home defense...? couple of questions...

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immanurse

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will BIRDshot "work" in a shotgun?
what gauge?

lethal distance? I don't want to shoot an intruder only to piss them off into changing objective from theft to murdering me.

do I really just point in the direction and not have to aim? I've read it isn't that simple, even with birdshot.

OR should I invest in a glock 17?

thanks in advance for reading.
 
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this is about why lil pump bought those tigers isn't it
 
immanurse said:
will BIRDshot "work" in a shotgun?
what gauge?

lethal distance? I don't want to shoot an intruder only to piss them off into changing objective from theft to murdering me.

do I really just point in the direction and not have to aim? I've read it isn't that simple, even with birdshot.

OR should I invest in a glock 17?

thanks in advance for reading.
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1. not really. #4 shot minimum or smaller number (smaller number = bigger shot) up to 00buck. I read in an article that #1 shot, although hard to find, is the best balance of number of actual pellets and effective shot size. #00 buck is still the best besides #1. Then it descends 2,3,4.

So basically get #2 or #00 buck shells for home defense (unless you're being robbed by game birds)

2. Effective distance is pretty far. As far as you would need in a house, that's for sure.

3. You still have to point/aim and practice with it or it wont be accurate. You don't have to line up the sight with your eye for each shot necessarily if you are close, but you must practice at the ranges you want to be effective at. You can also mount a little light on the shotgun and have that show you where the spread will be, some people do that. Still must practice to be familiar with your weapon and it firing.

It's still a good beginner weapon though. Very simple and easy to learn, and find ammo for. And super fun.

4. You could also get a glock 19 or 17 if you want to go target shooting with it. 19 is the most popular handgun in the world (it carries well), and it still accepts longer (higher capacity) magazines from the 17. The 17 is a little more accurate (and larger) for long distance shots in case you want to go into local competition or something.

Which ever ones you decide to go with (or both) be sure to practice safety, operation and accuracy (it's fun). Good luck!
 
Like Reyes said, I’d definitely stick with 00 buck.

I can’t imagine in a home defense situation you’d be shooting more than 15-20 feet and it will absolutely kill in that range and beyond.

Definitely go to the range and practice, you do have to aim you can’t just close your eyes and start spraying.

I would definitely grab a Glock 19/17 and throw a nice light on it, I prefer to have single, more accurate shots in HD especially if God forbid it turns into a hostage situation. A good light can also help to disorient the intruder and give you the split second you need to put them down.

That being said most of the time just the shotgun racking scares off most intruders, but you absolutely don’t want to rely on them giving up and running away.



**** I cannot stress enough, make sure all of your family members are SAFE & SECURE BEFORE going robber hunting. Try to get them all in one room, make sure they have a phone & are calling police, give them a gun ready to go, and lock the door. In fact the shotgun would be good to hand off to them. make sure the wife/gf has some range time so she doesn’t shoot herself.

Announce yourself when it’s all over VERY loudly from far away so she doesn’t kill you either.

You can now proceed to find intruders.


That said if I’m just answering the question, birdshot would be lethal at about 10ft and under I’d say but it just doesn’t have the power to penetrate and kill reliably. Not beyond that.
 
immanurse said:
will BIRDshot "work" in a shotgun?
what gauge?

lethal distance? I don't want to shoot an intruder only to piss them off into changing objective from theft to murdering me.

do I really just point in the direction and not have to aim? I've read it isn't that simple, even with birdshot.

OR should I invest in a glock 17?

thanks in advance for reading.
Click to expand...
If you're asking these questions you need to invest in some serious training before going out and buying either a shotgun or a Glock. Not trying to be an ass but if you are asking about just "point in the direction" you need some serious shooting time with a competent instructor.

Like I have mentioned in numerous threads, you should not be room clearing your house on your own. There is a reason cops, military, tactical teams, etc do room clearing at a minimum in pairs. The only reason you should be moving through the house is to get family members out of the way of danger and into a safe area, or to get a tactical advantage to protect them if they can't be reached.

Any home defense gun needs a light on it. I recommend a weapons mounted light and a flashlight if possible. Downside of searching with a weapons light is you are likely muzzle sweeping what you are searching, which is not a good thing. Weapons light if for lighting up/blinding the threat as you get sights on. Also your handgun sights should be night sights.

Take a tape measure and measure distances in your house, room to door, door to hallway, hallway to front door etc. See what they are and then go to a range and test the spread of a shotgun at those ranges, you will be surprised.
 
Protectandserve said:
If you're asking these questions you need to invest in some serious training before going out and buying either a shotgun or a Glock. Not trying to be an ass but if you are asking about just "point in the direction" you need some serious shooting time with a competent instructor.

Like I have mentioned in numerous threads, you should not be room clearing your house on your own. There is a reason cops, military, tactical teams, etc do room clearing at a minimum in pairs. The only reason you should be moving through the house is to get family members out of the way of danger and into a safe area, or to get a tactical advantage to protect them if they can't be reached.

Any home defense gun needs a light on it. I recommend a weapons mounted light and a flashlight if possible. Downside of searching with a weapons light is you are likely muzzle sweeping what you are searching, which is not a good thing. Weapons light if for lighting up/blinding the threat as you get sights on. Also your handgun sights should be night sights.

Take a tape measure and measure distances in your house, room to door, door to hallway, hallway to front door etc. See what they are and then go to a range and test the spread of a shotgun at those ranges, you will be surprised.
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You can do one-man clears, but they are really difficult to do like that. It definitely requires specialized training.

Also, instead of night sights, try having no sights. Seriously. There is a lot coming out in this school of thought.
 
PrideUltimate said:
Didn't know home defense is like rocket science now.
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It’s not rocket science, but there’s more to it than “buy gun, point, shoot.” And you can go as far down the rabbit hole as you want to, as there’s always more that you could be doing to be better equipped and better prepared. Same as anything else, I suppose.
 
sub_thug said:
Also, instead of night sights, try having no sights. Seriously. There is a lot coming out in this school of thought.
Click to expand...


Interesting. I don't think I would like that. Looking over the top of the sights and instinct shooting is one thing but I think I would at least want that front dot.
 
RerouteToRemain said:
Interesting. I don't think I would like that. Looking over the top of the sights and instinct shooting is one thing but I think I would at least want that front dot.
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It takes a lot of getting used to, but once you do, you'll see some significant improvements in your tactical shooting out to about 50m. For sport shooting, you still want those sights.
 
This sounds like a non-shooter who may have had a bump in the night experience and currently owns a shotgun. I say grab 4 boxes of #4. Go to the range and dump 3 boxes at different ranges. Go home and be (more) confident about what you have.
 
Shot placement, if you want to win you need to put rounds on target. In the vitals, quickly and while positively identifying your target. I wouldn't recommend bird shot, buckshot is better for home defense rounds. But.. over penetration is definitely a consideration, for any round selection and especially buckshot. For pistol, Glock 17 is a good choice. There's a reason special operations has used them for years.

Tactical flashlights, TLR-1 or surefire x300 ect I would say should be mandatory.

I don't know what your current range time is but that's the priority whatever weapon you choose to go with.
 
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Roaming East said:
..
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+1 for Paul. Watching this makes me want a shotgun.

immanurse said:
...
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will BIRDshot "work" in a shotgun? Yep.
what gauge? 12 or 20

lethal distance? I don't want to shoot an intruder only to piss them off into changing objective from theft to murdering me. If you're inside your house, this is a non issue. You will inflict severe trauma: he/she will exsanguinate very quickly and go GCS3, even if you hit him/her in the leg. You should not shoot anyone merely for stealing something. You can point the weapon and scare them off, or hold them until Law Enforcement arrives. If they are holding a weapon and acting in an immediately threatening manner, by all means preserve your life.

do I really just point in the direction and not have to aim? I've read it isn't that simple, even with birdshot. Yes

OR should I invest in a glock 17? A Glock 17 is a sensible choice as well, but entirely different from a shotgun. Research and make your own informed decision.

thanks in advance for reading. No problem, Chief.
 
PrideUltimate said:
Didn't know home defense is like rocket science now.
Click to expand...
If you don't want to shoot your family or house guests you should probably put more than just a little thought into swinging a lethal weapon around in the dark.
 
There are lots of variables.

Like in most Blue states, shooting and only wounding a Home Invader could = him suing you and maybe winning, while he's in prison. Birdshot is probably not enough. It looks scary as shit blasting through water jugs & plywood, but will it really stop someone on drugs, etc. I wouldn't want to get shot in the face with a pellet gun neither, but it doesn't mean that it's the best choice of weapon. 00 buckshots will kill but may keep going through many walls killing other people when missed. You're slinging like 9 pellets with each being the size of a 9mm round and it's coming out of a long barrel.

I would sooner go with an AR-15 w/hollow points than a shotgun with 00 when in the suburbs. But a 9mm with good hollow points would be my choice.
 
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