I am going to move forward with a new Maverick. With regards to safety, would a hard or soft case w/ lock be sufficient? Under the bed or closet? All are accessible to the kids... But, I'd keep trigger lock as well.

41 minutes ago, sagosto said:

All are accessible to the kids... But, I'd keep trigger lock as well.

Get you some of them dog training collars for the kids and leave the shotgun out, unloaded of course.  every time they even look at it, zap em.  In fact, if even one goes for the gun, zap 'em all.  You don't want to seem like you are playing favorites.

How one stores their gun(s) is a deeply personal and hotly contested matter.  On one hand, barriers (cases, unloaded, locks) can burn precious time when glass is breaking at 0300.  On the other hand, children are curious, and the more you hide something, the more they want to see and mess with it.

There are various ways to secure a HD firearm.  You will hear a lot of elbows, they are like opinions, everyone's got 'em.  Take it all in and decide for yourself what you are most comfortable with.  I'd start with looking at long gun safes with biometric entry.

 

2 hours ago, sagosto said:

I am going to move forward with a new Maverick. With regards to safety, would a hard or soft case w/ lock be sufficient? Under the bed or closet? All are accessible to the kids... But, I'd keep trigger lock as well.

Get a quick access safe that you can mount in your bedroom closet. Various manufacturers make quick access safes for shotguns. And most importantly, teach the kids proper gun safety.

Good choice on the Maverick.  Curious where you found one?

I Introduced guns to my kids early, safety drilled into their heads , even if they forget everything they know rule number 1 dont touch it and tell mom or dad, not the guy down the street, this took all the voodoo and mystery out of them, but the respect stayed. If they now see a gun , its on the same level in their heads as hammer or screwdriver for the novelty aspect of it. Get a lock w quick release by near bed or closet or why bother getting  firearm if you cant access it. For the home I use number 1 buckshot, 

On 3/3/2021 at 12:24 AM, sagosto said:

I am looking for a 12G or 20G shotgun strictly for home defense but there are slim pickings in Bergen County, NJ and neighboring NY counties. Since it will be hardly used, I don't have a must-have list but trying to stay under $400 or so. Most of the online stores are quite a distance so I called around the local places and found a few below. Any recommendations? Thanks!

Pardus PA -$390

ria mariva 103 18.5" 12G $299

legacy catadel 20" $429

ria vrpa 40 18.5" 12G $400

Dickenson Arms 12G 18.5" $899

Stevens 320 20G $350

Stevens 320 12G $?

Maverick 88 FDE $309
Maverick 88 w/ 8 shot $380

Charles Daly 601 $0

I picked up a NEW SXP on gunbroker for under $300

On 3/3/2021 at 2:06 PM, Bomber said:

I'd suggest a 9mm semi-auto handgun as primary HD weapon.  Shotgun as backup.

Shotguns, especially pump action, are poor choices for primary HD: Very easy to short stroke under high stress conditions, low capacity, slow to reload, heavy, difficult for female family members to use.

For HD in NJ I think your best bet is a PCC. Like a Troy or DD

Beretta 1301.

Extension tube gives you 2 more, I ghost one, and leave chamber empty. Just rack and go...

Eats everything I put in it with no issues at all.

On 9/28/2021 at 4:20 PM, Jon K said:

Beretta 1301.

Extension tube gives you 2 more, I ghost one, and leave chamber empty. Just rack and go...

Eats everything I put in it with no issues at all.

Got one recently and love it!  Be careful with the extension tube.  I was going to put one on, as I could only load four rounds into the tube.  But after awhile, I was able to load five (but only four with Federal Flight Control, for some reason), and the two round extension would have put me over the NJ statutory limit of six rounds, making me an instant felon. 

33 minutes ago, Old Glock guy said:

Got one recently and love it!  Be careful with the extension tube.  I was going to put one on, as I could only load four rounds into the tube.  But after awhile, I was able to load five (but only four with Federal Flight Control, for some reason), and the two round extension would have put me over the NJ statutory limit of six rounds, making me an instant felon. 

Excuse me if I'm wrong, but I believe that 6 round limit only applies to semi-shotguns with a removable magazine.

It is my understanding (and I'm pretty sure I have this right) that any semiauto shotgun is limited by NJ law to six in the mag tube.  I'm too lazy to search for the specific statute, so perhaps others can chime in.  BTW, you are not alone in this.  NJ firearms laws are designed to entrap lawful citizens, and virtually every violation is a felony, which would mean losing one's ability to own firearms in all 50 states. 

11 minutes ago, Jon K said:

Excuse me if I'm wrong, but I believe that 6 round limit only applies to semi-shotguns with a removable magazine.

Maybe I am, looks like your right.

iii. A semi-automatic shotgun that has at least two of the following: (1) A folding or telescoping stock; (2) A pistol grip that protrudes conspicuously beneath the action of the weapon; (3) A fixed magazine capacity in excess of six rounds; and/or (4) An ability to accept a detachable magazine

3. A semi-automatic shotgun with either a magazine capacity exceeding six rounds, a folding stock or a pistol grip

8 hours ago, Old Glock guy said:

It is my understanding (and I'm pretty sure I have this right) that any semiauto shotgun is limited by NJ law to six in the mag tube.  I'm too lazy to search for the specific statute, so perhaps others can chime in.  BTW, you are not alone in this.  NJ firearms laws are designed to entrap lawful citizens, and virtually every violation is a felony, which would mean losing one's ability to own firearms in all 50 states. 

 

BTW, thanks, never bothered to even count before. I needed to put in a limiter as it did indeed have the capability to hold more than 6. I suppose it was designed for the 3 inch shells to hold 6. So this adds a question, sorry to steal this topic for a minute. What if you used the mini shells? It would far exceed six rounds, so what constitutes the six round limit if there are varying sized shells?

I can't wait to get out of this state..... it is after all a peninsula with only one land bridge and that's toward the most heavily populated portion of the east coast.

 

11 minutes ago, Jon K said:

 

BTW, thanks, never bothered to even count before. I needed to put in a limiter as it did indeed have the capability to hold more than 6. I suppose it was designed for the 3 inch shells to hold 6. So this adds a question, sorry to steal this topic for a minute. What if you used the mini shells? It would far exceed six rounds, so what constitutes the six round limit if there are varying sized shells?

I can't wait to get out of this state..... it is after all a peninsula with only one land bridge and that's toward the most heavily populated portion of the east coast.

 

With 12ga ammo there are generally 2 standard lengths. One is shorter and one is longer. I've seen people reference the shorter shells as "European",  but I have found that it is independent of source of origin. But if you find your gun will get more than half-way on a 6th, make sure you check with both long and short shells. You may be able to fit 7 with the short shells if you got to 6.5+ with the long shells. 

Mini shells are a different matter. They generally don't work with any semi-auto that wasn't made to use them. I don't even recall any mention of someone modifying a normal 12ga semi to use them. Heck, even a lot of pumps won't run them without modification. You could pour  a couple hundred .22lr down the tube, the guns not going to fire them and it's not a 200 round magazine tube. Also that piece of pipe left over from plumbing that will fit several shells in it isn't a magazine either. At some point to be a magazine you have to get specific about what it is, and the NJ law on the books that does that speaks to this situation. 

Just because during the AWB you could fit more than 10 9mm rounds in a .40s&w magazine, it wasn't a hi-cap mag. It wasn't built for that, and it didn't work very well, even if you could make it work sometimes. 

 

Mossberg 500 or Maverick 88 would be great choices, but you'll want the 18.5" riot barrel to go on it.

My other suggestion is to get a Shockwave, as it's way more maneuverable in an inside the house situation.

@sagosto as you have mentioned you have kids, get a handgun for home defense. A shotgun needs 2 hands to operate which leaves you none to manage a nearby kid, or open a door, operate a light switch, hold a flashlight or anything else. A handgun is maneuverable, and manageable with one hand while you leave the other free to take care of other tasks. 

Once you have gathered the family together, then grab the shotgun and guard the entrance to the room you are occupying. A shotgun is not very practical for moving around in a confined space, especially if you have no backup.

I would highly recommend a handgun for home defense with either red dot/tritium sights and with or without attached pistol light and NOT a shotgun. The shotgun is difficult to reload under pressure, typically has lower capacity than a pistol, more recoil, more flash, and many would argue has more penetration. The shotgun would be the last weapon i choose for any defensive scenario.  Remember, the only gun that matters is the one that is either on you or within reaching distance! 

Also get a good weapon light. Your life may depend on it. 

4 hours ago, marlintag said:

I would highly recommend a handgun for home defense with either red dot/tritium sights and with or without attached pistol light and NOT a shotgun. The shotgun is difficult to reload under pressure, typically has lower capacity than a pistol, more recoil, more flash, and many would argue has more penetration. The shotgun would be the last weapon i choose for any defensive scenario.  Remember, the only gun that matters is the one that is either on you or within reaching distance! 

To each his own, but I would respectfully disagree with you.  Certainly, a handgun is OK for home defense, particularly for those disciplined enough to carry one in a holster at all times.  But a shotgun is a devastating fight stopper.  With only a bare minimum of 6+1 rounds, one would be equipped to handle all but an army of home invaders without needing to reload.  A few rounds in a shell carrier would provide additional firepower in the event of a worst case scenario. The difference in capacity is deceptive, because a shotgun loaded with 00 buckshot delivers 9 rounds with a single pull of the trigger. 

So while I have both available, if I get the chance, I'm going for the shotgun. 

9 minutes ago, Old Glock guy said:

To each his own, but I would respectfully disagree with you.  Certainly, a handgun is OK for home defense, particularly for those disciplined enough to carry one in a holster at all times.  But a shotgun is a devastating fight stopper.  With only a bare minimum of 6+1 rounds, one would be equipped to handle all but an army of home invaders without needing to reload.  A few rounds in a shell carrier would provide additional firepower in the event of a worst case scenario. The difference in capacity is deceptive, because a shotgun loaded with 00 buckshot delivers 9 rounds with a single pull of the trigger. 

So while I have both available, if I get the chance, I'm going for the shotgun. 

It's a matter of choosing the right tool for the job at hand. If you need to move around to gather your kids, a handgun is the better option. In a fixed defensible location a long gun is preferable.

Do you have an action plan for the whole family? My kids know to stay low in their room until I come and get them. The last thing I want is for them to be moving around and getting between me and the intruder. Hopefully my GSD is engaging the bad guy and buying me time too.

Good point.  My situation is the latter.  No kids in the house, my wife and me in our bedroom suite.  Plan is to take cover in our room, call 911, yell to the perp(s) that we are armed, the police are on the way, get out. 

BTW, as I'm sure you know, it's entirely possible to move around the house (if you really needed to) with a shotgun, using CQB techniques where the stock is pulled in close.  But your point about having a hand free with a handgun is valid.