Writing about firearm issues is fraught with peril. One’s experience, ability and knowledge matter little to at least some portion of the gun-interested public. No matter what an author writes, even if it’s non-controversial, someone will attack their man—or woman—hood, and suggest they’re less intelligent than an order of packed sardines. With that in mind, are shotguns the ideal home defense weapon?

Ideally, in any armed confrontation, one should employ a weapon with ease of use, exceptional accuracy, overwhelming power and significant ammunition capacity—many home invaders these days run in packs—and excellent reliability. That means, in general, a rifle or submachinegun. We carry handguns because while they’re generally far less powerful, they’re much easier to carry and conceal. Shotguns, like all long arms, aren’t, and it’s virtually impossible to own a machinegun of any type these days. 

Choosing any weapon for a specific task requires knowledge of all the parameters of that task, and whether the capabilities of that weapon, and its ammunition, meet those parameters. Allied with that knowledge is the knowledge and training necessary to safely and effectively employ the weapon.

Graphic: Mossberg 940 JM Pro, Mossberg

Is a shotgun a potentially effective home defense weapon? Certainly, but only if the aforementioned conditions and abilities exist.

Shotguns, particularly 12 gauge shotguns, have considerable recoil and muzzle blast, particularly indoors. Fired in the dark, they temporarily impair night vision, and fired without hearing protection, can be temporarily stunning. The latter can be resolved by wearing electronic hearing protectors kept close at hand with the shotgun and closing one’s eyes when firing.  Recoil is another matter.

There are two types of recoil: intrinsic and felt or perceived. Intrinsic recoil is that produced by firing a given weapon and ammunition. It exists regardless of who fires the weapon. Felt recoil differs from person to person. Obviously, the larger and stronger the shooter, the less felt recoil. Proper technique can help, but shotgun recoil is simply too much for many people, particularly when multiple repeat shots in quick succession are required.

Unlike what some suggest, double barreled shotguns are not good choices for this application. This leaves pump action and semiautomatic shotguns. Also, unlike what some believe, shotguns must be aimed no less precisely than handguns or rifles. One cannot just point a shotgun in a general direction and sweep away all before it. In home defense, overpenetration is always a primary concern. At inside-the-home ranges, one can expect shot patterns to expand to perhaps no larger than softball size, though “flyers”—pellets far outside the pattern—are always possible.  

Graphic: KelTec KSG (the red dot sight is an accessory), KelTec

Another problem with both is limited magazine capacity, requiring extended magazine tubes which yield no more than 6-7 rounds, or with longer, more unwieldly barrels, 8-9 rounds. KelTec does make a line of 12 gauge and .410 bore pump action, bullpup shotguns with greater capacity, and there are some magazine-fed shotguns on the market, but for most, limited ammunition is the reality.

Some suggest the mere sound of “racking” a pump action will be sufficient to put attackers to flight. The primary tactical advantage of the homeowner is knowledge of their home. Staying concealed until they have the advantage of surprise should not be given up for a noisemaking tactic that may mean nothing at all to attackers, who because they are drugged, or there are many of them, or who have no idea what that sound is, just don’t care. No one should imagine the sound of a firearm mechanism will keep them from having to use deadly force when it’s legally authorized and imminently necessary.

Such defensive weapons should be chambered, safety on, and more than enough regular practice should be done so one knows precisely what to do, and the readiness state of their weapon in the dark when jolted out of a sound sleep. Obviously, recoil sensitive people who cannot run a pump action shotgun smoothly and without having to think of every action, and who are unable of making rapid, accurate follow up shots, should choose another weapon.

Anyone using a long gun indoors should also be trained on, and regularly practice, proper methods of employment. Long guns can be unwieldy indoors, and again, working in the dark, it’s easy to catch barrels on furniture, draperies and other obstructions, as well as inadvertently putting one’s gun in grabbing/deflecting range of an attacker.

I’ll not get into ammunition choice, flashlights, lasers and other accessory issues. There’s not enough space in this brief overview.

 So yes, shotguns can be effective home defense tools if one knows their limitations and is properly trained, but they’re surely not for everyone, and rifles and handguns of various types, with the same caveats, are also viable choices.

Mike McDaniel is a USAF veteran, classically trained musician, Japanese and European fencer, life-long athlete, firearm instructor, retired police officer and high school and college English teacher. He is a published author and blogger. His home blog is Stately McDaniel Manor.