What is the best home defense shotgun. I have several sporting shotguns. A neighbor 6 miles west had a scare a couple weeks ago. I never used to lock my doors but I do now. It would take law enforcement a minimum of 45 minutes to get to my place. Meth is a huge problem here. Thanks

Mossberg or Rem 870

Or.........

a well tuned 16" Marlin lever gun........

this one being a 45 Colt sending 250 grain hard casts down range......

may penetrate sheet rock walls........have close neighbors ?

The Remington 870 is the standard fighting shotguns are measured by. Put useful stuff on it such as a light, sidesaddle ammo carrier and a sling and it should meet your needs. I like the 870 Tactical model.

I've been playing with a Kel-Tec KSG and I'm thinking of making one my duty SG.

Remington 870 Youth in 20 ga. Not too short for large folks, size and recoil easily handled by smaller statured folks, and even 7/8oz of shot is going to seriously mess up a bad guy's day.

Even with an improved choke, pattern spread is going to be less than 1' diameter at distances you would find inside most homes.

Ed

Rem 870

There is no best home defense shotgun. Older Remington 870P. Benelli M4. Wilson Combat/Scattergun Technologies. Mossberg 590A1. The best one is that which is reliable and with which you can make the fastest, most reliable hits. And don't buy too much into the super tactical FliteControl stuff. Smaller (or wad-sized) patterns have pros... and cons.

Did you read that on a truck stop bathroom stall?

Whichever that you deem the most reliable, that narrows the field considerably. You should be able to mount a weapon light w/ a switch that allows optimal control of white light. It should allow you to move w/in the space you want to protect w/ the least restriction.

Trying to rationalize it as a "sport gun" also, will compromise the intended purpose. I have seen several shotguns on here that the owners, also Canuks,carried for bear that were short pump guns that would probably perform well w/ appropriate practice.

Locks are pretty important, defense is best planned in layers and time is a precious commodity amplified by an environment/ attitude that doesn't allow you to carry your weapon on your person.

Improvise, Adapt, Overcome. You are your family's best defense.

You have already solved the biggest problem in that you recognize that the threat is real.

Remember! The family that slays together, stays together, involve the whole clan in your preparation to not be victims.


mike r

I have yet to see the shotgun I'd want to be in front of.

Personnel preference I guess, just load it with #4 buck.

Pun intended, Jesse?

I'll second the #4 buck!

Ed

Mossberg pump, tang safety is always easy..

Lol, no, that was just me but it sounded good!

Hard to beat 870 or 500 for cheap and reliable home defense. If something goes bump in the night I keep a flashlight and tricked out 1100 with 8 rounds of #4 buck by the bed.

Don't you get to have over-the-counter short-barrel shotguns in Canada with no extra licensing? If so, I wouldn't be running a sport gun as a dual purpose.

If you are allowed to have an AR15, then just get that instead for inside and outside the house.

But yes, the Beretta 1301 is the best, if that is what you are willing to buy. and they have already factory-modified the bolt release to prevent the "fatal flaw" described in the videol

870.
Mine is their Remington Tac 14 version with the arm brace.

A whiff of grape shot for said personnel.

I don't know if it is the "best" or not, but I have no qualms with the Rem 870 Marine leaning up next to my bed.

DD,

OP's in Kanana, so, no real guns for him.

So, North of the border, I'd say Mosberg 590 with a load of #1 buck.

Or if necessary to keep the local Mounties happy there's the old school option. Winchester 97.

Boarder?

This thread is great.


The personnel are repelling boarders with shotgun mounted ARs.

Hey!

Spell check said it was right!

Winchester 1897 riot.

This is exactly what I have. With a sling/bandolier with 25 more rounds of oh oh buck.

My standard is a Mossberg 935 SPX, 8 rounds of 12 gauge 00 buck! Just have a crime scene cleaner on speed dial

I've got a NIB Mossberg 500 bantam youth 20 ga. I'd sell if a fella likes this line of thinking.

Thanks for the replies everyone. I will go to LGS and look at Remington Mossberg and Benelli pump action. I was thinking SXP but since no one recommended it it's off my list.

The hell you say!

I’ve told my wife to use my 20 gauge double barrel!

Hard to go wrong with that, either!

IMHO, the guys on here need to remember that it may be a smaller statured person in their house that is called on to defend and a shotgun (or any long gun for that matter) which is too long/heavy/complicated will not be doing them any favors.

Ed

You should look at hiring some personnel to clean up that [bleep] hole you live in, Jim. Personal cleanliness shouldn’t be taken lightly.

Aint nobody got time for that schit!

I know you don’t.

I'd throw my wife at the intruder and jump out the window.

Kick one of the little dogs for a momentary distraction.

I saw the wife throw the middle child on a snake so she could escape.

Hahaha!

I got lots of time but I am lazy....and a bit of slob.

Smart woman, she's obviously a survivor.

I agree with the recommendation of the Beretta 1301.

If you can stick with the same controls that are on your sporting shotguns just in a tactical platform.

You didn't say what your "sporting shotguns" were, or I didn't notice, but you could conceivably get a shorter barrel and accouterments for one of those.

I've got one of those, too. Sold my Mossberg version due to repeated jam ups. My Tac 14 has been completely reliable.

^^^^
Best post of the day! LOL

I've got a couple of the Chinese made ones, and they work.

Yep, that's where I keep it. On the kitchen counter next to the TV.

Hah, just kidding.

I agree 100% Unfortunately in Canada we don't have the access to gun parts that our American neighbors do. I grew up with Ithaca model 37. They are still my "go to" shotguns for challenging bird hunting. When I win the lottery I'm buying a farm on the Montana Wyoming border.... lol

Well, damn. If you have a 37, you have what you need already. Barrel might be a bit long, since yours is a sport model, but it will do the job.

Which ever shotgun is in your hand during the defense is the best one.

Yep, even a side by side 20 ga is a formidable weapon.

It’ll kill a Polar bear with bird shot. DRT.

I'm using the mossberg 500, loaded buckshot, slug, buckshot, slug....
Though that 20ga bantam 500 might be interesting. Feel like PMing me with what you might want for it? I think my son might need another shotgun.

DakotaDeer & antelope_sniper;
Good evening to you both, I hope all is well in your respective parts of the world tonight.

While we can have AR variants up here so far - please get out and vote soon fellow Canucks - the AR, AK and FNFAL variants are indeed heavily restricted.

However, we can indeed purchase abbreviated versions of several arms in any action other than semi-auto.

Personally I prefer to practice with the slightly longer and heavier one on the left - an ancient made in Canada Lakefield Mossberg 500, while the center one goes on meat packing duty or other adventures when something more than a stern look and a loud voice might be required.



Why these are sideways I have no idea, however that's part of the charm of the brave new world of photos post - photobucket I suppose...

If the OP is interested, please feel free to drop me a PM and I can share a few suggestions of where to source some useful shotguns on this side of the medicine line.

All the best to you all as we head into cooler weather and good luck on your hunts.

Dwayne

LOL

You should be well served ny a 18"-20" Mossberg 500 or 590, Rem 870, Ithaca 37. If you want to get smaller the 'pistol' like Mossberg Shockwave series 12 or 20 gauge or Rem 870 , or the Remington V3 Tac-13. Best to try the short ones before buying if you can as the recoil can be a bit stout. The Mossbergs are reportedly reliable with an accessory and the shorty Aguila rounds.
The Rem V3 Tac-13 seems to have a less snappy recoil.

i have shot a remington 870 police 12 guage, sights on it, the whole bit
a berretta 1200 fp
a real 1897 trench gun
a norinco trench gun
and a mossberg 590A1

of all of them and a few i probably have left out, i like that mossberg the best.
heavy barrel, heat shield
xs hi vis sights
ambi saftey on top
has spring loaded cutouts on both sides of stock for extra shells.
and you can put a bayonet on it, it's the military version.
pretty impressive to look at and it shoots fine.
as to that mossberg shockwave, i found out real quick that it likes to go airborne with OO high brass buck. Uncontrollable at least for me.

Dwayne,

Thank you for the clarification.

If you wouldn't mind helping me understand one additional portion of your gun laws, what laws do you have regarding the barrel length and legal configurations of shotguns?

I think I'll stick with my old 37. Hand load 1 3/8 BB. Never a FTF or FTF in thousands of rounds.

I have an Ithaca 37 LAPD with rifle sights on a 18" barrel. If somebody is at the front door I think any size shot would work but 4 buck would work.

The Judge .410 !

Remington 870, 20" bbl or less. Ithaca model 37 or Winchester model 12...just as good. Browning Auto 5 as a Wild Card. Agree with the others on the 4 Buck. Don't forget backup.



Having your kid back you up is not a bad idea either.

I run an 870 turkey gun in 12 ga.

antelope_sniper;
Good evening and thanks for the reply.

So far, our restrictions are more or less like this.

Firearms fall into 3 classes - more or less - which are non-restricted, restricted and prohibited.

We can typically only shoot restricted and prohibited class arms at ranges which are licensed to shoot said arms there.

Although it's highly counter intuitive, some of us can actually own "prohibited" class, usually because we had a particular arm when it became so by a change in legislation, so we're grandfathered in.

Prohibited firearms are full auto and handguns which are chambered for .25 caliber or .32 caliber - so yes indeed a New Service or even a SAA in .25-20 or .32-20 became prohibited - as well as the little pocket pistols in .25 auto and .32 auto which were the initial target of the legislation.

No, it doesn't make any more sense as we proceed.

Restricted firearms are most other pistols and revolvers, as well as AR, AK or FNFAL variants. Any semi-automatic long arm can only have a capacity of 5 rounds, but there are exceptions so far, like Garands and SKS come to mind. Most rimfires are exempt as well.

It gets confusing however in that for instance a Galil is on the list as it's too close to an AK, but a Tavor is just fine and is non-restricted, as it a Mini-14. Most of us believe the list of long arms that made the restricted list were folks who were in advanced stages of hoplophobia - so anything black with a pistol grip made the list.

Any firearm over 26" long in total length - or actually a metric designation around there - that is not designed to be fired with one hand and is not a semi-automatic is not classed as "restricted". There used to be a barrel length designation attached to the definition, but that was dropped some time ago. We'll see 10" barrel side by side and over and under doubles which are interesting to be sure, but personally I find even the 14" barrel is quite a bit louder for the shooter than the 18½" barrel ones.

Lastly, I should note that this applies only to factory barreled arms however, so for instance in the photo, if I were to shorten the barrels of the Lakefield -Mossberg's to less than 18½" they would go into "prohibited" or be illegal.

That's the short version of it more or less and perhaps I've misplaced some details or am out and out wrong, so please nobody take this as the letter of the law.

If I can answer further, I'll do my best.

All the best again and good luck on your remaining hunts for sure.

Dwayne

I won a Mossberg 500 Tactical 12 gauge with the heat shield and extended magazine. It’s one hell of a weapon with buckshot. In close quarters, it’s all business!!

My son has moved on from the youth 870 20 gauge we bought him as a child. It is now the downstairs closet gun loaded with 00 buck and ready for any bears that may invite themselves in.

I have a short barreled Browning BPS that I like decently well for swinging in tight quarters. However, in an HD situation, I will always be reaching for an AR. More rounds and better at not breaking through walls.

In my understanding of Canadian law you have to be independently wealthy if you want to take a shot at someone, intruder or not, since you are almost guaranteed to end up in court. No castle doctrine here.

Jim

Thank you Dwayne,

I appreciate the write up. Sounds like you might actually have more options in pump action shotguns than we do down here.

Hopefully someday both of our nations can get our laws squared around to what they should be so a man doesn't need 4 years of law school in order to legally enjoy our firearms.

We have various insurance options down here.
It's something you might want to look into and see if anyone offers a similar product on you.

Is that an old C-More red dot sight?

This right here! I have an 870 and a Mossberg 500, and I prefer the 500 due to the tang safety. Every shotgun should have the safety on the tang, IMHO.

For something that will be used very little and collect dust I would go with Maverick 88 with long tube. The magazine tube length is important because that is a good way to mount combat light which you're going to need on HD shotgun.

I've thought about going that route as well. How's the recoil?

H&K Benelli Montefeltro Super 90 with a cut-down barrel. 12 gauge of course.




P

Anyone have any experience with a Bennelli Nova Tactical? Was looking at one and the sights looked first rate.

A 24" barreled Mossberg 930 gets the nod for use at home. It came with a rail on the forearm on which I hung a Streamlight TL-1 with remote switch. It has had several thousand rounds through it without a bobble, it has even cycled Winchester Universals that we're giving others extraction problems. I load it with a couple rounds of low recoil 00 buckshot followed by slugs as largish 4 legged pests can be as likely as two legged ones.

I switched from an 870 to a semi-auto as my wife shoots a semiauto and is much less likely to fumble using it. I have little concern regarding the barrel length as a long gun is better served for static defense than a house search, particularly by oneself. If I have to go looking I'll pick a pistol as it is much easier to use one handed and in tight quarters. It is pretty hard to open a door and keep a shotgun ready for a shot with one hand.

What to use and how to use it comes down to the individual and their particular circumstances. What works best for one individual in one instance may be totally wrong for someone else in another. It is really an example of getting some education in the matter and how one can adapt that information to their application. Greater knowledge and more thought will give one a better perspective on their needs.

Stop trying to sound like a shooter, go back to gobbling cock in the Greyhound station men's room, that's the only shot loads that interest you...

Yes. This is probably the best bang-for-your-buck home defense shotgun available. I still prefer the Beretta 1301 or the Benelli M2 or M4; however, as pumps go, the Nova or Super Nova Tactical are really tough to beat.

something smaller and maneuverable, preferably not too much recoil in case a woman needs to shoot it. I set us up a youth 870 20ga with mag extention, 7+1 and I have a shell holder on side. 000 buck.

Had one back in the day. Out of the many dozens of guns I have ever owned, if that one wasn't the highest ratio of perceived quality to price, it was close to the top. Very sturdy, well-conceived and manufactured gun. The sights were definitely first rate. A heavy gun, but for HD that's probably a plus. The "big" complaint at the time was that the forearms rattled, which gives you an idea of the nits that had to be picked to find a negative.

I've had the Benelli M1 Super 90 tactical shotgun for about ten years. No flies on it, either.

Any shotgun is a badass in a home defense situation. As a long time paramedic, I worked 14 cases of close range shotgun injury to the torso.
Well, one was to the neck, that was a .410
All the rest were 20 gauge or 12 gauge. All these were bird shot, number 8 or maybe number 6.
All 14 patients went to the morgue.

You bet. The precursor to the M2 and M4 and, when you find it, much more affordable.

This is my line of thinking as well. Anybody getting shot center mass with any shotgun at close range is not likely to be around to repeat stupid behavior.

I once shot a doe in the head at about 25ft with 12ga buckshot. What a mess that was.

My home defense shotgun is an AR 15

Fox 311 12ga SxS, 20" barrels.

Has been the "on the road" gun a few times where handguns weren't kosher. Breaks down/reassembles in moments, packs easily in luggage. Ya I know there's better choices but I just like it, and when it come to deterring bad guys prob'ly ain't much more effective than them staring into the business end of those two gaping muzzles.

Got a slug barrel for any of your shotguns? If so, there you go.

Terrible idea if you had neighbors or family in the house. Slugs don't stop for much!

My vote is Rem 870 in 20 gauge with high brass #6, I don't have to change shells for the problem critters. A load of #6 at close range is not something you wanna deal with.

Ask Joe Biden!!!! He knows what is best for all of us!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHZ7zXLvOkY

Why "12g of course" ?

This is certainly one of the best. Especially if there's a wife in the house.
Many (including myself) also like the Marlin Lever guns. They are handy in 38/357mag, 44 special/44mag, and 45 Colt.

Because I’m a man.



P

870 with a 10 round mag tube for 11 all up, don't need a light or anything else hanging off it, just a simple little green bead glowing back at me, load is 2-3/4" Winchester with 20 pellets of copper plated #1 buck, that said, it'd be the last thing I'd grab, REPR 308 or AR-15 with Lehigh's or 62gr TSX's first.

I didn't mean to shoot slugs, just that a slug barrel is much easier to swing in close quarters. They shoot buck shot or bird shot, too.

Gunner, why no light?


mike r

I have a chit ton of small lights on throughout this place at night, no one knows your place better than you, plus, I don't want anything leading back to me.

Cabelas has Remington 870 express youth 20 gauge for $249.00

Well said.

Maverick 8-shot at my place. $209

And the 4-shot 20 gauge 11/87 for when I am menstruating.

Only shotgun we have accessible for things that go thump in the night is a Mossberg 500 Yut Model 20 ga. Loaded with 2 3/4" #3 buck 5 in the mag and 1 chambered. Carries a butt stock shell holder with 6 more of the same. We're i to do up my personal idea of Best I'd locate an A-5 Browning 20 ga in sad shape, cut the barrel to 18 or 20, have it threaded for chokes, shorten the butt stock an inch with a good pad. Would load the same shells as in the Mossberg and install either a full or modified choke. Looking for damage not shot spread.

bought one of my departments "old" remington pump 12 ga. put a +2 on it cuz it was lying around collecting dust. filled it with "old" or left over duty rounds. Gwen and I hammer pest with it all year round. i prefer lead #2 or BB but it all kills.

if we didnt have it, we'd have Ed too many letters rem youth pump 20 with a 21" barrel, tubes, and remington #3 buck

Does anyone use Buck and ball for their Home Defense Shotguns? It's buckshot, and a slug in the same shell.

After Clinton got elected in 1994, there was an increase at gun stores called Clintonomics.
One joke was that any $100 shotgun could have a couple inches sawed off the muzzle, painted black, and sold for $150.

The market has spoken: a shotgun should be short, open cylinder choke, and black......... no front sight needed.

If you can get a shorter barrel for any of your sporting shotguns that will work fine. That said, I have a Maverick 88 12ga with a 20" barrel and extended magazine. I got a Crimson Trace laser on sale and mounted it just in front of the fore end. I load #4 buckshot.

I agree that under pressure situations a semi will be "more reliable" than a pump for most people.

Most inertia semis are not the best in unusual situations where the gun is not going to be held against the shoulder, as they cannot cycle properly.

So, best for HD would be a gas semi, short barrel, slightly shorter buttstock, extended mag tube. The Beretta 1301 is where it's at currently, but they are expensive.

If buying new on a budget, the Mossberg SA20 tactical version is awfully nice but I don't know if there is a mag extension available. Mossberg SA20 tactical

In the end, a braced AR pistol would be the better gun for home defense.

Any shotgun that shoots where you look.

I love my Benelli M1 Super 90. Short barrel, light and low recoil as the action is recoil actuated. Semi-auto, rifle sights and 12 gauge.

Put a light on it so you can make sure you don’t kill the dog and to blind bad guys.

I've accumulated a few candidates. L to R: Rem 870 12ga, Rem 870 12ga, Ithaca Deerslayer 12ga, Ithaca Deerslayer 12ga, Ithaca Featherweight 16ga. SO...I'd probably recommend an old Remington 870 or Ithaca 37

I don't, but do have two Brenekke KO slugs out back last in case a bit of range is needed.

Nice brace of 'blue whistler' slingers Mike.

I'm needing a home defense shotgun next year. I'm thinking Beretta A400 Extreme Max 5. Nothing is too good to keep my family safe from ducks and geese. I live in Mayberry, we don't have crime.

I get the gist, but sometimes 'crime' travels through Mayberry.

Yep, those are two great choices. Only problem is that Remington isn't quite Remington anymore. Not like it was when those were made. So, today, it's a bit of a crap shoot if you go with a new Remington. Might be better off buying a mechanically nice used one from twenty or so years ago.

Ithaca is also a new company, i.e., another company bought the name and design and is manufacturing them at a different location. But I hear they are doing a great job of it.

Case in point:

Modified 12 gauge 870 with Magpul stock set, Volquartsen extractor, Burris SpeedBead (3moa dot), Meprolight night sights and an extended and ported choke (worked the best). I chuck it full of the Federal 1 3/4" "shorty" load that has 15 - #4 buck in it. And I can fit a whole bunch of them in the extended magazine!

That's the way I went, specifically a standard Remington 870 Wingmaster but with an 18" cylinder bore barrel. Since age 14 I've been shooting an 1100 and it's an extension of my arm. The 870 has the exact same stock shape and mounts and points instinctively. No looking for sights to align or laser dots or whatever. I want to hit the bad guy as fast as a quail on the rise or a bunny dodging through brush.

I call it "Hall Monitor".

Is it reliable with the short shells?

Y'all boys ought to see what a load of 12 gauge birdshot does to a man's belly at range of 15 feet. There is a fallacy about shotguns, that the shot spread is so wide, that you don't even need to aim.
Of course most of y'all know this is not true, at inside-the-house range. At 15 feet, you get a hole about 1 1/4 inches in diameter. We called it a "rat hole" as the edges were all ragged, it looked like a hole that had been chewed by rats.

I worked 14 of these cases. One was not inside the house, it was two brothers, out hunting, had a .410, one brother was crossing a barbed wire fence, trigger got hung in the fence and hit his 14 year old brother in the neck, range 10 feet. Number 8 shot. Dead right there.
The other cases were inside the house.

Down in the South, most everybody keeps a loaded shotgun behind the door, loaded with bird shot. Might be a crow, or a squirrel, in the garden. Might be an owl is perching on the telephone wire at night, trying to eat your pet kittens. And, a gun might be needed for household defense.
So, black or white they all have a loaded shotgun nearby, loaded with bird shot, usually #8. I must say only one or two of my cases involved a break in, most of them were father vs. son, or girlfriend vs. boyfriend. It is 10 pm, the two people are drunk, an argument starts, and somebody grabs the shotgun and fires a shot.

Never saw somebody shot twice, never saw buckshot used. I would imagine that whatever #8 shot would do, buckshot would do even better.
At any rate, these 13 cases of inside-the-house shotgun injuries, most of the patients were Dead Right There. Some of them, we got them alive to the ER, but they never made it to ICU. I worked over 200 GSW in my career, I saw people hit with a .357 magnum, I saw a guy get his leg blown off with a 7mm mag, [he lived], but the close range shotgun was the deadliest weapon I ever saw.

We had one case that I thought would break my record. This guy was shot in the adjacent county, which was really backwards and had even a smaller ER than mine did. This pt. was a giant, 6 foot 4 black guy, worked 12 hours a day cutting pulpwood. This guy was about 225, solid muscle and about 27 years old. Looked like he was ready to play for the Falcons.
See, a young healty pt. is harder to kill, than an old sick patient.

So this guy was shot in the adjacent county, and their EMS had brought him to our county. And my little hospital couldn't handle him, so we were transferring him to the big city of Macon Ga. I was attending. The guy had been shot 12 hours earlier. His girlfriend gave him a load of #8s in the belly from 12 gauge, right in the living room range 10 feet.
When we went to pick him up in ICU, he was conscious and alert, to my astonishment. I had never seen anybody survive such a wound for over 30 minutes.
We took him over to the Medical Center of Macon, I was talking to him the whole way, guy sounded like a blues song, "Damn I wish that girl hadn't shot me..." Apparently she thought he had another girlfriend.

I thought for sure this guy would break my record. I called the Medical Center the next morning, the guy died the night before at midnight from kidney failure.

So, if you want the result of the break in at your house to be a dead bad guy, shoot him in the torso with a shotgun.

I have a 1100 with a magazine extension, 18” barrel. I can fire 8 shots right quick if I need to.

Masad Ayoob related a tale of a home invader struck with birdshot, dunno the range, the perp lived but as disfigured and blinded for life. His appearance was so awful that he was able to successfully sue the homeowner in Civil Court.

I don't ordinarily keep a shotgun for home defense but if I did it would probly be 12 or 20 (I have both) loaded with OO buck.

I know pumps would be good but I don't shoot these much, OTOH I'm very familiar with break-open doubles. I might short-stroke a pump under stress but I could get two shots for sure with a double.

Helluva welcome wagon!

Shooting shot in a rifled barrel can cause doughnut patterns, so it is something to consider a lot of time on a pattern board.

True, but I don't think he's referring to a rifled barrel. A slug barrel usually just means a short barrel, with a cylinder bore, and rifle type sights, meant to be used primarily with Foster slugs.

Running 870’s all my life, so the choice for me was an 870 police model, added a buttstock that holds extra rounds, and a light in the forearm. Stoke it with 4 buck and slugs. Not heavy, slim and trim, and I can run it like a machine gun in my sleep, almost. The GSD sleeping by the door will buy me the time to be awake and ready, then bump in the night is in deep kimchi with me awake and stalking it with that gun in my hands, and that dog all over it. Especially after I roll that CS canister down the hall... Keeps the miscreants from finding the door to escape!😂

The advantage of pump is low price plus reliability. The twelve gauge allows user to select very fine "tactical" (lower velocity/lower recoil) loads. Both slug and buck shot are readily from several manufacturers. Those are not available in 20 ga and may not work in semi-auto firearms. For HD the 12ga pump gun is the obvious choice. In Canada wonderful affordable and low maintenance model is Hasan "Marine" pump action shotgun. In USA it's available under Dickinson name.

So far so good. I put a Wolff extra power magazine spring in it and as long as I keep chuggin, it keeps shooting.

Son keeps his youth 870 20 gauge near the front door when he is stationed in the U.S. My home defense shotgun identifies as an AR. Frankly, any of the options above beat getting caught empty-handed.