There is a lot of chatter regarding what the best home defense gun is or should be. Everyone has an opinion — right, wrong or indifferent, people having an opinion is the only consistency regarding this topic. When it comes to choosing a good home defense gun it is imperative to understand all that it entails. You must think beyond, “what gun will have the most stopping power and do the job.” Although it is a key element, there are several other factors to consider. We must look at the picture of home defense in its entirety and not just the fragments that we enjoy. Educating ourselves on this topic before we dive into a purchase is key to successfully defending our home.
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Our home is made up of rooms, walls, and hallways defining the castle we call home. We need to consider ways to protect ourselves if we must utilize a firearm within our home. Stopping power is a necessity, however, we don’t want rounds to end up going through walls and possibly injuring an innocent person, or worse. We also need a firearm we can easily maneuver throughout our home and still manage quick sight acquisition. Whether you are making your way through your home to loved ones, or for some reason you must seek out the threat, you need a firearm that can easily flow through the house. I also believe round count is important. There is no guarantee you will only need “X” amount of rounds. We never know what threat will look like or how many potential threats we will encounter. There are a number of reasons we would need a certain amount of rounds so the best plan of action is to always be prepared for the worst-case scenario.
Given these highlights regarding a good home defense weapon, one of the best options to meet each one would be the Mossberg 590M Shockwave. This is new for 2018 and one of the most exciting guns to hit the market for numerous reasons. The 590M Shockwave 12-gauge firearm is the world’s first double-stack, 10 round shotgun magazine. Mossberg even went a few steps further offering 5, 15, and 20 round magazines sold separately as accessories. This 12-gauge is compact and classified by the BATFE (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives) as a “Non-NFA Firearm”. Non-NFA means the Mossberg 590M does not require a tax stamp for transfers.
Shockwave
The 590M Shockwave has a pump-action platform featuring non-binding twin action bars and an ambidextrous top-mounted safety. The anodized aluminum receiver has been drilled and tapped for the ability to add an optic. Which, in and of itself is an additional advantage when utilizing this as a home defense weapon. As stated earlier, round count does matter. With the 10-round magazine the Shockwave comes with, this gives you a total round capacity of 10 plus one. On top of that, the utilization of 12-gauge buckshot arguably delivers more of its energy to the target due to the surface area of its payload. This also brings far less probability of pass-through shots.
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I was able to spend a great deal of time out on the range with this unique 12-gauge. Aside from being an absolute pleasure to shoot, I found that it was surprisingly easy. The 590M Shockwave features the Raptor pistol grip that has an enhanced finish and a “bird’s head” shaped profile. On the forend you will find that it is strapped, supporting your hand and allowing greater control. This combined with the supporting weight underneath of the magazine allows tremendous control and very minimal recoil. Many have stated they wonder about the pressure against the wrist — for me, there was none. I was able to fire from any position and maintain control, even with rapid follow-up shots. I went through many, many boxes of birdshot and buckshot while putting the 590M through its paces. With as inexpensive as that ammo is, and how much fun it is to shoot this pump-action, magazine fed 12-gauge, I was having a literal blast running this Shockwave!
I found as you will see on the video it took me a minute to find the best way to hold shockwave. I began just going to town, working that pump action and shooting the berm to get a feel for the gun. I believe this channeled my inner “terminator” as I could have just done that all day long. I did, however, remain professional and moved to paper targets. To find a good and accurate hold I found the raptor grip needs to be held angled lower than the barrel. So, the end of the gun is literally pointed up slightly. Once you obtain the sweet spot, it’s on! The accuracy was phenomenal, and the Shockwave is powerful. Another facet I fell in love with was the absolute ease of utilizing the magazines. I actually made this much more difficult on myself than it is. I was pushing, pulling and using some force, which absolutely was not necessary. It literally takes zero effort. The magazines have hardened steel feed lips that literally lock in with ease, almost like a “click”. It’s that simple, and quick. While I had the Shockwave on the range, I took full advantage of utilizing all the magazines. I never experienced a feeding issue or any type of malfunction when running any of them and cannot even begin to express how much fun I had doing so. As you can see, I am a HUGE fan of the 590M!
The 590M Shockwave meets every qualification of being the perfect home defense weapon.
The 590M Shockwave meets every qualification of being the perfect home defense weapon. With such manageable recoil and stability, it only adds to the benefits of home defense utilization. This is a 12-gauge you do not have to shoulder, it is shorter and easily fired from multiple positions, making maneuvering through your home far easier. Utilizing buckshot meets the needs for stopping power.
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With its size, being magazine fed and with very minimal recoil, anyone would be able to learn to utilize this 12-gauge for self-defense. Your entire family could literally learn to run this gun if they had to. Along with home defense, the Shockwave would also, for the same reasons, be perfect as a “truck gun”. Before you question or form any opinion I highly urge you to shoot one for yourself and truly experience the incredible feat Mossberg has accomplished.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Gauge: 12
Capacity: 6
Chamber: 3″
Barrel Type: Heavy-Walled
Barrel Length: 14.3″
Sights: Bead
Choke: Cylinder Bore
Barrel Finish: Cerakote – Black
Stock Finish: Raptor Grip / Corn Cob Forend w/Strap
Weight: 5.3 oz
Length 26.37″
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