Coach guns

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Hey all,

Well, with Christmas right around the corner, and the fact that me and the lovely wife are moving into a new house, I'm seriously considering getting a nice double barrel 20 ga coach gun to help protect the castle. Does anyone have one? What do you like/dislike. Is there any real advantage to the smaller barrel vs a regular shotgun. And, as much as I hate to admit it, the only shotgun I've ever fired is a 12 ga, (my first hunting gun) which left a big bruise on my arm after .... well about two boxes of shells that me and my cousin got a little overzealous with. So if anyone can clue me in to how much recoil a 20 ga has I'd appriciate that too.

Stay safe.

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If you're 12 or older, and your wife will hold you up, a 20 ga, shouldn't be a problem, for self defense I'd go with 00 or 000 buck, that'll be a formidable force inside any dwelling. and Yer honey will be able to manage it well with a little practice..

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I misunderstood the title of the thread. I thought, "Coach gun?? Dammit, if Coach is making guns now I'm going to have to pay their inflated prices to get one for my very soon to be wife to put in her Coach purse, next to her Coach wallet and Coach make up bag and Coach key chain."

I have a full choke double barrel 12 ga with wooden stock and metal butt plate that wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea to shoot. I have shot 12 and 20 ga coach guns (buddy of mine has 'em). The 20 ga is pretty darn easy to handle, even if shooting from the hip. The shorter barrels, like with any other shorter shotgun, is just easier to maneuver through a home unless you live in Donald's Trumps old place. Downside is the wider shot pattern, but with 00 buck and heavier in typical home defense distances shouldn't be a problem.

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Next on my list is one of the Stoeger Nickle Coach 12 ga. mmmm... happy days..

One barrell at a time though.. hehe J

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"Wider shot pattern" my aunt Fanny's ....

At 30 feet (probably the longest diagonal in your house) the shot has barely begun to open up - even with cylinder choke (AKA no restriction). Go to the range and pattern your guns to see, if you don't believe it.

Coach guns are good for HD. They are manuverable, the shorter barrel length reduces (somewhat) the risk of a grab, and the limitation to two rounds keeps you mindful that you need to think instead of blasting wildly. And best of all, IMHO, it eliminates the thought of the "click-clack" sound of a pump-action being able to scare off an intruder.

I have not seen any "testing" of 20-guage rounds ala Box of Truth regarding over-penetration of walls, as has been done for the .410. The "puny" .410 loaded with 3" 00 buck has more than enough energy to take down a BG without ripping through walls like a 12-guage round might. A .410 slug, at 1/4 ounce, is good enough to take whitetail out to 75 yards, so ought to do for BGs at home distances.

Just remember, at HD distances you need to aim - you are not going to get enough shot spread to be worth discussing. (Unless you are using something like a blunderbuss.:shock

stay safe.

skidmark

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There are house-scatterguns, they're just not legal to be caught with one.

Decide, better to have one and risk being tried by twelve men good and true or carried by six perhaps paid mourners.

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Correct me if I am wrong, but I don't see these being any more of an advantage than my Remington Express 870 Security. It also has a folding stock making it easier to hide.

The fact of needing to reload to me is a downfall. I am pretty good at aiming, but what if there are two or three of them?

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My 'house gun' is a fully legal EBR 870. If it doesn't hold enough ammo to get to the SA1911 then that's OK, I did the best I could. An advantage of being an 'old' guy.

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Does anyone make a riot choke anymore? I haven't looked lately.It has a spread of about 8 feet at a distance of 25 feet , almost all sideways.

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skidmark wrote:

"Wider shot pattern" my aunt Fanny's ....

At 30 feet (probably the longest diagonal in your house) the shot has barely begun to open up - even with cylinder choke (AKA no restriction). Go to the range and pattern your guns to see, if you don't believe it.

Click to expand...

Which is why I said at typical home defense distances shouldn't be a problem.

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A real coach gun delivers the fastest 2 rounds of 20 gauge possible...reloading is a B though!

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Here's some reading..

http://www.cabelas.com/story-123/carlson_coachshotgun/10201/Stoeger%252BCoach%252BGun%252BReview.shtml

http://www.gunreports.com/gow/long_guns/Stoeger-Coach-Gun-31400-12-Gauge_self-defense_hunting-side-by-side_808-1.html

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Lots of people like 20 ga because they are big enough for a human target with less recoil than a 12ga. Personally, I think that break action shotguns are only for subjects of an authoritarian government. As a real US citizen, I would prefer a a Saiga semi auto or a rem 870 or mossberg 500 pump.

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thorvaldr wrote:

Lots of people like 20 ga because they are big enough for a human target with less recoil than a 12ga. Personally, I think that break action shotguns are only for subjects of an authoritarian government. As a real US citizen, I would prefer a a Saiga semi auto or a rem 870 or mossberg 500 pump.

Click to expand...

Break actions are a fail proof design that functions flawlessly and is very simple for any member of the family to learn to manipulate and maneuver. This design has been around for a long time and will most likely remain that way,

Look at what almost all Muzzleloading rifle manufacturers are doing with Break actions, these have become some very formidable rifles.

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A 20-ga piece is going to be noticeably less punishing on your shoulder. IIRC, a short-barreled cylinder-bore shotgun firing shot shells should give about a 1-foot pattern at about 10 yards. Choked guns with longer barrels will give tighter patterns. This difference in spread is negligible in the averaged sized home, given a self-defense situation.

-ljp

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Carnivore wrote:

thorvaldr wrote:

Lots of people like 20 ga because they are big enough for a human target with less recoil than a 12ga. Personally, I think that break action shotguns are only for subjects of an authoritarian government. As a real US citizen, I would prefer a a Saiga semi auto or a rem 870 or mossberg 500 pump.

Click to expand...

Break actions are a fail proof design that functions flawlessly and is very simple for any member of the family to learn to manipulate and maneuver. This design has been around for a long time and will most likely remain that way,

Look at what almost all Muzzleloading rifle manufacturers are doing with Break actions, these have become some very formidable rifles.

Click to expand...

I didn't say they weren't useful. Break action shotguns are typically the last gun to be allowed when an authoritarian government takes away all the other guns. So to me, they symbolize oppression and I refuse to own one. I will never own a revolver either. I will live free or die and I will do it with a semi auto in my hand.

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I still think that break-action guns have a place in the modern world. They're relatively inexpensive and they're good for instructing youth on basic technique. Single-shot guns are also good for learning the "one-shot" hunting ethic, and I like to use them for rabbit hunting since you don't generally get a second shot at something that runs that fast anyway. Also, considering the price of ammunition these days, it slows your rate of fire enough to make range trips more affordable. I still use my "hillbilly gun"New England Pardner 12-ga regularly.

-ljp

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I have a 12 guage 20"3 inch chamberedCoach Gun. The hammers can be cocked and the thumb safety engaged.

She's a kicker....but in a stressful situation, you'll neither hear the gun go off nor feel the kick. $189 NEW OTD for me. Chinese, and I did have to tweak the fit for tightness. No problem at all.

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The only Breakaction I own now is an old H&R Huntsman .58cal. muzzleloader an old slow freight train, but at 50 yds or less ain't anything i care to hunt gonna carry the 460gr. miniball very far.




here's a better pic. after I replaced the broken trigger guard.

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Thanks for all the good info and thoughts. I know a double barrel is somewhat of a handicap because of it's limited ammo. It's what my grandpappy used to call a 'throw away gun'. I'm not very concerned about only having two shells, because after that I can drop it and pull out my .38special (6 shot) and when that's spent I've got a brand new .380 semi auto that I just purchased this month with 3 loaded clips handily positioned in the top drawer of my nightstand. If for some nightmarish reason I actually managed to burn through all that without stopping the threat 1.) I'm obviously dealing with some very determined adversaries if they haven't fled the premesis yet 2.) I probably deserve a bullet for all that crappy shooting and 3.) The wife can reload the shotty and the revolver while I milk the clips for all their worth. I can't conceive of a situation where both barrels of a shotgun, six rounds of revolver, and the first few shots of the .380 don't either elliminate a house breaker(s) or convince them to try a less lethal house.

In any case, thanks for all the input again. It's definately going on the Christmas list for this year.:celebrate