Busting myths and serving up helpful tips for home defense shotgun beginners (and for those who already think they have it all figured out)
by Paul G. Markel
To be honest, I must admit that when I hear friends and acquaintances say, “I bought a home defense shotgun,” I cringe a bit waiting for them to follow that up with, “because you can’t miss with a shotgun.” Not to judge too harshly, but the defensive shotgun has so many myths and misunderstandings attached to it that I have developed what you might call a “mental flinch” reflex when the subject comes up.
For my part, I have been using a fighting shotgun in some form or fashion since enlisting in the Marine Corps in 1987. Before you call BS, I was in the Security Forces Battalion, and we indeed carried loaded shotguns everyday as a part of our protective assignment. After leaving active duty the first time, I went through the Police Academy and was given a more thorough education regarding “patrol shotguns.” Yes, when I became a cop, every patrol car or cruiser was equipped with a 12-gauge shotgun. The “patrol rifle” was not yet a thing.
The Tactical Sledgehammer
When we consider the home defense shotgun, I like to refer to it as a “tactical sledgehammer” when discussing this with my students and those who are thinking about purchasing one. Although it is a long gun, we don’t choose the shotgun because the target is distant. We choose it because we want to stop the deadly threat as fast as possible.
Say you needed to break a cinder block into small pieces. You could do so with a claw hammer, but it would take much longer than if you just used a 10-pound sledgehammer. As good as your handgun and ammunition are, they will never have the kinetic power that a single round of 00 buckshot or a 1-ounce slug have.
Shotgun Mythology
If history has shown us anything, it is that firearms mythology is hard to combat. For instance, “You can’t miss with a shotgun.” That myth has been around since I was in short pants. I would venture to say that no one who has ever tried their hand at Trap or Skeet has said such a thing, yet folks who own shotguns but don’t train with shotguns do.
During the Covid Plandemic, I had an acquaintance tell me that he went out and bought a shotgun for home defense, just in case. I asked how he liked it, assuming he’d taken it to the range. To that he responded, “I haven’t shot it. I loaded it and put it in the closet.” He further explained to me that, “I’m not stupid. I can shoot it. Besides, you can’t miss with a shotgun.”
Listen…shotguns are not fragmentation grenades. You can miss with a shotgun. Sometime in the early 1990s, an instructor explained to my class that, “The average 00 buckshot load will spread out ½ to 1 inch per yard it travels from a cylinder bore shotgun.” Friends, if you take a shot inside your house, how many yards away do you think the cracked-out felon will be? A ten-yard shot inside a house is a LONG shot, more likely it will be 3-5 yards. That translates to a group of buckshot no larger than 3 to 5 inches across.
You can miss with a shotgun.
Since our readership has an above average IQ level, I will not spend much time on the “Just rack the shotgun and the burglar will run away” insane nonsense. Expecting one or more cracked-out home invaders, who seconds earlier kicked in your front door, to recognize the sound of you working the slide action on a shotgun in your bedroom doorway and be afraid of it is a leap that Evel Knievel wouldn’t try.
Training with a Shotgun
Let’s go back to the ownership versus user discussion. Those who excel with shotguns train and practice with them. One of the biggest myths or misunderstandings about shotguns is that they are a beginner’s tool because they are so easy to shoot that you don’t need to train or practice with them. While a pump (slide) action shotgun is not a complicated tool, if you expect to be able to use it effectively under the stress of a deadly force scenario, training and regular practice are essential.
I’ve been teaching humans to use small arms for 30-plus years now and one of the most enjoyable or fun, if you will, courses that we put on are our fighting shotgun classes. I have participated in numerous shotgun training classes. One of the most memorable shotgun courses was at Gunsite Academy in December when it snowed over six inches in two days. We blasted away at steel targets while fat snowflakes fell. It was amazing.
American men have this weird mental block where they think that they “are good enough” or “don’t need to train” with a shotgun. I’ve spoken with numerous other firearms trainers and the responses are uniformly the same — attendance at shotgun classes is always low, but everyone who shows up has a great time. That has been our experience at Student of the Gun University. Our Martial Application of the Shotgun attendance is light, but everyone who shows up thoroughly enjoys themselves AND they learn things that they never expected to learn.
The Best Home Defense Shotgun?
People ask, what is the best home defense shotgun? That’s a loaded question (pause for laughter). Seriously, there are numerous reputable manufacturers out there. Mossberg is likely the leader in the USA for the pump-action shotgun with their Model 500/590. Remington used to be the king with their Model 870, but financial problems and poor company leadership of the past have had their consequences. Beretta and Benelli are the leaders when it comes to semi-auto guns. Last winter, I put some 300-400 rounds through the Beretta 1301 and A300 at an event. They ran like champs, even with low-brass. I’ve been shooting Benelli guns for decades.
Much to the chagrin of the traditional manufacturers, the Turkish-made clones that are being imported into the United States are really good as compared to 15 years ago when they were really bad. The MAC 1014 Turkish-made Benelli clone from Military Armament Corporation is amazing and costs less than half the price.
Ammo for Home Defense
For over 100 years, American law enforcement has used 12-gauge fighting shotguns in thousands of lethal force encounters and in no case did departments or agencies ever say, “You know what? That 00 buckshot is too powerful. We should use birdshot instead.”
For the fighting shotgun, we use 00 buckshot or slugs. That’s it. For training and practice, we use birdshot to reduce the cost. Slugs and buckshot are about a dollar-plus per shot. Right now, birdshot is averaging 30-35 cents a shot.
Buy your fighting ammunition from reputable makers like Federal, Winchester, and Hornady. Next, go out and get some training and practice regularly.
