The great shotgun urban myth

[C4IGrant]

So I am sitting in my shop today and in walks a twenty something girl with her parents. She has been looking for a gun for self defense (not CCW) and wanted to see what we had to offer. We show her M&P's, snubby revolvers, Walther PPS and some other odds and ends.

She then asks about shotguns. I explain some of the issues with them for home defense and ask her why she was interested in them (as most 115lbs girls have little interest in shooting these). She tells us that the other gun stores she had visited told here that this was the best choice for her.

Once I heard this, I asked her if they told her that the sound of racking the shotgun would scare off the bad guy?? She said yes! I said did they also tell you that you do not have to aim a shotgun either? She said yes!

So yet again, my fellow gun store owners are perpetuating two of the biggest defensive lies ever told.





C4

[Jay Cunningham]

Was she hot?

[C4IGrant]

Was she hot?

I cannot comment on such things as the Minister of Interior is always watching.


C4

[Jay Cunningham]

10 - 4














(I'll take that as a "yes.")

[ToddG]

I cannot comment on such things as the Minister of Interior is always watching.

Translation: Yes

A shotgun is actually a good choice for a lot of people. They're inexpensive, require little in the way of maintenance, easier to aim than a handgun, and have relatively simple manuals of arms, and substantially greater lethality than a handgun.

A 115# girl can handle a 20g shotgun easily with minimal training ... certainly no more training than she'd need to be equally competent with a semiauto pistol.

And while I'd certainly never count on the sound of a round being racked into the chamber to stop a determined BG in his tracks, who among us hasn't heard that sound unexpectedly and immediately switched to high alert? It's distinctive and even if it just scares off the mildly motivated, that beats the crap out of getting robbed, raped, or even having to go through the hassle of shooting someone in your home, doesn't it?

[LOKNLOD]

I think that used car dealers and personal injury lawyers probably sit around and tell "gun shop employee/owner" jokes at their parties.

[Failure2Stop]

Todd brings up a good discussion point.
When I read Grant's post I was immediately struck by the stupidity of the reasons stated by the others, of course. But then I started rolling the various options through my head.

What would I recommend a 20 something 115 lb woman for a HD gun? And of course, cost is a consideration.

We all know that a handgun is more difficult to achieve markmanship proficiency than a long-gun. While EBRs fill the job well, frankly they are a bit scary to most first-gun females and relatively expensive. Shotguns offer very good terminal performance and when properly sized are not too difficult to manipulate. I think the 870 20 ga youth model would be pretty good.

I am of the mind that a shotgun may be a very good choice, as long as appropriate training is sought.

[C4IGrant]

Translation: Yes

A shotgun is actually a good choice for a lot of people. They're inexpensive, require little in the way of maintenance, easier to aim than a handgun, and have relatively simple manuals of arms, and substantially greater lethality than a handgun.

A 115# girl can handle a 20g shotgun easily with minimal training ... certainly no more training than she'd need to be equally competent with a semiauto pistol.

And while I'd certainly never count on the sound of a round being racked into the chamber to stop a determined BG in his tracks, who among us hasn't heard that sound unexpectedly and immediately switched to high alert? It's distinctive and even if it just scares off the mildly motivated, that beats the crap out of getting robbed, raped, or even having to go through the hassle of shooting someone in your home, doesn't it?

You are assuming that the girl could hold the shotgun up. This one could barely shoulder it. She has also never fired one and the recoil would most likely scar her forever.

The best choice for a defensive weapon is one that you will practice with. This person is NOT going to go out and fire a couple hundred rounds of shotgun ammo.



C4

[ToddG]

A properly set up age/size-appropriate shotgun (like the 20g Youth mentioned by F2S), with light loads, is every bit as easy to learn on as a handgun. It's also substantially less likely to get pointed in an unsafe direction (much easier to point a handgun at yourself than a 18-20" bbl shotgun).

In about an hour you can teach a non-gun person to load a shotgun, fire it, and keep it in a safe but ready condition. In the event of danger, all she has to do is rack a round in the chamber, shoulder the gun, and get a long-barreled shoulder weapon properly aligned on a close range target. Pull the trigger. Let the little lead balls do the rest.

The odds of needing multiple shots is far less. If anyone wants to argue that a decent 20g buck load is no more lethal than a handgun round, have at it.

I do not think the shotgun is an ideal home defense weapon. But it is a perfectly good alternative, and a superior one for folks with minimal training.

[No.6]

... if they told her that the sound of racking the shotgun would scare off the bad guy??
....

C4

Hey, it worked for me once. Someone at about 1 AM was trying to pull the door off the hinges. I got next to the door and "racked" my 870. Next thing I heard was the guy beat feet off the front porch.