The Sheriff's advice for Home Defense

Better to be judged by 12 people than be carried by 6 people.

I'm 74 years old, 30 year retired/disabled US Army. I live on a farm in southern Ohio. Remington 870, 20ga home defender, 00 buckshot and backed up by my Sig 1911. The 1911a1 was my side arm for most of my military career. It just feels right. I also have an M-1 Garand as the back up to the back up.

Paul Harrell demonstrated: OO buck shot will penetrate several interior walls and then an exterior wall. #4 buck tends to stop at the exterior wall(has slightly less penetration). So your neighbors are safe.

I’ve only heard “cruiser ready” from one person my whole life.. My late uncle. He was a Missouri state trooper back in the early eighties through about the mid nineties. This was how he always kept his 870 at home. Learned a lot of things from that man. Thanks for the video! 🇺🇸

“The right load, at the right range and they’ll need a shovel to scoop up the mess” - Clint Smith regarding shotguns for home defense

Retired Lt. From Seymour Mo here, firearms instructor also. I couldn't agree more with your advice. I advise clients to keep a set of Walker ear muffs with speakers on the nightstand. We know what happens to our hearing when a weapon is fired inside the home. Stay safe!

If you have a Mossberg or Remington you don't need to cut the barrel. Both companies sell home defense barrels right at 18.5 inches and are completely legal. Just remove the long barrel and install the short barrel.

Retired USCG 2 years ago. Got the chance to work with Marines. They convinced me to pickup a Mossberg 590A-1 for a number of reasons. #1 with me was the action andd location of the safety followed by the chambering design of the feed ramp. Like you, got mine used at a gun show for $200 including the bayonet 🙂 I became a #4 buck fan 20 years ago; hit center-of-mass and it's going to leave a mark.

Have a cousin who was an ER doctor in a large US city. He said bird shot is a man killer, he said he never seen someone shot with it at home defense range survive. He said there is no way to to patch someone up before they will bleed out be cause of how it shreds the flesh.

That's pretty much spot on with what Clint Smith said , They generally open up about 1" per yard from the muzzle .

I'm a recently retired Deputy Sheriff of 27 years a SWAT commander and firearms instructor. I couldn't agree more with you. A 18.5 inch 12 gauge shotgun loaded with #4 buckshot is my go too home defense gun. Thanks for your service and hope you have a wonderful day.

I wish our sheriffs in California were as informative and helpful as the Missouri sheriffs. I worry about getting punished more than the bad guys if I have to defend myself with a shotgun. I can’t wait to move to an American state.

Great advice. I keep a Remington 870 Express Youth in 20G by the bed. Shorter barrel and a magazine extension. Six shots in the tube in #4 buckshot. Love it!

My unit in vietnam issued SAVAGE 12ga pump shotguns for ambush and VC control. Also the M-79 with 00-BUCK for search and destroy. 4th div. ARMOR RECON the highlands.

My dad who passed away recently was a deputy sheriff from 1964 to 1989. In going through stuff I found a Mossberg 18.5 inch barrel. Went down and looked through the safes till I found his old Mossberg 500A. Serial number is a B prefix and it comes from 1969-70. Put the 18.5 inch barrel in. Fit perfectly. I strongly suspect this rode in his patrol vehicle for many years. Has some rust spots on that I am going to get cleaned off. Oil it up and then in honor of my dad time to thump some shoulders next time I am at the range.

Don’t forget overall length. It must be 26” or longer muzzle to butt. That’s how they got Randy Weaver. He cut the barrel to 18”, but the stock was short and the overall length was below 26” and he was charged with a felony.

Waaaay back when I was still young, we used to carry the Rem 870 for boardings. In our range training, we knew that of the 9 pellets of 00 Buck, at least one would be a flyer, landing somewhere off the targets torso. What the Sheriff is saying is truth. If you are going to carry/use one of these, TRAIN with it. They are superbly reliable, easy to repair, and easily modified.

I used to be your neighbor near Hallsville in Boone County. I've moved to Wright County. Thanks for passing on information to people.

Sound advice! Also, if you live in a neighborhood/area that is more densely populated, don't discount even smaller projectiles than #4 buckshot! Number 4, or 5, birdshot can be deadly at closer ranges, and you have a greater probability of not over penetrating common building materials found in homes today! Great Video! God Bless... Bill

Plus the sound of a pump shotgun racked in the dark is universal in any language.