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Plan9 · 11-27-2008, 08:55 AM

20 gauge is fine for home defense, but a properly loaded 12 gauge will have the same handling characteristics and be significantly more common and thus versatile.

Starting with a 20 gauge is like buying a BB gun before buying a .22 LR. Just buy the .22... you can use it for the rest of your life and not feel the need to replace it.

...

The whole "slide rack" or "don't rack" philosophy conflict is totally based on your defensive philosophy and I feel like either answer is correct as long as it is applied in the right context.

Seems like a weapon-specific issue. The shotgun is unique to this situation in that you can't really make a scary noise with a revolver or autopistol and "home defense" long arms other than shotguns (carbines) aren't exactly scary either (the bolt release of an AR isn't widely known outside the military and gun nuts). The fact that the gun is making a stereotypical movie/video game loading noise means that the gun was out of battery in the first place or is needlessly cycling a round into the chamber and out of the gun.

Babbling: I suppose cycling the action on an AK47 would be pretty noisy and scary, but I wouldn't use an AK47 for "home defense" unless Cuban paratroopers had landed outside my high school or those multi-tongue'd worm things from Tremors decided to eat my SUV with the "UZI 4 YOU" vanity plate. Using a pistol caliber carbine such as the Marlin Camp 45 or a Kel-Tec Sub2000 in .40 S&W would be a good choice for home defense, but you wouldn't try to work the action on either of them to scare somebody... they're the equiv of a cop trying to pull somebody over using a bicycle bell.

11-27-2008, 08:55 AM	#78 (permalink)
Plan9 I Confess a Shiver	20 gauge is fine for home defense, but a properly loaded 12 gauge will have the same handling characteristics and be significantly more common and thus versatile. Starting with a 20 gauge is like buying a BB gun before buying a .22 LR. Just buy the .22... you can use it for the rest of your life and not feel the need to replace it. ... The whole "slide rack" or "don't rack" philosophy conflict is totally based on your defensive philosophy and I feel like either answer is correct as long as it is applied in the right context. Seems like a weapon-specific issue. The shotgun is unique to this situation in that you can't really make a scary noise with a revolver or autopistol and "home defense" long arms other than shotguns (carbines) aren't exactly scary either (the bolt release of an AR isn't widely known outside the military and gun nuts). The fact that the gun is making a stereotypical movie/video game loading noise means that the gun was out of battery in the first place or is needlessly cycling a round into the chamber and out of the gun. Babbling: I suppose cycling the action on an AK47 would be pretty noisy and scary, but I wouldn't use an AK47 for "home defense" unless Cuban paratroopers had landed outside my high school or those multi-tongue'd worm things from Tremors decided to eat my SUV with the "UZI 4 YOU" vanity plate. Using a pistol caliber carbine such as the Marlin Camp 45 or a Kel-Tec Sub2000 in .40 S&W would be a good choice for home defense, but you wouldn't try to work the action on either of them to scare somebody... they're the equiv of a cop trying to pull somebody over using a bicycle bell. __________________ *Whatever you can carry.* "You should not drink... and bake." Last edited by Plan9; 11-27-2008 at 09:05 AM..