DrCoxx122

At the corrections academy I qualified with the Remington 870.  I fell in love with it.  I want one BAD.  Here's the problem: I'd want it for home defense but I want something that both my me and my wife can use.  I'm a big guy, I can take a lot of recoil but my wife isn't a fan.  Is there a different shotgun or a variant of the 870 with more manageable recoil?  I want to stay with a pump (fewer involuntarily moving parts the less room for something to go wrong) and I'd like to stay as close to 12 gauge as possible.

Alright, I'm less than a novice.  I know NOTHING about AR's other than their historical and military applications.  I'd love to start building one or buy a base model and build it up.  Where should I start?  How much should I be looking to spend?  Can it be bought/made in calibers other than .22 or .223?

http://northamericanarms.com/msc-hg.html   Is this little gun worth it?  I'm looking for a kind of "back-up to the back-up" kind of thing.  I'm looking small--pocket sized--and I'm looking for a revolver.

I bought this gun a few years ago but have only recently started shooting it.  I've fallen in love.  It's the full size, .40 cal, single/double with manual safety and de-cocker (the F model).  When off-duty I carry it everywhere.  My question is what others think about it.  While I'm not going to let others tell me what I like I am interested in seeing what others have learned about it, the good the bad and the ugly.

You'd think this would be self-explanatory with "Austria" on the side of the slide.

I saw one of their sergeants in court yesterday.  What he was carrying looked to be a Glock 22.

I'll specify TDOC.  Correctional Officers qualify with the S&W 64 and the Winchester 870 (I know this forum is handguns, but that's just an FYI) and some of the transportation officers carry the Glock 22.  Field services (Probation and Parole) are in the process of being armed http://www.wate.com/story/22249033/tennessee-to-become-one-of-the-last-states-to-arm-parole-and-probation-officers and are and will be carrying the Glock 22.  

Wow!  Thanks for all the input, folks!  About the TCP: I've seen it in the store, I've looked at it, and I wouldn't mind one for, say, a tuck away console gun or something like that in my car.  What I'm specifically looking for is something that has a bobbed or concealed hammer (so the J-frame would work well) that packs a big enough punch that if I need to I can shoot through my pocket when the fecal matter impacts the rotating oscillator.  Hence the want for a .357.  I don't mind the 9mm round (I'm not a fan of the .380 as a backup or a primary because it doesn't have the punch that a .38 or a 9 has) but if I have to shoot from inside my pocket I'd have to hold the slide shut then rack the next round manually.  I'll take this info and run with it, though.  Thanks again!

I've heard mixed reviews on these guns.  I've heard that they're all crap and to stay away from them because respectable gunsmiths won't touch them, but I've also heard that the auto's are hit-or-miss but the revolvers are halfway decent.  I'm looking for a decent back up gun for on the job (don't ask about the job) but I'm not looking to spend a million dollars for something I hope I never have to deploy except at the range.  I've already got the "if it'll save your life it's worth the money" argument before so that doesn't apply here.  If I can get a halfway decent .38 snub-nose or 9mm pocket pistol I'll be content but I'm only really wanting to spend between $250-400.