Home-Defense Shotgun Condition

[Guest Linoge]

So the next question is what ammunition you all carry in/on it?

Currently, mine has 6 low-recoil buckshot shells in the tube, and two more military-grade buckshot shells and four 300-grain slugs on the side saddle. Should I just stick with pure buck, or is variety the spice of life?

[BigPoppa]

So the next question is what ammunition you all carry in/on it?

Currently, mine has 6 low-recoil buckshot shells in the tube, and two more military-grade buckshot shells and four 300-grain slugs on the side saddle. Should I just stick with pure buck, or is variety the spice of life?

Well, here be my

Apartment dweller or really close to your neighbors - birdshot or # 4 buck

Rural or farm setting - have some slugs available

00 buck is a good, all-purpose load for defensive uses

Some say Dutch load depending on your particular threat assessment.

[Mark@Sea]

I like slugs, and keep a few in my buttcuff, but to be honest, I cannot imagine a home defense situation requiring that kind of penetration. At least, nothing that doesn't involve a large, angry ursus.

[RoDan]

My 590 has 8 in the tube, chamber empty, safety off. 1st shot is birdshot, the following 7 are Win lite low recoil 1oz slugs. Birdshot for either a warning shot or removing the skin from their face. Slugs for when they try to dive behind the furniture.

[Guest Linoge]

At least, nothing that doesn't involve a large, angry ursus.

In all honesty, I cannot imagine many situations that would require me to go through all 12 rounds of ammunition it is currently carrying... at least not many situations where I come out alive at the end. So, my logic for the slugs was, if I get that far in my ammunition load out, whatever I am shooting was obviously not phased by the buckshot, so not only do I need something with a little more oomph, but I really, really want it to stop.

Damned zombie bears.

[Guest Todd@CIS]

Round in the chamber, safety on. An intruder doesn't get the benefit of hearing a racking shotgun, if he's got good hearing he might hear the safety being turned off. If not, well, he'll hear the report.

+1

Late to the thread...

I opt for loaded chamber / safety on.

I doing not believe that "racking the action" in hopes of scaring anyone away outweighs the tactical disadvange of making a bunch of noise and possibly giving away your position / putting bad guy on the alert before you decide / choose to issue verbal commands.

This is especially true if your situation dictates that you must surreptitiously negociate doorways...I'd rather not do that with an empty chamber.

Edited January 31, 2009 by Todd@CIS

[Guest Linoge]

I dunno... I guess I am approaching the situation from a standpoint of "I would rather not shoot someone, but will if I have to". If the racking scares them off, fine. If it does not, then a round is in the chamber now and I am good to go. But, then, I am a newbie to this field, and that standpoint probably illustrates it well.

[Oh Shoot]

I dunno... I guess I am approaching the situation from a standpoint of "I would rather not shoot someone, but will if I have to". If the racking scares them off, fine. If it does not, then a round is in the chamber now and I am good to go. But, then, I am a newbie to this field, and that standpoint probably illustrates it well.

I live in an apartment...if assailant doesn't find me without hearing my shotgun rack, he's probably too stupid to actually ambulate and wouldn't be present in my digs in the first place.

If he hears it rack and runs, good, saves me lots of police/legal/psychological involvement.

(although I'm sure I'd always somewhat regret that he escaped to cause grief elsewhere).

- OS

[BigPoppa]

I live in an apartment...if assailant doesn't find me without hearing my shotgun rack, he's probably too stupid to actually ambulate and wouldn't be present in my digs in the first place.

If he hears it rack and runs, good, saves me lots of police/legal/psychological involvement.

(although I'm sure I'd always somewhat regret that he escaped to cause grief elsewhere).

- OS

I think there's more than a kernel of wisdom in your words OS !

[BigPoppa]

Aside from the aspect of the chilling psychological impact of hearing the shotgun rack a round, I don't see where anyone has mentioned the drop safety risk as another reason for keeping the chamber empty.

Keep in mind.........we're more than likely talking about 3:30 a.m. bump in the night - awakened suddenly - instant, significant adrenaline dump - hands shaking - palms sweaty - confusion abounds - spouse and/or kids possibly panicking, etc. etc.

discuss.

[Guest SUNTZU]

If you drop it you should have trained more? Because you are going to be scared, use a spoon instead of a gun?

If you are scared, will you be able to rack the gun correctly/completely, and realize if you didn't when the damn thing doesn't fire?

[BigPoppa]

If you drop it you should have trained more? Because you are going to be scared, use a spoon instead of a gun?

If you are scared, will you be able to rack the gun correctly/completely, and realize if you didn't when the damn thing doesn't fire?

Obviously, I espouse the benefits of training, but....

have you ever dropped ANYTHING ? your wallet, car keys, a spoon ?

Was it during a stressful situation ? did you perceive that someone was about to kill you ? was it immediately after a bigtime adrenaline dump ?NO ? but you dropped it anyway ?

Train more with your wallet !!!!

[Guest SUNTZU]

Let's get clear on this issue.

Aside from the aspect of the chilling psychological impact of hearing the shotgun rack a round, I don't see where anyone has mentioned the drop safety risk as another reason for keeping the chamber empty.

Keep in mind.........we're more than likely talking about 3:30 a.m. bump in the night - awakened suddenly - instant, significant adrenaline dump - hands shaking - palms sweaty - confusion abounds - spouse and/or kids possibly panicking, etc. etc.

Maybe I'm missing your point. To keep from dropping the weapon and having it go off, should you only rack a round just before you shoot? I guess I'm not clear on what your intent with keeping the chamber empty would be. My post about the spoon was not to denigrate your comment. It seems that you are advocating not loading the weapon until you are ready to fire for fear of possibly dropping the firearm. I don't think that the fear is going to go away until the house is clear or the threat is neutralized.

I think that you will be scared...obviously, especially in keeping with your "keep in mind" caveat. Training (physical and mental) will help alleviate, or at least control the fear. (Your ability to use gross motor skills versus fine motor skills under stressful situations).

Train more with your wallet? That's relevant.

[BigPoppa]

Let's get clear on this issue.

Maybe I'm missing your point. To keep from dropping the weapon and having it go off, should you only rack a round just before you shoot? I guess I'm not clear on what your intent with keeping the chamber empty would be. My post about the spoon was not to denigrate your comment. It seems that you are advocating not loading the weapon until you are ready to fire for fear of possibly dropping the firearm. I don't think that the fear is going to go away until the house is clear or the threat is neutralized. My point is that shotguns, typically, do not have the same drop safe features that handguns and rifles do. Therefore, in a stressful situation, the added step of chambering a round only after you have had a couple of seconds to collect yourself, get your bearings, and yes, assume a reliable grip on the gun is not a terrible idea. This is why police carry their shotguns in "cruiser ready" mode.

I think that you will be scared...obviously, especially in keeping with your "keep in mind" caveat. Training (physical and mental) will help alleviate, or at least control the fear. (Your ability to use gross motor skills versus fine motor skills under stressful situations). I could not agree more.

Train more with your wallet? That's relevant. Much like your "use a spoon instead of a gun" remark, huh ?

Edited February 17, 2009 by BigPoppa

[Guest SUNTZU]

I have found that sarcasm elicits a rapid, and cogent response. Sorry for being sarcastic. I have worked on not jumping out of bed immediately and grabbing a firearm when I am awakened by a noise. I guess I read too much, and have always been afraid that the Indians would fill me full of arrows if I moved when sleeping next to the campfire. I don't want the boogers to get me, especially before I have a chance to get them.

[BigPoppa]

I have found that sarcasm elicits a rapid, and cogent response. Sorry for being sarcastic. I have worked on not jumping out of bed immediately and grabbing a firearm when I am awakened by a noise. I guess I read too much, and have always been afraid that the Indians would fill me full of arrows if I moved when sleeping next to the campfire. I don't want the boogers to get me, especially before I have a chance to get them.

My best wishes. Circle the wagons.............

[Mark@Sea]

No kids, no neighbors. As for panic, I came home from sea once unexpectedly... caught a ride home and tiptoed to our bedroom door at about 2 a.m. - to be greeted by a very calmly delivered "turn on the light or I'll shoot you".

Note to self: Surprising spouse isn't as much fun as I thought it would be.

If I'm too nervous to hold on to the shotgun, I'm certainly too nervous to rack it.

[ttocswob]

870 express magnum, 3" 00 buck in mag, snap cap in chamber, dry-fired.

Condition three = safe for anyone in my home.

snap cap, dry-fired = take care of the firing pin and mainspring.

rack the slide = a legally defensible last warning.

magnum 00 buck = rural subdivision.

[Guest mustangdave]

HD shotgun is a FN Tactical Police 12ga. Round in the chamber, safety on. I'm not against the "rack the gun and let them know what's coming" argument, but I prefer the tactical advantage of making no sound unless absolutely necessary.

Bennelli Nova Tactical...gotta agree with PUNISHER here, like having the tactical ADVANTAGE...silence is DEADLY...the FNP-40 also has a full clip at the ready as well

[Guest c.a.s.]

CURRENTLY, as in until after my other goals are made, my HD shotgun is a SxS 20 gauge. It's loaded with #3 buckshot, 2 3/4". Both chambers loaded, safety on.

The Fox Model BSE (it's actually Savage) is an internal hammer design, so I simply have to remove the safety, which is convienetly on the handgrip where I can simply lift my thumb slightly from the grip and push it forward.

There are other HD firearms in the house, though. CZ-52, round in chamber, safety on, hammer back (yes, I used aproved testing methonds to ensure that the firing oin safety and decocker work correctly), 8+1 rounds, and another 8 round mag. It's holstere, coverring the trigger and the rest of it.

Then there is a Ruger Single Six with the .22MAG conversion cylinder.

[Guest Todd@CIS]

Gel tests.

http://www.shotgunworld.com/bbs/viewtopic.php?t=109958

[323ssplt]

I guess none of you have alarms or dogs. I keep my police trade in 870 loaded with 4 00 buck in the tube and nothing in the chamber. If anybody breaks into my house I don't "worry" about alerting them to my presence by racking my shotgun, that will be done by the alarm wailing and the 2 pit bull mixes and golden retriever/brittany mix trying to tear a tasty bite out of the bad guy's ass. I have trained enough with my shotguns to be able to maniplate the slide lock to chamber a round. And guys, remember this is not Haditha Iraq, and we are not lying in wait for an enemy to appear so we can capture or kill him, we are defending our homes, and if racking the shotgun does scare them off, so much the better, then you don't have to spend the better part of the next month going through the horrors of having killed someone in your home.

But hey....that's just my

[Guest Linoge]

323ssplt and OhShoot pretty much echo my sentiments (though I need to remedy my lack of an alarm system - thankfully, those are not likely to be banned in the future, so I will have some flexibility on that). Keeps the shotgun in a safe condition, provides me something to scare any intruders away with, and it is a fairly natural move when handling shotguns.

I admit it - I would rather not shoot someone given the option. But I am a pansy-ass .

[TK47]

I have no kids to worry about, and a wife who knows about gun safety and has at least familiarized with our home defense shotgun. I keep my 870 about 1.5 feet from my bedside, with a full tube (7) and one in the chamber, safety on.

TK47

[323ssplt]

Funny thing. My wife decided to re-arrange ou bedroom not too long ago. I normally keep my shotgun in the corner, but she "informed" me that I needed to lean it up against her chest of draws so that it can once again be reached while still in bed......I knew I married this woman for a reason, oh yeah, her name is Kimber as well, that might have had something to do with it as well.