I also live in an apartment, have given this much thought and research, and have decided the Federal 12 gauge LE Tactical #1 Buckshot Flitecontrol load (LE132-1B) is the best choice.
My problem I hated when I lived in the apartment was taking rifles to the range, I had to walk through the complex with the cases to get to the truck, I tended to put them in a sheet or box to hide them.
Depending on if you are top or bottom floor of the apartment might dictate storage, lower level you could get a small safe in, upper level you might think about a cabinet and secure it to a stud.
Depending on if you are top or bottom floor of the apartment might dictate storage, lower level you could get a small safe in, upper level you might think about a cabinet and secure it to a stud.
if I were in your shoes: find a good deal on a Remington 1100 w/ 18" barrel -> add a flashlight to it -> put 500 through it, training scenarios -> clean, lube and inspect O-rings -> pattern it with #5 turkey rounds -> load it up and put it up -> relax knowing you will absolutely neutralize anyone standing in front of that thing but nothing on the other side of the wall.
I'm due for a batch of shotgun ammo, and the LE132-1B is nowhere to be found. I emailed Federal about it, and they said they plan to make more this August. So, I picked up some Winchester #1 Buck (XB121). I cut one open, and it looks well made, with 16 0.30" pellets. I'll pattern it out of my shotgun soon.
Go to a pawn shop or second hand store. Find some guitar cases.
Get some egg crate foam to make gun cases for them.
The chicks will swoon, and guys will hate you for it when you carry them across the parking lot.
Seriously, get the guitar cases. I know competition shooters that carry AR's into some of the best hotels in the country without A sideways glance.
Went out and shot the XB121 today. Full power load for sure. Patterns nice and tight out of my Mossberg. I'll probably stick with the XB121 over the LE132-1B because it has one more pellet, and is more powerful. The XB121 is a great load.
How much of a difference do you think there is with the full size shotgun barrels and the sorta compact sizes? Was looking at the shotgun case at Walmart and the prices are pretty good, plus I get 10% discounted.
I haven't tested it, but I've read in multiple sources that the velocity difference between 18" and 28" barrels is negligible. The biggest difference will be how the gun swings/aims and patterns the shot. Myself, I want the largest magazine possible. I'm not clearing houses on a daily basis, so handling a longer barrel is no issue for my purposes. I just can't imagine being shot from across the room with a load of buckshot.
What YG said is mostly true. Some advantages in velocity can be gained with using Turkey or pheasant Magnum shells in guns with longer barrels. They are a slower burning powder that burns further down the barrel vs standard loads that get a full burn in the first 16-18'.
I've not done the tests personally, but have seen reviews that showed some loads were actually slower in longer barrels because the burn happened early, and nothing was gained with a longer barrel. The difference in velocity was very minimal though, and wouldn't make any difference.
A shotshell hand loader can tailor a load for whatever length of barrel that one has available.
I don't live in an apartment but I do have a house with three bedrooms and my children in them. My home defense choice is a shotgun w/18" barrel and mag extension, loaded with #6 birdshot through a cylinder bore choke. Does choke make a difference in home defense? I'm betting my children's lives on it! At 12 feet (the distance from one wall in my bedroom to another) the shot pattern pretty much covers the center mass of an average human male. In case of a miss or off center shot, the sheetrock can easily absorb the energy spread of the shot pattern and reduce it below lethal levels, though not enough to completely eliminate injury. A full choke at those same distances will pattern to about 2" with a couple "flyers". You might as well use slugs because the sheetrock walls will provide about as much resistance as a piece of cardboard to that dense of a shot pattern.
Long story short, shotgun + birdshot + proper choke selection = safest defense option for the location.
Or use the beanbag shotshells. They will knock the bad intentions outta anybody.
Long story short, shotgun + birdshot + proper choke selection = safest defense option for the location.
Or use the beanbag shotshells. They will knock the bad intentions outta anybody.
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