a gun owner for the past 24 or so years; only hand guns actually.

 

There is a lot of good advice so I'll give you what I take away as being good advice.

 

1. Go to a gun shop and tell them this is your first gun. Hear what they have to say but you don't have buy that day. In fact, if you can visit two or more gun shops and see how they compare. One may want to sell you a high priced gun and not care about your experience. When you visit the second shop ask about what the first shop suggested.

 

2. Don't take friends or at least don't buy while they are there for the reason stated.

 

3. Buy a revolver. Personally, I prefer and own a stainless steel Colt .45 (semi-auto) and wouldn't trade it for any other gun. That's my preferred caliber pistol. However, my first gun was a Smith and Wesson .357 magnum (revolver). A 357 mag will fire both .38 bullets and 357 mags. I used to load my own bullets and I used both.

 

4. As best as you can - make sure it feels comfortable in your hand; not too large.

 

I cannot give answers/advice about shotguns and rifles etc... I've shot them but never owned one. Although, you probably don't want a rifle for home defense.

 

Although it's not a rifle I personally want a .45 caliber tommy gun. I wonder if Neo can find/sell me one fairly cheap?

[jaxson50]

I've been a gun owner for the past 24 or so years; only hand guns actually.

 

There is a lot of good advice so I'll give you what I take away as being good advice.

 

1. Go to a gun shop and tell them this is your first gun. Hear what they have to say but you don't have buy that day. In fact, if you can visit two or more gun shops and see how they compare. One may want to sell you a high priced gun and not care about your experience. When you visit the second shop ask about what the first shop suggested.

 

2. Don't take friends or at least don't buy while they are there for the reason stated.

 

3. Buy a revolver. Personally, I prefer and own a stainless steel Colt .45 (semi-auto) and wouldn't trade it for any other gun. That's my preferred caliber pistol. However, my first gun was a Smith and Wesson .357 magnum (revolver). A 357 mag will fire both .38 bullets and 357 mags. I used to load my own bullets and I used both.

 

4. As best as you can - make sure it feels comfortable in your hand; not too large.

 

I cannot give answers/advice about shotguns and rifles etc... I've shot them but never owned one. Although, you probably don't want a rifle for home defense.

 

Although it's not a rifle I personally want a .45 caliber tommy gun. I wonder if Neo can find/sell me one fairly cheap?

Good advice!

[retrosurfer1959]

Lots of good advice and some well lets just say it's worth what you paid for it. The most important consideration here is your own mindset and what your able to do especially in an emergency situation. If your wanting to protect home and property get a good alarm system and maybe a good dog probably the two most effective deterrents to keep kids and amateur criminals away.

 

Now if the game steps up and your in fear of your own life or in fear that deadly force will be needed to protect someone you care about then the game get's more serious. Stun guns and pepper spray's etc are a great tool and very effective in the right situation sadly home defense isn't the right situation non-letal weapons were designed and built for two primary objectives to first and foremost incapacitate and individual so highly trained officers or agents can take the person into custody with as little physical damage as possible. The second time they work is when you get to use one and then run away while the assailant is down and incapacitated for a short period of time. that's what makes them questionable for home defense it's usually pretty hard to run away from somebody inside your own home especially if others are present a non lethal response does two things it incapacitates for a short period of time and then if they get up your have a really pissed now vindictive assailant on you.

 

Edged weapons of any sort - Forget them completely unless your highly trained in good shape and most importantly mentally capable of using a edged weapon. It's hard, it's gruesome and it's not for the faint of heart, one of the most soul crushing things you can ever do is to use a edged weapon repeatedly on another person and with a knife repeated attacks is usually the scenario that's needed. A unprepared person that tries to defend themselves with a knife usually just ends up supplying the much more brutal and prepared criminal a weapon to use against you. I've taken knifes away from 15 or 20 people who thought they could use them. In the hands of a truly trained soldier a blade is an extremely effective offensive tool, for most anyone else it's just a really bad idea.

 

Swords are even worse in a dozen years of law enforcement I saw only 1 person who had tried to defend themselves with a sword other than some very interesting crime scene photos it was completely unsuccessful, we live in a world of guns now, so swords don't work too well and a hallway is a pretty hard place to use one anyway. A trained person with a sword could be a devastating opponent that goes back to putting you in fear of your life so if anybody pulls a sword remember the scene from Indiana Jones and shoot for center mass.

 

Guns you have already gotten some good advice again it's all about what your willing to do if you don't think you could kill someone don't get a gun. If you do and truly are in a area where you fear for your physical safety the shotgun and the revolver are both really good recommendations for all the reasons stated anything else like a semi auto pistol is also workable as long as your willing to put in the training to make it seem like second nature when you do need it.

 

Another option a lot of people don't think about anymore is a safe room in your house and a cell phone, A small bathroom or closet even with solid walls and a heavy door keeps all but the most dedicated and prepared bad guys away long enough to let help get there. and if someone is willing to chop there way into a safe room to get to you well then it really is time for the shotgun others have recommended.

 

 

I was trained extensively by both military and as a member of a police SWAT teams in the use of almost everything deadly and offensive. The only time a person ever broke into my home, I used a baseball bat and trust me he was honestly really happy when the police arrived to haul him off, he was more than ready to be arrested and taken to jail or just about anywhere other than in my home.

[SG FAN]

My personal home defense weapon is a Chinese SKS with a 30 round clip. Also have a 16 gauge Browning auto 5. Looking to get a concealed carry permit this year sometime, and a Colt 1911.

[brundaddy]

Lots of good advice and some well lets just say it's worth what you paid for it.

...and think about this -- if you shoot somebody, Exhibit A to the judge & jury will be the weapon. Which will look more threatening to the judge & jury: a blacked-out pistol grip combat weapon or something with a walnut stock that looks like their granddaddy's? Many of the short barrel shotguns are available with a plain brown wood stock. Good luck, and think hard about how flimsy your sheetrock wall is (and the one across the street or next house over) compared to the ammunition you would shoot. What you're talking about is a serious business, and you should certainly not fish for advice around here.

[Murph]

I prefer revolvers over semi automatic handguns. The Ruger SP101 is a nice smaller 5 shot used by many cops as a backup (for when the semi jams). Mine's a .357 and lives with me.

 

I recommend spending a lot of time with your weapons, and have them hidden from children and strangers but readily available to YOU. As a hunter I know mine well.

 

Welcome....

[mayer_shabetay]

I own a couple of stoes in dangerous towns so I personally use a small Glock strapped to my ankle caliber 40. It takes some time to get used to.

[heymisterk]

Okay, I have been looking into this and I like the idea of a product called the Taser C2 for a couple of reasons. First of all, I like the idea of it being portable: again, some of the parking lots around here can be dangerous at night. In addition, there have be carjackings, though rare.

[Tman5293]

Okay, I have been looking into this and I like the idea of a product called the Taser C2 for a couple of reasons. First of all, I like the idea of it being portable: again, some of the parking lots around here can be dangerous at night. In addition, there have be carjackings, though rare.

 

If you gonna go with the taser, you better get powerful one. I've seen videos of guys (usually bigger guys) get hit with a taser, fall down, and get right back up. If your looking for something to protect you in a parking lot at night, you could go Texas style. A lot of the guys at my school (I'm in high school) drive huge pickup trucks. In those giant pickup trucks they have compartments under the seat. Several of my friends just happen to be some of the ones that own those trucks. They carry a 12 gauge shotgun in the under seat compartment loaded with slugs. One of my friends even carries his 17th birthday present (a .44 Magnum revolver) in the compartment in the door of his truck.

 

If you got shady people looking at you in a parking lot, just pull out the shotgun and crack the pump. That usually serves as a good enough warning.

[surfpup]

and have them hidden from children and strangers but readily available to YOU.

 

This is a key point and also a bit of a conundrum. The guns need to be unloaded for safety and the ammunition ideally stored separately - particularly if you have children in the house This in my mind partially defeats the purpose of the gun as a defensive weapon (at least in a home with children).

 

When I was a boy (not yet old enough to be taught gun safety) my mom caught my best friend and I pretending to shoot each other with my dad's rifles across their bed. The guns were kept in zippered cases in the closet. We got them out quite easily. I hate to think which of us might not be here today if they had been loaded or if the ammo had been accessible and we'd managed to load them.

 

If your home is without children, or with children old enough to learn and practice gun safety, that's another story perhaps. (Watch for friends or relatives visiting with children, however). Also, age is not the best determiner of one's readiness to handle firearms responsibly. Only about 5% of US gun deaths annually are in the 5-14 year old age group, while a full 21% of them (the highest number of all age groups) is in the 15-24 year old age bracket. A number of those deaths are due to violent crime and suicides, but guess where the majority of teens procured their weapons? That's right, family and friends.

 

So to be safe, you need to lock it up. If it's locked up is it an effective defensive weapon? These are (and have been) the questions in my mind since I became a parent 15 years ago.

[milod]

Surfpup's comments got me thinkin'...

 

I was brought up where there were loaded shotguns leaned against the door trim at front and back doors of my uncles' homes. There were always firearms in my home as a child. I can't remember not shooting.

 

We never touched the shotguns leaned against the door trim. Dunno what they would have done with kids under age 5 in the place. Over age 5, there was no problem. They were for serious work in an era when there were several years of rabies in a rural area.

 

If you're brought up with arms treated as ever-present, but ever-serious things, you're not likely to find a problem with a firearm any more than Mom's kitchen knife collection. If you - or your friends - weren't brought up in that manner, it's a different culture and different world.

 

Less rural-oriented environments, especially among urban folks of certain types of subcultural beliefs, may make it unwise for others to know you have arms available. Where I live there's kind of an assumption that bank president or the bank's janitor, you likely have arms in the home - and certainly not all do. But I also note that rural areas in general have lower crime rates along with higher percentages of firearms ownership.

 

m

[tartanbeastie]

Not being from a gun toting culture i find this quite mind blowing at how easily people feel about using a lethal weapon on someone.

First of let me say I can understand and sympathise with your concerns and i do believe everyone has the right to defend their home and family. In one of my previous apartment I slept with an ice climbing hammer and ice axe by my bed because it was a rough neighbourhood with a lot of junkies.

However, guns are a different story. I really cant imagine opening fire on someone and regardless of the reason live with the thought knowing that i may have taken someones life. Again there are concerns of them being stolen or falling into the wrong hands.

I'm no psychologist but i would think that most housebreakers are their to steal and intimidate not to kill. I am in no way defending their actions but I'm guessing you have household insurance that would cover any loss or theft.

Call 911, keep a cell phone by the bed, have a safe place in the house and by all means find a way to defend but do you really want to have a gun? I know that I would find it hard to live with knowing I had taken someones life,regardless of whether it had been a burglar or someone innocent caught in the cross fire. Are possessions really worth that? Please think long and hard before you decide. If you do get one, please take any advice and training in order to be as safe as you can.. good luck

[neilpanda]

get this as your new weapon

[guitarkid]

You been playing too much cod man!?

 

Anyway, I would never get a non lethal weapon. I want to make sure that the intruder is down and my family, me included, is safe. If someone breaks in he's gonna get what he deserves.

 

well idk . im just thinking of a long and close range weapon. i dont thing you can get an M16 legally without being in the army. i was just thinking close and long range. i guess he could buy some cheap assault rifle and get a shotgun attachment for it. it would be scary to see. and i dont play CoD that much anyway

[Wyoming T/A]

ck out the Browning Hi Power 9mm--great pistol

[jnastynebr]

Don't use the same logic that you rely on when you go to Guitar Center to do your gun shopping. Think about what you need the gun for, and keep in mind that less could actually be better when looking for a weapon for home protection. Yes, the M-4 is pretty sweet, but would be a poor choice if your primary concern is home defense.

I would consider the advice offered by many on this forum, and purchase an inexpensive and reliable short-barreled shot-gun. The shorter, the better. If you have your heart set on a handgun, do your research and know what you want before you walk into a store. There are 1000 companies that make different versions of the same guns, so don't get roped in to buying a gun built by a company that you have never heard of.

Automatic pistols are ideal for their high power, high ammo capacity, and are easy to reload. However, there is always a risk that a spent casing will jam the weapon. Even some of the higher-end models are prone to failure if they get dirt or sand in the action, or may not fire if they are not cleaned after every use. Its also highly unlikely that you will become engaged in a prolonged shoot out and end up needing to put out 20-30 rounds to get your point across, so don't stress too much over how much lead you can dish before you have to change mags.

In which case, I recommend a Smith and Wesson double action .38 caliber revolver if you decide to go with a handgun. It is easy to fire, one of the most dependable guns available, accurate in short range, and will never jam. Of course, you only get five rounds, and even with a speed loader and practice, they are slow weapons to reload.

Bottom line, the best firearm for home defense is a pump-action, short-barreled, 12 gauge shot gun from a reliable American producer.

[surfpup]

But I also note that rural areas in general have lower crime rates along with higher percentages of firearms ownership.

 

m

This, by the way, is a statistic that is changing, Milo. The crime rates for rural and urban areas have been converging pretty rapidly for the last few decades. Of course one can debate the definition of rural and what constitutes crime. Certainly the gap is widest when discussing death from violent crime. However, the statistics none the less show a convergence.

 

This is pretty recent (and pretty statistical). http://criminaljustice.uwex.edu/documents/deller_and_deller_growth_and_change_2010.pdf

 

A few other choice tidbits from an Ohio State University study

 

"The surprising statistic from the farm/ranch victimization studies is that the percentage of agricultural operations that annually experience one or more burglaries appears to be higher than the percentage for central city households."

 

In 1989, a special supplement to the NCS measurement instruments contained questions on the victimization experiences of persons 12 to 19 years of age at the school they attend. They also were asked their opinions about crime, the availability of drugs, and awareness of gangs (Bastian & Taylor, 1991).

 

Among the students living in rural areas, 7 percent indicated that they had been the victim of a property crime and 1 percent indicated that they had been the victim of a violent crime. In comparison, 8 percent of central city students had experienced a property crime and 2 percent had experienced a violent crime. The property and violent crime experiences for suburban students was 7 percent and 2 percent, respectively. As these results indicate, there was only a narrow difference in crime experiences among students by rural and urban location. This finding contrasts starkly to the more dramatic rural-urban differences found in both the UCR and regular NCS data.

 

Seventy-one percent of the rural students indicated that drugs were available at their school, compared to 66 percent of students from the city and 67 percent from suburban locations.

 

One large rural-urban difference is the reported presence of gangs. Only 8 percent of the students living in rural areas indicated that gangs were active in their school, compared to 14 percent of suburban students and 25 percent of city students. Despite this difference, 6 percent of the rural students reported avoiding places at school out of fear of being attacked. This figure was slightly higher than the 5 percent figure for suburban students, but lower than the 8 percent of city students who avoided places at school. In addition, 20 percent of the rural students indicated that they were fearful of being attacked at school (versus 20 percent of suburban students and 24 percent of students from cities). Thirteen percent of rural students feared being attacked while going to and from school - slightly higher than the rate for suburban youth (12%), but lower than that of their city counterparts (19%).

 

These results indicate that rural youth are experiencing crime at a level and in ways similar to youth from the cities and suburbs. If these findings are accurate... rural youth have different experiences with crime than their parents.

Unfortunately, methinks the times they are a changin'

[Andy R]

You can also consider a good 'ol pump shotgun, they make that nice sound that tell intruders is time to get the f*** out.

 

A Remington 870 express is only like $280 and you cn buy and install a pistol grip on it.

 

 

 

+1 I agree nothing like a pump shot gun. The pumping the shell in sound is like no other. You don't have to be that accurate and the sound of it going off will scare the shite out of anyone else around.

 

 

 

 

[69 Son]

I've been a gun owner and shooter my entire life (now 47). I would NOT recommend a semi-auto handgun for home defense unless you plan on putting in a LOT of time at the range to have handling it become second nature. If there is ever a situation in your home, it will be very high-level intensity - more so than you likely have ever experienced in your life. The last thing you want is to be fumbling around with a complex design. There are other reasons why a handgun is not the best defense weapon, such as stopping power, one-handed operation, difficulty aiming/hitting target, etc.

 

By far the best IN-HOME defense weapon is a short-barreled 12 gauge pump shotgun. I second/third (whatever) the suggestion of a Remington 870. It will function flawlessly the rest of your life, with minimal or no maintenance, and probably a few more lifetimes. I leave mine in my closet, action open, with an open box of shells on an upper (but reachable) shelf. I can be out of bed, drop a shell in the action, and rack it close - in just a couple seconds. And - yes - the sound of a Remington 870 racking would be loud and resonant through a quiet house. ANYBODY would have to be nuts to continue to my room after hearing that. Once the first round is in the chamber - ready to go - I can load the remaining four shells in the magazine in just a couple more seconds.

 

A shotgun blast to the chest - or anywhere on the body - at room-range would absolutely put someone on the ground and immobilize them at the very least.

 

A shotgun with, say, #6 shot, has the added advantage of not deeply penetrating walls, thus minimizing the danger to other occupants in your home/apartment building. A handgun bullet, on the other hand, will easily travel through the walls into neighboring rooms.

 

Having said all that, I don't really spend any time worrying about home safety. I live in the boondocks on 20 acres of woods, and we never even lock our doors. Our keys are always in our ignition. There is really no crime out here. But if I lived where you live, I'd feel just as safe with my 870 in my closet as I do now.

 

~DB

 

What he said. If it has to be a handgun, look into revolvers just because they are simpler and you can just assusme it's loaded vs.leaving a round in the chamber accidentally. I have a Ruger sp101 in .327 mag that I recommend.

 

DB, aren't you a gun writer?

[milod]

Tartan...

 

Actually there's very little difference to a malefactor between the result of an ice ax entry and a similar entry through any other rapidly-moving bit of metal. Nor is there much difference between a commitment of the malefactors' hoped-for victim to the use of either option. After all, the average individual didn't have so much choice through most of recorded history.

 

It's a horrid situation when one lives where such fear is a standard part of everyday life. It says something unfortunate about the state of civilization that either an ice ax or a firearm should be though of as anything but sports equipment.

 

On the other hand, such concerns also seem to have been part of society through recorded history, especially in areas of higher population density. The one advantage to the firearm is that it is often the only practical defense for the elderly and those otherwise not physically strong. I personally wonder about a society that would forbid them the wherewithall, and therefore the right, to defend themselves.

 

Oh - sort of off-topic, a lady friend of mine said she started "carrying" after she discovered she'd been stalked several times by a mountain lion. She's a pretty good tracker and pretty aware of her surroundings, but that surprised and concerned her.

 

m

[jaxson50]

I wouldn't pick a .357 Mag to use inside a house or for carrying concealed, I have owned two of them for over 30 years and enjoy shooting them. However, there is a reason most police forces stopped issuing them, it is what the bullet does after hitting the target, or worse what it does when you miss the target. It keeps going. If you use the right ammo it isn't a problem, but a .357 Mag loaded down is nothing more then a heavy .38 Special..

I know everyone thinks defending themselves will be easy, just like target shooting...they are woefully wrong. Most threats happen in the dark, usually you will be taken by surprise and will have little time to think or aim. In that sense a shotgun makes sense. Shooting paper targets or beer cans will not prepare you for a threat situation.

My choice for a conceal carry weapons are the .44 Special. or a .45 Auto. They each have great knockdown power, but in most cases will not travel very far after hitting a mass, and they have a relative short range in the case of a ricochet. I have a .44 Special Bulldog, I load the first round with a snake load, which is like a shotgun shell, the others are high expansion hollow points.

Now if I am hiking in the hills or desert, yes a .357 Mag is a good pick, plus I have a Marlin Lever action chambered in .357 Mag so I don't have worry about a ammo mix-up. Again, the first round is a snake load. In 53 years of shooting, hiking and hunting, the only time I have had to draw my pistol was to shoot rattle snakes. I have never threatened anyone with a weapon, but I notice that when out in the boonies when people see you are armed they respect you or at least leave you alone.

As for a shotgun for indoor defense, again it is all about the type of ammo you use. 00 Buck would not be a good choice unless you were planning to tear down walls anyways.

According to FBI studies the majority of gun fights will be with in 20 foot range. And most will take place under 15 ft..

Here is a experiment; Try to create a stress situation in a realistic situation.

Place three one gallon water jugs in a row, make sure they are no more then 12" apart. Place them three feet in front of a wall, then pace off 15 feet, draw a line. place a loud speaker next to the line, find the most obnoxious rap music and turn it up as loud as you can.

Now put a blindfold over your eyes, run in place with a unloaded shotgun over your head until you are panting, then do push ups till your arms feel like jelly. Then have a friend turn you around and around until you are disorientated. Then quickly tear the blindfold off, rush to the line, load your shotgun with three rounds and shoot at the center water jug as fast as you can...only hit the center one, do this exercise without ear protection, because in a real situation you will not have ear protection,....

Most defensive firearms instructors teach that while the sound of a pump shotgun being loaded will get peoples attention and deter a common burglar, it will not matter in the case of a determined assailant, one who is a real threat. The best thing to do is to yell at the top of your lungs that you are armed and willing to kill. Then be prepared to follow through.

[Tman5293]

I wouldn't pick a .357 Mag to use inside a house or for carrying concealed, I have owned two of them for over 30 years and enjoy shooting them. However, there is a reason most police forces stopped issuing them, it is what the bullet does after hitting the target, or worse what it does when you miss the target. It keeps going. If you use the right ammo it isn't a problem, but a .357 Mag loaded down is nothing more then a heavy .38 Special..

I know everyone thinks defending themselves will be easy, just like target shooting...they are woefully wrong. Most threats happen in the dark, usually you will be taken by surprise and will have little time to think or aim. In that sense a shotgun makes sense. Shooting paper targets or beer cans will not prepare you for a threat situation.

My choice for a conceal carry weapons are the .44 Special. or a .45 Auto. They each have great knockdown power, but in most cases will not travel very far after hitting a mass, and they have a relative short range in the case of a ricochet. I have a .44 Special Bulldog, I load the first round with a snake load, which is like a shotgun shell, the others are high expansion hollow points.

Now if I am hiking in the hills or desert, yes a .357 Mag is a good pick, plus I have a Marlin Lever action chambered in .357 Mag so I don't have worry about a ammo mix-up. Again, the first round is a snake load. In 53 years of shooting, hiking and hunting, the only time I have had to draw my pistol was to shoot rattle snakes. I have never threatened anyone with a weapon, but I notice that when out in the boonies when people see you are armed they respect you or at least leave you alone.

As for a shotgun for indoor defense, again it is all about the type of ammo you use. 00 Buck would not be a good choice unless you were planning to tear down walls anyways.

According to FBI studies the majority of gun fights will be with in 20 foot range. And most will take place under 15 ft..

Here is a experiment; Try to create a stress situation in a realistic situation.

Place three one gallon water jugs in a row, make sure they are no more then 12" apart. Place them three feet in front of a wall, then pace off 15 feet, draw a line. place a loud speaker next to the line, find the most obnoxious rap music and turn it up as loud as you can.

Now put a blindfold over your eyes, run in place with a unloaded shotgun over your head until you are panting, then do push ups till your arms feel like jelly. Then have a friend turn you around and around until you are disorientated. Then quickly tear the blindfold off, rush to the line, load your shotgun with three rounds and shoot at the center water jug as fast as you can...only hit the center one, do this exercise without ear protection, because in a real situation you will not have ear protection,....

Most defensive firearms instructors teach that while the sound of a pump shotgun being loaded will get peoples attention and deter a common burglar, it will not matter in the case of a determined assailant, one who is a real threat. The best thing to do is to yell at the top of your lungs that you are armed and willing to kill. Then be prepared to follow through.