While many of these dudes have more real-world tactical experience than I do, I do not share this opinion. Lately, with social media influencers in the veteran and gun space, and the proliferation of AR-15 options, we see more and more people recommend ARs as the best guns for home defense. AR-15 and 30-round magazines (Wikimedia Commons) A rifle or carbine brings a lot of added stability and accuracy. They are easier to shoot accurately under stress and have little recoil. ARs, for example, carry more ammo than shotguns or pistols. When you bring a gun to a gunfight, a rifle or a carbine is the gun to bring. What About a Rifle or Carbine as Home-Defense Guns? Shotguns, contrary to popular belief, can penetrate layers of sheetrock or walls. Especially beginners, some women, or people with smaller frames.Īdditionally, it has often been assumed that because shotguns have a shorter range and the pellets lose velocity quickly, they don’t penetrate walls. If that buttstock is not seated properly on your shoulder, it will feel like getting kicked by a horse. One major disadvantage of shotguns is that they are hard to shoot since they have a ton of recoil.

Anything less than 18″ is illegal or needs to be registered.Ĭase closed? Well, no. The shorter the shotgun barrel, the faster those pellets or buckshot spread out once they leave the barrel. It’s partly why the government banned short-barreled, or “sawed-off” shotguns back in the gangster days of the 1930s. (Photo by Senior Airman Clayton Lenhardt/USAF)Īt the expense of sounding morbid, that’s why it’s possible to cut a person nearly in half with a shotgun blast to the torso, at a somewhat close range.

Major Scott Meyer ejects a shotgun shell at Incirlik Air Base, Turkey. In other words, it’s almost like getting shot with 10-15 bullets at the same time. If we drill down on that a little bit more, a three-inch shotgun shell with 00 buckshot is basically like packing 12-15 little steel ball bearings, about eight or 9mms in diameter, into one shot. You hardly have to aim, right? That big ol’ shotgun just scatters tons of pellets in the general direction you aim and increases the chances of a good hit. Probably a 20- or 12-gauge shotgun, with 00 buck as the shotshell. Over the years, one of the most common recommendations for home defense guns was a shotgun.

AR Defender 2