What is the best shotgun barrel length for home defence?
 

What is the optimal shotgun barrel length for home and self defence?
Thank you.

Re: What is the best shotgun barrel length for home defence?
 

Sawed off, which is illegal where I live.

Sawed off....just point and click:shocked_ma:

Re: What is the best shotgun barrel length for home defence?
 

In a recent issue of Small Arms Review a fella did a study by cutting the barrel on a 12 gauge in one inch increments from the original 20 inch down to 6.75 inches, i think.
If i recall correctly, the conclusion was that there was a significant drop-off in velocity below 10 or 12 inches. I'll check when i get home.
Also the pattern was measured. and it wasnt bad either.
I'm not sure what the rules are on scanning articles....

Re: What is the best shotgun barrel length for home defence?
 

Thanks.
I will rephrase the question:

What is the best legal shotgun barrel lengh to purchase for home and self defence?

I suspect that 20 inches is the actual practical length if one intends to buy a factory gun. (I think that is what the police use also.)

Re: What is the best shotgun barrel length for home defence?
 

I've always wanted a "coach" gun.......

Re: What is the best shotgun barrel length for home defence?
 

the shorter the better for ease of handling indoors. Think about turning around in your hallway with a shotgun at your shoulder.
18 inches is the minimum for a shotgun not to be an SBS with the requisite tax stamp needed for that.
assuming that you don't want to go down the SBS route, go for 18.125 inches or so. Remember that the BATFE measures barrel length by sticking a measuring rod down the barrel with the bolt forward, and give yourself adequate length for your comfort.

Edit: Mumwaldee brings up a good point. number of rounds comes into play usually. I was thinking from the perspective of a mag fed shotgun...(I use a Saiga-12)

Re: What is the best shotgun barrel length for home defence?
 

What company makes an 18.5 inch shotgun?
Thanks!

Re: What is the best shotgun barrel length for home defence?
 

I'm thinking about one of these:

Mossberg 500

Also comes in 18.5" barrel

Edit: beat me by 2 minutes

Re: What is the best shotgun barrel length for home defence?
 

Most of the riot shotguns have 18.5" barrels. Remington 870, Winchester 1300, Mossberg.

Re: What is the best shotgun barrel length for home defence?
 

Well, so much for the mossberg. Where can I get a death ray?

:smokin:

Re: What is the best shotgun barrel length for home defence?
 

Do the military or police use shotguns shorter than 18 inches?
Thank you.

Re: What is the best shotgun barrel length for home defence?
 

Yes, they do, but they are not limited by federal law as you and I are regarding short shotguns.

Re: What is the best shotgun barrel length for home defence?
 

I am surprised to hear that they use shorter length barrels.
Here in Calif. I thought that the police use 18 inch or longer barrels.
What is the use to the police/military of shorter weapons?
Thank you.

PS The 18 inch restriction seems a bit odd to me.
There is no restriction on .44 Magnum barrel length.

Re: What is the best shotgun barrel length for home defence?
 

Optimum pump shotgun barrel length is 14 inches, IMO. Best for in and out of cars, swinging around in a hallway, etc. Citizens can own one if they register it as a short-barrel and pay a $200 transfer fee, I believe.

Re: What is the best shotgun barrel length for home defence?
 

That is correct, for use in tight quarters (kind of where you would want a shotgun anyway). They aren't hunting ducks with it.

Re: What is the best shotgun barrel length for home defence?
 

Here's the data from that article i mentioned:

Note the velocity drop at 20"...the article discusses it saying that they repeated it specifically because of the anomaly and found it to be consistent (and with different shells, too). They also mention another independent study that had the same findings. Strange but t, apparently, true....

Re: What is the best shotgun barrel length for home defence?
 

Actually, unless I'm right next to my target, I find it's even necessary to aim my death ray.
What a drag.

Re: What is the best shotgun barrel length for home defence?
 

18.5" w/ evil-looking muzzle brake/breaching cone:

http://www.discountgunsales.com/prod...00breacher.jpg

6.5" if you need it to be in a holster while you go into the latrine or on top of the roof to change tiles:

http://weapons.travellercentral.com/...gun_shorty.gif

Re: What is the best shotgun barrel length for home defence?
 

If 14 inches is a good tactical length, does Mossberg make one?

Re: What is the best shotgun barrel length for home defence?
 

1234567890

Re: What is the best shotgun barrel length for home defence?
 

Not for sale to the general public...

For your purposes an 18.5" will work just fine. You don't need the hassle with law enforcement, paperwork, fingerprints, added costs of the transfer fee, etc. just to have a shorter-than-legal shotgun barrel. Not worth it, IMO.

Now when the SHTF and we see TEOTWAWKI...:smokin:

Re: What is the best shotgun barrel length for home defence?
 

Those pistol grip pumps are good for knocking your teeth out.

Just take a close aim and see what I mean ...

Re: What is the best shotgun barrel length for home defence?
 

Personal experience?

I don't think they are meant to be used taking a close aim in that configuration. Breaching required no sights. and if you put a pointer on it like the guy above said, you're ok, too, i guess.

Re: What is the best shotgun barrel length for home defence?
 

As short as legally possible.

Re: What is the best shotgun barrel length for home defence?
 

I used to work for a guy up in Longmont. He owns Rocky Mtn Arms. He makes an over/under shotgun for LEO's. Especially undercover LEO's

Over/under you say? Why's that?

He cuts them down so that the barrels are about five inches. He then removes the block that allows the weapon to be opened and then folded 'backwards'. The reason? Once folded upon itself, it will fit inside a construction workers lunch pail.

The story goes like this. A pair of drug dealers in Miami, sitting in their Monte Carlo were selling drugs out of their car. LEO undercover, looking like a construction worker sits on the curb and opens his lunch pail. He removes his ham sandwich and proceeds to eat lunch. These two guys go back to ignoring him. They look up and are facing the business end of the shortest double barrel they've ever seen. They both IMMEDIATELY put their hands on the dash and beg the guy to NOT pull either trigger, cause he will DEFINITELY RUIN THEIR DAY.

Simple really. In close quarters, the fall off of velocity is of little consequence. BUT ONLY IN CLOSE QUARTERS. Which I PERSONALLY take to mean six feet or less.

Oh, and the 'SBS' (short barreled shotgun) is incorrect. It's AOW according to the BATFE. That stands for 'Any Other Weapon'. I think you were thinking about an SBR, which stands for Short Barreled Rifle, which the BATFE does recognize.

I cut my Winchester Model 12's down to 19 inches. Short enough for the work I need to use them for. Plus my Model 12's are 'take down' models that come apart (intentionally) at the barrels. Leaving you two pieces, receiver and barrel, to make traveling with it easier.

Oh, and REMINGTON 870's are bought in large numbers by Law Enforcement departments. Mossbergs (generally 590's) are bought in large numbers by the US Military. And both have seen long service life.

Hope that helps.

Re: What is the best shotgun barrel length for home defence?
 

SBS and and AOW are a different tax stamp.
I believe a reciever that comes from the factory with a stock mounted is considered a shotgun, and can never become an AOW. If the receiver comes from the manufacturer bare, or with pistol grip only, then it is an AOW. See ATF NFA handbook for 'clarification'.
http://www.atf.treas.gov/firearms/nf...book/index.htm
Also see Machine Gun Dealers Bible, by Dan Shea.
http://www.midwayusa.com/rewriteaproduct/922511

Re: What is the best shotgun barrel length for home defence?
 

Re: What is the best shotgun barrel length for home defence?
 

You are probably correct. It's been a while since I dealt in 'class 3' type stuff.

Thx for the correction.

Re: What is the best shotgun barrel length for home defence?
 

Re: What is the best shotgun barrel length for home defence?
 

18" with iron sights. A deer barrel (unrifled) works REAL good.

Re: What is the best shotgun barrel length for home defence?
 

You'd be shooting fire out of a 14" barrel.. unless you have some shells with quick burning powder

Re: What is the best shotgun barrel length for home defence?
 

Interesting tables...
According to that data.. a 30" barrel has a wider spread at 15 yards than
a 18" barrel?? Just the opposite of what most people would guess.

Most people wouldn't be taking a 45 foot shot inside their house unless
you are living in a very big house. I would guess that most self defense
shooting inside a home is done at a range of less than 20 feet...
I wouldn't expect much difference from any barrel length at that range
as far as spread goes.

Interesting charts. Thanks for posting Iptuous :applause_

Re: What is the best shotgun barrel length for home defence?
 

lenght short.... clip fed.

Re: What is the best shotgun barrel length for home defence?
 

shooting somebody with an AOW would look pretty bad in front of a jury

I like the mossberg 590 with ghost ring sights, think thats a 20 incher

I dont like pistol grip without shoulder stock. what if I have to butt stroke someone and I dont mean pat their fanny-

Re: What is the best shotgun barrel length for home defence?
 

thats very true.
in the civil suit that is nearly inevitable after a self-defense shooting, you want the gun to look like it was your grandfathers hunting shotgun, with quail elegantly carved into the side of the stock, and scroll work on the receiver.

Re: What is the best shotgun barrel length for home defence?
 

Legal liability is yet another big subject. Could even be a dedicated sub-forum. One should always consider what might go down in a court of law if you shoot someone no matter how "good" the shoot...

I certainly wouldn't seriously recommend any of the "nastier-looking" weapons that have been posted in this thread.

Re: What is the best shotgun barrel length for home defence?
 

If a real stranger break in occurs in your house and you live in a castle doctrine state, you might then be OK.

I think it would be a superb home defense to have a high quality recording of a pump shotgun being chambered and a large dog growling in the background.

Re: What is the best shotgun barrel length for home defence?
 

That also brings up a the very real deterrent effect of the sound of a pump shotgun being cycled. My dad warded off a robber when i was young with that sound. Shotguns (or 'gauge' as they are sometimes referred to on the street) are highly feared by common robbers/burglars and that sound is -unmistakable-.

Re: What is the best shotgun barrel length for home defence?
 

I'd rather not give an intruder the chance to draw. The first I want him knowing of me being armed is as I'm unloading. Round one, rock salt. Two and three, lead or steel shot. Four and five .... slug. I'll take my chances in court on charges of shooting first with rock salt. If he's still around to receive lead ....No jury in the world is gonna convict.

Re: What is the best shotgun barrel length for home defence?
 

Definitely should be that way, but i've heard plenty of stories about civil suits costing a good chunk of change, since they divvy up 'percentage of culpability' and you may get a hoplophobic jury.....:thumpdown

Those stories sometimes make one think a good suppressed weapon and a shovel might be the best defense. :D



On a side note, there's still lots of firearms forum posters that haven't joined the 'Gun Nuts' social group that i created for shitsngiggles. Go to your User CP and click on the 'social groups' clicky under the networking heading. Click on the 'Gun Nuts' social group and join up. I dunno what the hell good it does, but it's there to sign your name on if'n you want to.

Re: What is the best shotgun barrel length for home defence?
 

True, but you can only do what you can. Racking just gives him too much time, and only convinces him you're armed and dangerous. If he's the arrogant sort, and armed himself, he might well think that you won't fire (and since you haven't yet, he's right). The rock salt convinces him you're not afraid to fire, and can still be argued as non-lethal.

Re: What is the best shotgun barrel length for home defence?
 

I wouldn't want to risk someone being alive after I shot them. Too much can happen when the jury hears about how disadvantaged he was and all the circumstances under which he was trying to rob my house. No, your Honor, I'm quite sure he wasn't trying to borrow $10 to get his kid a teddy bear for his birthday.