I forgot to say that my home defense system is a sixteen gauge Parker V grade O Frame, choked Cylinder and five thou, with 28" steel barrels, 2-1/2" chambers, and extractors. The stock is 13-7/8 x 1-5/8 by 2-3/4. Original Dogshead butt plate. It weighs 5lbs - 13oz and has double triggers, ivory bead. Honest wear but well worn. Little blue, case, or shellac left.

I haven't shot a house bandit but the cartridges I have loaded for that purpose are low pressure (sub six thousand psi) plastic hull cartridges. I load 18 grains of Longshot with five triple-ought-buck pellets and Grex buffer to make the pattern tighter. Of course I use the standard Gualandi G16 wad. I cut the hulls to 2-1/2". Although the recoil is sharp it is acceptable as the Parker is very lively. I did kill a feral hog whith this combination while out hunting BobWhites. It was a crossing shot. The hog was all out at 30 yards. It proved very effective. There is legitimate concern about the Longshot not performing in low pressure loads in very cold weather but if the home invader makes it outside I am going to let him go.

As far as dependability I think a well maintained quality SxS with two triggers and no ejectors is one of the most reliable home defense systems on the planet. Practically impossible to jam or fail to fire. As I hunt with it a lot I can load it, get it off safety and hit near the mark with my eyes closed.

Parkers are superior guns but I am not saying a JC Higgins or Iver Johnson double wouldn't do just as well.

Best,

Mike

Last edited by AmarilloMike; 07/24/08 11:55 AM.

I am glad to be here.