shotgun vs. pistol

[jf016]

What will you bring out when you here a noise in the middle of the night??
Taking everything into consideration..

[Lycanthrope]

If I'm staying put: Shotgun.

If I have to navigate a lot of corners: Pistol

[swifter...]

Shotgun. 000 buck. The handguns there so I can solve problems on the way to the shotgun...

Tom

[TiP99]

BOTH, you can never have too many firearms on one's person. And a **** ton of ammo!

[Alaskanmonte]

I use the pistol on my nightstand to get to my shotgun. I want a shotgun if I hear a bump in the night.

[XavierBreath]

Shotgun. The pistol is with me in case the shotgun is in another room.

[Greg Bell]

I go for the shotgun. I have an 870 with a topfolder that makes it handy indoors--not to mention the Surefire flashlight mounted on it.

00 buck ought to do it.

[Tamara]

The plan is to stay put and use a long gun. (Although it's a 5.56 carbine, rather than a shotgun these days.)

If any noises need "investigating", they can wait 'til morning, or the arrival of the guys in the blue suits.

[kahr Carrier]

My trusty 1911. :cool:

[John Ringo]

For an intruder in the house...a pistol. Hands down !!!! Or up :-)

Reason: roaming around the house at night with a long gun is a bad idea. A long gun can be easily grabbed by someone lurking around a dark corner. If someone gets ahold of your barrel then you are done. With a long gun you lose maneuverability and speed in close quarters.

I would recommend sticking with a trusty revolver for home defense. Put a "frag shot" in as the first two rounds and then some JHP as backup.

[Danindetroit]

I am a safe room kind of guy myself. I am planning on having a line of fire, and a lot of spare rounds, and a big knife, and a little knife. I am not a room to room guy, they would have to remove a railing, and a door to get anything like the diswasher, and fridge. I'll shoot the 25" inch TV, and $50 DVD player. So they have to figure out how to unsrew an above the range microwave. :) Call 911 on the cell and wait, the PD is about 2 miles so for a robbery in progress figure 10 minutes, 5 miles over the speed limit, 2 minutes. They wife can even shoot threw the ceiling down at them. :D

[Lycanthrope]

If any noises need "investigating", they can wait 'til morning, or the arrival of the guys in the blue suits.

I'm assuming you don't have young children? Sometimes you have to move. I plan for the contingency.

[CJNies]

One hundred and five pounds of well trained Doberman :D
The dog sleeps down stairs and the family sleeps upstairs so for me it's dog backed by an 870 loaded with 3" #4 buck shot(I like the extra pellets) from the top of the stairs.

[Tamara]

I'm assuming you don't have young children?

Nope. Just me.

What works for me will not necessarily work for thee.

[claude783]

Well, my son is 19 and prefers the shotgun loaded with #6 birdshot.
I use a Tarus 66 with 158 gr hollowpoints.
Wife uses a Rossi 92 357 with 158 gr. hollowpoints.

However, I also have a drive alarm, and have an outside camera, so don't have to leave the comfort of the home to see what little gremlin is outside!

I cover the back door, kid covers the front door, and momma stays put behind us with the cell phone and the rifle!

So far, only had the house alarm go off once, would have been scary to anyone seeing the three of us with the guns primed and ready...

[DarkKnight01]

CJNies: "One hundred and five pounds of well trained Doberman"

statistics show the greatest deterrant for robbery is a loud barking dog... the burglar will simply move on to a house without a dog... a barking dog wakes people up... the last thing they want.

[NYPD9415]

Right now it’s my issue Glock 19 or my Smithy mod 60.

I wish I had a shotty but I live in the city in a really old apartment bldg on the third floor.

[Barry in IN]

Rifle.
I'm not much of a shotgunner, but would prefer it to a pistol.

[Dwight55]

1) I live 45 minutes from the local PD (Sherrif) on a good day, . . . longer on others.

2) All "bumps in the night" have to be either investigated or dismissed.

3) Strategically placed night lights illuminate the whole of the downstairs quite well enough to allow me to see out of a dark bedroom and "inch around" seeing what is going on.

4) Cell phone is near at hand, . . . and wife should be in the bathroom doing the calling.

5) Only because of the unique layout of my house, would I take the .45 1911. In another layout, . . . my 7 shot Beretta 12 ga semi auto would probably be a better choice. Here, the 1911 is the weapon of choice.

6) If the "bump" needs investigating outside, . . . Beretta in hand, 1911 in waistband, . . . (wishing I had a couple of grenades :D :D )

May God bless,
Dwight

[FirstFreedom]

Ditto Lycanthrope, with slight amendments:

If I'm staying put: Shotgun, with a rifle backup.

If I have to navigate a lot of corners: Pistol, with shotgun backup slung over shoulder.

[E505]

Well lets see now, bumps in the night can take on many forms from the was that the dog knocking over the trashcan in the kitchen again to the entire sliding glass door exploding as a brick goes flying into it.

Plus is it day or night time, yes I realize we are addressing bumps in the night, nighttime, but all here know you get those odd bumps in the daytime as well which send your antennae up too!

General, nighttime I think the dog is in the trash again- Walther P99 or Glock 17 and Surefire E2E depending on which I placed on the nite stand before bed.

Odd bump, not too loud but stirring, never heard before- Again Walther or Glock with Surefire E2E, make way quickly to bedroom door, listen and determine if something may be wrong.

If I feel more firepower may be needed the Shotty (Wilson Combat Standard Model Remington 870) comes out of the closet.

If the sound is enough to send me standing straight up in the bed, condition double red my Springfield SOCOM 16 with 30 round mags comes out from under the bed. My three Shepards will be going nuts by now (all down stairs) should cause the intruders enough worry for me to determine if I want to hold up in my room or head out.

Daylight would be much the same.

The last big alert I had around Camp Sleepy was in daylight, when I saw someone creeping around the Westside of my house just about sundown.

I live on a large parcel of property, which unfortunately borders on a rather bad trailer park. All that separates me from them is a large tree line and a few strands of barbwire.

I greeted this particular individual with a proper GTFOOH and my Walther P99, he quickly complied.

[guntotin_fool]

If the general (the wifes yapper dog) goes to alert we wake up and wait and see holding a 1911 and streamlight, If the gunny(the yellow lab in my daughters room) wakes and growls then I grab the 870 and hit the lights.

I did a lot of work on my house a few years back and I installed three-way switches in the hall both up and down stairs that turn on eight eaves lights and both entry lights in and out. We also have two motion detectors that are wired to lights and door bells that are separately switched.
200 bucks worth of stuff=lots of night time security.

I figure if two dogs barking and instaneous illumination does not scare away whoever is coming in, I need Mr 12 guage. My son has a 20 guage in his room and daughter has a commander under her mattress. Both kids have been taught that they plug in the cell phone either on the bed or on the nightstandand my cell phone is plugged in every night on the head board.

[rugerdude]

Whatever I have ammo for. Probably my maverick 88 12ga. Not exactly manuverable but I plan to get a folding stock. If I don't have any 12ga. ammo then I guess my 10/22 will have to do (it's not entireley useless as it does have 25rd. capacity and that "evil" look) and If I don't have any .22 ammo then I guess (providing I have ammo) I pick up the trusty mosin nagant 91/30. :D

[Glockoma]

We've got two "recon" home defenders in the household, decent pistol shots, and one to secure the "LZ". The tactic therefore is to work precision - don't want to take each other out and all that - so for us it's pistols and those impossibly bright focused flashlights.

If I were alone, I'd probably choose a semi-auto shotty with an attached flashlight for the ultimate in point-and-click goblin interface, loaded with "000".

As for hanging back or investigating, I would definitely investigate an intrusion.. I don't think I could just sit around and wait for them to set the house on fire or make off with the RAID server, dammit! ;)

[AUG]

For a bump in the night the pistol is the weapon of choice if leaving the bedroom. If staying put it is the shotgun.

[MCIWS]

Bump in the middle of the night?
I would have the wife investigate while I seek cover and concealement!
Seriously,
12 ga pump (loaded or unloaded) -that racking sound is unmistakeable.

[bill k]

Call 911 and sit on your bed with a shot gun using 00 buck. I keep a turkey call next to the phone, use that to lure the turkey to you.

[DarkKnight01]

ROFL thats funny bill... but a good point, however those of us with families to look after staying put isnt always an option... so most of us dressed in our midnight combat attire... (a pair of hanes a handgun and a flashlight) have no choice but to venture thru the house and investigate the sound... hopefully my morning wood will be enuf to scare off the intruder !! LOL

[bill k]

You got me there, it's just the wife and me. Not to mention our two weinnie dogs, parrot, lab, and hound. If a flea farts in our house it sounds like WWIII with all the barking etc.

[Lycanthrope]

Good discussion. If you had a clear shot I think everyone would choose a shotty or rifle. In the bedroom I'll have the 1100 stuffed with 8 rounds of OO buck with the STI Edge and 21 rounds of .40SW as backup. The problem is movement for me.

I have some BAD angles in my house. The type where the Edge has a distinct advantage (yeah, I've tried them with the 16" AR Carbine and the 22" 1100). I think the most important variable in this is to assume that the goblin is as at least good as you are. In other words, all bets are off and stack the deck. THAT is why we choose the stopping power of the long guns.

Dane Burns coined the phrase: "Situational awareness is situational dominance".

Depending on your layout and your skill level the AR, the shotty or the pistol may be completely right for you.

[Chiram2003]

German Shepherd bite trained in Russian followed by either a shotgun loaded with rocksalt for the first round (hurts but generally hard to get a kill shot) or a Colt Trooper Mk 3 6". If neither of the weapons is loaded, the dog tends to go for the throat. That's why he was retired young. So come on in. :)

[bill k]

For home protection, especially with other family members in the home, stick with a shot gun. Dry wall generally will not stop a rifle round or pistol round.

[Tuckersdad]

1. Double deadbolts at all points of entry.
2. Security and specific interior lights on all night.
3. Three very sensitive furpersons on duty inside the house - two small yappers and one large agressive Boxer (mainly to alert us) all three sleep in our bedroom, free to roam the house.
4. 12 guage riot gun, 18" barrel, extended mag loaded with #1 buck, with handgun backup, all within arms reach while in bed.
5. Wife on floor behind solid pedestal bed with cell phone and handgun (to give me clear shooting lanes and to call the good guys).
6. Decision to investigate or stay put in defensive mode will be made based upon nature of situation. Since there is no one else in the home, most likely will stay put and wait for the calvary.

[LAK]

Long gun is my preference; pistol as a backup. Unless the enemy has dug a tunnel system underneath us - and I pursue the rats with pistol only leaving the long gun at ground level.

[IZinterrogator]

All this talk about house clearing makes me glad I live in a studio apartment with clear lines of fire from the bed to the door and all the windows. I hate roaming around in the dark in my undies. :D

[NSO_w/_SIG]

I am going with the old 870 pump loaded with 00 buck which is in the bedroom closet, I have my sig P226 .40 in a leg holster in the nightstand for back up.

[Cowled_Wolfe]

Yeah, that title's right. At the moment, we don't have a safe, so all my guns have trigger locks and are in locked cases with ALL keys hidden on the far end of the house (except my BP muzzle loader)... Effectively, my best bet for defence is my machete or my knife.

'Course, we're re-doing my room right now, and turning the closet into a sorta gun safe (outdoor-style doors, deadbolt, door-to-frame anchors)... So when that's done, I'll be keeping a loaded mag for my 10/22 under the bed and the 10/22 itself'll be well hidden but readily accessible.

[Doerdie]

First I send my 2 Dobies, Duke and Duchess out, then I get my 2 kids and head back to my room, in the corner behind the bed with my P89 with a 30 round clip pointed at the door. Then I call 911 and wait. Then I wake up my wife and tell her I'm buying another gun, she will be so ****** off :eek: , aint a man in the world, let alone in the house, that would wanna be within 100 yards of her. Even the dogs will run away.

[grey_pilgrim]

For those of you with kids. . . .what if the bump is one of your kids getting a drink of water?
As something else to consider, along with a bump in the night, what if your dorbell rings? What do you do then? If you are single? Married? Kid (but only gun owner in house)??

[Doerdie]

Thats why I get my kids before I get my weapon.

[Lycanthrope]

For those of you with kids. . . .what if the bump is one of your kids getting a drink of water?


No different from any other safety plan (like a plan to meet in case of fire and what exits to use). Mostly I want everyone to stay put. Some may have tasks such as using the cell phone or hiding. It depends on your situation.

[DarkKnight01]

"grey_pilgrim: For those of you with kids. . . .what if the bump is one of your kids getting a drink of water?
As something else to consider, along with a bump in the night, what if your dorbell rings? What do you do then? If you are single? Married? Kid (but only gun owner in house)?? "

"grey_pilgrim: For those of you with kids. . . .what if the bump is one of your kids getting a drink of water?"

remember target identification before shooting it??

thats a pretty stupid question... if you know firearm safety this should be a no-brainer....

"As something else to consider, along with a bump in the night, what if your dorbell rings? What do you do then? If you are single? Married? Kid (but only gun owner in house)?? "

ill answer the door... after investigating the sound at hand that first woke me up... another no-brainer.

[Ozzieman]

Bird shot will not go through much of a wall but will cut some one in half.
One thing that most people dont think about when it comes to a shotgun is the sound.
ANYONE and I do mean ANYONE that has ever heard a shotgun, any shotgun being racked, loaded, what ever you want to call it will remember that sound.
If there is some one standing 10 feet on the other side of a wall from you and hears an 870 being loaded, once they stop peeing there pants will run, if they have half a brain.
And some one else here put it best, I would wait for them to come into my room, would make it easier to blow them out and if any one is behind them they will soon learn that I do mean business by the way there friend is falling apart.
shotgun

[BillCA]

It will all depend on the noise I hear that wakes me up. The furcritter in my house is a kibble-fed, gas-operated 12 pound feline predator and if she's not reacting to it I'll consider it a low probability event. But if she's poised to move fast I'll know something is up. :eek:

Like another post, I have strategic night lights around the house. Not so much for intruders but to avoid stepping on felines (I used to have 3 including a 19 lb male tom cat studying to be a lion). :D

Immediate threat reaction is a 2.5" S&W M66 with a pair of .38 special +P 125gr JHP. Those are followed by 4 .357 Mag 125gr JSPs. If I hear movement outside, the 1911 slide gets pulled back in preparation to launch 230gr Hydrashoks.

When I wasn't single, a Winchester 1200 pump was slung under the bed and would launch #6, #4, #4, 00, 00, slug.

I also keep dark blue sweats in reach in case I have time to don them. Also nearby are the Surefire 6P flashlight, a maglite and a Gerber MK II blade.

I'd like to find a good, inexpensive (under $550) M1-Carbine as a short rifle.

[elco93]

GP100 in a quick-access safe next to bed...870 is next purchase.

However even if I had one, my first concern is that the BG doesn't get upstairs. Everyone sleeps upstairs including my 2 kids. My bedroom is the first one. If BG(s) are still downstairs then we barricade while the wife calls the cops. If for some reason they do get upstairs then I still choose the revolver as the shotgun is out of the question. Regardless of having the 870 or .357, and I catch them rounding the corner to come up the stairs woe to them.

My .02...

[PsychoSword]

What will you bring out when you here a noise in the middle of the night??

Preferably a .308 FAL, a couple of 9mm pistols and a set of earplugs. Since I don't own an FAL, a 30-30 Winchester or 7.62X39mm SKS will have to substitute.

[Cowled_Wolfe]

As something else to consider, along with a bump in the night, what if your dorbell rings? What do you do then? If you are single? Married? Kid (but only gun owner in house)??

I look out my window... My house's only real 'floor' is the main floor, which has two doors each with a porch. The front door's the ONLY door I'm going to open at night, and my room's window looks at that porch (note: you can't get into my room from the porch without levitating a short distance).
The basement is a large, workshop/storage type area, and is half-above-ground with a sliding glass door btw.

If I heard someone knocking, I'd look, then wake up the parents. While they answer the door, I plan on going to my room getting my gun ready and keeping an ear out for any trouble.

[SNoB]

USP compact .40 loaded with hydra shoks in my night stand plus the 4 D cell maglite next to my bed (shooting flashlight is next on my list of things to get). The maglite is bright enough to blind anyone at night. I live alone in an apartment building so I would probably wait in my bedroom for a few minutes listening, since its only a two bedroom I can hear anything move from my bedroom at night. If I heard more noise I might investigate, or call the cops, which would be there in less than 2 minutes. If I heard the door bell, I would open the door with the privacy chain latched and my pistol behind my back, round in the chamber, saftey on.

Thats my plan untill I get a riot gun.