Self Defense shotguns available (short barrel)  savage 12 sxs 18: barrels about 36 1/2' over all, with leather buttcuff.  Remington 870 18 1/2' barrel, corncob foreend.  i think it is 4 or 5 plus 1, it escapes me at the minute.  buttcuff as well.

My house has 2 stairways.  the livingroom, dining room, kitchen, sitting room, foyrer, guest suit, are all downstairs.  I have a 110 year old victorian.  One set of stairs are "maid stairs" narrow and lead up from the butlers pantry by the kitchen, the other stairway is a grand entrance stairway with a landling, leading up from the foyer.   I have 5 exterior doors which adds to the confusing leading to various porches.

I dislike the remington.  I dont like the slide release forward of the trigger, i dont like the cross bold safety, (I have shot mossbergs most of my life).  other than that the gun is ok.  The sxs has extractors, not ejectors.

My defense plan is to hold the stairs.  our bedrooms, family room and office are upstairs.  The maid stairs has a solid wood door with a bolt at the top, it is locked at night.  My plan is for the wife to retrieve the kiddos and be on the phone with the alarm company/police in our master bedroom closet, while I hold the top of the stairs with the sxs with glock .45.  I have a pistol belt that holds the glock on a peg in my closet by my safe with teh shotgun on the outside at nignt only.  If i feel i need to clear the downstairs in case of suspected false alarm, (happens about every other year) I take the .45.

to be truthful I have considered and still plan on getting a mossberg home defense shotgun, as I am familiar with them, and that might solve the problem.  But i havent done that yet.  The remington at this time resides downstairs in a locked locker.

I cannot reliabily or with confidence handle that remington, so I probably should just sell it and fund the mossberg.  but for now my choice of the double is for the above reasons.