Originally posted by mbTDI:
I disagree... I do have Remington 12ga, though I have slugs in it rather than buckshot (can't use the buckshot on the range), but fwiw, I prefer my Smith & Wesson .45 for home defense. Its much more mobile than my 870, I can keep it on the stand next to my bed, or even under my pillow if I'm feeling paranoid enough, rather than in a closet or under my bed.



Well see, now we're getting into interpretations of what we would do in the pursuit of "home defense". And that's OK...it varies from person to person. My goal, in my house at this time, would be simply to secure my loved ones in a defendable location, i.e. between our bed and the exterior wall, where the bed is between us and the door, call for help on a cellphone, and keep a weapon trained on the bedroom door or down the stairwell, depending. Anyone who appears in that doorway who hasn't already called out that they're cops (especially if there aren't flashing blue lights outside and/or dispatcher confirmation on the phone) dies. The end.

Other people need or want to be able to move through the household, maybe to get to their children or to protect something of particular value. In that case, a handgun might well be the better option. And I know of people who've got lots of land to cover, and they want to have a rifle on hand in case they need to engage a target at a distance.

But those are questions that you have to work out in your own mind before deciding that X or Y is the best tool for you.

"Think of it, if you like, as a librarian with a G-string under the tweed." Clarkson on the Mondeo.