As promised I plan on this post to be about shotguns. As a hunter I have very little use for a shotgun. I don't hunt as much as I used to and I was never much of a bird hunter. So what I write will primarily be from the defensive side of shotgunning.

There are basically 3 types of shotguns, Semi auto, Pump action, and break open. the break open design can be single shot or double barreled side by side or over and under, also there is the break open combo with a particular shot gun gauge as the bottom barrel and a rifled barrel as the top barrel. I wont focus on the latter.

The two most effective weapons out there as shotguns, are the pumps and the semi autos. The reason they have the edge over the doubles are they hold more rounds.  Today there are semi's that are considerably more reliable than their counter parts of 20 years ago. Some are made specifically for combat/police/home defense work. The one I have most experience with is the Italian made Benelli M4. What a wonderful piece of work. I have only shot this at the range using other shooters firearms. But no matter what I shot (slug, or buck shot even bird shot) it was pleasant to shoot. Recoil is tamed considerably in this piece. Also everything shot and fed just fine even when I ran a series of rounds alternating between bird or slug or buck. 


Certainly there are other semi autos out there. But I think the M4 Benelli is as close to perfection as a semi-auto combat shot gun can get. 


Now the shotgun that probably gets the most play as a military, police, or home defense is the pump action 12 gauge. Of all the brands and models out there the #1 top of the list has to go the the Remington 870. This by far is the number one shot gun you will see behind doors or mounted in squad cars or in the hands of our military except for the Coast Guard. They seem to prefer the Mossberg as do I.  I think the biggest differences between the two is the location of the safety. I like the safety right under my thumb as it is on a Mossberg. An easy flick forward and its ready to fire. Thumb it back and its made safe again. The safety is right where a right or left hander would grab the stock with the hand to hold the cheek weld and control the trigger. Easy. To me the Remington seems awkward the safety control is on the rear of the trigger guard. Most people must have no issue with it as this gun has millions of fans and large contracts from military and police.


Either gun can be configured for home defense with rifled sights or ghost rings or express sights. Both can be fitted with slug barrels if you want a dedicated slug gun. Both can have synthetic stocks if weather and rot are a problem. The Mossberg even comes in stainless steel. I'm not sure about the Remington. 


Lets get a few false notions out of the way. A blast from a shot gun or any other hand held weapon in common use will not take an attacker off his feet and make him fly backwards through the door. Also the spread on a shotgun at room distances is not that big. You better be aiming and not pointing. Even with an open choke your pattern at room distance is not the great. 


Also keep in mind there are all kinds of gadgets and gismoz you can hang on all your weapons. Lights, and lasers are the 2 that I think most useful but even to use a light mounted on a gun you have to point that weapon at the suspect, who may just be your child coming home at 3 in the morning. Training and Practice.   Training and practice. 


Next I'll go over rifles and well call the firearm subject good for awhile. 


God Bless
Mark