Got a home defense shotgun

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G-MAN

G-MAN

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After doing a lot of soul-searching and research I've come to the conclusion (as have countless others before me) that the best home defense weapon is not a handgun but a shotgun. I'm signed up to take a 4-hour defensive shotgun class in a couple of weeks and I went shopping today for a HD shotgun. I wanted something that would be solid and dependable but not break the bank. I've been researching HD shotguns all week and had narrowed my choices down to:

1. Browning BPS
2. Remington 870
2. Mossberg 500
3. Maverick 88
4. Savage-Stevens 350
5. H&R Pardner Protector

I handled all of these and decided on the Pardner Protector. For $200 all-in I don't think you can beat it. It's a (licensed) 870 clone, and I've read almost nothing but positive reviews. The action was a little rough when I got it home so I took it completely down to work on it. Internally, it is an exact copy of the 870 action. Externally the receiver has a more Browning/Benelli profile. (Maybe Remington insisted on this so the gun would not be a 100% copy of the 870.) Receiver is forged steel and the internal milling looked excellent. Trigger group is aluminum, unlike the current 870 Express models that have plastic. I used 1000 grit sand paper and polished the mag tube, the slide rails, and the bolt. I removed the mag spring and follower and cleaned a load of [censored] out of the inside the mag tube. Got it all cleaned, lubed and put back together and she now cycles 100% more smoothly, which should improve even more after a few hundred rounds go through it.

photo_pardnerpump_protector.jpg
 
Sounds like a real bargain! I like the idea of a shotgun for HD, mostly because I worry about what happens to a centerfire round if I miss. Walls and windows won't protect my neighbors much from that. Some stray buckshot should be safer for my neighbors I think.
 
I have the 18.5" Pardner Defender, great shotgun. I put the Remington aftermarket stock with semi-pistol grip...MUCH easier to control and shoot with the new stock on it. I'll have to take a picture.

The Remington 870 accessories fit, but any barrel parts you get (sights, choke, etc.) are Mossberg.
 
I had a maverick 88 combo 18" and 28" barrel. really nice handling gun, composite stock light, fairly smooth action, kicked like a mule with the 18" barrel. Traded it on a parker hale semi. wish i still had it.
 
Originally Posted By: hate2work

I have the Maverick, and it works well. I think it's just a re-branded Mossberg made in Mexico.

That PP looks like a dandy gun
smile.gif



The 88 is made in Texas and has the same basic action as the 500/590. The trigger group and safety are different (safety on the trigger guard rather than on the receiver) and there are a few other differences.

It was a tough choice between the 88 and the Pardner, especially because the 88 was cheaper. But in the end I liked the Pardner because it has metal where the 88 has plastic and it just overall felt more solid. I have no doubt, however, that I would be served equally well by either one.
 
Originally Posted By: tomcat27
birdshot might be safer than buckshot
Ya you really don't want buckshot in your home protection gun. At least not the first shot. The recomended shot for home protection is #4. Nothing larger.

My gun has 3 shells of #4 followed by 2 shells of double ott in case the #4 doesnt work.
 
My choice of a home defense weapon is a Smith & Wesson .38 AirLite hammerless (no safety) with the first two rounds loaded with snake shot and the remaining three rounds loaded with .38 special 110 gr. silvertips.
 
Originally Posted By: Hallmark
My choice of a home defense weapon is a Smith & Wesson .38 AirLite hammerless (no safety) with the first two rounds loaded with snake shot and the remaining three rounds loaded with .38 special 110 gr. silvertips.


Good luck...
 
Birdshot is for birds. It is not good for self defense.

Here is a guy that was shot 4 times with birdshot in a home invasion and he was fine and lived, unfortunately, to continue sucking taxpayer money out of the system to pay for his incarcerations.

http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2010/12/mecosta_county_homeowner_fires.html

Use buckshot only, in #4B, #1B, or 00B. Number 4 BUCKSHOT is a good compromise between overpenetration and effectiveness.
 
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Even with buckshot, make sure to take gun and shells to the range and pattern it. I've read where different buckshot loads will pattern differently in the same barrel/choke.
 
Originally Posted By: Chris142
Originally Posted By: tomcat27
birdshot might be safer than buckshot
Ya you really don't want buckshot in your home protection gun. At least not the first shot. The recomended shot for home protection is #4. Nothing larger.

My gun has 3 shells of #4 followed by 2 shells of double ott in case the #4 doesnt work.


Good tip.
 
Originally Posted By: bubbatime
Birdshot is for birds. It is not good for self defense.

Here is a guy that was shot 4 times with birdshot in a home invasion and he was fine and lived, unfortunately, to continue sucking taxpayer money out of the system to pay for his incarcerations.

http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2010/12/mecosta_county_homeowner_fires.html

Use buckshot only, in #4B, #1B, or 00B. Number 4 BUCKSHOT is a good compromise between overpenetration and effectiveness.


I have mixed thoughts about this guy and the homeowner. I have no issue with what the homeowner did, and have no sympathy for this guy especially given his quotations basically saying he thinks he did nothing wrong. It turned out pretty well for him actually. The intruder, having been shot twice already fled. Instead of dying on the homeowner's floor, maybe in front of his family. That's a pretty good outcome in my mind given this bum wasn't armed. I wouldn't want anybody bleeding out on my floor in front of my family, nor the consequences in court later - even if I was exonerated.

On the other hand, if this guy was armed, the homeowner would have needed something lethal. A really tough call because in that situation, he needs to put the guy down with the first shot, if he was lucky enough to have the drop on him.
 
Back in the day when I worked at a gun store they got a bunch of 870 turn ins from the CHP. They were all banged up but mechanically they were fine. They got handled a lot more than they were shot.

$120 and pre broken in!
 
Added from "The Box O' Truth" website.

"I received a note from a police officer that asked me not to mention names or locations about this true event.

A police officer was involved in some shotgun training, where they used #6 birdshot in the training due to lower cost. After the training session, he forgot to remove the birdshot and replace it with 00 Buckshot, the normal carry load.

That night, while on patrol, he confronted a couple of burglars and was in a shootout with them. He shot both of them with his shotgun, but forgot that he had it loaded with birdshot.

They killed the officer and escaped.

Never use birdshot against goblins. Use plated 00 Buckshot. "

I have #4 buck in my shotgun and 00 buck in the side saddle.
 
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