Which do you like better for your home defense setup of the 870?
5rnds - Pros
Faster handling
Lighter
7 rnds - Pros
Higher capacity
Dampens recoil better
To me, the questions seems to boil down to which is more important? A gun that points a little faster or a gun that has a two more rounds?
I don’t think the 2 rounds makes much difference as far as handling so I go for the +2 capacity
For home defense, I prefer a fully loaded shotgun with an extended mag tube and a loaded side saddle. In an emergency you may only have time to grab the shotgun and that would mean you only have the ammunition that is in and on the shotgun. Under stress, with an adrenaline dump, you will be focused on so many other things, I doubt you are going to notice the additional weight or handling issues.
How do you see yourself using it?
Do you plan to barricade yourself in a strong room, and contact law enforcement? If so, the greater capacity might be better.
Do you envision having to move through a dwelling to secure loved ones? A shorter barrel could serve you better.
I’ve always thought of a home defense shotgun the way I thought of artillery. Limited mobility, with slow but devastating fire. So it’s pointed at locked bedroom door.
I do agree about the side saddle. I have a Mesa Tactical unit on my 870, and am quite pleased with it.
Honestly, a shotty is my third choice for home defense, I prefer a carbine and then a pistol in that order. But that’s another thread. 
I think SeriousStudent is on track. In my personel situation assuming that I am in my bedroom when something happens I will be grabbing my suppressed AR first. Since my safe is in the room and the door is open at night, I also have immediate access to the 14" Remy 870 w/ light and side saddle as well as my other weapons.
Unless there is a compelling need, I will close the bedroom door and stay in the room using whatever cover I can. I will also be dialing 911.
My shotgun would also rank in third place as well. The carbine is going to be much quieter and I will have at least 30 rounds of good ammo at my disposal. If it escalates beyond that then chances are that we have been invaded by China or the zombie hordes have finally come to life.
I am choosing the shotgun as my home defense tool because I believe it has the greatest likelihood of stopping a bad guy in the quickest time possible. I realize that there are no guarrantees with any weapon. They all can fail to put a man down. But, at close distance within a home, instant incapacitation is the key feature that will determine whether I live or die. If the bad guy remains alive even for a few seconds while he bleeds out, he can shoot me back and we both die. I think 00 buck will fail less often than .223 under these conditions.
If it is a SHTF or other scenario where I could expect trouble outside, I will grab my carbine.
I use a 2 round extension as i feel it helps to better balance the gun and settle down the movements. the fact that it hold 2 more rounds is just a side benefit.
Properly aimed and fed, a 12 gauge is a devastating weapon. Several decades ago when I was a paramedic, I called more than a few people “DRT” from 00 Buck.
There have been several good threads here about shotgun versus carbine for home defense. The risk of overpenetration by 5.56/.223 rounds, compared to buckshot was also covered.
The results might surprise you. It’s also the reason why a lot of units use carbines inside buildings. DocGKR has some very good posts in the ballistics section you may want to read, too.
My HD carbine is loaded with the Hornady 5.56 TAP 75-grain load. It actually penetrates fewer layers of sheetrock than most 9mm rounds.
I wish you the best, and may you never need to fire any weapon you choose in anger.
Agreed. Plus, after the first two shots, you will have a five shot, anyway, so the slower and less recoil will only be for two rds, (in theory of course).
This is very good info, and I am glad I read it. If nothing else, it could keep a person from having to make a bunch of unnecessary court appearances.
I prefer only five rounds in the magazine on my 18" 870P. Mostly because I wanted to keep the front end as light as possible. So I added a single round extention on it. If I’m not shooting, I’m moving and reloading.
I have no strong feelings either way (5 versus 7 rounds). But, one additional thing to consider is that the magazine extension to magazine tube joint is a possible failure/malfunction point.
I have experience with two different 870’s where the magazine follower gets stuck temporarily at that seam. Then, the next round doesn’t get chambered. It doesn’t happen all the time, but it has happened to me many times. It took me a long time to determine what the problem was.
The worse thing is that in a stressful situation, it’s hard to know when you pump it and don’t chamber a round . . . until you hear a click instead of a bang!
I think the follower design makes a huge difference with this problem (even though the problems happened with at least 3 different follower designs). I use old style Choate steel followers and don’t have problems with this any longer.
A shotgun with a few rounds (regardless of whether it’s 5 rounds or 7) is an awesome weapon.
Joe Mamma
Joe… for me, a one-piece mag tube trumps a tube with an extension tacked on. I like the 870P a lot (have three of them), but my choice for HD is the 8-shot Winchester Defender for it’s 18" barrel, quick action, and full-length, one-piece mag tube! Generally speaking I like 8-shots on tap before a reload a lot more than 5-. Either way, the 12 ga. is a great close quarters defense weapon.
Best points mentioned in this thread are
be armed and let the trouble come to you, if at all possible, while you call 911,
00 Buck is likely to have better close-quarters defensive quick-stopping power than 5.56
the AR is a better choice outside or if the SHTF.
The more ammo the better. One of the shotguns biggest weakness is they are hard to keep in the fight due to low ammo supply. There is almost no real difference in handling between a 5 shot and a 7 shot magazine gun. We are not skeet shooting we don’t need a perfectly balanced gun for a smooth swing. We need a gun you can shoot like a rifle that has as much ammo as possible on board. Personally I prefer a good 5.56 carbine to the shotgun but I respect both.
Pat
Here is my opinion. For me, my shotgun will always be backed up by two things - a handgun and extra shotgun ammo on my waist.
I was taught that you shoot one and load one if possible. If I shoot my shotgun dry, I will transition to my handgun.
Therefore, I like the idea of a more reliable (no extension) gun that is light and points fast.
(just my two cents)
A counter to your point of view meaning no dis respect. The load one shoot one school of thought does not really work well in a caotic life of death gun fight that takes place over a span of seconds and not minutes. In reality you will be out of ammo fast. Secondly in a home defense situation you are not likely to have ammo other than what is on the gun itself.
I had a bear charge me last summer from 20 feet away. I had the shotgun empty in about 2 seconds. I was using a 14 inch 6 shot 870. There was no way to load one shoot one. Fortunately I lived and the bear did not. In real life things happen fast. More ammo the better. I was using slugs.Fortunately I had back up with me who also nailed the bear with a 45-70 twice. People who think they are going to be able to be able to count rounds in a gun fight are not being realistic.
Pat
Just curious who taught you that and more specifically for what type of shooting?
Shoot one, load one is a good concept but sometimes the situation calls for shoot two or three and reload as many as you can before you have to shoot again.
Having a side saddle and/or speedfeed stock accelerates the reloading.
I have a six shot side saddle on my 870P along with the 5 in the magazine. I also keep a satchel bag of loose shells next to my shotgun.
Hope I never have to defend myself against a bear no matter what weapon I have access to at the time.
I have been taught “shoot one load one, or load what your shoot” IF there is a lull in the action and/or you are behind cover and have the opportunity. I think the purpose of the phrase is to remind people to replace rounds when the situation safely allows, otherwise continue to shoot until all threats are stopped. If you do not have a secondary weapon to transition to, you may find yourself with an empty mag tube and being forced into a shoot one load one situation with a shotgun in some scenarios. The other phrase I hear is “if you are not shooting you better be loading.”
Alaska, no offense taken. I could be wrong. It is just my opinion. I learned the above method at Frontsight. It also squares with my experience hunting.
You are right that any shotgun will run out of ammo fast. That is why I would never consider it my primary gun in an instantaneous reactive home defense situation. My handgun is my behind the curve reactive weapon. I would grab my shotgun only if I had the time and opportunity to grab both my handgun AND my shotgun.
Either way you look at it 5 rounds or 7 rounds could be a few too many to count on this weapon by itself.
(Just opinion. I have never been in a life or death situation.)