I think he's right about getting a .22 for the range. One thing that many people looking into firearms don't realize is that ammunition can get really expensive, really fast. .22 LR (Long Rifle) is cheap, fun, and sufficiently powerful to have a good time shooting with. Shotgun ammunition is also failry cheap, $3-$4 for 20 or 25 shells for the cheap stuff.
Also, like debaser said, theres nothing like the sound of a shotgun being racked to scare the shit out of someone. For home defense, get a pump shotgun with a short barrel, preferably 24" or less. If you've never shot a shotgun, the action is a *lot* lounder than one would think from just watching TV or whatnot. Plus, assuming its light enough and the barrel is short enough, its pretty hard to miss with, especially in the small confines of a home. I would look at either a 12 guage or a 20 guage. 20 is smaller and has less kick, so if you are a small person, or if you want your wife or kids or whomever to be able to use it in an emergency, that may be a good idea--it will also likely make follow-up shots easier. If you get one, take it to the range. Try skeet or trap shooting with it--while not necessarily "training" for an in-home emergency, it certainly will teach you how to shoot the gun quickly and accurately, and how to make follow up shots.
__________________
"Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws."
--Plato
|