Why are you getting a handgun instead of a shotgun for home protection?
Handguns are very inaccurate and the main reason to own one is so you can conceal it under clothing.
Here is a copy/paste from another thread, there are a lot of reasons not to own a shotgun for home defense. Handguns are not inaccurate either.
An excerpt from the book "The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse" by Fernando Aguirre.
"Shotguns for Defense
I like shotguns because of their reliable mechanics and unparalleled stopping power at close range but I've always thought that they are not adequate for home defense, and the lessons learned during a defensive pistol class have reaffirmed this notion even more.
Even though many consider the shotgun to be THE best home defense weapon, there are a few issues that just don't add up when compared to what I consider more capable weapons for close quarters combat (CQC), the kind of fighting you are likely to engage inside your home.
First, most long arms are too big to move around a house.
It takes a lot of practice not to bump into every wall or piece of furniture, especially if under stress, and it gives just too much leverage in case an attacker gets hold of your barrel.
In spite of the maneuvers you can learn in case this happens, the truth is that a long arm does provide more leverage, more surface to grab, and if you are against a physically stronger attacker, odds are not in your favor when fighting over the weapon.
In a big isolated house or farm where the fight can easily be brought outside I'd much rather have a pistol caliber subgun or short carbine chambered for a rifle round.
For an average size house or apartment a big bore handgun would allow you to move around better, open doors and keep a "sacrifice" hand ready to keep an attacker at bay.
The pump shotgun also has another disadvantage that was made very clear to me while practicing retention drills and hand to hand techniques during the class: The pump shotgun obviously requires both hands to work, something that is fast to do when no one gives you a hard time, but you still need both hands none-the-less for each shot.
What I mean is, if you fired your weapon and the attacker happened to twist the barrel away from his body, you are now in a pretty big pool of fecal matter, fighting over a weapon that requires you to use the hand you are using to defend yourself from the attacker, and putting both hands on your shotgun allows your attacker to use one hand to keep the barrel away from his body and the other hand to punch/stab/shoot into your face at will.
You'll probably be locked together as you fight, so you also lack the range to put the barrel against him.
A handgun allows you to use your "sacrifice" hand to keep your attacker at bay, open doors as you move around, punch or push to gain more distance, while you can easily pump round after round with the weapon held close against your ribs, slightly angled down and pointed at the attacker's chest.
Trying all this out for real is very enlightening.
Remember taking the necessary precautions please! Both participants checking for themselves that the weapons used are empty before they exercise this.
Sure, cops use shotguns (though lately AR carbines are becoming more popular), but they choose shotguns because of other good reasons mentioned.
1) ALL cops carry a handgun as well, something most folks who recommend a shotgun as the one and only weapon for defense seem to forget.
2) They have other bystanders to worry about, and the shotgun's limited range is a terrific bonus regarding this issue. God only knows how many innocent bystanders are alive thanks to this wise decision.
3) Cops work as a team, they won't go anywhere alone if they can help it, specially face an armed attacker. Meaning, if an attacker gets hold of an officer's shotgun barrel, his partner will either shoot him or crack his skull wide open with his baton.
BIG difference: You are much more likely to be alone when handling something like that.
A short barrel AK would be much better than a pump shotgun regarding the ease of putting rounds down range just by pulling the trigger.
They also have much higher capacity, 30 rounds vs. 6-8 rounds in most pump shotguns.
A rifle round is very effective due to its high speed, but for home defense I'd go for JHP ammo to avoid over penetration, something that can happen with military FMJ ammo.
the carbine advantage becomes more evident when the fight is brought to your front lawn or back year, defending against attackers at longer ranges like Alejandro Reynoso mentions in his book regarding defending isolated retreats or farm houses. The rifle cartridge turns most cover into concealment since it penetrates much better than most pistol and shotgun cartridges."
