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I just picked up a mossberg 500a tactical. I was wondering what is the best way to go about using to home defense. Meaning reloading quickly if needed, using the pump so i dont shortshuck or anything like that? Ive seen guys that shoot with a pump as fast as a semi auto. Im an ak type guy livin in rural texas debating on replacing my rifle for my shotgun for hd, but I like 30 rounds and am trying to figure out if the AK will stop someone as quickly as a shotgun. Not sure which one to pick and stay with. any insight will help. Thanks

Get yourself a couple two-by-fours and stick them in the ground vertically. Shoot one with your AK and admire the hole. Shoot the other with 00 buck, and then go find it so you can admire the sheared-off end and decide which will be harder on a burglar.

KD5NRH wrote:Get yourself a couple two-by-fours and stick them in the ground vertically. Shoot one with your AK and admire the hole. Shoot the other with 00 buck, and then go find it so you can admire the sheared-off end and decide which will be harder on a burglar.

Amen, pass the plate..

Shotgun, definitely.

Anygunanywhere

If you hit the BG with the first shot with the shotty, you most likely will not need a follow-up shot.

Also, the shotty will have more force behind it to actually knock him down, the AK will most likely just put a nice hole right through him.

It's hard to beat a shotgun for home defense, the reasons above are good reasons why.

JLaw

Simple equasion.
Close range = Shotgun.
Long range = Rifle.

longtooth wrote:Simple equasion.
Close range = Shotgun.
Long range = Rifle.

And home defense is hardly ever long range.

Which is why my Mossberg 590A has a place of honor and four rounds of 00 followed by four of slugs.

I am a big shotgun defense fan.

While in the Corps in Security forces, we were trained to alternate 00 buck followed by slug. That way you have a slug ready as the 2nd shot. If you don't need it and want the buck, you just eject it. Just an idea that I use for my own defense.

Nazrat wrote:I am a big shotgun defense fan.

While in the Corps in Security forces, we were trained to alternate 00 buck followed by slug. That way you have a slug ready as the 2nd shot. If you don't need it and want the buck, you just eject it. Just an idea that I use for my own defense.

That implies you are totally awake, alert, and in control of your faculties in a firefight. At 2:00 in the morning when you're awoken by the sound of breaking glass, there's not much mental room for anything more than cha-chak, boom, cha-chak, boom even if you're wide awake; the combination of a quick transition from sleep to awake and the decent dose of adrenaline that's just been dumped into your body make it difficult to think rationally and remember how the gun's loaded.

Liko81 wrote:That implies you are totally awake, alert, and in control of your faculties in a firefight. At 2:00 in the morning when you're awoken by the sound of breaking glass, there's not much mental room for anything more than cha-chak, boom, cha-chak, boom even if you're wide awake; the combination of a quick transition from sleep to awake and the decent dose of adrenaline that's just been dumped into your body make it difficult to think rationally and remember how the gun's loaded.

And your physical environment makes a big difference, as well. A typical, suburban tract home is going to be under 3,000 sq. ft., probably have dry-wall construction, and sit pretty close to your neighbors' houses. A commercial or government building will likely have very different construction characteristics. A ranch with a lot of acres of breathing room may be offset from roads or neighbors by 100+ yards.

So possible penetration is a consideration in civillian defense circumstances. How close are things you absolutely don't want to hit--like family members in bedrooms or the big propane tank out out back--and how many of what kind of construction material layers are between you and those things?

Modern slugs are great. I use Federal TruBall in an 18" cylinder bore, and the lil' suckers are surprisingly accurate out to decent, intermediate distances. But they also pack a much heftier penetration punch than shot at defensive distances.

Lead shot, particularly 00, makes for a combination of short-range stopping authority with a relatively low risk of over-penetration. That's what makes it so effective as a home defense choice.

Skiprr wrote:

Liko81 wrote:That implies you are totally awake, alert, and in control of your faculties in a firefight. At 2:00 in the morning when you're awoken by the sound of breaking glass, there's not much mental room for anything more than cha-chak, boom, cha-chak, boom even if you're wide awake; the combination of a quick transition from sleep to awake and the decent dose of adrenaline that's just been dumped into your body make it difficult to think rationally and remember how the gun's loaded.

And your physical environment makes a big difference, as well. A typical, suburban tract home is going to be under 3,000 sq. ft., probably have dry-wall construction, and sit pretty close to your neighbors' houses. A commercial or government building will likely have very different construction characteristics. A ranch with a lot of acres of breathing room may be offset from roads or neighbors by 100+ yards.

So possible penetration is a consideration in civillian defense circumstances. How close are things you absolutely don't want to hit--like family members in bedrooms or the big propane tank out out back--and how many of what kind of construction material layers are between you and those things?

Modern slugs are great. I use Federal TruBall in an 18" cylinder bore, and the lil' suckers are surprisingly accurate out to decent, intermediate distances. But they also pack a much heftier penetration punch than shot at defensive distances.

Lead shot, particularly 00, makes for a combination of short-range stopping authority with a relatively low risk of over-penetration. That's what makes it so effective as a home defense choice.

There is at least 100 yards between our houses and woods mostly on the sides of me and behind me and in front theres a road but my layout i will most likely shoot into the woods everytime. Found out our neighbor just got hit but i believe that was his 3rd time to be hit, thats probly bc someone knows him and he runs a business out of his house. They seem to know exactly when he leaves for out of town or something. I was curious about the shotgun bc i saw what the ak round did on the box o truth with 3 layers of kevlar and ballistics clay. http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot16_5.htm that to me is crazy
any thoughts?

xpur3l0g1cx wrote:There is at least 100 yards between our houses and woods mostly on the sides of me and behind me and in front theres a road but my layout i will most likely shoot into the woods everytime. Found out our neighbor just got hit but i believe that was his 3rd time to be hit, thats probly bc someone knows him and he runs a business out of his house. They seem to know exactly when he leaves for out of town or something. I was curious about the shotgun bc i saw what the ak round did on the box o truth with 3 layers of kevlar and ballistics clay. http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot16_5.htm that to me is crazy
any thoughts?

I gave a look at the Box o' Truth link (my new .308 won't be in until October at the earliest; sigh), and found another for you while I was there: http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot3_2.htm. I'm no expert, but I feel there are three, distinct civilian firearm platforms all law-abiding folk should own: handgun, shotgun, and rifle. Kinda like screwdrivers, wrenches, and hammers: each is most suited to a different job, but if you have all three you got most of the bases covered.

One bit of wisdom I will pass on from some of the classes I've taken is, in a defensive situation, always have a handgun with you, even if you have a shotgun or rifle, as well. Murphy can always throw his law at you, but especially in close quarters inside a structure, it's far easier for a bad guy to block your effective use of a long gun and potentially take it away from you. If you decide at oh-dark-thirty to open the backdoor to check on things thumping in the night, take a second to put your handgun on in addition to grabbing your shotgun.

Some people hate the idea of optics on shotguns, but with the fast-access, parallax-free red-dot types that have hit the market in the past decade, I kinda like 'em. Yeah, they make the gun heavier and can snag on things as you move, but they can really help your accuracy with slugs.

Given the size of your property and that domestic defense is the main goal--meaning you won't be taking offensive shots at 100+ meters or sniping mountain lions off the hillside--what you might want to consider is an optic for the shotgun, sighted in for slugs at around 50 meters. Keep the shotgun loaded with 00 for any emergencies inside the house or out to a modest distance. Buy a side-saddle for the gun and keep four to six slugs on it. Get some training and practice how to speed-load a slug into the chamber. In the unlikely event you ever need to reach and touch someone outside of buckshot range, you're good to go.

Since you already have an AK, I'd say you have all the tools. To defend my house and its immediate perimeter, I'd choose a pistol and a shotgun. If your day really turns bad and you have a whole bunch of guys from Dawn of the Dead circling your place, grab the AK.

But I'm just a student, not an expert. My opinion is worth just what you paid for it.

Which is the best home defense shell in shotgun,#4 buck, #1buck or 00 buck? In professional opinion.

eric wrote:Which is the best home defense shell in shotgun,#4 buck, #1buck or 00 buck? In professional opinion.

I use #4 buck. That's the professional opinion of my agency, which uses 4B in all shotguns.