TheEyeGuy said:
One thing I do want to add because I don't think it's addressed in that post, at least. There are two main reasons that people gravitate towards shotguns for home defense: reliability and "spread". In regards to reliability, I actually feel a handgun or a decent AR will be a better option due to the tendency to short stroke a pump under stress. Most of us that have hunted with a pump have done it just because we were too excited about a second shot on a dove, now amplify that times 1000% because you have some jackhole breaking into your house. The second... spread. All the time, people come into the store and want shotguns. I ask them why, they say "It spreads." We then have to go into how, in the case of a home invasion, the spread is not enough to keep you from having to aim the stupid thing and all that jazz. In fact, in doors, there really is no spread. So, now you have low capacity, slow reload, and crazy over penetration.
You're exactly right.
To tie all this back to the OP: if you were on a very limited budget and needed a home defense gun: shotgun wins. It's the cheapest option, and an effective one. If budget is priorities number 1, 2 and 3....shotgun.
That's right, I said shotguns are effective. Unfortunately, the 00 load of derp around them tends to make people less prepared to effectively use them for defense. Examples:
1) "just rack the slide and they'll run away"
2) "you don't even have to aim"
3) "buckshot won't penetrate walls"
4) "just use birdshot, it's just as good"
Those 4 are the biggest shotgun myths, and I hear them CONSTANTLY. All of them are bad, bad, bad advice.
You can train around all of the issues shotguns present in a self defense scenario. Of course, by the time you do, you'll probably think "gee, this would all be easier with a higher capacity gun that had lower recoil, didn't need to be racked between every shot, had better sights....etc".
Save the shotguns for bird season. ARs are the best home defense option.
Sorry for the thread derail, OP. I apparently can derail threads even when I manage to stay on topic myself.