You hear a bump in the night and voices downstairs. It's a home invasion by more than one badguy. They are now coming up the stairs and you have only seconds...
Earlier in the evening you had placed one firearm next to your bed:
- A tested and true semi-auto pistol, any brand, any chambering, any load.
- A tested and true revolver, any brand, any chambering, any load.
- A $225 12-guage Mossberg Maverick Pump (7+1), any load. You ran a half a box of shells through it as a basic function check.
In the specific scenario as posed, pass me the Mossberg. I do not have extensive experience in gunfighting, clearing rooms, etc. regardless of the type of weapon chosen. In this case, there are multiple bad guys coming up the stairs. I don't think that I am going to be making any big moves around the house where the added control of a handgun would be a definite advantage. Why not do something like shout a warning that anyone attempting to come up the stairs is unwelcome, and if they ignore the warning, fill the staircase with multiple rounds of 12 gauge fodder?
I'm thinking that a Mossberg pump with half a box of shells through it is just as unlikley to malfunction as a "tested and true" autoloading pistol, and perhaps a revolver too. In fact, other than the rare short cycle of the pump (i.e. operator error), I don't believe I have ever witnessed a pump shotgun fail to feed, fire or eject a shell. Plus, I think it would be MUCH easier to miss moving targets with a handgun under such severe stress than it would be with a shotgun at the ready and firing from a defensive position. YMMV.
