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Practically Shooting

Home Defense shotgun


G-MAN

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After doing a lot of soul-searching and research I've come to the conclusion (as have countless others before me) that the best home defense weapon is not a handgun but a shotgun. I'm signed up to take a 4-hour defensive shotgun class in a couple of weeks and I went shopping today for a HD shotgun. I wanted something that would be solid and dependable but not break the bank. I've been researching HD shotguns all week and had narrowed my choices down to:

1. Browning BPS

2. Remington 870

2. Mossberg 500

3. Maverick 88

4. Savage-Stevens 350

5. H&R Pardner Protector

I handled all of these and decided on the Pardner Protector. For $200 all-in I don't think you can beat it. It's a (licensed) 870 clone, and I've read almost nothing but positive reviews. The action was a little rough when I got it home so I took it completely down to work on it. Internally, it is an exact copy of the 870 action. Externally the receiver has a more Browning/Benelli profile. (Maybe Remington insisted on this so the gun would not be a 100% copy of the 870.) Receiver is forged steel and the internal milling looked excellent. Trigger group is aluminum, unlike the current 870 Express models that have plastic. I used 1000 grit sand paper and polished the mag tube, the slide rails, and the bolt. I removed the mag spring and follower and cleaned a load of crap out of the inside the mag tube. Got it all cleaned, lubed and put back together and she now cycles 100% more smoothly, which should improve even more after a few hundred rounds go through it.

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Did you use Ballistol?

Yes. I'd recommend anyone who gets one of these completely tear it down and clean it out. The Chinese evidently love to gob on a heavy oil as a preservative for shipping and the action was full of it. Bore was very dirty from the proof round. Inside of magazine tube was dirty.

Originally Posted By: CamuMahubah
How many shells does it hold in the tube?

Magazine holds six.

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Are any of those you listed in your original post manufactured in the USA? I have been considering a Mossberg.

Remington and Mossberg. If I were seriously going to consider a Mossberg it would have to be the 590A1. This is the one the Marines use and has metal in all the places where the 500 and 590 have plastic.

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This video showcases 00 and 000 buckshot spread. Thought it might give you a bit of an edge G-MAN to know the spread before the class even though I'm sure you have already seen it/know it. A ten inch spread at 21 feet is why the shotgun is the ultimate home defense weapon.

I agree, but I don't necessarily agree with Hickok's characterization of a shotgun at HD distances is like shooting a rifle. Even with 00 or 000 buck, the chances of you connecting with at least one projectile are far greater than if you were shooting a rifle or a handgun because you're launching multiple projectiles. With a rifle you're only launching one projectile so aim is critical--there is no margin of error.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I took the Pardner to the shotgun defense class today. I put a total of about 100 rounds through it and it functioned flawlessly except the two times I short-stroked the slide and caused a jam.

I was the only one there with a "budget" home defense shotgun. One fellow had an older hunting pump (and I never got a close enough look at it to be able to tell what it was.) There was a new Charles Daly and a couple of Mossbergs. I was impressed with the Daly.

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Did you fix the jams quick? Are you gonna drop the shottie and go for the revolver on your hip when it jams?

If I were doing the full-blow tactical shotgun part of the class, I would have. But since the only thing I will use this gun for is home defense, I did not do that part of the class.

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Seems hard to use a rifle in the house, the length and tactics to deal with the size.

Believe it or not, in some cases, there isn't much difference between a long gun and handgun there. I never would have thought that until it was demonstrated for me.

If you hold a handgun at arms's length and note where the muzzle is, then shoulder a carbine and do the same, and compare the two, the handgun might even be sticking out farther.

Of course, the handgun can be pulled in close at any time. Then again, there are tricks to draw a rifle in tight also.

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