In a perfect world the most usefull homedefense gun would be one that delivers massive firepower to end a threat or the shear pressence of it makes an intruder go running/flying out whatever door/window is closes. At the same time a point that is often under condisered is over penitration. In Hawaii many of our houses are very close togeather and not made of brick or a very hard exterior expecially the upper floors. So with that being said to fire apon an intruder and end the threat would only be a marginal victory if you end up killing your sleeping neighbor. Our most popular home defense rounds none are that great at staying in your intended target much less the ones that miss. There are allternatives on the market such as the glasser blue safety slugs for one and they are probably the best example and the best choice for a home defense designated hangun or rifle. They will do some massive damage to your intended target but are a lot more likely to stay in that target and not over penetrate to much. Shotguns are by far the best home defense choice out there.
Why? Though you would never ask! If you thinking its because they are a point and shoot your target is blown against the wall kind of affair...well they are not they are alot more complicated than that but yet they have some amazing qualitys. First long guns are easier to control when the fecal matter hits the fan... ask any body who has ever been in a serious fight for there life either with a gun or fist or in any way shape or form actually and they will probably tell you they fine motor control was gone. Its a fact of nature your blood rushes to your core muscle control is difficult plus your mind is running a mile a minute and thinigs get confusing and simple task become painstakingly hard...such as dialing 911, your fingers just wont hit the numbers you tell them too, or some how you just dropped the mag out of your pistol and you would swear you never touched the mag release. So shotguns are inherently simple, mine is stored mag full snap cap in the chamber hammer down, this means I can pick it up rack the slide and it is ready to fire, no safety to worry about and the sounds of a pump racking is a sound known across the world and will make all but the most hardened criminals crap there pants and run. 00 buck is my perfered choice of shotgun rounds, were else can you hit some one with the equivelent of 9 shots from a 9mm in one blow talk about fire power... But since my current house in not brick or concrete I have had to change that to #4 shot. I choose a lead unplated turkey load, they patter well out of my shotgun and they will likely penetrate threw a single wall in my interior but not two or the exterior, and if they did the amount of energy they will be carring on the other side carrys minimal liabiliy to me. A shotgun still requires aiming and light. That is why mine is set up with a white light and ghost ring sites, the sites are not necessary at inside the home distances but they remind me to aim... and that is a must. White light is one of the most important features you can have on any gun in your home. You must be able to see what you intend to shoot, and if you intend to shoot it, you must identify it!!! This is so important and often overlooked in casual training. It could be a family member a friend the dog or someone with out the intention of hurting you and yours.Remeber just cause we have the right to shoot doesnt mean we should, there is nothing worse than taking a life unneccesarly, even if you are in the right. Trust me on this you dont want to live with that grief.
So shotguns are easy to handle, if you think they are aquard and overly long then take some training, there are some very easy ways to shorten a shotguns profile in your hands, you can use the bicept method for pieing corners or opening doors and still have compleate control over the firearm. They are devastating in there firepower, while they still have to be aimed they are a lot easier to aim than a pistol expecially when fine motor control goes out the window. There presence is immidiately know, its pretty hard to not notice a shotgun were a pistol could be over looked and not deter a half way serious perp. There are numerous ways that shotguns are better for your geneal home defense but allways remeber they gun you have with you is better than the one left behind. Dont get me wrong my 1911 is still on the bed side, right next to my shotgun, one does not take the place of the other, a shotgun might be a little to much for the late night door bell ring, and difficult to hide in the event its just a neighbor needing help or asking a question, even more awquard if its the cops bring your kid home...We must continue to think about these types of issues and share what we learn, this is an ever growing subject and the vast majority of us are way behind the curve, training and practice there are no store bought substitutes.