RE: my under the bed home defender
I had a conversation with a retire ATF agent once and he swore the best weapon would be the shotgun over the pistol for the shear sake of aiming ease. Other points to consider...most of which where brought up already.
- Psychological value - that noise of a shell being shucked in a pump carries very far in a dark house
- If it's dark, an unchoked blast of #8 shot has a large zone of damage. So even if your aim is not straight on, you likely hit it if pointed in the general direction.
- Bird shot won't carry through the walls and kill the neighbors.
- Mount a flashlight on it. That way you can blind the sucker too.
- It's easier for the wife to remember how to pump the action and pull the trigger than to handle a semi-auto pistol.