Hi - looking for a recommendation for a relatively inexpensive home defense shotgun. Thinking something small and maneuverable, multi-shot, and easy to maintain.

I've never actually owned a gun, so am not interested in an arsenal, but I just figured it made sense to have one, for emergency purposes only.

Any recommendations on where to purchase in Austin?

A summary of previous threads:

The best home defense shotgun is actually a pistol.

^Wrong, it's actually a tacti-cool ar15

^wrong, it's whatever weapon you practice with

^That guy is right, it's all about shot placement

That's 80% of what is about to follow.

I have an 8rd remington 870 next to the bed loaded with federal flute control #4 buck

Be prepared for "get a pistol, get an Ar, get _____"

Main thing is guy, get familiar, and be smart

Watch through to the end. There is a comparison to .45 acp

What's your reason(s) for choosing a shotgun for home defense?

DatTallArchitect said:

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What's your reason(s) for choosing a shotgun for home defense?

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Point-and-shoot simplicity.

Limited training or target practice needed.

Less easy to kill yourself with it, if you were asleep moments before using it.

Inexpensive to buy, and easy to obtain ammo. More shelf-stable?

Marginally safer for children, visitors, etc.

No handgun license required.

Bottom line - I'm not planning to use it, unless absolutely necessary. Hopefully, the thing is never fired.

I bleed maroon said:

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Hopefully, the thing is never fired.

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Solid plan for a life saving tool you would have to use under pressure.

OP, there are others here with more knowledge and experience than I and they will offer a plethora of advice I'm sure. Best I can give has already been stated, but can't be emphasized enough.

Whatever you get, practice, Practice, PRACTICE!!! Be as familiar with your firearm as you possibly can. Be able to handle it safely and with confidence. Get some training so that you learn how to do things correctly and safely.

But it should be fired and practiced with often.

Both at range and dry fire runs with room black and eyes closed with a light installed

Is the plan to put it under bed every night and lock up during day?

Or is safe/cabinet in bedroom. If so. Practice opening safe with eyes closed and room black.

What is a handgun license?

I bleed maroon said:

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DatTallArchitect said:

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What's your reason(s) for choosing a shotgun for home defense?

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Point-and-shoot simplicity.

Limited training or target practice needed.

Less easy to kill yourself with it, if you were asleep moments before using it.

Inexpensive to buy, and easy to obtain ammo. More shelf-stable?

Marginally safer for children, visitors, etc.

No handgun license required.

Bottom line - I'm not planning to use it, unless absolutely necessary. Hopefully, the thing is never fired.

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There are some things you definitely need to rethink then.

Shotguns are far from point and shoot. In fact, you can find people that will tell you a pistol is closer to point and shoot than a shotgun.

Not training with a weapon is naive and a recipe for disaster.

How often do you hear people accidentally fatally shooting themselves with any type of firearm? I'm in my forties and don't recall ever hearing of this happening.

I'll give you that right now shotgun ammo is easier to find.

Where do you live that you need a handgun license? New York?

What might be easier is to order through brownells or eyeguy and have them ship to ffl near you.

Will save you time. A lot of time.

Shooting an animal is one thing. Most people have never shot at another person. Watching endless Bruce Willis / Clint Eastwood movies thinking it's that easy is stupid. Shotgun pow pows make it easier.

zooguy96 said:

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You can get a Mossberg 88 pump shotgun for around $200. It goes bang every single time.

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That would be the right answer.


Everyone else can continue to beat you up now. Welcome to the OB

Agreed. Except I'd get a Mossberg 500 pistol grip. That was my first gun purchase the day I turned 18. Still goes bang every time.

Mine was a Winchester 1300 defender. But regular wood stock. 18 inch. Its a badass gun.

Depends on how much he wants to spend.

If you're dead set on a shotgun, get a double barrel. You've already stated you're not interested in practicing, so we might as well keep it simple.
Added bonus, skeet and trap are fun, and can be a great social activity. Very genteel.

Just one more perspective. We have both pistols and shotguns in the home when I lived stateside. I trained regularly with both types of weapons, more tactical with the pistols and sporting with the shotguns. I felt my ability to kill with both weapons was fairly good, but my pistol skills needed more training to maintain.

Setting all that aside, my wife who does not shoot regularly cannot hit the broadside of a barn at 15 feet with a pistol. She doesn't like the recoil on her hands and it is tough even in training to line up the sights; basically one of those things I don't even try to teach her.

For whatever reason she does fairly with shotguns and we have all 12 gauge. I feel much more comfortable to have our home defense weapon be a shotgun because we can both put lead on target and she is less intimated to train with the weapon since we use them for sporting purposes.

average_joker said:

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If you're dead set on a shotgun, get a double barrel. You've already stated you're not interested in practicing, so we might as well keep it simple.
Added bonus, skeet and trap are fun, and can be a great social activity. Very genteel.

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I have a Stevens side by side 12 gauge with like 26 inch barrels. Its a bad mofo.

Here ya go

https://www.pewpewtactical.com/best-home-defense-tactical-shotguns/

Nailed it.

BenderRodriguez said:

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I bleed maroon said:

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Hopefully, the thing is never fired.

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Solid plan for a life saving tool you would have to use under pressure.

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I'm sure he meant for the purpose he's getting it for. Don't be that guy.

Fishing Fools said:

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Shooting an animal is one thing. Most people have never shot at another person. Watching endless Bruce Willis / Clint Eastwood movies thinking it's that easy is stupid. Shotgun pow pows make it easier.

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Racking a slide, different safeties then on most firearms, bigger and longer than most women can comfortably shoulder, kicking like a mule, and 1/4 of the capacity of an AR doesn't seem like it would make things easier.

Mossberg has quite a few options. I've got the Remington 12 ga version. Also have a dog that sleeps in the bed - she can hear a cricket chirp. Another good investment is an alarm system.,

Good thing about a shotgun is you can employ the Joe Biden self defense strategy.

I know I paid $200 or less for it at the time in 2002. I've also got the 88, use it to this day for bird hunts and skeet.

Big believer in layers of protection. Fence, motion detecting cameras/lights fore and aft with phone Ap,, dead bolt locks on all windows and doors, German Shepard and a armed (870 Remington with #4 buckshot) homeowner.

Find a cheap pump shotgun and practice with it.


Don't listen to the naysayers who believe only a $2k AR with a fancy holo sight and backup offset sights and a laser and a 1,000,000 lumen light and a 60 round drum loaded with high end barrier blind ammo that a popular gun YouTube guy recommends is the only adequate self defense tool.

But practice with what you buy. Don't think a shotgun is going to put up an impenetrable wall of buckshot and you don't have to aim or be somewhat proficient.

You've got to shoot it to know what your doing. Otherwise I'd say get a couple of cans of bear spray.

Thanks guys! I actually wanted to let the thread run a bit before responding. It's actually been more measured than I expected (is the Outdoors board losing its' edge?).

Given that we are experienced (but rusty) with shotguns, I think the Mossberg sounds like what I'm looking for. We certainly will practice, and yes - thanks to the poster who rightly inferred that I hope to never fire the thing "in anger". But, I will, if it's to protect the family.

I don't really have a budget, but would like to spend around $200-350 or so, unless there's a good reason to spend more. I looked at Academy, and while I've never used a pistol-grip version, I may want to check it out. The two basics I am considering:

https://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/mossberg-maverick-88-security-12-gauge-pump-action-shotgun-115458361#repChildCatid=5184119

https://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/mossberg-maverick-88-cruiser-12-gauge-pump-shotgun#repChildCatid=8078705


The other thing I saw was a laser version that might make it even easier to aim if you're half-asleep?

https://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/mossberg-590-shockwave-12-gauge-pump-action-shotgun-with-crimson-trace-laser-saddle#repChildCatid=7498909

These also say "out of stock". Does Academy special order them, or is there another source that keeps a larger inventory?

Thought on these? I appreciate your help.

Cant you get one with both a full stock and pistol grip and interchange accordingly? My old mossberg I got back in 1988 or so had both options.

I bleed maroon said:

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(is the Outdoors board losing its' edge?).

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Now you ****ed up.

A double-barrel. So I can walk out onto the balcony and put two blasts in the air.

Going to be a little bit more expensive, but i would very seriously entertain a semi-automatic shotgun over a pump. No risk of manual short stroking like a pump, quick follow up shots if necessary, hold resale better, etc. I'd look at a Beretta A300 or Mossberg 930. I would recommend against a pistol-grip style shotgun of any kind. ESPECIALLY one without a butt stock. With roughly 1" of spread per yard shooting cylinder bore, your pattern is 6" in diameter at 20' or so. Theres a lot of room for error there and the pistol grip doesnt do you any favors in that department.

Edit: misunderstood what op was looking to purchase after looking at the links

I've got a missberg 500A which, dimensionally and capacity, is the same as the Mav88 you posted. 7+1 and 41". I find it a tad long and will be getting an aftermarket stock. Other than than I like it.