On The Wild Side

It’s been a few years, but shotguns for home defense seem to be making a comeback. It’s not that rifles and handguns won’t work well for home defense, it’s just that shotguns have so much going for them in that realm.

With the array of ammunition available, shotguns can shoot everything from “less-lethal” loads (think rubber bullets, bean bags and others) to snake shot, to buckshot (.30+ caliber projectiles!) to 400-plus grain slugs. While most of us who aren’t in law enforcement or the military will negotiate shorter distances with our defensive shotguns, the scattergun’s versatility does offer the ability to shoot ammo that can address targets at much longer ranges. On the flipside, there is shotgun ammunition that will travel and/or penetrate less, and that might be appropriate for your circumstance. When we add to this the array of accessories also available for them (which isn’t always necessarily a good thing; we’ll touch more on this later), shotguns might be the most versatile home defense firearms you can get.

Visit NRA Family for the entirety of Choosing a Home Defense Shotgun.

As a shooter and an instructor, nothing pains me more than watching someone get thrown around by his shotgun.  Except, perhaps, being beaten up by my own shotgun.

Why? First, it doesn’t have to happen. Second, it’ll have a negative effect on the shooter’s learning and performance. Third, that just might cause him to walk away from the sport altogether.

The most common reason for this abuse is a poorly fitting shotgun, especially among shooters who are smaller in stature. And by that, I mean pretty much anyone who doesn’t fit the standard or average measurement of a male shooter: approximately 5’10”, 185 pounds. It’s not their fault, and it’s not our fault. Manufacturers have to have some sort of standard to work to–and fortunately for us smaller folk, several are addressing our problem and are creating scaled-down versions of their various firearms.

Visit NRA Family for the entirety of How to Properly Fit a Shotgun.

The author on the range.

My college years were spent in a tough, crime-ridden town. During freshman orientation week, a friend a was robbed by what he insisted was “a gang of nine-year-olds!” These young hoodlums somehow managed to take my friend’s bicycle, camera, and wallet. After I stopped laughing I couldn’t help ask how this “gang” managed to ambush him. “Well,” he said, “I was taking some cool photographs of the neighborhood….”

I immediately realized he wasn’t paying attention. Not having situational awareness explains how most people get mugged. When people don’t pay attention to their surroundings, they have no chance to see bad guys coming until it’s too late.

Though psychologists tell us keeping ourselves safe is a basic human instinct, I have found that surviving is something we have to learn how to do. Also, if you chose to carry a gun concealed, you certainly want avoid that worst-case scenario of having to use a gun to defend your life. Actually you have taken on added responsibility to pay attention.

Visit Range365.com for the entirety of Five Keys to a Self-Defense Mindset.