Best home defense weapon?
 

Hi everyone, just looking for some opinions here. I'm looking to set up for a home defense weapon. I have a couple that might already qualify, but would not mind an excuse to get something new:s4:

Currently I have 2 guns that would work:
1. Chinese SKS, 10 round mag, no modifications
2. Winchester 1200 12 gauge with 18" barrel

I live in an apartment complex, so shooting through walls is an issue, which makes me want to write off the SKS for this job. The Winchester would work okay, but I've had issues from time to time with the first round being pumped in jamming. In other words, for hunting it's not a big deal, but if my life is on the line I don't want something that could possibly jam. And I don't like the idea of keeping a round in the chamber at all times.


So I'm looking at perhaps a pistol or another shotgun that is 100% reliable. Any opinions out there? To be more specific, types of pistols or shotguns that are recommended.

20 gauge SXS, short barrel, 3" chamber with double O buckshot

noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo...
he said an apartment...no need to kill the neighbors on accident...get ya a hand gun ..get some glasser powerballs..basically a bullet that has shot in it, so it doesnt pass through the assailant or the walls..wayyyyyyyyyyyyyy lethal. i recommend a glock..you can sprinkle sand in it and dump clip after clip and never have a problem..it did take awhile to get all the sand out of the spring..like weeks lol maybe a month. dont shoot reloads through em though, unless they are only shot once casings and yer doin it yourself.
cant go wrong with the pistol grip sawed off shot gun, or home defense barrel is ok...with a 50 round drum clip filled with high brass birdshot..it is an apartment, and you'll be at close range..trust me..serious damage, i tried it on a hog...well..i wish i had the pic but cant find it.
there is no gunfight..this is home defense. most are very close range..and a shotgun is big bulky and hard to maneuver in a confined space.

Hard to beat a shotgun...Use number 4 shot, at 20 feet, it's devastating...

Go with an 870 or simply have a round in the chamber of the one you have...

You don't take a pistol to a gunfight, stick with the shotgun...

Im going to go against others advice here, especially for your living arrangements. I live in an apartment as well, so I can relate to your concerns, and needs. In my stash of toys, I possess several 1911 45acp's, a pair of 40 S&W in tupperware guns, a 44 mag revolver, a model 1300 12ga, an sks, a pair of lever actions, bigbore and regular, and numerous bolt actions.
Of those listed, my primary weapon would be one of the pistols first, then the 44 mag(lower power loads mind you). All of my pistols have been ran thru, and I can vouge for their reliability. I want controlled fire, with single projectiles, in hollowpoint(read: low penetration). I have neighbors on each side, so I have two areas of no-fire zones in place, well three if you count the ceiling too. I already have known funnels, just like deer hunting. The front doorway goes down a hall, and you either go over, or around a sectional to access the rest of the apartment. Master bedroom has a hall to it as well. Window to the master bedroom is shielded with bushes. Sonic the hedgehog couldnt get thru those things. With that in mind, if I have a situation, I'm going to use those areas to my advantage, and let the guy either find Waldo, or leave. Your primary goal is to protect your life and loved one's lives, not hunt the perps down, though I wish we could at times! So if they run off, so be it. If they try to invade further, they have to go thru a funnel, and its a turkey shoot.
Now why do I say pistols? Pistols are meant to be a CQC weapon. Shotguns, or trenchguns, or zombie slayers, etc, would be intermediate range. Difference is, a pistol can be effectively fired at very close ranges, with minute of badguy accuracy, and not have the weapon extended out at all. Shotguns lack this. If you are caught offguard, and a perp is suddenly in your face, you have a weapon that can be leveraged from you, and used against you very quickly. Parkinglot shootouts would be more an ideal area for a scattergun IMO. The sks, and other rifles, too much penetration period. Out in the open space, a rifle may have its place, but we are in an apartment though. So I would recommend investing in a pistol of some kind and gain some practice, and leave the other long arms in the closet. Now if something happened tonite and you didnt have a pistol, the shotgun would be first choice, if it was reliable, then the sks. Remember, despite the internet rambos out there, if in a situation, fortify, or barricade yourself in to make a stand, call the dial-a-prayer(911)hotline, and wait for the police.

A Cobray Street Sweeper 12 gauge is the ultimate home defense weapon!

http://www.proguns.com/cobray-streetsweeper.asp

You already have what you need. The shotgun. As long as the bad guy isn't on top of you, meaning you didn't react soon enough, the shotgun will be the most rounded weapon you can have. You don't need to be as accurate with it as you do a handgun, and the point and shoot interface doesn't get much simpler.

The shotgun is a good choice to lie in wait with if you are actually in danger. Better to wait in ambush than to go looking for trouble. It increases your odds of surviving. A little thing I refer to as tactical planning.

A handgun can be a good alternative. They are better for sweeping enclosed places. That would be the weapon you want to use to check things out with.

For handgun ammunition I would stay away from Glasers. They are overpriced crap. A good hollowpoint round, or modified hollow point would be better. The Hornady Critical Defense rounds or the Federal Hydra-Shok rounds would be better options.

Thanks for all the replies, some good advice here. I am leaning towards a pistol right now. I used to have a Ruger 9mm but sold it years ago. I've shot my friend's HK USP which I liked a lot, although they are pricey. If I was in a large house, I would stick with the shotgun, but in my apartment, the longest shot might be like 10 - 12 FEET, so a pistol might be better here.

This. At inside an apartment ranges a number 4 load would be bad medicine. But at the same time it would be unlikely to pass through a wall with enough force to kill anyone on the other side.

By code apartments are constructed with a firewall between units (basically double thickness of sheetrock on both sides) and you are unlikely to pass through it with any buckshot.

If you are hoping to defend your domicile with a short fight and as few shots as necessary, a shotgun is hard to beat. You do not need to be a great shot. you just need to be familiar with the weapon and it's pattern. Heck, just racking the round in is usually enough to send bad people back the direction they came from.