Ideal weapon of choice for close range combat in a home invasion attack/robbery. Heavy hitting, easy to use, highly unlikely to malfunction, and creates a higher probability of striking target in an engagement in closed quarters. I have a model 500a Mossberg 6 shot version. I would of preferred the 590 a1 with the military specs, so i guess i will get that model as well. Good on the wallet. 00' buckshot is ideal; Reason being they are not as likely to penetrate deep through walls and wood, not to be said there have not been any reported deaths of innocent people being hit bit pellets that seem to penetrate walls. Because there have been reports of buckshots penetrating walls. Even a birdshot load can penetrate a wall. From a distance, and a well build home, a buckshot generally does not have enough power for the pellets to individually penetrate a wall. But it all depends on your current surroundings and not to say that shotgun shots, regardless of the load, aren't hard to predict what they can and can't penetrate in your home. With that in mind, a close shot to a wall within inches with a tight pattern of buckshot will penetrate deep and most likely all the way though causing injury or death to anyone on the other side of that wall. Even with that said, its still better using 00' buckshot, than slugs for obvious and simple reasons. A buckshot creates the high amount of damage (slugs a sufficiently greater), a good area spread, and knock down power. But when they hit a soft or medium target, they seem to lose energy at that moment, thus most obstacles (walls) can generally "take the blow" and "break the fall" and preventing a full penetration. All shots penetrate at different levels and have different penetrating power, and it depends on the structure and strength of your particular home. But slug loads can easily rip straight from the basement, through your homes floors and out the roof! Or from one end of your home and out to through neighbors house with ease, AND THAT'S ANOTHER LEVEL OF DANGER you want to avoid causing. Birdshot loads, even in a heavy field sizes like #3 and #2 are generally not going to penetrate a target sufficiently to disengage that attacker or knock them down. Unless a swarm of bats invade your home, and you willing to spend money remodeling your roof and time talking to the cops, then by all means, a birdshot load will do just fine! ( = I have "heard" birdshot loads work great at breaching doors by utilizing the "breacher" barrels from mossberg, but the best "breacher loads" are called "hatton" rounds. They are plastic slug projectiles that explode to dust on impact, but can blow door hinges and the locking mechanisms straight out the door frame. When hunting human like creatures in your home armed with pistol like weapons, you look for slugs or 00' buck. Which can cause vital center mass damage (upper organ damage), and has knock down power. Authorities condemn the use of slugs for home defense and you could find yourself in a legal blunder or in jail if you use them in home defense, even if found in just in defending yourself. Slugs are proven to over penetrate and have plenty of power left even after penetrating several layers of metal, wood, ect. Most foster style slugs can penetrate through a whole car with several occupants in it. Slug loads can penetrate police issued (level 3) armor. So in court, it looks bad using them in HD situations. But shotguns are weak in general in their magazine capacities, reload technique, violent recoil, and or course range limitations. If injured in the arm or leg, or if your just injured and on the ground, a shotgun is the last thing you want in your hands. Even a badly built 22 pistol would be more suitable than a 12 gauge shotgun in that situation. Pistols and rifles are more ideal weapons for the outdoors. But in close range shootouts,(or in the traditional skeet shooting sport) shotguns prevail. Second in my list in home defense weapons would be a reliable handgun at the ready, 9mm semi-automatic pistol and up, 45caliber is an American favorite by civilian and law enforcement alike know a days. The bullets range from "fullmetal", "hollowpoint" and even "teflon tip" shots that can easily rip through car sheet metal, certain light armor, and several layers of kevlar. Just a few good high caliber handgun rounds is enough to defend your home as well, but try to keep it as a side weapon, even if responding to noise in the backyard keep the sidearm for that "what if" encounter that might happen. A fully loaded shotgun with a shell in the chamber off safety, fully loaded side pistol one in the chamber off safety, few shells and magazines... and you are ready to ROLL!!! Always practice safety, but also ensure your safety. You must expect the best, but prepare for the worst. God bless the second amendment. Be safe, and keep firearms away from the reach of children, but always... at your reach and at the ready.
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