re: Best shotgun for home protection?

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No, you misread my post. The fact that racking a pump shotgun can scare away an intruder is only one reason a 12 gauge pump is best for home defense. I have spelled out the other reasons more than once in this thread.

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the main one being the smaller chance of malfunction.

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Also, the best ammunition to use is either #6 or #7.5 bird shot. These type shells will typically not go through walls and hurt unintended victims. Buck shot and slugs are more likely to go through walls and are not necessary at such close distances. In shotgun blasts at 10-15', roughly 90% of the shot will hit your target, causing a big hole and providing some serious damage.

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frick that. I agree that 000 buck is more likely to penetrate walls, but IMO I'd go with #4 buckshot. You get more shot, the shot is a little smaller so it won't be as apt to go through walls and injure someone on the other side, but the shot is still big enough to easily do some lethal damage. With bird shot if you end up out of close range it won't be lethal.

And I saw slug mentioned, to whoever suggested a slug

This threads are funny when they're not on the OB. So much misinformation

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Well, if you want the intruder to hear you chamber a round then would you not have to wait until they were in your house to hear it?

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It you're trying to plan out your defense with "make intruder hear pump shotgun cycled" mixed in there, you're doing it wrong.

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UpToPar

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I love when someone starts losing an argument so they stick to one point and try to get everyone to focus on that one point, no matter how ridiculous it is.

Everyone has already spelled out more than enough times that the racking of a shotgun is one reason to have a pump, not the only.

The sound a gun makes should have absolutely nothing to do with your purchase.

You people watch too many movies

I don't have a safe now and I thought that's what you were referring to. When I do have kids I will get a single gun safe that fits inside my night stand like my dad has. He can access his gun fairly quickly and quietly.

As long as it can make really loud kabooms none of that other shite matters

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Posted by Boats n Hose The sound a gun makes should have absolutely nothing to do with your purchase. You people watch too many movies

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Thanks you. It is ridiculous to think that someone would wait for an intruder to be close enough to hear them rack a gun to chamber a round.

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DO NOT use birdshot for self defense unless you have too. Birdshot at any range sucks on things weighing more than 20 pounds. I've been shot with birdshot rabbit hunting.

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Yea, I've been hit by an errant shot as well rabbit hunting, but I'm not talking about shooting someone at 30 yards with bird shot. Have you ever been shot straight-on at 10'? I doubt it because you're typing on your computer. If you don't believe me, then take some #6 shot and shoot a sheet of 1/2" plywood at 10' and then come back and talk to me. The hole should be about 3-4" in diameter.

Now, if your stomach is harder than a sheet of plywood, then you're correct (also a bad MF). That's why I follow the first bird shot round with #1 buckshot. I just didn't go that far in my earlier explanitation, nor would I recommend that for a novice shooter. My children live in my house and I'd be devastated if a shot passed through a wall and injured one of them.

Before I was injured in an IED blast in Afghanistan in 2008, I spent 5 years on our Special Reaction Team (SRT). It's usually a personal prefrence of the shooter; however, on most Military SRTs, those personnel with shotguns use a 3" magnum #6 as the first round in close-quarter combat for 2 reasons... #1 - deadly knockdown at 10' #2 - as you said - relitively harmless outside 50'.

I guess I forgot to mention that you use a good 3" mag high brass shot, but please... Go try it. You'll see what I'm talking about.

I've seen a deer get shot at close to point blank with birdshot. It didn't die.