I can only answer for myself. I have always kept my pump shotguns in condition #2. That's a full tube, empty chamber. My shotgun has been dry fired, safety off. As far as giving away my location, I'm not concerned. Whether it's a wayward moose, or an intruder I will be screaming non-pleasantries at the top of my lungs telling them to depart anyways. My shotgun isn't the sniff around the house gun. It is the barricade weapon or a weapon that is to be deployed when an active threat has been determined.
To my chagrin, the state that I currently qualify for states the sound of a racking shotgun and the size of the bore as an asset due to the tremendous level of intimidation. While I don't deny that factually, I think Officers should be trained that if that shotgun is racked, or pointed in, it is one hundred percent for the business of stopping, not an audio or visual deterrent.
Despite entering my fifties, I still don't find the shotgun to be particularly unwieldy. Maybe just because I'm used to it over the decades? In a professional capacity, I see officer's of all shapes and sized qualify with a shotgun to a reasonable level. To be fair, most of those shotguns had a 14" bbl., one shot extension, and a Knoxx recoiling adjustable stock. In a personal capacity, I know my wife and daughter have a difficult time managing my 870. My son is a big, strapping strong lad, and even he appears....awkward with my pump shotguns. Could be just an unfairly critical perception?
And the wisdom of lightening a shotgun comes into question as well. The lighter it gets the heavier the recoil. I do think they handle much better with a short tube, rather than a long tube. In one of the most interesting books on the defensive shotgun I've come across "Halloway's Raiders" it chronicles several years of the Houston PD with a stakeout squad assigned shotguns throughout a decade or more. The exact numbers escape me, but the greatest majority of hardened criminals were killed with a single shot. a small number required two shots. an excruciatingly small number required three. In any case, the juice may not always be worth the squeeze with the extended tubes. It's not so much the overall weight, but where the weight is hanging. Bearing in mind, this is very subjective.
My solution is that the shotgun is mine. My wife has a 9mm carbine on her side. My son's home defense weapon choice is insanely over the top. Too embarrassing to go into specifics, but he looks like a Balkan war criminal with it. I do reiterate to all family members who COULD end up using my shotgun it is a barricade weapon, and I'm sure they practice it's use. We try to resist the temptation of creeping around the house and shop, opening doors, managing dogs, using the other hand with a flashlight, etc. with a shotgun in hand. It is to remain in a secure room with family members and be utilized if an attacker crosses that threshold.
I hope that satisfies at least some modicum of curiosity. I'm a huge advocate of the shotgun and largely disagree with it's naysayers, but I'll pontificate more profoundly in those regards some other time.
