If all you had to choose for your home defense was a 12 gauge hunting(Average barrel length was 24"-28") shotgun and an 1860 army black powder revolver. What would you choose, personally I haven't heard too much on keeping a loaded black powder revolver around the house versus a 12 gauge shotgun with 000 buck. I don't have a lot of money to buy myself something I would consider excellent for home defense.
But if you had both guns(like I do, I have 2x 12 gauge shotguns, one with a shorter adjustable choke barrel, and one with a slightly longer barrel and modified choke), what would you prefer to use in a home-defense SHTF situation? The black powder revolver will hit anything you aim at under 25 yards as long as you aim a little low in order to accommodate the fixed sights that are set at 75 yards. If I had the money, I'd use the 460 S&W revolver I plan on buying, but since I don't have the money, I have those two choices.
My Winchester 1300 with the longer barrel and modified choke does happen to have a tru-glo sight, and would probably be better in low-light situations, but thats why you can carry a small 12 LED flashlight and the revolver.
12 ga. gets my vote. black powder guns are sort of reliable but there is a good reason that they were replaced with more modern technology. the .460 would not be a good choice either unless you are in big bear country. you don't want to shoot thru the bad guy, the walls of your house and your neighbor's house too.
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Last edited by blaster; 08-26-2009 at 08:50 AM.
Reason: confusing text
And to be honest, depending on what brand of 12ga., if one is available, I'd get myself an 18" barrel and just swap the barrel out, back from the 18" whenever I went hunting otherwise the 18" stays on...
Having an 18" barrel on rather then the 24" or 28" will give you that much more maneuverability.
Or just buy yourself on of them there Mossberg JIC's (Just In Case) shotguns? Or a new .357. magnum revolver, if you can? If money is tight, just start saving. It's what I had to do and did. If you want something bad enough, you will find a way to save for it.
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Last edited by GlockMeister; 08-26-2009 at 08:57 AM.
well definitly shotgun. i would choose #6 shot, a good peppering, especially the face will give the goblin something to think about while you rack in another. why #6, since you did not mention what sort of domicial you live in or if you have munchkins. buckshot may penetrate walls and hit a loved one.
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Your Winny 1300 will get the job done and do it very well if called upon to protect you, your family and property.
I'd like to mention theres some realatively cheap shotguns on the market with 18" to 20" barrels.
They being Mossberg Maverick 88 security 12ga. 18.5" barrel and H&R Pardner pump action with 18" barrel and there's a couple more I've found that I don't remember the brand.
All can be bought for under $200.00. If your interested in buying one of these short barreled cannons take my advice and buy an 18" barreled shotgun.
I bought my son a very nice Mossberg 590 Police/Military shotgun that has a 20 inch barrel. He's a Cop.
believe it or not that extra 2" is a handicap when your in tight situation's manuvering through hallways and entering doorways...Shorter is better.
As much as I love black powder firearms I would vote for the shotgun, for the reasons cited in the above posts. Also loads in BP revolvers can "weaken" over time. Andy
for home defence i would go with the shotgun. if you checkout academy sports they have a nice mossberg in there and it even come with a pistol grip stock and a regular stock for under 300.00. the shotgun is nice because of two reasons 1 is you can get a nice spread and it will cover more area than a single round from a pistol or rifle would and two if there is multiple intruders in your house i think after the first shot and seeing thier buddy hit the wall or floor right after a massive explosion and muzzle flash i think they will take off runnin "i would" . it's always better to shoot the least amount of people in your house because the cops don't clean up the mess you do and thats gonna be alot of blood and guts to clean if you pop 3 or 4 guys in your livin room.
Not to say the old Colt wouldn't dissuade someone from doing harm (because they are potent people poppers) but the 12 gauge will do just as much, and then some, and will do that more accurately, reliably and at a longer range.
I have read posts where people have gone to great lengths to make their BP guns reliable (such as putting rubber seals around the caps and nipples and wax sealing the mouths of the chambers) but I can imagine this is only for a very specific situation and a 12 gauge is not an option. Unless you live in a hobbit house and the 12 won't fit inside, I would relegate the Colt to shooting bunnies and soda pop cans.
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tommy thanks for mentioning Academy Sports. I bought my Maverick 88 Security shotgun with 18.5" barrel from them for $189.99. That was $1.00 cheaper then I could of got it at my friends Pawn and Gun store LOL...And they were the only place in my part of America that had one !
Another thing Academy also had the Mossberg 500's with 18.5" and 20" barreled shotguns on there shelves where others did'nt.
extra shotgun bbls are almost as expensive as another gun. I would use the shorter bbl with the adjustable choke as open as possible.
No, not really. I paid under $80 bucks for the 18 1/2" security barrel for my Mossberg model 500. And yes, some other barrels can go for about $200. Other barrels for other models of Mossy's at Mossberg.com, FOR EXAMPLE, are listed for like $163 and change.
But just buying a barrel basically gives you a second gun. And unless you buy a used shotgun or a bottom of the barrel when it comes to brand, you will pay more then $163 bucks.
Granted, for some brands, another barrel are and can get expensive. But that was why I said depending on what brand and model they had, it MIGHT be worth looking into? I'm not sure how expensive, or inexpensive, barrels are for Winchester model 1300's?
To me, still cheaper then another shotgun? And I'm sure if that is the model he has and wold need a shorter barrel for, if he went that route, they might find one for even cheaper then $205. The links above were from the first site I picked when I did the search.
And one of the Mossberg JIC shotguns can be had for under $400. While a Charles Daly can be had for around $300...
__________________ "My next door neighbors two dogs have created more shovel ready jobs then Obama has." - Gary Johnson
Last edited by GlockMeister; 08-26-2009 at 05:13 PM.
^ I paid $230 for my Win 1300 new in the box and $200 for my Rem. 870 wingmaster (used) I realize that prices have gone up since 1985 but I guess the cheap skate in me won't justify the cost.
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