20 GA for home defense, is it enough?

[StatesRightist]

On another forum in a thread discussing 20 vs 12 a poster stated that for his defensive 20 gauge shotgun he exclusively used slugs and nothing else.

I pm'ed him for an expansion on his statement but received no reply.

Can anyone provide a line of reasoning for using only slugs?

There is no line of "logic." It's silliness, in the home you are asking for over penetration and killing bystanders. You can also get your neighbor if you are in a cramped neighborhood. Slugs are for beyond buckshot ranges when it comes to self defense, unless you own a mansion, buckshot etc is the way to go. No birdshot as well, it's been proven ineffective. JMO.

 

[mtheo]

In 1974 I bought my first defensive shotgun. It was an 870 decked out w/ a 20"rifle sighted barrel, an extended tube, a sling and a pistol grip Remington folding stock. I later bought a police trade-in just like it to keep in the office in my shop. "00" buck was my favorite fodder. I practiced shooting large squares of cardboard for pattern. I even practiced shooting clayes (bird shot mind you.)

Over time I decided to lose the slings... They just seemed fumbley and I didn't walk any distance with these guns.
I later bought two Choate synthetic stocks for them as the pistol grips seemed to no advantage and unfolding the stock was just another action that had to come before pulling the trigger. The Choates were also a lot easier on my shoulders.

A few more years and especially shooting clayes convinced me to lose the extended tubes for a lighter easier "snatch to the ready."

Over time I had actually "reverse tacticooled" both of my shotguns.

Rotator cuff and hand problems had me thinking of finding something with less recoil. I bought a used 870 Express youth model 20 gauge with a 20" ramped barrel and a huge aluminum bead. Compared to the 12 gauge models I love the carbine like weight and smaller size. I will agree that with the lighter weight there is still quite a bit of recoil. I'm thinking that with the shorter 11" pull, ramped barrel and big aluminum bead this gun was designed to be easier on the "newbies". I find the gun a lot more pleasant to practice with than the 12's. I quite like the patterning of the 3 buck (2-3/4") with the modified choke. Slugs seem to perform quite adequately from the modified choke if not a little more accurately than the 12 guage slugs out of the 20" cylinder bore barrels.

 

[YogiBear]

Aloha,

At a LGS, I found 2 cut down Browning Citoris, 12 and 20. Thought too

long about it and when I wnet back to buy both only the 20 was left. I bought it for the Wife.

Photo shows HER Winchester 357, Ruger 243 and Browning Citori.

Just for fun I shot a round of skeet with it. I'm really bad.
Only could hit in/out at station 7.

 

[Nanook 450]

There's not much discussion here about pump versus semi-auto. I bought 20 gauge pumps for my kids and watched them get the **** kicked out of them. Sold the pumps and bought Benelli Montefeltros - they shoot them well. I think a 20 ga 3 in 1 5/16oz #4 would be fine if they needed to use their shotguns for personal defense. I prefer my Benelli Super Black Eagle with 3-1/2 inch turkey loads. Either would kill any kind of problem "turkey" with ease.

 

[Joe Kent]

Fellow Forum member, Leroy Thompson, has written several articles on the use of 20ga shotguns in both law enforcement and home defense. One of my favorites was an article that I believe was titled "Twenty's Plenty" in one of the gun mags. I personally think that a short barrelled 20ga. Remington Model 1100 with a magazine extension is one of the handiest home defense shotguns made. It handles much like an M1 Carbine or a Mini 14. Mine is loaded with #3buck and slugs.

 

[Goldstar225]

Several years back I obtained authorization for one of my female officers to carry a personally owned remington 870 youth model 20 gauge. The issue shotgun, a 12 gauge 870, with a full length stock and with the full power loads we used was too much for her. She handled and shot the 20 gauge quite competently using 2 3/4" #3 buck and was far better armed than with a handgun alone.

Our course of fire at the time was 6 rounds of buck, 3 rounds at 25 yards and 3 rounds at 15. With the 12 gauge we had a max possible of 54 pellets on target. You should have seen the instructors face when he checked her target and saw 120 hits!

 

[MP22]

I feel it's more than enough. Whether you use buck or bird shot...it will do the job.