Is it ok to buy a shotgun from big 5??

[TheNinja]

Originally posted by: Vic
Mossberg makes a decent gun at an excellent price. Enjoy it.

As for the home defense argument, I lean towards the shotgun side. They have a few benefits over a pistol. Racking a shell is a terrifying and noisy sound that could scare a home invader. Aiming is easier. Stopping power in close quarters is generally greater. It can used as a club (although I would never recommend actually do that). And if you live in attached housing like an apartment, townhouse, or condo, it is very unlikely that an errant shotgun blast will travel through a wall and hit your neighbor.

Exactly, shotguns are a much better home defense weapon than a pistol. Vic pointed it out above. Most people could not hit another person with a pistol if they are scared out of their mind and haven't had much practice. Also, if it is dark you might not be able to aim exactly. However with a shotgun, you just point in the general direction and you will hit your target. And the stopping power of a 12 gauge is unbelievable.

I own a Mossberg 500 series. It shoots great for me and I can hit a better % of clay targets than a lot of people who buy the $1200 over/unders. Plus as mentioned it is very popular and like the Remmington 870 series and the Winchester 1200? (I think) it has many cheap mods available like a shorter barrel and a pistol grip.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: Staley8

Originally posted by: Vic
Mossberg makes a decent gun at an excellent price. Enjoy it.

As for the home defense argument, I lean towards the shotgun side. They have a few benefits over a pistol. Racking a shell is a terrifying and noisy sound that could scare a home invader. Aiming is easier. Stopping power in close quarters is generally greater. It can used as a club (although I would never recommend actually do that). And if you live in attached housing like an apartment, townhouse, or condo, it is very unlikely that an errant shotgun blast will travel through a wall and hit your neighbor.

Exactly, shotguns are a much better home defense weapon than a pistol. Vic pointed it out above. Most people could not hit another person with a pistol if they are scared out of their mind and haven't had much practice. Also, if it is dark you might not be able to aim exactly. However with a shotgun, you just point in the general direction and you will hit your target. And the stopping power of a 12 gauge is unbelievable.

I own a Mossberg 500 series. It shoots great for me and I can hit a better % of clay targets than a lot of people who buy the $1200 over/unders. Plus as mentioned it is very popular and like the Remmington 870 series and the Winchester 1200? (I think) it has many cheap mods available like a shorter barrel and a pistol grip.

Unless you are very close (less than 15 feet) you probably aren't going to stop someone with birdshot and if you're shooting '00 buck indoors that is as likely to penetrate a building wall as a hollowpoint bullet. True, racking a slide would be a very intimidating sound to an intruder in your home but keeping a shotgun near your bedside isn't really convenient nor does it conceal well. It might be a little annoying to have one under your pillow or in your nightstand (it would have to be an awefully big nightstand).

For apartments I still recommend a handgun for home defense. Load it with Glasser safety slugs and you won't have to worry about it going through walls. A .357 magnum glasser has excellent stopping power.

Shotguns don't spread the shot much at close range anyway. It's not as though you wouldn't have to aim to hit your target-especially a moving one. That is a fallacy about shotguns. I've shot at stationary objects with a shotgun without aiming (shooting from the hip) and missed hitting objects the size of a desktop printer 10-15 feet away (we're talking birdshot here). At that range your spread is only going to be the size of a medium sized pumpkin. Go out much farther against a human target and you really decrease the stopping power unless you are using something like '00 buck.

 

[Mookow]

Originally posted by: Staley8

Originally posted by: Vic
Mossberg makes a decent gun at an excellent price. Enjoy it.

As for the home defense argument, I lean towards the shotgun side. They have a few benefits over a pistol. Racking a shell is a terrifying and noisy sound that could scare a home invader. Aiming is easier. Stopping power in close quarters is generally greater. It can used as a club (although I would never recommend actually do that). And if you live in attached housing like an apartment, townhouse, or condo, it is very unlikely that an errant shotgun blast will travel through a wall and hit your neighbor.

Exactly, shotguns are a much better home defense weapon than a pistol. Vic pointed it out above. Most people could not hit another person with a pistol if they are scared out of their mind and haven't had much practice. Also, if it is dark you might not be able to aim exactly. However with a shotgun, you just point in the general direction and you will hit your target. And the stopping power of a 12 gauge is unbelievable.

I own a Mossberg 500 series. It shoots great for me and I can hit a better % of clay targets than a lot of people who buy the $1200 over/unders. Plus as mentioned it is very popular and like the Remmington 870 series and the Winchester 1200? (I think) it has many cheap mods available like a shorter barrel and a pistol grip.

A shotgun shell fired with a normal barrel (not an 8" cut down barrels) will allow the main body of shot to spread out on the order of 1" laterally for every yard of forward travel. So you'll still have to aim, unless the target is 50 yards away, which I know my house isnt that long, never mind finding a straight line.