Back in the days of gangs of bankrobbers roaming the country my uncle got kidnapped to serve as the getaway driver for one of thos gangs. He was 12. The cops shoot to kill the driver if they follow a getaway car because you get all the bad guys if you take out the driver so the gang used someone they didn't care about to drive. They picked a young kid apparently because they believed a kid would take more drastic steps to stay alive and was likely to have really good reflexes.

My uncle escaped from the gang by crawling out the window of a gas station bathroom. He made his way back home. The gang knew where he lived and they wanted him back. He was a trained and proven driver.

They came to the farm looking for him. They parked a the bottom of the hill near my grandparent's home about 50 yards away I guess. My grandmother came out of the house to confront them. She told them my uncle was inside and so was grandpa and grandpa had a shotgun. Most likely it was a single shot given the time period and the guns farmers owned.

She told them they could go in after my uncle but they could be sure that all of them would not come back out. They thought it over and they left the farm.

A shotgun will scare the living daylights out of anyone with a brain. If one intruder gets shot by one it is very unlikely any more will want the same treatment.

I've switched from a 5+1 Remington 870 to an AR for HD these days. 30 rounds in a hurry will deal even with the gang of drug dealers that live up the hill from me and don't like me at all. One threatened to kill me at least 30 times one day. But they know I'm heavily armed and I practice shooting - a lot. I give a demonstration of what is in store for them in case they ever decide to rush my house. I have a safe zone where I will be hiding. There is a kill zone they will have to go through to get to me. I will be protected by several large appliances lined up in a row. I will have just enough room to fire at anyone that appears in my sights.

They can steal everything I own. I can buy more stuff. But I will protect the lives of my wife and myself. I have a grade A watch dog too so sneaking up won't be easy. He barks a lot if someone approaches our house in the woods which is off by itself. I chose an AR because there is a wall of dirt behind my kill zone and a mile of hillside to the nearest house that direction.

A good plan makes up for liabilities with equipment. I used to count on a shotgun in the same plan but there are a lot of those thugs up the hill and who knows what might come up.