Best for home defense?
Thank you for your time.
Either 12 or 20 is fine, as long as the firearm is sized for you. Buckshot is more effective at stopping a threat, but, depending on the threat, birdshot can get the job done. That said, I’ll take 12 gauge, 00 buck.
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Bigger is always better? Really those are two different questions.
20ga guns tend to be lighter, and smaller, as they are geared towards women and youth (general statement).
20ga shells will have less pellets than 12ga shells.
20ga shells, in those light shotguns, can kick as much or more than a heavier 12ga.
20ga shells can be harder to find, and you have far less selection in ammunition. Better than 16ga though 
Get the gun that fits you, or can be made to fit you (that includes weight).
Choose buckshot over birdshot unless you just cannot find buckshot at all. I would select a slug in that case. BTW, some 20ga slugs are dang brutal to shoot.
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I have to ask for more information. If, you live in an apartment I would recommend 20 gauge #1 buckshot. If you in your own house and it is close to your neighbors house again 20 gauge #1 buck shot. If your home is spaced out from your neighbors I would go 12 gauge #0 buckshot and also if you live out in the country I would suggest the 12 gauge with #000 buckshot. If you decide to go 12 gauge, you can go with #0 buckshot.
I know I seem confusing so, let me give more detail. #1 buckshot is ,30 inch diameter. #0 buckshot is .32 inch diameter, and #00 buckshot is .33 inch diameter and 000 buckshot is .36 inch diameter. To also help you understand the differences; an one in a half ounce load the #1 buckshot will have 15 pellets. #000 buckshot will have 9 pellets. The optimum distance these rounds are good for is 30 yards. They can be shot further but not as affectively. That is all for the 12 gauge. I hope this helps a little and does not make it confusing.
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I always keep 3” number 4 in my 12 ga mossberg… aim for the throat!
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Use buckshot and aim center mass. Good luck aiming for the throat if you choose that route.
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BUCKETS of info from these guys. Great site.
P.S. #1 buckshot if you can find it.
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Good luck with a shotgun? If you aim at the throat you’re hitting center mass and face as well… buckshot center mass and the criminal is wearing armor and you don’t have time to determine?
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My wife can’t handle a 12-gauge. She can handle a 20. I got her #1 buck for home defense and she uses it for snakes effectively. I am certain that it will be effective for any encounter within the fences yard. Of course, she also has other guns in case she need to drive off those who aren’t close enough for the shotgun.
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Instead of a new thread 
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Within the confines of your average home either one is fine. Within the distances you’ll find in your average home there is little difference, because at short distances even birdshot acts pretty much like a solid projectile.
That being said my biggest concern with using a shotgun for self defense is how unwieldy and obnoxious it is to fire ANY shotgun. I have the misfortune of training a LOT of new shooters that some misguided clerk in a gun store convinced that a 12 gauge pump is the answer to ALL Home Defense needs. Some even have bought into the ultra short 12 ga concept!
I spend time and prepare them physically AND mentally for that first shot. I even use light target loads to make sure they have the relatively best possible experience on that first shot. EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM has hated the experience and acknowledged they made a mistake.
A shotgun loaded with slugs AND outfitted with proper sights in the hands of a professional/civilian well trained in it’s use is an AWESOME tool that will most likely defeat even a body armor clad bad guy. BUT, in the hands of someone that is not trained it’s usually a wild ONE shot wonder.
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Depends on the construction of the home, the ability of the shooter, the fit of the shotgun and the contents of the shells.
Cases in point----
Take ANY shotgun out on a low overcast day and launch a round.
Noisy, huh? It’ll be worse inside a building.
Take ANY unloaded handgun with an extra long barrel and try to maneuver around your home in the dark. Clumsy ,huh? It’ll be worse with a shotgun, even a short barrel riot shotgun will be much longer than Buntline hog leg.
Take a 12 gauge semi-auto loaded with 1 0z trap shells to the range. The recoil will be very tolerable for most.
Take a 20 gauge single shot loaded with 3" Magnum slugs. Ouch!
Not to say that a shotgun is a poor choice----I’d prefer a shotgun to a rifle for most situations (as heretical as that may sound) but to become really dialed in to a shotgun of any gauge is going to take some experimenting and work.
Or do as the PD in my town do and get a 12 gauge Mossy 500 and Federal Flite control 00 Buck and learn to love it.
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Anyone trying to decide what their long gun of choice should be for SD/HD should look for slow motion videos of someone firing a shotgun and someone firing an AR rifle and THEN decide. I like the concept of 30 rounds, almost no recoil all day long, and add the fact that a quick switch of mags giving me a completely different ammo performance profile? Winner… I sold all my SD shotguns a long time ago.
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My brother wanted a 12 guage. I let him fire mine. He got a 20 guage.
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I’ve shot a shotgun in a house, in a 10’x10’ room:grimacing:
I’ve only owned twelve gauges… but I hunt with mine.
Matter of fact I have a new one I ain’t shot yet 
Me, too. Deer. Slugs in brush. fairly close.
That happens a lot…
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I just picked up a 12 gauge in order to get into sporting clays. Light target loads are pleasant to shoot. 3” Turkey loads and buckshot not so much.
I agree with @Enzo_T Think a semi auto .223 with a standard capacity magazine full of quality expanding SD ammo has a lot of advantages over a shotgun. But a handgun is my first choice inside the home since it leaves a hand free to gather my family and get them to a safe place and is easier to maneuver with in tight spaces.
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No need to compromise. I think we can all acknowledge that all things being equal a long gun is easier to shoot than a handgun. But why not an 9mm AR pistol with a brace? Hummmm, I think this requires a separate thread…
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