It is the gun you are comfortable with, can handle safely, and can shoot accurately. There is no one gun fits all answer. Each citizen has preferences, likes, and dislikes. The “best” home defense gun for me may not suit someone else. And to be honest my personal choices have been modified over time and as I gain more experience. When I first got interested in buying a gun for home defense I didn’t own any guns. I was 65 years old, that was in November of 2009. After researching the topic I decided on a shotgun. And after more research and comparing and operating the Mossberg 500 and the Remington 870 I decided that the Remington 870 was what I wanted. It didn’t take a week of going to the range and practicing before I decided that I enjoyed shooting and started researching a handgun purchase. I selected the Glock 17 9mm as my handgun of choice. So that is how I started. First was a Remington 870 and then a Glock. Now a year later and 14 guns poorer, I feel I have all I need for home defense. My biggest problem now is deciding what to use. All joking aside, I still consider the Remington 870 as my prime mover, with my new Glock 21SF .45 cal pistol a close second. But I did just buy a Benelli M4. It sure would be nice to carry the Glock 21 loaded with 13 rounds on my side as backup for the Benelli M4 loaded with 9 rounds of 00 buck. And that brings up another argument for another time about what is the best home defense shotgun ammunition?
If you are in the market for a home defense weapon do some research, do some shooting, and familiarize yourself with several different guns before making your choice.
That’s what I did when I bought my first gun almost a year ago. It turned out to be a Remington 870 tactical shotgun in 12 gauge. I determined that the shotgun is about the most versatile weapon there is. A variety of ammunition, a selection of barrels, and further selections of chokes can make a shotgun extremely accurate to 100 yards, and almost perfect for close quarters defense and home protection. The only con about a shotgun is that it is a long gun and may be somewhat cumbersome to maneuver inside your home after dark.