The Gran Torino School Of Self/Home Defense

[First Shirt]

My Rossi in .45 Colt spends a lot of time in the truck, and honestly, I'd be hard-pressed to feel undergunned with one of the .45 Colt Vaqueros that are stashed in odd places around the house. Likewise, The Boss and her bevy of .357s (although her revolvers are all double-actions).
Obviously, a lever-action rifle and one or two (or three) single-action revolvers wouldn't be the ideal choice in a SHTF situation, but they'd probably get me home, which is really all that's required. Once I'm home I have other options.

[skb12172]

What's wrong with them for SHTF? You are familiar with them and they are in an effective caliber. I could imagine worse.

[Jered]

About the only real difference is the location of the safety. I do like the Mossberg's tang safety.

The 870 also has a steel receiver.

[evan price]

I personally think a shotgun is a perfect truck gun. We're not going to be looking for barricaded felons like cops will. A patrol carbine's not a bad choice but flight-control buckshot or a 1-oz slug will do the trick out past pistol range to 100 yards with no troubles. If I am facing a Red Dawn scenario, sure a rifle makes a lot of sense. If I was ranching and needed to drop predators at long range it's a great idea. My opinion, for urban truck gun or for home defense a good shotgun can't be beat.
You can find beater 12-gauge pump guns, often with long barrels and snotcatcher var-i-chokes on them for under $150- ugly and not many want them. The last two Mossberg 500's I bought were $100 each. A little time with a hacksaw and a couple files and some cold blueing and you have an 18.25" personal defense gun.
Heck my truck gun is a cheap antique steel-barrel 12-gauge double cut down to a coach gun. Sure reloads are not as fast as a pump but I have two shots and nothing says go away like a double-barrel coach gun. No worries about the Ohio loaded magazine = loaded gun legal trap. Keep some light recoil buckshot on a butt cuff and wrap the whole thing in a towel behind the seat.

[Jered]

What about that over under with an 18.5 inch barrel instead of a coach gun?