Kingruv

Draconis,


I may as well empty the loose change from my pockets also.
I haven’t counted it so I would ask you add it to the dollars that Crompsin and Greg have already put to your education. (those were some prime powerful refried beans Crompsin)

In short where this goes I think is the KISS principle. I have considered a side by side double coach gun in 12 gauge as has been suggested. One reason I have not done this is a single past experience from a warm summer night about 25+ years ago.
I was confronted by the prospect of 5 guys. 2 of which I had seen had handguns, one which was getting out of their car with the gun in his hand. My closest gun was my 870 with a light mounted on the action.
It was about 11:30 pm and my apartment was dark if looking from the outside. It was a single apartment over a store. Only one way in from the outside and that was up the stairs.
I had all the advantages except time. By the time I had my 870 in hand (about 10 seconds) the guy with his revolver in hand was up 5 of 25 steps. I stood on the deck and racked a #000 buck round in the chamber which got them all to quit laughing and look up. What they were able to see was the lower half of my 870 from the light shining down the barrel toward them.
The guy on the front passenger side of the car yelled first, “SHOTGUN”. The guy coming up the steps stared for what seemed like an eternity and probably lasted 2 seconds, did not stop as I had demanded, he jumped over the railing and fell, rolling as he went.
One of the others I heard yelling “it isn’t him man, it isn’t him, we got the wrong place!” All of them piling back in the car, the last one through the window as the driver tried to back out quick. I have no idea what happened on there end, but ended ok on what could have been entirely chaos.
AS in, what if I had been coming out the door when he was coming in with his revolver at waist level. I think we both would have probably fired and it is almost certain he would have been immediately dead and I would have at least been seriously gut shot.
I say I think we both probably would have, because I know if he were that close when I stepped in the door I would have fired without hesitation.
I have had other confrontations including a few in Greg’s beloved Pinelands. A few of these were simple mistakes during hunting seasons, though one was almost fatal when I was spotted because of my carelessness trying to retrieve a piece of dropped gear and thought to be a burglar. (then I was the one hearing a shell being racked)
I bring this all up to this point. I think the gun is important, but it is part of the equation that is, or should, be a known factor. So I say Greg’s point is exactly right; reduce down the variables where the gun is concerned.
A break action gun is simple but more difficult to load under stress. To reload, the gun has to be lowered and made inoperative for at least 2 to 3 times longer than a pump gun being charged. So my pick is the 870 with a light. A Surefire slide replacement is worth the investment.

Now here are my pennies and nickels.

For the gun you do buy.
1. Try before you buy if possible.
2. There are more 12 gauge loads than any other, 20’s being second.
3. I would hesitate buying a used police (or most others as well) pump unless it was checked out and warrantee was given by the seller for 90 days.
4. One of the first things I look at on a used gun and NEW gun after looking down the bore and checking the action is trying to inspect the firing pin face. I purchased a new Ruger revolver many years ago that had a chipped firing pin face. I typically go over a gun with the dealer before leaving with it so I know he can see any flaws I do in case it becomes an issue later. A bad firing pin at worst can puncture the primer giving serious eye injury among other bad results. We were both shocked that the gun could get out of the factory this way. I have never taken this for granted since. One friend of mine about 10 years later had a nasty splinter from the wrist of the stock blown into his eye on a Savage break action, 20 gauge by the same problem. This isn’t common at all, but it does happen.
5. Make sure if you only have one barrel that it is Cylinder bore. That is NO choke. Or if it is a nice one with screw in chokes that you have a cylinder bore sleeve.
6. Make sure the gun has a booklet for takedown and cleaning. If not, there are better guides available. Buy one.
7. Do buy birdshot…… and buckshot, and as Crompsin said, there are many other types of rounds available. Buy enough to test them of a large sheet of paper such as a man sized silhouette with a sheet of cardboard behind it. Test fire these at various distances from short to long. (5 to 50 feet)
8. Take a photo of your gun with emphasis on the serial number and manufacturers stamp. Record it on paper and your warranty card. Keep the pics in a safe place in the event the gun is stolen.
Before you leave the range, fire one high-power shell without hearing protection to find out what you might be hearing and realize firing inside super-intensifies that blast pressure on your eardrums. Also if safely doable, try firing at low light levels and completely dark. If you haven’t, it’s an eye-opener. If you come to confrontation in your home, you’ll likely be facing these conditions if you have to pull the trigger.

Part 2

Your dwelling.
If you’re a grad student I’m guessing you may be a renter.
This certainly changes your options if so.
Earlier I had mentioned living in an apartment over a store (built post WWII).
It was in a mixed commercial/industrial area and at night there were few people around outside that could have been hit. Your situation I know is probably very different.
1. Survey yourself. Make an assessment. Take time to survey and map out the outer environs. This is more likely to save your life or the life of others from fire than anything else so this is not a waste of time anyway. Take paper and pencil and draw out, write down what you see. Then go back and take pictures to see what you missed. Who or what is along the way? How far in distance from your door to your transport, in feet and in seconds? Learn to know who your neighbors are and who their visitors are. Get a good look without being too obvious. If they are a target for victimization it increases your risk as well. (if they are a risk, drop them a hint.) Everyone is vulnerable going and coming out of the door.
2. Surveil yourself. Go through what you learned in No. 1 and check it out like you were looking to do you in. Learn what you can at different times of day and differing conditions. What do people see when they see you coming and going. Get someone you can trust, that knows you and have them go through the motions of being you, going to and from, into and out of your place. If you have observable windows, have them go through your place with the lights on, with windows and doors in various states and conditions, opening closing windows, doors blinds, lights on and off. Don’t be too obvious. But if you get spotted explain what you are doing to your neighbor or building manager? It will reveal something else; in the case an event happens, will they likely be on your side or your adversary? What will such other watchers tell police reporting to the scene.
“Yeah, I seen him runnin around with his shotgun like some nut!” or “well, he keeps an eye out for his neighbors and is helpful.” Be that good neighbor.

See for yourself. Go through your place with unblinded eyes. It’s too easy to get blinders day by day, taking familiar things for granted. Get your helper to look and tell you what they see. Look at it all and from different angles; High, medium, low. Can you do it with the lights off at night? You need to be able to do this. Like driving down the same road day by day, you take it all in. When the headlights come on at night your focus shifts. What do you see in what little light is available? What do you see with a flashlight? What can be seen of you if you turn a flashlight on? This is equally valid concerning fires.
3. Do rooms have to be checked and cleared? Are there people in those rooms? Children? Elderly? Incapacitated?
4. If you find nothing on a first pass and someone really is inside, where could they move to?
5. One of the most vulnerable places in your house is the bathroom. On the toilet is bad enough, in the shower is worse. Can a flushing toilet be heard from outside your structure? Or running water down the drain? Water running and in the tub or stall and you can’t see or hear usually. Can you been seen via bathroom window?
6. How do lanes and alleys look as viewed down the rib?
7. How I it handling in narrow spaces? Would I want to step in this area and leave myself exposed?
8. Draw out a floor plan from overhead view and work it like a slide puzzle. Can you go from room to room without someone doubling back on you?
9. If it is evident that you are there and someone breaks in they are brazen enough or have enough pharmaceuticals in them they should be presumed extremely dangerous. For instance if you have just turned the lights off to go to your bedroom and 5 minutes later you hear glass breaking: I would assume the worst.
10. Can you, should you turn room lights on? Does it leave you exposed?
11. Lots of others things I didn’t cover.

Does this all sound paranoid? I hope so. (not clinically of course) But evaluation, assessment and review can show you weaknesses that no firearm can compensate for.
Prudence, vigilance, security and thoughtfulness along with planning and preparation can help avoid many situations to begin with. This is far better than having to make the decision of pulling the trigger on someone.