12 ga, really?
Our house is very close to neighbors on either side — in the event of an in-house encounter, I’d hate to fire something that could penetrate surrounding homes.
The nice part about a shotgun is that you can tailor the load to the situation. #8 shot for birds or people you really, really don't like, but want them to live to know it, maybe, to #4 shot that puts a stop to lots of problems but won't penetrate a standard house wall from any distance, to slugs, that will drop deer from 50 yards.
I'd go with 12 Gauge, too. I load mine with #2 and #3 shot generally. I'm fairly serious about solving problems. If I shoot that in the house, there's no way it's going to make it to the neighbor's house.
/johnny
I keep a pair of muffs next to the handy shotgun. I'd like to be able to hear the nice police officers after the event.
/johnny
Go for the 20ga. I prefer the stopping power (relative. Dead is dead) and the availability of various ammo for the 12ga.
No one seems to pay much attention to what is downrange. It may not matter, but if someone is hit next door or next block over, you are in a world of hurt whether you put the bad guy down or not.
I have only one direction I could shoot without worry, so I do worry. Be forced to maneuver to get a shot in that direction if I could manage it. Rather not have to.
A 12ga generally packs no more punch than a 20ga, just more shot. For your stated requirements, I’d go with the 20ga. Much less recoil.
Anything you fire and miss can penetrate your house.
I don’t know about you but I am probably likely to be in my bedroom if a villain intrudes in the dead of night. He is likely to come up the hallway. At the end of the hallway behind him is my garage with the big pick up truck and the hot water heater and the garage shelves full of junk. On the odd chance that a bullet or two passed all of this stuff after missing said perp, it would penetrate the flimsy metal garage door.
Then what?
It is dead of night? Nobody should be on the street.
Now what? Hits a car parked on the street? Hits the neighbor’s refrigerator and book shelf?
I think over-penetration is over rated.
A lot of in-home stops are psychological from brandishing. If you have to shoot, any bullets or pellets you hit the perp with are going to lose a lot of steam. It is the misses you have to worry about, but most of our homes are filled with TVs and kitchen appliances and bookshelves and furniture. Anything that exists the exterior siding after passing through some of this stuff is going to lose a lot of momentum and isn’t likely to be too lethal.
Now if you miss a perp who just kicked in your front door, those any missed rounds are problem.
I just think over penetration is too oft worried about as a self-defense topic.
The takeaway is not to use that WWII Garand in .30-06. But any hand gun up to .44 Mag is going to lose a lot of steam after bouncing through all the stuff it is likely to see in your house. It could go right down a row of studs if you are shooting a shallow angle to a wall.
If I had to shoot in self defense, I am more concerned with having enough penetration to insure stopping the threat, than I am about over penetration of the rounds that go through the perp.
JMHO.
It won’t over penetrate. Specially if you shoot shot.
If you were shooting a .308 or 556 yeah, it’ll go through school houses.
Get a 12 gauge and be done with it.
I live in the same area as you and I’m not the slightest concerned about over penetration.
Mostly because I’m sure the rounds will be accurately placed.
“I’d hate to fire something that could penetrate surrounding homes.”
If you have something that can penetrate a bad guy you have something that can penetrate the house next door.
If that scares you, then stick to baseball bats and pepper spray.