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Yep good thoughts, I have just a few clarifications.

Handguns "work" because they are easy to carry, so they will be carried more than let at home. Likewise handguns can be more easily stored (accessible) than a shotgun. I think shotguns are great "combat" weapons for someone who commits to training with them but Ive never bought into them as home defense weapons for someone who doesnt commit to that same level of training. Shotguns have a few vastly overstated selling points. First is the "you dont have to aim" pitch. Ive seen too many cops fail to qualify because they MISSED targets at room distance targets. Then theres the use "Birdshot" because it has more pellets, story. Well yes it does but again a room distances the spread is maybe saucer size. Thats hardly a "you cant miss" solution especially under stress and limited training. Birdshot also has the liability of low penetration. Yes it does create a nasty looking wound but no pellets go deep enough to hit a vital organ. Maybe it stops an attacker or maybe not. My favorite "selling point" is the racking noise will scare them off. Now maybe it will but in my world that noise is a target indicator. Once you accept that there are different "classes" of criminals and understand that the ones who are willing to break into a home with people inside, then maybe youll accept that the best noise the bad guy should hear is his buddy collapsing after being shot. No warning, No hoping youll scare them away. The length of a shotgun is alo a liability in the close confines of a home. Its also virtually impossible to use at grappling distance and its length makes it easier to "leverage" out of the users hands than a small handgun (we could do a whole thread on that)

No a 22lr or magnum isnt my first second or third choice for anything beyond turning loud noises into smiles on the range with the kids BUT it is better than a shape stick and harsh language. Its also pushing the limits on what some folks can handle.

As for an automatic is easier to just pull the trigger and a single action means having to remember to cock the hammer, thats absolutely correct. An automatic might mean having to remember the flip off the safety that a single action doesnt. An automatic also means the possibility of a jam, though admittedly very slight but amplified with a limp wristed hold which increases with a limited trained and weaker user. The big negative of a single action is capacity and slow (no reload).

Ultimately single action guns arent the newest designs and have been overshadowed by newer guns. They certainly arent my first choice for a high threat environment but in the proper context and within the limits of cost and and user ability, maybe?

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