While handguns are very well suited to personal defense and are more than adequate for most home defense situations as well, long guns- with their greatly increased stopping power and better ability to put multiple shots on target quickly, may be a better choice overall. So, that being said, what are some of the best long guns we would choose to trust with our lives with the most in such an event?
DISCLAIMER: Article contains affiliate links
Introduction:
As stated in the header, a long gun- be it a shotgun, rifle, or even a pistol-caliber carbine- is probably a more ideal weapon for home defense than a handgun.
Real world studies (notably one famous study by experienced defense trainer and former police officer Greg Ellifritz- which can be found, for those interested, here- The Best Handgun Caliber - A Real World Study - YouTube) have shown that handguns will not always readily stop an attacker (although most of the time they will with no problems- bar a few exceptions). In some cases, this involves a defender firing multiple shots into an attacker without stopping them dead in their tracks- obviously, this could be a huge problem for you. Rifles and shotguns in particular, on the other hand, where shown to have significantly higher rates of both incapacitation and lethality (even with just a single shot) than handguns, and since you can't exactly carry a long gun around with the same ease as a handgun or conceal them in any way (bar very few exceptions), this leaves using them for home defense as a more viable option.
In light of their power and other benefits over a handgun, we can say with a high degree of confidence that (just about) any long gun will probably be a better choice than any pistol specifically when it comes to defending your home.
So, what guns would we chose and why? Here are the top 5 guns with which we would readily trust our lives in the event of evil men intent on doing evil things breaking into our homes. For this list, we will be choosing weapons based on their ability to put down a threat ("stopping power"), their reliability, ease of use, as well as ability to put multiple shots on target quickly and accurately.
Additionally, we will be factoring the likelihood overpenetration (since you don't want projectiles to go through a bad guy and wound someone else in the house) as well. We may also factor in things like cost, size, weight etc. when listing our choices. Please note that these choices are just our opinions and recommendations- this list is by no means definitive.
Number 1: Mossberg 590
While really pretty much any quality pump-action shotgun (e.g., the Remington 870, Kel-Tec KSG etc.) could've easily made this list due to their inherent stopping power, reliability and ease of use, this particular pump-action shotgun- in our opinion- ultimately gets the crown as not only the best shotgun, but the best weapon for home defense overall.
It has earned our top spot in part because it is such an iconic and well-renowned example of what a good shotgun should be- raw power, rugged reliability, sheer ease of use and the fact that, especially for a pump-action shotgun- it can put multiple rounds on target (at least at close range- which is all that is needed) with boring consistency despite its mule-kick recoil. All these features put together make it a prime option for home defense.
As proof of its effectiveness, it's one of the most popular shotguns in the world and is commonly used by both military and police units as well as civilians- with decades of excellent service to its name, it's trusted by professionals with their lives, and that's more than good enough for me to trust it as well.
Firing primarily 12-gauge shotgun shells (other chamberings are available), this gun can put a great many types of projectiles such as buckshot, birdshot, slugs etc. into an attacker- all of which will readily put a bad guy down with just one shot (of note is that although birdshot is the arguably the "weakest" load of the bunch, it will still preform very well and appears to have the lowest risk of overpenetration). And, since it's pump-action, it will pretty much always go bang with any of these loads.
There's really nothing more to be desired in a home defense gun, so the gold medal goes to the Mossberg 590.
Number 2: Panzer Arms M4
Coming in at 2nd place, this choice will undoubtably surprise some, and believe me, this was a VERY hard decision to make, given the number of quality semi-auto shotguns out there (and let's be honest, we all know a semi-auto shotgun just HAD to be included on this list).
But, after much, much internal deliberation, I've concluded that this virtually perfect clone of the famous M1014 shotgun used by countless military and police units- that I somehow only discovered and got to try last month (August, 2023) would be an ideal home defense shotgun, for multiple reasons- for one, it's semi-automatic operation inherently makes it faster- if potentially less reliable- than a pump action shotgun, and the benefits of this are obvious.
It's also significantly cheaper than many other semi-auto shotguns at only about 650 USD (which tend to run over 1,000 USD, sometimes approaching 2,000). But, despite the cost it's still extremely tough, reliable and is ultimately well worth the cost. Seriously- if you're considering a semi-auto shotgun for home defense, this would be a very good option- just don't try to run low-power loads through it, as it may not cycle properly.
Number 3: Any AR-15
Our bronze medalist is none other than the AR-15- not any one single AR in particular, though- the 5.56/.223 round it shoots is speedy and notoriously deadly and loads in this caliber that are unlikely to over penetrate are readily available (you have to choose carefully, though, and that's an entirely different conversation, but in general, 5.56 won't zip through everything it hits).
Despite its power, unlike the prior two entries it's very low recoiling (due to the low mass of the projectile it fires), meaning you can easily put multiple rounds on target at short range even if you're an unexperienced shooter.
Additionally, an average AR-15's low weight and reliability (as long as you keep it clean) make it a very useful rifle to have for just about anything else you could use it for, although if anything goes wrong- you'll need to be familiar with the platform to do things like clear a jam quickly in a pinch (so make sure you know how to use your AR up and down and keep it squeaky clean if this is the gun you're trusting your health and safety with- you do not want your gun to fail in such a dire moment).
Number 4: Tavor X95
Our number 4 pick is perhaps the best bullpup rifle on the market today- hailing from Israel, the Tavor family took the bullpup rifle market in the U.S by storm when it was first introduced here over a decade ago, and the current production model- the X95- represents pretty much peak performance for a rifle of this design.
Although more than twice the cost of your average entry-level AR-15, it's extremely short length alone makes it ideal for home defense, although it's reliability (which, in my opinion and experience, surpasses any AR) is also a massive plus. Additionally, its controls are also simple to operate, so using it even in an adrenaline dump shouldn't be difficult as long as you know the rifle reasonably well. Firing the same 5.56/.223 cartridge as the AR-15 family, it has the same lethality and low recoil as well- and although it's slightly less accurate due to the long stroke gas piston system (similar to that used in AK's), it's still plenty accurate for home defense. Plus, because of the design of the rifle, most of the weight is centered near the back of the gun, making it feel very maneuverable (even more so given that it's several inches shorter than an AR-15 with a 16 inch barrel).
The catch? As we mentioned earlier, it's very expensive compared to a typical 500-1,000 dollar AR- buying one will cost you about 1,800 dollars, so unless these extra benefits are worth an additional 800-1,300 dollars, you should probably stick with AR's. Besides, you can customize AR's pretty much exactly to your liking almost endlessly, whereas there's nowhere near as much room for customization with the X95.
Number 5: Kel-Tec Sub 2000
Although both rifles and shotguns exhibit superior stopping power compared to pistols and pistol-caliber carbines, the exceedingly low recoil, light weight and unlikelihood of overpenetration the right pistol loads offer- together with their usually compact size- makes the weapons that fire them nonetheless well-suited for home defense.
The most prominent example of a carbine-length weapon firing a pistol caliber that comes to mind is the Kel-Tec Sub 2000. We've reviewed this gun before, and, to rehash, it's quite a handy, simple and reliable firearm.
But how does this increase its suitability for home defense?
Well, as previously mentioned, pistol calibers are (generally) less likely to over penetrate than rifle rounds, and the extremely light weight and recoil of your average pistol-caliber carbine means that quickly turning a corner and spraying a bad guy with bullets (if you need to) should- if you're well-prepared and acting with the right mindset- be a slice of cake. While it doesn't quite have the power of a rifle or shotgun, it'll take down a human just the same.
Of equal importance is the fact that it's also extremely reliable and simple- I've never had a malfunction with one, so expect it to more or less always go bang when you need it. So, all this being said, even though it's at the bottom of our list, it's still certainly a good choice for home defense.
Conclusion:
So, there you have it- our top 5 picks for the best long guns for home defense.
Again, this list is by no means definitive, but it should help give you an idea of the kinds of guns that make the best options for this task- guns that are powerful, can fire multiple rounds quickly and accurately and work reliably are ideal, while weaker guns like handguns can be- and often are- perfectly effective, when it's your life on the line, our advice is to not settle for anything less the most effective options.
If you are interested in buying any of the firearms we've reviewed on this list, please refer to the links we've added below to check current prices and online availability from two of our favorite brands- Palmetto State Armory and Brownells!
Mossberg 590
Panzer Arms M4
AR-15's
Tavor X95
Kel-Tec Sub 2000
Comentarios