jkh@ucbjade.BERKELEY.EDU (Jordan K. Hubbard) (10/24/85)
I just discovered this newsgroup and am quite surprised (pleasantly). My own preference for home protection is a 12 or 20 ga. pump shotgun. I own two .45 auto's and dislike them for several reasons; primarily because I don't think they lend themselves to easy use under stress. The pump shotgun, on the other hand, necessitates two hands, is easier to point and is more intimidating. it is also harder to wrest from your possession, making it less likely that you will end up a victim. Bruce Jones
jkh@ucbjade.BERKELEY.EDU (Jordan K. Hubbard) (11/06/85)
Article: 11:2 Someone commented that a shotgun is a clumsy weapon for self defense, and that it doesn't obviate aiming well at close range as commonly supposed. Both points are true. But a shotgun does offer an advantage: it won't penetrate walls etc. and/or ricochet to the extent a handgun or assault rifle will. #4 buckshot is relatively safe in that respect, yet destructive enough to do the job at close range. (27 lead balls each .24 inch at 1200 fps). As far as the pattern being insufficiently wide, I believe it's best to tighten the pattern as much as possible. I use super full choke (custom fitted) on my police shotgun. This gives a deadly pattern (about 2-3 inches) at in-house ranges and an adequate pattern out to 35 yards or so (#00 is more suitable at long range). If you get shot at from beyond that distance you have no excuse to do anything but hide!