Castle and queen to protect... Need advice

I'm gonna go ahead and say I'd rather kill but disable is good as well. I'm not going to trust my life to birdshot, nor am I gonna go half ass on my preps. Birdshot would be a hell of a deterrent but I wouldn't trust it to "drop" someone immediately, which is what you want in a situation like that.

Noise won't be a factor. I can say that from experience. If you fire a shot in fear or in anger or you're shot, you won't notice how loud it is.

 

My first two shells in the 870 are #6 followed by three OO. I figure if the bird shot doesn't disable them its time to finish things.

 

Thanks for everyone's input, advice, suggestions.
Going to the range today to try some handguns out. Thinking a little more about a 9mm than a .40. Lucky for me there's a range about 10 mins away from my house, which will make it easy to get some practice in.
Parents are going to pass down a 22 rifle they have when I see them for Thanksgiving and plan to get the wife some time on that and have her progress from there.
Thanks again

 

what types of hollow points does your dept carry on duty or do you recommend???

i carry federal hst in my 9mm M&Pc and Corbon DPX in my M&P40. i normally just carry ball in my sig sauer 1911. i need to get some 357s for my j-frame i shot all the 357 i had

 

No need to pick it apart. I agree. Having a plan and going over it with your family is great preparedness.

Food for thought for others -

Less than a year ago a coworker of mine (ex-Marine) was the victim of a home invasion. Him and his wife were asleep in their bedroom, and a cokehead broke into their house, made it all the way to the bedroom unheard. Coworker was awoken when the guy took a dining room chair and commenced to beating him with it, while in bed. His dominant arm was broken on the first blow, leaving him to defend himself with one arm. He managed to kick the guy off of him long enough to grab his 9mm from his nightstand. He fired one center mass at 5 feet while the guy was charging him. He fired another one at point blank and the perps shirt caused a FTE. He managed to hit the guy in the head with the pistol stock, stunning him long enough to rack the slide and clear the chamber (with the aid of his broken arm), and put three more in the guy. The guy turned, ran, and managed to get to the front lawn before dropping dead.

Definitely opened my eyes to the need for some close-quarter combat training, as well as how I "picture" a home invasion going... Ever tried to rack a slide one-armed? Ambidextrously? Now under duress?

 

The first lesson here is to have a home alarm system.

 

That's what you get for using a European round. If it doesn't start with a 4 ....

I jest. Glad he survived relatively intact. Makes me want to keep my pistol closer and practice off hand. Of course I just came back from the range and NOW I see this.

OP, if you go with a shotgun, skip the birdshot. it's called "BIRD" for a reason. I've said it before, I'll say it again. During med school I did my trauma rotation in Detroit. Over 50 gunshots in one month (one day was 9). EVERY person shot with birdshot was discharged from the ER. I don't care where the shot hit. We pop the shot out like a pimple - squeeze and it pops out. "Detroit Measles." use 00, 000, heck slug or a combo round. The ONE 00 round I saw hit someone shattered the guy's femur - the thigh bone. How much more impressive is that?

 

#4 BUCK shot would be alot better suited than #6 BIRD shot, that's what the first 4 shells in my "HD 870" are, followed by 3 00 bucks