jonan_

If you are living in an apartment building shouldn't that have some affect on your decision? If you were using too large a caliber the bullet would penetrate the burgular and potentially keep traveling, go through the wall and hit a neighbor. I imagine you wouldn't get in trouble for defending your self from the burgular but there would be some serious consequences from shooting your neighbor.

CingularDuality

Something to think about, huh? Serious decisions must be made once you decide to keep a gun for defense. Not that they need to be particularly difficult, but some forethought will go a long way towards warding off indecisiveness. As you go through your day, think about possible scenarios and whether or not you could articulate a need to use deadly force. Spend a few hours reading up on relevant law. Read In the Gravest Extreme by Massad Ayoob: Order from Amazon.com

Yes, shot spreads. Not that you'd likely be able to if the SHTF, but you're not going to be able to place a nice, neat little hole where you want it to go. You're going to blast a big circle of holes.

Most cities prohibit discharging firearms. I'm not sure about the law on public lands, though. You certainly can do it on your own property, as long as you don't shoot across property lines and aren't in the city!

This just reinforces the seriousness of the idea of actually using your gun in that manner...

Yes, rule number 4: http://www.thefiringline.com/Misc/safetyrules.html

These rules MUST be memorized. I'm not talking about verbatim memorization, but I'm talking about the concepts. Learn them and live them. Regardless of whether you're planning on ever even touching a gun.

This cannot be emphasized enough!

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TacticalGamer TX LAN/BBQ Veteran:

Hambergler

Thanks again, I think I'm going to go with the mossberg 500 shotgun. I don't really want to carry all the time for now. Hit me up Fenix, let me know when your going to go to the range and I'll be there.
Couple more noob questions?
Where is the cheapest place to buy a new one?
What gauge should I get and what has an acceptable recoil to damage ratio?
What are the different kinds of bullets and what do the do?
Is there a must have aftermarket ad-on?
What is the optimum barrel length?
I like the looks of the cruiser models with the pistol grip/ Are there any disadvantages?

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TheFeniX

Sounds good. I'll send you a pm.

Knowledge is power. Hehe.

EDIT: I feel I should add: I heard a good comment once: "The more basics you know, the more advanced of a shooter you are."

Firearm knowledge is all about basic information you begin to mix together to become a better user. It's not like mathematics where you get into really technical details.

Drawing, sighting, breathing correctly, squeezing the trigger, reloading, and target acquisition (among others) are all basic tasks that can be worked on and mastered separately. Combining them into one fluid motion is the hard part.
Probably Academy or (God forbid) Wal-mart. Seriously.
The 12-gauge is your best bet. The 10-gauge kicks like a mule, they're hard to find for a good price, and ammo isn't cheap. Plus, they're designed for goose hunting which means they are designed with 100+ yards in mind when firing.

Anything smaller (18-gauge, 22-gauge) are more designed for kids and small game hunting. They would do the job against an unarmored target just the same though.

Here you've got me. There are numerous types of shot shells. I will inform you about the ones I know.

Heavy Dove: Like it's name implies in primarily (from what I've been told) designed to kill dove without blasting them into little pieces. It's definitely lethal at short ranges, but I prefer it as a practice round.

Buckshot comes in many different varieties. Cingular might be able to point you to the right type to carry in your shotgun. I personally use an old box of Winchester Super-X. You can tell a lot about the shells you are using by checking the length and number of pellets.

Then there's slugs. This basically kicks out a 1 oz. piece of lead at around 1500 fps depending on the barrel and slug you buy. Let's just say that at that caliber, you're getting more power than a .44 magnum. Just don't miss.

Depends. They sell all KINDS of stuff: barrel mounted flashlights with easy to use pressure switches, pistol grips (not my thing personally), glow in the dark sights. I could go on. Nothing I would label MUST HAVE except maybe the flashlight.

Depends. I think 18" is the shortest barrel you can own legally. That would cut down on the length for close quarters and lower the muzzle velocity. For hunting, you generally want something more around 22" (I think).

Just for the record: handguns are my thing. When you start splitting hairs on shotguns and rifles, I start getting lost. It probably stems from the fact that I don't hunt. Cing might want to check the specifics I've given you.
A pistol grip shotgun is designed with the intention of close quarter fighting. You loose the ability to use you shoulder as a shock absorber and steady firing platform. So, from that point on, you're either firing from the hip, or holding the shotgun up without the benefit of having the weight rest against your shoulder.

It's really a personal preference thing. Stocks aren't too expensive, so you could always buy both and test them. They do however make a folding stock with pistol grip: best of both worlds. Just don't penny-pinch when picking one out.

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Strag

This page has some good info that should help to answer these questions.



When you're practicing, ALWAYS wear ear and eye protection. For the gun itself, I'd recommend shooting it for a bit to see what you think. I like a shoulder stock with pistol grip, but you may not. It's all about what is comfortable for you and what works for you.

Some people recommend getting a Side Saddle, which conveniently allows you to always have some rounds with the shotgun. If you decide not to leave your shotgun loaded, this may be something to consider.

Also, don't forget a good flashlight.



You can't go any shorter than 18" on a shotgun barrel without getting into NFA territory. For a home defense shotgun, I'd say an 18" barrel is fine. The information at the bottom of this page (the same one linked above) is useful here.

The nice thing about the Mossberg 500 is that you can easily swap out barrels. So, if you decide later that you want a longer barrel (maybe for shooting clays), you could get one and easily change the configuration of your shotgun.



If you're talking about the pistol grip by itself (no buttstock), I tried this configuration and did not like it. It may be more compact, but I was not happy with it. I ended up getting a Choate shoulder stock with pistol grip and have been very pleased.

To start with, I'd recommend getting a shotgun with a shoulder stock (so you have one) and then buying a pistol grip adapter kit separately if you really want one. It's not expensive, and it's fairly easy to swap out.

CingularDuality

I don't hunt, either, and I dislike shotguns as a home defense weapon. Fenix covered just about everything that I know.

EDIT: And Strag covered the rest!

Sporting goods stores are probably your best bet for a Mossberg. The Remington 870 would also be a good choice. I'd be wary of other brands, there are some really cheap shotgun makers out there...

Ammo? First, they are shells filled with shot or a slug, not bullets. Technical detail, but now you know.

IMO, slugs are unacceptable because they will go through several walls before stopping. Like five or six walls! Even if you live in a house, it might exit your house and go through a few walls in your neighbors house. No, thanks.

With shot, you have to decide how big you want the pellets. "Double ought" 00 buckshot will have 8 big pellets in the shot shell. The larger the pellets, the more they will retain their energy, so they'll definitely have more stopping power. The problem is that the pellets spread. 00 buckshot WILL penetrate several walls. But if you want to use smaller shot so that it won't penetrate two walls, you're losing energy needed to stop your attacker. It's a compromise. If I were using a shotgun for home defense, I'd probably use some small buckshot, like number 3 or 4 buckshot.

There are stocks that have both a pistol grip and a shoulder stock (these are the most common, from what I've seen...). Check out this page. That's a matter of personal preference, though. The only accessory that I would suggest is a mounted flashlight. Maybe a little shell holder so you have a few reloads available wherever you go...

A shotgun is a fine choice for a first gun. I think the reason I don't care much for them is because I can't go to the range and easily gauge (no pun intended) how much I'm improving my marksmanship like I can with a rifle or pistol. And because I suck at skeet...

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TacticalGamer TX LAN/BBQ Veteran:

Iamthefallen

I would not get a shotgun without a butt stock unless you're just looking for fun.

Without the stock, I tend to think that doing skeet or similar sport shooting would be both difficult and uncomfortable. Since it's your first gun, consider something all-purpose that let's you test what you enjoy doing with it. You can always get another one later on that caters specifically to that area.

You're concerned with home defense, and the Cruiser style does provide some additional maneuverability in close quarters. But imho it also has a down side in that if one of your arms is disabled, and you're unable to support the business end of it, you'll have a hard time using it with any accuracy.

Unless you're the Terminator.

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Hambergler

What do you guys think? I can do an in store pickup. I think I should get bird shot or #4 buckshot because the next house is about 10' from mine.

http://www.ableammo.com/catalog/prod...ducts_id=94587

I also found this great website

http://www.shotgunworld.com/

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shakeyjake

If you don't have much shooting experience and aren't going to do a lot of range time, a shotgun is probably your best choice. One thing you need to think about is what happens if you've just woken up from somebody kicking in your door. 1) you're going to be pretty disoriented. 2) If you use corrective lenses and can't get to them or don't have time to put them on, you're going to be half blind. A shotgun is going to be much more forgiving to you as an inexperienced shooter than a pistol in this case. Especially if it's dark.

Another thing to consider is the deterrent aspect. The last thing you want to hear is the sound of a shotgun racking while you're sneaking down a narrow hallway. It just might be enough to make them want to get the hell out of dodge fast. The downside is the length of the shotgun brings up some retention issues if the attacker manages to get his hands on it.

I don't think you could go wrong with that Mossberg. The Remington 870 is another good shotgun. It is probably the number 1 selling shotgun there is and might be a little less money than the mossberg. If it's strictly for home defense, get a light for it.

The nice thing about a pistol is that you can buy frangible loads for it that won't penetrate sheet rock.

USN_Squid

I got my mossberg 500 from www.gunbroker.com I've bought a couple firearms there and have had good luck, and good deals. I use the pistol grip at home and interchange the stock for the range, also known as the National Forest.

I use the M6 light at a 45 degree angle and it works great.

This video was a great supplement to the NRA shotgun course too.

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