Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Maybe a shotgun is better for home defense...

Beaver10:
Top of the morning to you sir, I hope the day is as mild and fair down in your part of the world as it is here on this side of the medicine line thus far.

While I can't comment on shotguns for self defense since it's an area which Canadians are very much under siege from our Federal government currently, I'll talk instead about firearms which might be useful for asking a recalcitrant bruin to leave the immediate area, how's that?



Somehow Rick's photo program has beaten me on arranging this photo the way I'd like to have it, nonetheless one gets the general idea I suppose.

The top one has been in my possession since 1974 or 1975, either way we know each other fairly well and it's run all sorts of shells in most types of conditions one can find in the 3 western provinces.

One thing I do on all of the "serious social shotguns" which run through my shop is to replace the follower with a hi-viz slotted Delrin follower, as well as replace the magazine spring with as heavy a one as will function.

The after market followers which I use can be seen in low light easily and there's the advantage of being able to feel if the magazine is empty with this style as well.



They make a few different styles and 2 color choices.

Anyways, I only needed to have the magazine not function once on me while I was very politely asking a local black bear to forage elsewhere, to convince me there's better ways to go than stock.

You mentioned a pistol grip and indeed the middle one obviously has one. After very limited use with it so far - didn't come with that stock - I'd say personally I can maneuver it in tight spaces - like a tent - a tad easier than a conventional stock.

Some folks say the right hand absorbs or helps absorb more recoil with a vertical pistol grip and while that might be the case, I'm not ready to say one way or the other yet.

The center one is about a pound and a half lighter than the other 2 as well, which absolutely is noticeable both when packing it long distances and shooting it.

The former is why it's my meat packing arm for subsequent trips after deceased ungulates need a ride in a backpack to come to the pickup with me.

The latter is why I usually only run perhaps 20-25 shells through it at one go, since it's both noisy and jumpy.

In all likelihood my friend Doc Rocket is correct in that a semi-auto would make a better choice for serious social circumstances, but seeing as me and pump guns go back more than 4 decades, well I've got a personal bias I guess one might say.

Hopefully that was at least somewhat useful for someone out there in the inner web/ether space today.

All the best to you folks down there sir. Stay well.

Dwayne