Welcome to the Gun Bench. This is a series where we at Straight Talk bring our readers into the thought process behind how we set up our gear for various roles and scenarios. There is a saying that purpose drives gear. In the gun world, that saying rings clear. With each selection of equipment, there is a purpose—whether it be for hunting, competitive shooting, home defense, or survival—that equipment matters and must stand up to the task at hand. This series looks to help with the thought process behind each piece of kit, so that you, the reader, can have the best available information. One important note, Straight Talk is Ohio based. Some items may or may not be legal in the state you reside in. Also, not every state has Constitutional Carry or Castle Doctrine in place. So please, educate yourself on the laws that you must abide by.

The Boom Stick

Every year, droves of people flock to gun stores to purchase shotguns for use as a home defense weapon. At first glance, shotguns appear to be the ultimate home defense tool. They are relatively simple, the nature of the ammo gives the user margin of error, and they are intimidating. However, of the three main types of guns to use—rifles, pistols, and shotguns—the shotgun might be the most difficult to master. It has some major shortcomings that will be discussed. First ammo. While a shell full of 00 buck might be viewed as the perfect solution against a threat, in the confines of a home, it can be devastating. People think because a shotgun shoots a pattern of pellets that your aim doesn’t have to be perfect. This thinking leads to the idea that pointing and shooting is all that is required. Sigh….

A shotgun like any weapon, is a tool, and a moderate level of practice is required to gain proficiency. A miss with 00 buck at close distances leads to overpenetration and destruction of personal property. In these spaces, there isn’t enough distance for the pellets to spread. When they impact, the size of the pattern is roughly that of a baseball. And with today’s technology, defensive shotgun shells are designed to keep the patterns tight in order to create the most amount of kinetic energy. Another issue involves ammo capacity. A typical shotgun may hold anywhere from 3-8 rounds depending on configuration—for example, it may be plugged to decrease capacity in order to comply with certain hunting regulations (note, in this exercise, side by side and over/under shotguns are not being considered). While some “experts” might scoff and say that a few rounds are plenty, in a defensive scenario more ammo may be needed. Next, shotguns have a difficult manual of arms when it comes to reloading in the best of cases and near impossible under stress. This slow and methodical skill takes practice to become proficient. Other shortcomings include use of simplistic sights—usually a bead—and a longer length of pull compared to most other long guns. So, how do we fix these issues? That is the answer I am trying to find. This is what I came up with.

The Build

For this project, I went with a pump action shotgun. I know they’re semi-autos that perform well, but pumps are less finicky with ammo and have the perceived reliability that everyone wants. For model, I went with the newest version of Mossberg’s 590 line—the 590s. The 590 shotgun offers some unique features that others on the market do not have. First, the 590 is built with a thicker receiver compared to the more popular Mossberg 500 and uses the shortest legal length barrel, 18.5in. The thicker receiver gives better rigidity and more heft to the gun, which aids in recoil management, while the shorter barrel length offers better mobility in confined spaces. Next, since this model has a “S” designation, the gun is designed to accept 1 ¾” mini shells. An issue mentioned earlier discusses ammunition capacity. With mini shells, this number is increased. Standard capacity with 2 ¾” shotgun shells is 6+1, with the minis, that number goes to 9+1. Another feature unique to this model is that it comes optics ready. This means a Shield RMSc pattern red dot can be affixed to the receiver—again alleviating a digression mentioned above. For optic, I went with the new Vortex Defender CCW. While this may be a new option on the market, I’ve been quite pleased with it. It packs some impressive features for a relatively low price point.

Now, for some of the other items I added. To help with length of pull, I changed out the factory stock and added an Ergo 590 AR-15 buffer tube and grip adapter. This enabled me to add an adjustable buttstock. For now, I went with the Magpul STR version, since I had an extra laying around. To add greater flexibility to the gun, I went with GG&G flashlight and sling mount that mounts via the magazine tube. While a sling may not be necessary for a home defense scenario, I still like having the option of adding one. Lights, on the other hand, I find to be one of the most important tools for home defense. Identifying a threat is key and quite possibly the difference between a tragic accident and a stopped invader. For this, I went with an Inforce WML. This light works fine, but in the future, I may upgrade. With the whole setup I went with tan accents, just to add a little extra flare. Let’s face it, the likelihood of needing this gun in a defensive scenario is quite unlikely, so might as well make it look good and still be functional. The final accessory is a set of Esstac 5-rd shotgun cards. Traditionally, many people have used some sort of side saddle to hard mount additional shotgun shells to the side of the receiver. However, this has some draw backs—mainly weight and functionality. With Esstac, they use a nylon card with hook-and-loop backing to adhere to a counterpart that is placed on the weapon’s side. These are lightweight, and the shooter can use multiple of them. Once a reload is made, the card can be “torn” off and another one added. As a bonus, these shotgun cards fit into standard AR-15 magazine pouches—a rather nice convenience.

Final Thoughts

So, where does the shotgun fit into a home defense repertoire? Well, I think a standard shotgun has some issues. Of course, modifications can be made like the ones I did above, but that adds serious cost to the project. Still, when set up properly, a shotgun is a devastating and threatening weapon. Partially—well maybe wholly—because of media, shotguns have a menacing connotation that many desire for home defense. For example, the sound of the pump being operated on shotgun is a universal sound meaning something bad is about to go down. For common criminals, that might be enough. But for professionals, or those on a drug induced bender, that might not work. So, like mentioned in past articles, proficiency in the weapon system will be your greatest strength. If anything, a kitted-out shotgun is a ton of fun to shoot and will be the envy of your buddies.