My vote would be for 12 ga. 16 would probably suffice, but you have a lot more options with a 12, and the resale value is a little higher.

You have the tactile advantage when they enter your home. Make sure you have a box of ammo. With you. You can get a side saddle. Mine holds 6 more rounds which can buy me time. I also have the Glock 's40s&w close by for back up. Come up with a plan where the family knows what to do if someone enters our house.practice switching from shotgun to pistol. As much as I have practiced it will not come to that. What ever length barrel you get the longest extension tube you can fit so you can have as much ammo ready to go. I can't say this enough. Practice as much as you can. You are responsible for any ammo that you shoot. If you miss and it passes into your neighbors house you are liable.

Yes, good read. Short barreled shotguns and rifles require alot of paperwork, and a 200 dollar "tax stamp" for ownership. Not worth it, IMO.

I would not want to pull a can of wasp spray on a guy with a gun.

And shotguns have to legally have an 18" barrel with a 26" overall length. Rifles can have a 16" barrel, but still need to be 26" overall (with any folding stock unfolded.)

Why should I not shoot someone who is stealing my stuff? I consider my $1k tv worth more than some crack addict. Plus we have enough criminals, shooting them when you are justified is doing society a service.

18" is the legal min for a shotgun. Alot of people get this wrong, and reading the gun laws and understanding all of them is like having a 2nd job. I am not even halfway thru myself.

And an unloaded gun is just useless. Buy a baseball bat, and practice "shotgun racking sounds" with your mouth if you want...

This guy is great, watch all of his videos!

Make sure you get the guy to turn around. Then claim it was a "hate" crime. Dead people have a hard time telling their side.

Plus you never know who you will get breaking into your house in the middle of the night. Could be some kids, or a meth addict with a knife, or some sort of sex offender looking for your kids. A pump shotgun with an 18" barrel, and an 8 shot tube is a great home defense gun. Load it with 2 3/4" buck or #7 bird shot. A weapon mounted flashlight is also a requirement, so you do not shoot something you cannot see.

You have very little advantage when you are asleep. Or groggy and disorintated from just waking. A good home alarm system with an instant trigger for glass breakage and exterior doors is a must. Also you need to teach the other family members what to do as well. Getting low and in a safe place is paramount, do not want to shoot your own family.

I keep a 45 with a light next to the bed, and a 12gauge pump in my office. 45 is a reliable manstopper with hollowpoints, and should not overpenetrate (stay away from the +p rated ammo, you want 230gr "ashtrays" that move slow and impart their full energy into the target)

As for shotgun selection, pick the best priced "home defense" model of the winchester 1300, mossberg 500/590, or remington 870. No real difference save for the safety locations. And stay away from the pistol grip only guns, they may look cool, but are hard to control. I stick with a nice wood stocked gun, cause you can always "butt check" your target in the face if you decide a lead sandwich is not appropriate.

Above all get to know your gun, and take a class if you can. Saftey is the most important thing you can exercise with a gun.

Generally speaking on most shotguns, the longer the barel the more rounds it can hold. Only because under the barel is where the shells are located. The longer the barel, the more room you have to acomodate more rounds under it in the tube. Im not sure if that makes sense lol. Also Im almost 100% sure that a 16" barel = jail time! 18 is the legal limit........in more things than one! haha

I vote for the judge...

http://www.taurususa.com/video-theJudge.cfm

That would be a cool back up gun. I carry my Glock 357sig in the car.

I apologize, it's an 18.5" barrel I have on my 870 and on my brother's as well, mine is fully rifled and his is a smoothbore. It's still a pretty short gun with that barrel, easy enough to get around a house with.

I have a mossberg 590a1 next to my bed,great shotgun but a bit pricey.
Basically anything made by Winchester,Remington,mossberg,savage,benelli, or any other big names will work well for home defense.
Just remember to practice ALOT, you need to be prepared to use you're shotgun and use it well in a home invasion scenario. And honestly there are a few attachments that are a must have: a light and a side saddle shell holder. The light because both hands are now full and identifying your target is important and the side saddle to compensate for the low shell count of an 18" barrel. Also,check out the specific home defense models as they usually have these attachments already and make sure it has a decent set of tritium night siights. Lining up a shot with clay shooting sights at night sucks.

I also have all of those things. I use XS big dot Tritium night sights
http://www.xssights.com/store/handgun.html
If you have a light learn to flash the light on and off to acquire your target. You don't want your light on all the time. It will give the bad guy a easy target to shoot at. "Flash then Bang" that's my motto.

Personally 18" is plenty short enough for home defense. There is little advantage to a shorter barrel length.

A good flash light is a must for sure. Something that can be mounted on the gun is preferable. They make several flavors that you can operate easily with your left hand.

Do remember with a shotgun you do still have to aim. While you don't have to be as accurate not aiming will cause you to miss your target.

I am with the rest, getting woke up at night puts you at a strong disadvantage. Especially if you are a heavy sleeper like me. However, like linc said an alarm (don't worry about being connected to the police as most of the time they take more than 30 minutes to respond to alarm calls anyway) is integral. Also have your phone close. If you have a wife get her to hide and dial 911 and inform them you have an intruder in the house.

Make sure to discuss these things with your family so they know their part if something like this happens.

One other thing to have is on the master bedroom have a solid core door with a dead bolt. My parents always had this growing up and it will buy you time when desperately needed.

Have any of you guys ever needed to actually 'take arms' to confront a real in-the-flesh intruder?

Personally no. Although my house was robbed a couple months back. Home invasions have also been on the rise in recent years.

My brother lives in a very nice neighborhood and his neighbors house was broken into at night last year while they were home. The thief fled when he/she realized the owner had their shotgun out and had just chambered a round.

In Houston it has been the nicest neighborhoods being hit the most.

Either way it can happen. I would rather be prepared than caught empty handed. It is my right to protect my family, myself, and my property. I have no intention of giving that up.

Although, if the gov has its way, no one will be able to have guns... except the criminals of course.

They will have to pry those guns from my cold dead fingers. The bad guys are going to rob the people that have the good stuff and a lot of people think that just because they live in a nice neighborhood that they are "safe". Well that kind of thinking can get you killed. As for ever being in a situation where I could have used a gun. Yes, years ago I was over at my girlfriends apartment (now wife) and an x-boyfriend who could not take a hint kicked the front door in. Now at this point he did not know I was there. The look on his face still haunts me. At this point if I had my gun I legally could have used it (confirmed by the arresting officer). I did not have a gun, and thankfully he did not either. I beat the living S%$T out of him and all as well. If he had a gun I would not be telling this to you guys. That is when I talked to my buddy (the SWAT officer) and he set me straight. I now know what to do. If it ever happens again the fight will not last as long.