Your night stand gun....

[oldmetlfan]

Well, yes, and no. The shorter the barrel, the better it will spread, but the truth is in most homes, an 18" shotgun barrel shooting 00 Buck or even bird shot down the hallway of an average home is only going to spread a few inches. You still have to be as precise with a shotgun as you would a rifle. I think most people have a better "point and shoot" ability with a long gun than a handgun, however, but then again there's always the argument as to which one you're going to be able to pull and shoot the fastest. I could see a debate going back and forth forever on this topic.

I chose the best of both worlds (in my own opinion, of course): Taurus Judge .410/45 revolver w/ a 2.5" rifled barrel. It's about as close to a point-n-shoot shotgun that I could find. The rifling on the barrel helps to spread the shot (about a 5' pattern from my bedroom to the end of the hallway where the only entry to my house would be) and I have it loaded with defensive .410 ammo in the first 2 chambers for quick shots followed by hollow point 45 Long Colt rounds just in case more rounds are needed. I do have a semi-auto 9mm handgun and a traditional HD shotgun w/ an extended tube for more capacity within a few feet as well, but the Judge would be the first one that I grab.

As for as lights and lasers, don't need them. My security system will turn on every light in my house if tripped, and I have a battery backup in case of power loss, and I still have a tactical flashlight close to my bed just in case. I wouldn't have any problems seeing what I'm shooting.

JINX!!!

 

[brad sweet]

Dang, what you t

its actually a 900 lumen

 

[Lobo1]

Well, yes, and no. The shorter the barrel, the better it will spread, but the truth is in most homes, an 18" shotgun barrel shooting 00 Buck or even bird shot down the hallway of an average home is only going to spread a few inches. You still have to be as precise with a shotgun as you would a rifle. I think most people have a better "point and shoot" ability with a long gun than a handgun, however, but then again there's always the argument as to which one you're going to be able to pull and shoot the fastest. I could see a debate going back and forth forever on this topic.

I chose the best of both worlds (in my own opinion, of course): Taurus Judge .410/45 revolver w/ a 2.5" rifled barrel. It's about as close to a point-n-shoot shotgun that I could find. The rifling on the barrel helps to spread the shot (about a 5' pattern from my bedroom to the end of the hallway where the only entry to my house would be) and I have it loaded with defensive .410 ammo in the first 2 chambers for quick shots followed by hollow point 45 Long Colt rounds just in case more rounds are needed. I do have a semi-auto 9mm handgun and a traditional HD shotgun w/ an extended tube for more capacity within a few feet as well, but the Judge would be the first one that I grab.

As for as lights and lasers, don't need them. My security system will turn on every light in my house if tripped, and I have a battery backup in case of power loss, and I still have a tactical flashlight close to my bed just in case. I wouldn't have any problems seeing what I'm shooting.

I see your point on the pattern and the time to pull and shoot between the shotgun and a handgun. But that few inches of spread is a lot bigger than the 1/4 inch diameter of an average bullet.

 

[timbgtm]

View attachment 504500
its actually a 900 lumen

I was going to say, you could give them a sun burn with that.

 

[brad sweet]

I see your point on the pattern and the time to pull and shoot between the shotgun and a handgun. But that few inches of spread is a lot bigger than the 1/4 inch diameter of an average bullet.

here is the other side to that ..if someone is in the house and you dont know where the possibility of that person taking it from you is greater than that of a pistol

 

[brad sweet]

I was going to say, you could give them a sun burn with that.

its blindingly bright

 

[Lobo1]

Total bs. You do need to aim.
At best, you might be 20 feet away, unless you have a mansion.
The spread will probably be in the neighborhood of 3- 4 inches when it hits the target.
The advantage of a shotgun is multiple trauma points that will usually severely slow down an intruder even if you don't hit a vital organ.

If you will go back and re-read my comment you will see that I never said you don't need to aim a shotgun. I said you don't have to aim the shotgun dead on target. (Like you do a handgun). The 3-4 inch spread you mentioned in your comment is a whole lot bigger than the 0 inch spread of the 1/4 inch width of your average hand gun bullet. I was responding to heystranger's comment where he said he wasn't good with a handgun.
I do agree with you about the advantage of a shotgun giving multiple trauma points severely slow down an intruder if you don't hit a vital organ. But that 3-4 inch spread gives someone who isn't good with a handgun a lot better chance of hitting that intruder and /or that vital organ.

 

[Lobo1]

here is the other side to that ..if someone is in the house and you dont know where the possibility of that person taking it from you is greater than that of a pistol

Good point well taken.

 

[sheep dog]

I have read too many accounts of people shooting their kids, spouse, or other non threatening people "thinking" its a "bad guy" because they do not have a flashlight to identify the target and just shoot in the dark. Ya gotta see what you are shooting. Lasers are optional, flashlights are a MUST imo. Not necessarily on the pistol but def next to it.

 

[brad sweet]

I have read too many accounts of people shooting their kids, spouse, or other non threatening people "thinking" its a "bad guy" because they do not have a flashlight to identify the target and just shoot in the dark. Ya gotta see what you are shooting. Lasers are optional, flashlights are a MUST imo. Not necessarily on the pistol but def next to it.

just for the shear survivor standpoint..having a flashlight within arms reach is a must with or with out a gun