After a ton of research, I’m leaning toward a Mossberg 590 with a raptor grip and 14.375” barrel. I’m wavering between 20ga and 12ga. Thoughts? Other considerations are the Remington tactical and the Tarus home defender in 410.
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Welcome to the community. Buying a gun is a very personal decision. Only you can make that decision based on your wants and needs. Our wants and needs are not the same as yours.
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For defense, I’m always aiming (pun intended) at something manageable by me, and anyone else with me if need be. Nothing too big, heavy, or powerful, just enough to do the job and not likely miss with.
Not suggesting a .22lr, but hitting someone with a few of those beats a miss from a 10mm. 
We keep some 20ga around, but I’m much more likely to grab a 9mm pistol in the house or off of my hip, primarily due to barrel length for manueving if they are very near (if they’re far, I run!) and less for bad guys to get ahold of. One guys $.02, certainly worth less.
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Consider something that will accept the shorty rounds. Not having to reload after 5-6 rounds is a significant tactical advantage.
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Welcome Steven560.
I regret I have no idea. I’ll come back to look at some answers. The cool thing is you get to decide what ever if you like.
I ever knew there were shorter rounds that when used allows even more rounds inside a shot gun.
There was a time I had no idea what was bird, vs buck, vs slug shot and had no idea was the heck a choke on a shot gun was.
I learned the hard way, I was best served if my shot gun allowed for me to interchange different types of chokes in it.
Then there are the other, non lethal or mini renovations one can make or set up around the home to help slow down or prevent assault, and alert us. I noticed the 'prepper 'communities have some unique ideas, some quite affordable.
I have a 20g (gauge) and a 410g. I kinda like the 20g as I feel I can more easily manage it, as compared to a 12g, and a 20g is no “push over”. Got a Mossberg rifle made in 1937. It works like new today, good quality.
The Taurus and Smith Wesson 410g revolvers sure are interesting.
Good luck and enjoy the journey. Great post.
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Steven, if it’s just you using the gun, 12 ga would be fine. If a female, elderly adult, or teenager might have to use the weapon, I would go with the 20 ga. I have a mounted light and a mounted round saddle on my scattergun. I have two rounds buck then one rifled slug and two more buck, one more rifled slug. Also has a sling. Good luck!
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@Steven560 Welcome to the community, well, some choices there are pretty nice, but for thoughts, maybe the 20g.
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You might want to check you state laws concerning barrel length also. States like mine require an 18" barrel and I believe a 26" total length.
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How do you plan on storing your shotgun? How do you plan to deploy it? How often will you practice with it, and how? What loads do you intend to feed it?
Shotguns aren’t like rifles or pistols. How a shotgun stock “fits” you matters----a good fit is imperative.
A good gun store will have at least one mounted trophy on the wall. After checking that the gun is unloaded, look at the trophy head, close your eyes and mount each of the shotguns you’re considering.
Open your eyes and you should be staring down the barrel at the trophy head—that’s good—if you’re off the mark try another model with a different stock.
FWIW, Skeet is a fast action, up close shotgun shooting sport. A few rounds of Skeet is, IMHO, an excellent way to get to know your new shotgun, which ever one you decide on.
My 2 cents.anyway.
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Welcome to the community @Steven560
What lead you to zero in on a shotgun as your home defense choice?
Shotguns are a viable choice but for many people a semi auto .223/5.56 rifle with a standard capacity magazine in the 20 to 30 round range is much easier to handle and put into action. In my experience shotguns require more practice for loading and operation plus the recoil, especially in 12 gauge, can take some getting used to.
If I was set on going the shotgun route as my primary home defense weapon I would look into going with a reliable semi auto like the Beretta 1301 or A300 tactical models. That way you don’t have to worry about short stroking the shotgun under stress. With the extended tubes most of them come with you get a couple more rounds before you have to deal with 1 round at a time, or more complicated 2 round, reloads under stress.
I personally would much rather have a reasonable capacity semi auto pistol over the Taurus home defender. I would be very nervous about being limited to the five round capacity in a home invasion scenario and the stopping power isn’t going to be any greater than that of a typical handgun.
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It is a personal decision and choice with alot of factors. Is it for just in home, how familiar and comfortable are you with a shotgun. Are you the only person that will use it. Myself I have a Mossburg 500 with pistol grips.
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Greetings & welcome, Steven560, we’re glad that you’ve chosen to join us & hope that you enjoy your time on the forum!
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I would like to reiterate a point that got made, about short stroking a pump action shotgun. I, recently got my wife a licensed, version of the Benneli M4. The reason was; it’s dirt simple operation. Point, squeeze the trigger, repeat as needed. It’s on a fast magnet mount on my safe door. We practice our defensive plan, so she knows her role.
- Grabs her phone.
- Grabs her shotgun.
- Goes into the bathroom.
- Calls 911 (stays on the phone with 911 until cleared).
- Calls the USCCA
- Stays safely in the bathroom until I tell her it’s clear (we even have a safe word to let her know if I am under duress).
This may sound extreme, but to me. My purpose, in this World is to keep my wife and daughter safe. I take that very seriously. So I plan, strategize, and practice what I preach. Hope this helps. Seriously though, for ease of operation under high stress conditions I would recommend a semi auto shotgun. Caliber is whatever you and your loved ones are comfortable with.
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Welcome Steven560 to the forum. We’re glad you found us.
Interesting first post for certain. I am inclined to agree with Robert1246.
That being said, a shotty is not a bad option and I like your choice of the Mossy 590 Raptor. I have a Remy 870 Tactical model 25077 (it actually says TACTICAL on the side of the receiver). It has an 18.5-inch barrel, full stock and a one-piece, 6-round mag tube. It came as a bare bones defensive shotgun.
STAY AWAY FROM THE TAURUS DEFENDER for accurate home defense. The spread patten of the shot from the short barrel is too wide and could miss your perpetrator all together. The Defender would be better utilized as a last resort if a defender is up close and personal, like the bad guy is within arm’s reach. Pull it, put it in his belly button, and pull the trigger. Nuff said on that.
Many will caution you on over-penetration and I will do the same. There are more videos on YouTube than you can shake a stick at discussing and demonstrating over-penetration. Everything will over-penetrate, and a shotgun is not exempt. There is no way around that fact. You MUST know what is behind your target so you don’t accidentally shoot your neighbor.
THIS
A pump action shotgun does take more training to master due to the dexterity required to correctly cycle the slide and reload. Add in the fact you have a limited internal capacity and you are already behind the power curve. Don’t get me wrong, a good shotty with training can be a devastating weapon in any scenario, but you will need to train more with a shotty than with an AR.
Watch this video from Clint Smith at Thunder Ranch.
The truth about terminal ballistics.
…but it has to be the right load at the right distance. Lots of load options for shotguns. Mine is a 12 gauge, so I will give a rundown of options for that. 2 3/4-inch, 3-inch, or 3 1/2-inch magnum. High brass, low brass, flight restricted, several options for bird shot, several options for buck shot, several options for slugs…the list goes on and on. The most common modern load for an HD shotty is going to be either #4 buck or 00 buck in a 2 3/4-inch, high brass shell. I shoot both.
You will need to “pattern” your shotgun, essentially going out and shooting targets to see what the spread is at given ranges and loads. Measure the longest distance you will conceivably shoot inside your home. Go out to the range and set up a target at that range and shoot several rounds. Measure the spread pattern. That will be where all the pellets will be at that distance inside your house. Some loads spread further, some not so much. If your shotty has a cylinder bore, it will pattern differently than a similar shotty with a choke tube and the same load.
Home defense situations are all different, but there is one thing I have been taught by several instructors through the years. Unless you are a top tier operator, it is recommended you not go through the house chasing bad guys. DON’T DO IT. Use your sidearm to fight your way to your long gun. Use your long gun to fight your way to your fallback position. Fighting your way to your fallback position includes rounding up your loved ones - the kids, your wife, your 90 year old Granny. Once barricaded into your fallback position, use your shotgun as artillery until the cavalry arrives.
Lots of choices and they are your choices to make. We cannot make them for you. We can give recommendations and options based on our own experiences, but ultimately, it is up to you.
Good hunting. Bad guys. Hunting bad guys.
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Ours is “Valhalla” if the coast is clear or “Until Valhalla” if one of us is under duress.
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Skeet is probably the closest you can get to actual tactical shotgun use. It’s largely a matter of point and shoot as opposed to form and style.
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Not fond of the 410 Taurus or the raptor grip shotguns. Especially in 12 gauge. 410 might be OK with a laser or a cheek weld. Shotguns have to be aimed. Too many people think you can point them in the general direction thanks to Hollywood. At 7 yards the typical buckshot pattern is only 4"-6". The noise level of a 14" 12 gauge inside a house will be devastating to your hearing. It could put you down on your knees. I keep hearing protection handy.
Personally I keep a Mossberg 500E 410 pump with an 18.5" cylinder bore barrel. I keep 2 each 9 pellet #4 buck shells backed by 4 pellet 0000 (.40") ball loads. I also keep a 9mm pistol in my nightstand and a 9mm 10.5" AR pistol handy. Both loaded with 147 grain JHP which is subsonic. 12 gauge Mossberg Pump is for crowd control as in riot outside in which case it will be backed up by an AR15.
Wife has a Keltec P17 in her nightstand and a Ruger 22lr Charger with a red dot and green laser. She uses a cheek weld and is very good with it. In a pinch she could handle the AR9 or the 410.
Note: The 590S takes the short shells without an adapter.
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We keep Mossberg 500 and Remington youth 870, both 20ga and easy for anyone to shoot.
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My Wife has a Remy 20Ga youth model. I extended the magazine out to 11 rounds, installed 6-round side saddle on the left side of the receiver, installed a 6-round butt cuff on the right side of the stock and swapped out the 20-inch choke ready barrel for a 24-inch rifled barrel. My plan for it is to have the receiver drilled and tapped for a pic rail and mount a scope of some flavor.
Should do good as a short-range tack driver.
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