home defense Archives - Page 9 of 9

Gun Review: Benelli M2 Tactical ComforTech

July 6, 2010 by ttag

Tactical shotguns aren’t supposed to be pretty. They’re supposed to be brutal. The uglier and more intimidating, the better. Trust the gunsmiths at Benelli to turn their back on this tradition of fucile da caccia super bruto. The Benelli M2 Tactical auto-loading (semi-automatic) 12-gauge is gorgeous. Its sleek design, minimalist lines and dark brooding looks generate love and affection long after its American and Brazilian cousins’ machismo starts to grate. But the M2 Tactical is more than just a pretty face. This gun’s beauty lies deep within its unassailable combination of form and function.

Slugzilla!

May 26, 2010 by ttag

So here’s the deal. One of the questions we ponder here at TTAG is stopping power. How to takedown a bad guy with one shot. You know – like the Marines. One bullet, one kill. I mean, there’s not much point in having a gun for self-defense if you have to keep pulling the trigger to stop your assailant. The question is, what kind of projectile is gonna work best, and in what weapon? Conventional wisdom holds that the weapon of choice is a shotgun. The reason? Most people believe you don’t have to aim precisely; it’s the original “point and shoot” concept writ large. Right weapon. Wrong logic. You see, there’s a huge difference – a life and death difference, as it turns out – between a 12 gauge loaded with birdshot, one loaded with double-ought buckshot, and one with a slug. You might, as your mom used to tell you “put someone’s eye out with that thing” if you load your shotgun with birdshot, but the likelihood of stopping them are alternately “slim” and “none.’ And as they say, “Slim left town”.

Coming Soon: Is a Shotgun Your Best Bedroom Defense Weapon?

May 22, 2010 by ttag

RF and I got to talking the other day about defending your castle in the middle of the night. Assume that you’re sound asleep and you hear a noise. You’re in bed. NOW what do you do? Let’s also asume you’re armed. What do you have next to the bed? Shotgun? Handgun? Baseball bat? All of the above? (That would be me, actually.) We’ve been talking to the helpful, friendly folks at Taurus, makers of the “Judge” line of revolvers that shoot both .45 Colt ammo and the oft-overlooked .410 shot shells. Our Taurus rep opined that the best shotgun for home defense is a Taurus Judge – because it’s both a handgun and a shotgun. This got me to thinking. What would happen if you had to defend your home, starting from a sound sleep? Could you effectively rack a shotgun and bring it to bear? What about semi-auto or revolver? What about stopping power? And then there’s that aiming thing. What if I miss? Would shooting double-aught buck help?

CZ’s Surprising Findings on the “Perfect Home Defense Gun”

May 15, 2010 by ttag

Okay…lemme first apologize for the positively crap-taculuar video you’ll see (above). Turns out, it’s pretty damn hard to hold an iPhone, shoot video, and handle a gun, all at the same time. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. But the subject matter deserves better. Rest assured, loyal readers, TTAG is on it. We’ll have an honest-to-Yahweh, no-holes-barred (but quite a few holes punched in paper) review Really Soon Now.

Anyway, the nice folks over at CZ-USA and I got to talking today about sending us products to review.

“What kinds of weapons do you guys want to review,” he sez.

“All of them,” I sez. (Hope springs eternal.)

“Okay, what do you want to start with? What are your readers interested in,” he asks.

“Um…we’re all about self-defense, so, aside from your excellent (and IMHO, underrated) handguns, what do you guys bring to the party?”

“Shotguns. Specifically two shotguns.”

Chapter Two: How to Defend Your Home With A Shotgun: Don’t Over-Estimate Your Own Abilities

May 2, 2010 by Robert Farago

“Spray and pray.” That’s how accomplished shotgun owners describe the home defense strategy deployed by “casual” shotgunners. It’s the gun-active gun owner’s way of sneering at people who buy a shotgun, load it, stash it under their bed and call it good. These self-anointed combat experts are highlighting the fact that most shotgun owners are unaware that their firearm is NOT a point-and-shoot weapon. At an effective distance (i.e. ten yards or so), a shotgun unleashes a tightly gathered grouping of pellets. With appropriate ammunition, a single shotgun blast will kill your target dead. Provided you hit them. Which requires that you aim the weapon accurately. In other words, yes, you can miss with a shotgun. Hence the shotguinista’s diss, laughing at the less-accomplished shotgunner’s need for luck and/or divine intervention. Only one problem: even the best shotgun owner can lose a gun battle and, thus, their life. They know enough not to spray but they need to pray, too.

© COPYRIGHT 2025, THETRUTHABOUTGUNS.COM. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.