5 Best Home Defense Shotguns

Home defense is a crucial aspect of protecting your family and property, and choosing the right home defense shotgun is an important decision. A shotgun is an excellent choice for home defense as it is easy to use and has more power than a handgun. However, selecting the right shotgun can be overwhelming, especially if you have little or no experience with firearms. In this article, we will provide some tips on how to choose a home defense shotgun that fits your needs.

Gauge

The gauge of a shotgun refers to the diameter of the barrel. The most popular gauges for home defense are 12 and 20 gauge. The 12 gauge is a popular choice as it delivers more energy on its target, and ammo is readily available. The 20 gauge, on the other hand, delivers less energy but has less recoil. This can be important for individuals with smaller builds. For the majority of people, the 12 gauge is the best home defense shotgun.

Barrel Length

The barrel length of a shotgun is also an essential factor to consider. A shorter barrel makes the shotgun more maneuverable in tight spaces such as hallways and rooms. For home defense, a barrel length of 18.5 to 20 inches is recommended.

Action

Pump Action: The pump action is usually the cheapest option for a self defense shotgun. Pump shotguns are also considered to be more reliable than their semi-automatic counterparts. Home defense pump action shotguns usually have the greatest capacity among all action types. These make the pump action the most popular home defense shotgun.

Semi Auto: Semi auto home defense shotguns allow a faster fire rate and don’t require the shooter to manually pump to chamber a new shell. Typically, they are more expensive than pump action shotguns and seen as less reliable.

Break Action: The double barrel shotgun is a home defense classic, although it has become outdated. The main draw back for the break action is capacity. Typically, a break action shotgun will have a capacity of either 1 or 2 rounds. Most people prefer a shotgun with greater capacity for home defense.

Capacity

The capacity of a shotgun refers to the number of shells it can hold. Shotguns come in various capacities, ranging from two to eight or more shells. A shotgun with a higher capacity allows for more rounds to be fired without reloading. For home defense, a shotgun with a capacity of at least five shells is recommended.

Weight

The weight of a shotgun is also an important factor to consider, especially for individuals who may have difficulty handling a heavier firearm. A lighter shotgun is more manageable and easier to aim, but it may also have a greater recoil. A heavier shotgun has less recoil but may be more challenging to handle. A shotgun that weighs between 6 to 8 pounds is recommended for home defense.

Accessories

Lastly, consider the accessories you may need for your shotgun. A good quality sling, flashlight, and laser sight are popular accessories for a home defense shotgun. A sling allows you to carry the shotgun hands-free, while a flashlight and laser sight help with aiming in low-light conditions. If you’d like a flashlight or laser sight on your shotgun, you’ll want to be sure the shotgun you are getting has a way to mount one.

With the right training and the right shotgun, you can protect your family and property effectively. Here are our choices for the 5 best home defense shotguns!
1

Benelli M4 Tactical Semi Automatic 12 Gauge Shotgun 18.5" Phosphate Barrel Black Pistol Grip

The Benelli M4 Tactical Shotgun is a semi-automatic, tubular magazine fed weapon chambered for the 12 gauge (18.4 mm) shotshell cartridge. The operating system employed in this weapon is the improved ARGO (Auto-Regulating Gas Operated) Twin (two gas pistons/cylinders/ ports) System with rotating bolt head with dual locking lugs.

 

The Benelli Armi S.p.A. line of semi-automatic M4 shotguns is a result of painstaking work at Benelli’s Research and Development Center and of Benelli’s extensive experience in precision engineering and technical know-how. A number of military and police forces, domestic and foreign, have chosen the M4 special version to be used where the greatest reliability of service in required. The small number of components, an extremely simple operating principle, make the new shotguns highly reliable and practical, easy to strip and upkeep to the extent that the M4 can be considered are of the most modern, accurate, safe and fast shotgun available today.

 

Features

  • Auto-Regulating Gas-Operated
  • Ghost-Ring Sights
  • Drilled and Tapped Receiver

What Customers Are Saying

If I had more hands and it made any sense, I'd buy another

Owning this Italian sports car of a shotgun has been a decade long pursuit of mine since I first handled one in the corps so I might be somewhat biased but whatever. The neutered version you're likely to encounter thanks to 922(r) (not hard to circumvent incidentally) is pretty impressive by itself. Upgrade your tube, switch out the foregrip and a part or two, and refine the process of reloading and this thing becomes an absolute war machine. Do yourself a favor and forget about the collapsible stock because they're nigh impossible to find for less than double MSRP and there are several substitutes that are arguably better including pretty much everything sold at Mesa or Freedom Fighter Tactical. Out of the box, your average Benelli M4 may have trouble cycling certain loads but once the shotgun is broken in, this will most likely stop. The breaking in process can take I think between 20 and 100 shells. I had stoppages initially with target loads but once I fired probably a box of the good stuff out of i...
- Mack, 4/2/2021 Shop Now
2

Mossberg 590A1 Pump 12 Gauge Shotgun 20" Parkerized Barrel Black Field Stock Ghost Ring Sight

Selected by the U.S. Armed Forces after passing the rigors of Mil-Spec qualification, the 590A1 is the duty weapon of choice for military and law enforcement agencies worldwide. Features include Mil-Spec construction (the only pump action shotgun to pass Mil-Spec 3443E), parkerized finish on heavy-walled barrel, metal trigger guard and safety buttons.

About Mossberg

Founded by Swedish immigrant Oscar Frederick Mossberg in 1919, Mossberg has been manufacturing reliable firearms for the working class for over 100 years. Mossberg started with the .22 caliber Brownie Pistol and exploded into one of the most popular firearm manufacturers on the market. In 1962, Mossberg released the legendary Mossberg 500 pump-action shotgun and has since released many other popular shotgun and rifle models like the 590, 835, and Patriot. Today, Mossberg offers a full line of shotguns, rifles, and pistols to fit the needs of hunters, precision shooters, tactical shooters, and law enforcement. MidwayUSA carries all of Mossberg’s most popular shotguns in pump-action, semi-auto, and break-action, bolt action and semi-auto rifles, and semi-auto pistols. We also carry parts and accessories for popular models that include barrels, sights, magazines, choke tubes, and more. Mossberg is still family-owned, family-operated, and committed to offering “more gun for the money.”

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3

Stoeger Coach Gun Supreme Tripple Trigger Double Barrel Shotgun

The Coach Gun Supreme makes a distinctive statement for cowboy action shooters, plus it works hard as a field gun. This shotgun was first developed as a traditional double-trigger model for Cowboy Action Shooting.

Features

  • AA-grade gloss walnut stock and beaver tail forend
  • Extensive cut checkering
  • Soft rubber recoil pad already fitted
  • Improved cylinder, modified choke tubes, and choke wrench included

 

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4

Mossberg 590A1 Magpul Security Pump 12 Gauge Shotgun 20" Matte Barrel Black Field Stock

Selected by the U.S. Armed Forces after passing the rigors of Mil-Spec qualification, the 590A1 is the duty weapon of choice for military and law enforcement agencies worldwide. The 590A1 Magpul Security comes with a Magpul forend and highly adjustable MOE stock. The stock has 4 length of pull spacers that can adjust the stock from 12.25"-14.25" LOP and an included .25" cheek riser. The Ghost ring sights are easy to see and the cylinder bore is perfect for short distance self protection.

Features

  • 20" Heavy Wall Barrel
  • Parkarized Finish
  • Highly adjustable, MOE stock

About Mossberg

Founded by Swedish immigrant Oscar Frederick Mossberg in 1919, Mossberg has been manufacturing reliable firearms for the working class for over 100 years. Mossberg started with the .22 caliber Brownie Pistol and exploded into one of the most popular firearm manufacturers on the market. In 1962, Mossberg released the legendary Mossberg 500 pump-action shotgun and has since released many other popular shotgun and rifle models like the 590, 835, and Patriot. Today, Mossberg offers a full line of shotguns, rifles, and pistols to fit the needs of hunters, precision shooters, tactical shooters, and law enforcement. MidwayUSA carries all of Mossberg’s most popular shotguns in pump-action, semi-auto, and break-action, bolt action and semi-auto rifles, and semi-auto pistols. We also carry parts and accessories for popular models that include barrels, sights, magazines, choke tubes, and more. Mossberg is still family-owned, family-operated, and committed to offering “more gun for the money.”

Shop Now