LONG GUN SELECTION

The Defensive Role of the Long Gun

Limitations of the Handgun

• Handguns offer advantages such as concealability, portability and maneuverability due to their relatively small sizes. Due to their relatively small sizes, handguns can only handle the relatively smaller cartridges.
• Handguns are best viewed as compromises, giving up power in exchange for the convenience of a smaller package. When you are armed in the event of trouble, such a compromise probably makes sense. When you expect trouble, you are better advised to be armed with something which doesn't sacrifice too much power.

Limitations of the Long Gun

• The ability to chamber a larger cartridge is not the entire equation of the long gun's ballistic superiority over the handgun. The barrel has to be proportionally longer to gain the advantage of that larger cartridge, hence the term "long gun" for firearms like rifles and shotguns.
• In tight quarters, the length of the long gun may not only make it difficult to maneuver safely, it may also make you more vulnerable to a "gun grab." On the other hand, the greater weight of the long gun may be a disadvantage for some users faced with prolonged carry in the open.
• In many cases, the greater ballistic power of the long gun may also increase the likelihood of the projectile(s) exiting your intended target and posing a threat to innocents who may be downrange, such as on the other side of an interior wall.

Advantages of Long Guns

• I have already alluded to the potential ballistic advantage of a long gun. Generally, as projectiles encounter living tissue, there is a disproportionate rise in the damage caused as the velocities exceed 1,200 fps. Shotguns generally offer velocities between 1,200 and 1,500 fps, combined with a lot of lead. Rifles generally offer less lead at much higher velocities. Pistol-caliber carbines usually offer a modest gain in velocity over that in a pistol-length barrel.
• Long guns frequently offer ergonomic advantages as well. Most people can hold a shoulder-stocked firearm, which has an additional point of support at the shoulder, steadier than they can hold a pistol. Because the steady support of the long gun is usually the most critical component of its practical accuracy, many people find no disadvantage when they switch the long gun to the shoulder of their non-dominant side, as that leaves the dominant hand supporting most of the gun's weight. This is useful if you have to fire from the non-dominant side of cover.

Thoughts on Shotguns

• There are two types of ammunition for defensive shotguns: buckshot and slugs. Birdshot will only work reliably against larger mammals at distances which are much too close for comfort for a long gun being used defensively.
• Contrary to decades of disinformation, shotguns do not spread shot into such wide areas that they do not require aiming. If they did, that would make it negligent to use them in an environment inhabited by humans. What happens to all the pellets which fly past the intended target?
• Generally, the column of buckshot leaving an unmodifed shorter barreled shotgun will stay together for a little past one yard, after which it tends to spread approximately one inch per yard. This means that most shotguns have trouble keeping all the pellets of a standard nine-pellet 00 buck load on a stationary, police silhouette target, faced squarely, past 15 yards.
• Because a person threatening your physical well being is not likely to be of uniform thickness, immobile, or even facing you squarely, it is a wiser assumption that you probably can't restrict all your pellets to your intended human target past seven yards, especially under stress. It should also be obvious by this point that the shotgun requires aiming.
• People who are serious about using a buckshot-loaded shotgun as a defensive weapon may want to consider the Vang Comp System barrel modification or the Wad Wizard Choke Tube System, along with tactical loads (see below), to minimize pellet spread.
• Magnum loads, which pack more pellets, tend to have greater spread in addition to more recoil, both undesirable characteristics. "Tactical" loads, which have lower velocity than standard loads, often use hardened, plated shot and sometimes one pellet less, tend to have less spread, a very desirable characteristic. They also generate less recoil.
• One aspect of the shotgun which is often overlooked is the wad which follows the shot or the slug out of the barrel. At close range it can do damage, making me question those who claim that you can safely perform hostage-rescue shots with a buckshot-loaded shotgun at close range.
• While proper technique will control the recoil forces generated in a shotgun and eliminate discomfort, recoil can be significantly reduced by the use of a 20 gauge shotgun. The advantage of this is a shorter time back to target. The price of this is fewer ammunition options and a slight reduction in power.
• Twenty gauge buckshot loads are only manufactured in #3 in the 2 3/4" standard loadings, which means you deliver twenty pellets of approximately .25 caliber for each press of the trigger. (A 3" Magnum load, which may not chamber in all 20 gauge shotguns, is available with #2 buckshot.) A medical examiner will probably need to use a caliper and a pellet count to tell the difference between a 20 ga. and a 12 ga. wound created within the seven yard limit we discussed, particularly if the 12 ga. was loaded with #4 buckshot.
• My 20 ga. rifled slug loads launch a 3/4 oz. (328 gr.) piece of lead which punches a hole about .60 caliber for each press of the trigger. Okay, I admit: I can get about .70 caliber with the 12 gauge.
• Because the 12 ga. is the traditional bore for police shotguns, it offers more options: more guns to choose from, more variety in ammunition, and more accessories.
• The traditional police shotgun load for the 12 ga. is 00 buckshot. The standard load delivers nine of these .33 caliber balls. Forget the magnum loads, as discussed above. The larger the pellet, the heavier it is; the heavier the pellet, the more penetration. At this time, tactical loads, which were designed for the law enforcement market, are only available in 00 buckshot and in slugs.
• Having lived for years in warm climates, I do not favor 000 buckshot as it is more likely to overpenetrate and I'd rather have something a little larger than #4 buckshot. Standard #1 buckshot loads in 12 ga. deliver 16 pellets of about .30 caliber. I get a really nice five-point radial pattern measuring just under six inches at seven yards with my particular gun. Pattern each load you're contemplating in your own gun!
• My 12 ga. "sleeps" in the gun safe (next to the 20 ga.), chamber empty, with the magazine not quite full of buckshot loads. The Side Saddle on the receiver holds four extra buckshot loads and two slug loads. The Speed Feed stock holds an additional four slug loads. If I opt for the shotgun, the plan is to use the buckshot against threats inside the house and the slugs against any threats outside the house.
• Because I view the shotgun in home defense as a fairly stationary weapon for use behind long-term cover, the above arrangement gives priority to the buckshot loads. The slugs are there for "plan C."
• Don't bother with single-shots, side-by-sides or over-unders for defensive use if you have the choice. The added capacity and versatility of a pump or autoloading shotgun, both of which usually feed from a tube magazine below the barrel, are worth the money. Even shotguns are not 100% and you never know if more than one or two people may require your attention.

Thoughts on Rifles

• The slug-loaded shotgun is sort of an impromptu rifle, without the rifling. Slug-loaded shotguns in combat reality are good out to about 50 yards. Unless the slug hits bone there is a good chance of the projectile exiting the original target, making slugs questionable for indoor use.
• The true rifle provides added accuracy at distance that comes with rifling the bore, although an iron-sighted rifle, for most users under fire, is only practical to about 100 yards. The rifle may also provide a selection of bullet types to minimize overpenetration. Some studies have shown that a .223 bullet is actually less likely to penetrate house walls than a pistol round fired from a submachine gun or a carbine. Additionally, rifles often prove easier to handle than shotguns.
• There is a common political mantra among the ostrich types that there is no legitimate civilian need for a rifle with a detachable twenty- or thirty-round magazine. I lived for years in a part of the country with a history of earthquakes, fires, mudslides and "civil disorders." If there is a civil or natural disaster of sufficient proportion where those who haven't bothered to stockpile food and water decide to take those means of survival from those who have, a scenario of defending your home from multiple, organized attackers is not unrealistic.
• The optimal defensive rifle would fire from a detachable box magazine. This is most consistent with tactical reloads and malfunction clearance drills, although the first response to a long gun malfunction is generally to switch to the handgun. Try doing a tactical reload (before you have shot the gun dry) with an M1 (Garand) Rifle some time!
• There are a great many autoloading rifles and cartridges available in .223 Remington. (Note that this is the civilian version of the NATO 5.56x45mm military cartridge. It is safe to fire commercial .223 ammunition in rifles marked as 5.56mm but it may not be safe to fire ammunition marked as 5.56mm in rifles marked as .223.) The traditional load - which demonstrated poor penetration of external house walls - puts out a 55 gr. bullet at about 3,200 fps. Will other calibers work? Certainly, so long as you take their potential for excessive penetration into account in planning your lanes of fire.
• Low on funds? Need more penetration? Live somewhere that bans autoloading centerfire rifles with detachable magazines? An SKS may meet your needs. This is an autoloading carbine that fires the Soviet 7.62x39mm cartridge loaded into a non-detachable, integral magazine. The older Russian models even qualify as Curios & Relics. Two caveats:
  1. If yours comes with the fold-away bayonet, it's probably wiser to remove it, in case you and the gun end up before a jury.
  2. If you own any firearm that depends on inexpensive Russian ammunition, stock up a lifetime supply. All it takes is an Executive Order to shut down importation.
• The SKS may also fill a niche for those who can lawfully secure a long gun in a vehicle. Should the vehicle itself get stolen, the added replacement cost of the SKS would probably be lower than that for most of the alternatives.
• Will a bolt-, pump- or lever-action rifle work as well? Hey, I'm the guy that says that the operator is more important than the equipment. Some equipment may just be easier to use. When there's trouble, best gun is usually the one you've got.

Thoughts on Rifle Ammunition

• There is probably a wider variety of rifles available than of handguns, with more specialization, for different applications. This is probably true for rifle ammunition as well.
• As noted earlier, rifle bullets generally travel much faster than handgun bullets. One implication of this is that a softpoint bullet (where the jacketing material stops short of the tip, leaving some exposed lead) is likely to expand at rifle velocities while the same design would probably fail to expand if fired from a handgun.
• In spite of this, hollowpoint bullets (where there is a cavity in the tip of the bullet, to facilitate expansion) are still used in many rifle cartridges intended for hunting. However, there are different kinds of hunting and there are different bullets designed for use on different game.
• For example, in the venerable .30-30 cartridge, Winchester - in addition to a 150 gr. softpoint load in that weight - offers two different 150 gr. jacketed hollowpoint loads. Super-X load is intended for thin-skinned game, such as antelope, while the Silvertip load is intended for heavier game, such as mule deer. Thus, the former is designed for less penetration than the latter. In most environments, that would make the former a better choice for home defense.
• In general, when you select defensive ammunition for a rifle, unless you anticipate using the rifle in an environment where you would need to shoot through barriers, you will be better served to select ammunition intended for lighter game.

• In addition to the concerns expressed on the Ammunition Selection page about bullet setback when the same cartridge is chambered repeatedly in an autoloading pistol, there is a related concern with some rifles. In some autoloading rifles, notably in the AR-15 family, when a round is chambered inertia from the forward movement of the bolt may allow the firing pin to make light contact with the primer. It is believed that if this happens repeatedly, the normally intact priming compound may break up, possibly interfering with ignition. In general, limit the number of times any given cartridge is driven up the feed ramp into the chamber and inspect the primers for any sign of dimpling.

Thoughts on Pistol-Caliber Carbines

• Carbines are short rifles. They come in about as many varieties as rifles. Some are made to fire ammunition originally designed for handguns. The term "pistol-caliber carbine" usually refers to a semi-automatic carbine firing a round designed for a semi-automatic pistol.
• Without getting into a major ballistic treatise, the cartridges for semi-automatic pistols are pretty efficient. There is usually little gain in velocity firing these cartridges from a 16-inch barrel.
• In this type of carbine, the advantage is usually more an ergonomic than a ballistic one. Most people can place shots more accurately under stress with a shoulder weapon than with a handgun. Is there a family member who doesn't have the strength to handle a more powerful gun and isn't comfortable using a handgun for similar reasons? This may be an answer.
• Prior to the 1994 federal "assault weapon" ban, high-quality semi-automatic versions of some submachine guns, such as the Uzi Model A and Model B, the HK 94 and the Colt 9mm Sporter, were readily available in the US. I have not seen the Uzi and HK reappear since the expiration of the ban but I believe that an updated model of the Colt (AR6450) is currently being manufactured and sold. (Similar pistol-caliber AR-clones are likely available from other manufacturers as well.)
• Some out-of-production pistol-caliber carbines, such as the Marlin Camp Carbine and the Ruger PC Carbines, offer semi-automatic operation in a package that looks like a sporting rifle. They may also offer an advantage to the operator who uses a pistol which can share the same magazines. Most, semi-automatic pistol-caliber carbines, however, share the cosmetic aspects of "Evil Black Rifles." Aside from lower recoil, the arguable advantage of such a gun, particularly when it comes to training, is the lower cost of ammunition.
• In fact, many pistol-caliber carbines went out of production as American law enforcement shifted to .223 carbines. One that remains in production - Kel-Tec's SUB-2000 - bears mention. Based on their pistol designs, the long-stroke trigger is atypical for a long gun, a plus to some users and a minus to others. Of note, it folds into a compact package for storage and transport and sells for a low price. Thus, it may be worth consideration for those who want to carry a long gun in a vehicle, where theft remains a possibility in spite of security efforts and relatively secure storage space may be at a premium.
• Is political correctness a big factor in your neck of the woods? There are lever-action carbines in revolver calibers. While there are some good arguments for a .30-30 if you're restricted to this level of technology, revolver cartridges, particularly the magnums, will show more of a velocity gain from a longer barrel than autoloader cartridges. The .357 Magnum, in particular, can deliver impressive velocity with low recoil with, the right load, coupled with a politically correct nine-round magazine on a 16-inch barreled carbine.
• While they are no longer in production, there is one caveat: When the Winchester 94, originally designed around the .30-30 and related cartridges, was chambered for revolver cartridges such as the .357 and .44 Magnum and the .45 Colt, the cast "carrier," which lifts the cartridge from the level of the tubular magazine to the level of the barrel, required the removal of more metal than with the original calibers. This appears to make the part vulnerable to breakage, making the 94 a poor platform for the revolver cartridges. The Winchester 92, on the other hand, was designed around older WCF revolver cartridges, making replicas of the 92 or the Marlin 1894, still in production, better choices in these chamberings.
• The M1 Carbine is sort of a hybrid between the semi-automatic pistol-caliber carbines and the ballistics of a magnum revolver cartridge out of a lever-action gun. The cartridge is virtually a skinny cousin of the .357 and its 110 gr. bullet does about 1,890 fps out the muzzle. Even with shortened barrels and reduced velocity, the NYPD Stakeout Unit got impressive results from the Winchester "hollow soft point" load (X30M1), when they were in the business of interrupting armed robberies.
• The gun is light and very easy handling; recoil is minimal. The main thing it lacks is a mechanism to hold the bolt open after the last shot, so you need to keep some sort of count as to when it's time to reload. The standard magazine holds 15 rounds; I'd forgo the 30-rounders as they are not as reliable.
• Good M1 Carbines are great guns; not all are good ones. Prices have been driven up by collectors. If you're looking for a "shooter," it doesn't matter that the barrel has the name of the importer lightly stamped on it. There are some good sources for reconditioned Carbines. Original GI M1 Carbines are classified as curios and relics; that may be a legal advantage at certain junctures in the space-time continuum.
• In the past I made a couple of unsuccessful attempts to convince Remington to manufacture a jacketed hollow point load similar to their first line of JHP's for autoloading pistols. A jacket all the way up to a small cavity, with the same ogive as the FMJ bullet, would function in virtually any decent M1 Carbine. Unlike in pistols, at Carbine velocities it would expand dynamically.
• The Winchester hollow soft point may not feed reliably in aftermarket Carbines, some of which were produced with rough feed ramps. Cor-Bon now offers a 100 gr. DPX load for the Carbine, ostensibly oriented toward hunting. The limited reports I have seen on it do not mention any feeding problems, which had been an area of concern for me. "DPX" stands for "deep-penetrating X bullet" and the .30 Carbine load is reported to penetrate 19 inches in calibrated ballistic gelatin, compared to 15 inches for the DPX load in .223. Its strong points appear to be that its expansion is not affected by heavy clothing and that it may be able to penetrate automobile doors. It is probably the best choice for anyone who envisions shooting through automobile windows or plate glass.
• Remington softpoints perform nearly as well as the Winchester hollow softpoint, with the same caveat about feeding. Federal appears to have dealt with the feeding issue by hardening the lead core with a higher concentration of antimony. As a result, Federal's softpoint performs very much like a fully jacketed bullet and is not a good choice.
• The M1 Carbine has been a controversial weapon in military service. Much of the dissatisfaction was related to attempts to use it as a battle rifle, when its original role had been as a personal-defense weapon for personnel who would not have the time to develop adequate skill with a pistol. Modern ammunition has made it an effective urban and home-defense carbine. Collectors have made it hard to find original military Carbines at affordable prices. Aftermarket carbines have generally been disappointing in quality. Those of us who still have military Carbines tend to value them, particularly for use by smaller family members.

Don't Leave Rounds Chambered in Long Guns!

Safeties on long guns usually only block the trigger from moving. Unlike modern handguns, most long guns have no equivalent of a firing pin safety or hammer block. This means that most long guns with a cartridge in the chamber can discharge if dropped, even if they're "on safe."

The Defensive Firearms Tripod

• If you recall my priorities for the defensive use of firearms, the five priorities can be condensed into three categories: mind set, skills and equipment.
• Equipment is the lowest on the list. When you choose it, don't settle for the training that comes in the box!

Questions? Comments? Stephen P. Wenger P.O.Box 4227 Show Low AZ 85902-4227 U.S.A.

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