[El Gato]

I agree with a few posters, a 12-gauge pump shotgun with 18” barrel is the perfect home defense gun

12 inch or so would be even better.. if not for that stupid federal law. You would lose magazine capacity in a standard tubular magazine, but there are some with box type magazines.

[archy]

I agree with a few posters, a 12-gauge pump shotgun with 18” barrel is the perfect home defense gun 12 inch or so would be even better.. if not for that stupid federal law. You would lose magazine capacity in a standard tubular magazine, but there are some with box type magazines.

I've had a 14-inch barrelled Remington 870 AOW, and found it to be a bit slow for the second and followup shots. Agreed, a 12-to-14- inch barrel can indeed be handy on a shotgun, but good control pretty well requires having the full buttstock on behind, not just a pistol grip.

Also, muzzle flash from a shorty can lead to flashblindness of the user at night. Since I had mine as bear insurance, that wasn't much of a consideration for me, particularly as my first round up the spout was a dragon's breath load, which I figured would serve either to discourage any bruins I ran into at night, or to signal to aircraft passing overhead.