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

Been running an 870 since I was 8 years old. Uncle shortened the stock on a 12ga. Express, and we went duck hunting. Got my first Mallard drake that morning. Turkeys, deer, dogs, squirrels, quail, doves, ducks, geese, crows, and a coyote or three. Rabbits, too, although I prefer a rifle for those and squirrels. Shot loads of clay birds, and used one to eject several bikers from a friend’s bar once. My house gun is an 870P loaded with five 3” 4buck loads, 41 pellets each, backed by two slugs. Two more slugs in the Speedfeed stock. It’s my town gun. House is just me and wife and the GSD. 4 buck won’t kill the neighbors. When we get moved into the farm, the 870 will stay by the bed, but the AR will get top billing. No neighbors close enough to worry. A .223 ballistic tip is nasty to any realistic SD distance, and that gun shoots where I look. 870 does too, but in spite of my decades long use of the shotgun in the field, I like a rifle better when I can use it. And if I need to make a head shot for some reason, it’s a chip shot with that rifle. To me, the Glock, which also shoots instinctively at this point, is for places I can’t take a long gun, or as a secondary to back up my long gun.

As far as killing a person, I am not wanting to. But if they come all the way out to my house in the night and break their way into it, they already came past a locked gate, a dog in the yard, and breached my home. At that point, they are a dead man. No quarter given to a hostile who has been inside my home, because he isn’t coming back when he is more familiar with the place and maybe my wife is there alone. She will kill him too, and has the dog there, but why risk it?

Supposed to be a secret you bass-turd

Coyotes are fairly tough right? Called one into our set one morning and a doggy bout ran over my son. He recovered and centered the feline in a 10 ga 2 1/4 oz load of plated #5's at around 15 yds. Near as we could tell it never quivered. Was a hole about every quarter inch.

I'm currently without a shotgun in the house for the first time in many decades. I've given 4 or 5 away over the past few years.

I've still got a rifle or 2.

But I don't really worry too much about home invasions out here. Some burglaries went on about 7 or 8 years ago. But those folks got rounded up and there's not been anything going on since then.

I have rifles a pistol or 2 but i really like what my 870 police 18 in. cyl.choke does at house ranges.

I also cast my own number 1 buckshot out of ww and some tin for fill out.

The brother has been using the same shot for deer hunting in MS.and so far has 14 deer hit the ground.

All were running shots,one doe got a bad neck wound and almost lost head at about 25 yards.

No buckshot were found on the meat.

Never seen things die as fast as being shot with a shotgun. Whether a pitbull shot at 20 ft with 00 buck from a 14 inch 870 cylinder bore, or a coyote shot at 15 yards with #4 shot in a turkey load with extra full choke.
It was like an "Off" switch was hit.

This thread has me debating 00 buck vs #4 buck however.

Ain’t heard of the Hurons going on the warpath in 28 years. And that was in that movie.

Most likely to bust into a house around here are young men of limited means, IQ and education needed funds to buy controlled substances. Prob’ly Hispanic where I’m at.

I ain’t heard of home invasions yet as a viable career path, seems like most of these young men only get to pull off a very few. But then this is still Texas.

In fact 25 years ago a School Admin living four houses down shot and killed a high school punk who mistakenly assumed he wasn’t home.

He wasn’t an Admin at that school but he sold his house and moved after that. I never met the guy, I weren’t moved in yet.

My bedside weapons are an 870 loaded with 2 rubber buckshot followed by 3 lead #5 and an AK47 with a 30 round clip. I really believe I would use the 870 if the situation warranted it. However a forced entry by a crazy would call for the rifle. I've used an 870 for over 50 years so it is very familiar and easy to handle even if it is too dark to see. I believe the rubber shot at 20 feet would work in most cases and getting to the lead loads would go pretty fast.

Dang man, you got me beat! I thought forty years was a while to be using one. Come to think on it, I suspect there’s a lot of fellas here have used one longer. Maybe some used it more. Fifty years would probably qualify as experienced, as long as it was in the field more than the safe.😁

Enablers. I think I am going to look at VRBP100 tomorrow.

My 870 is stoked with 00 and #4.

This thread has devolved into the annals of CF goofy schidt. Those apaches and jigaboos will burn you and your rubber buckshot out into the open! Wake up ma and hep me find that boomstick and the right shot!



mike r

Clint Patterns the ShockWave

In all fairness, the guy that just whacked around two dozen folks in Nova Scotia was burning folks’ houses and shooting them when they ran out. Precedent set...

I'm trying to remember the last time home invaders burned someone out here in the metro area. Besides, stealing the wagon and straw would be a lot of work.

Of course, if someone's attempting to burn your house, or any occupied dwelling in this state, deadly force if justified.

I did say the gun has 3 lead #5 right behind the sub lethal loads and also an AK47 at hand. I just like the idea of sub lethal if someone needs a little lesson in manners like the day a mad wife beater chased his wife up on my carport and she managed to barge in the house for refuge.

Exactly. Thank you.

"The Warden's" uncle - ~ my age - named Ernie Lopez, why he carried his riot gun with a slug, followed by buckshot?
His answer - sometimes you gotta knock out the window so them meskins can hear you!

Ever heard an 870's slide worked in anger? A assure you it is a sound that will get your attention instantly and that you will remember half a century later.

Yep. Mine has heavy turkey load # 6 shot for the first round followed up by 3 # 4 Buck. Last round is a big ole lead slug. 🤠