I think you need to forget about adding whistles and bells and just learn to shoot it well. Do you want a self defense weapon or guard duty at some USAF base against sabotuers?
the late,great Bill Jordan was asked what he used for home defense. He answered his Model 12 used for upland huntingt was always by his bed.

Ole Bill was hard to beat...

Chris,

Certainly learning your gun and practicing with it relentlessly is key. No debate there.

But I disagree on one point... a weapon light. This is a HD weapon and the typical home invasion-type scenario is often in the dark of night. And unlike handguns, there is no way to hold a light while firing with a shotgun.

There is one thing that got drilled into my brain as a youngster "If you can't see it clearly, don't pull that trigger". There is no way to take it back and say sorry.

Practice, practice, practice is key for sure. And no accessory will replace that. But IMO, even a simple led flashlight securely mounted to your HD shotgun IS worth doing.

Hope this helps,

I seriously doubt you will find many, if any, aftermarket upgrades for your shotgun.

Remington>/=Mossberg>>Winchester>>>>>>>>>>>>>>everybody else.

There is no non invasive crime prevention device as effective as the sound of a pump scatter gun's action being operated.

Well, maybe the sudden appearance of a trained police K9, combined with a little barking.






"...I coming out, PLEASE don't send that dog in here.. PLEASE DON"T LET HIM BITE ME!"

One word of warning - low recoil rounds may not reliably cycle some semi-auto shotguns. I'd stick with a pump gun if you go this route.

A good light is definitely a vital addition to a home defense long gun. However, it is possible to use a handheld light with a shotgun. There are several techniques for holding both the fore end and a light at the same time. Using a hand held light is a lot more cumbersome than a weapon mounted one, but it's an important skill. If you hear a bump in the night and find the batteries in your weapon mounted light are dead, it's good to know how to back it up with a handheld light.

In addtion, if I was a burlar and saw a light my reaction would be to shoot AT the light. Look at police training. One hand has a big old maglight STRETCHED off to the side and the duty arm in the other.

I have to agree with Chris on this one. Making your shotgun 'fancy' or 'tacti-cool' will in no way increase it's effectiveness. IMHO, the only thing you need now is a few boxes of ammo and some time at your local range. You, your wife and daughter need to practice with this thing more than anything else.
Colonel Cooper once said "You are no more armed because you own a gun than you are a musician because you own a piano." You have the weapon, now it's time to gain the skill to use it both correctly and safely, and that includes your wife and daughter. Without the knowledge to use it, it's worse than useless. All of you have to be completely familiar with it - loading it, unloading it, manipulating the safety, trigger control, sight picture, shooting it, storing it safely, etc. I'd recommend getting a good book on the subject to make sure you're doing it correctly. Something from Jeff Cooper, Chuck Taylor or Louis Awerbuck would be fine. You might want to pick up a few 'dummy' rounds to practice with. You certainly don't want to be practicing with live ammo anywhere but at a range. That's a tragedy waiting to happen.
Please don't fall for the BS about a shotgun can't miss or the sound of racking the slide will make the bad guys run away in terror. The facts prove otherwise.

- Dave

Ok,

Having decided on a shotgun, made the purchase, and determined it is time to train, lets look at a light. If you mount a light, you need to train with it also. You don't want to just turn it on and go looking for the trouble. The light lets others know your coming long before it lets you know where the others are. You will probably be leaving a darkened space and your eyes will be dark adjusted. The bad guy will have come from a place of some light, so his eyes won't be as adjusted. Using the momentary on to "flash" the light will give you sight without telegraphing your approach. I am not going into the small print on weapon/light usage here, it would be a disservice to all involved.
There are plenty of books and instructors available. Now is the time to put them to use. A good instructor will teach you about safe handling, accuracy, immediate action drills, light usage, and weapon retention.

Yeah, weapon retention...

Here in DFW we recently had a home invasion where the lady of the house took the firearm from the bad guys because they were unsure of its use. In the moment of hesitation after hearing "click" (take it off safe), she grabbed the gun and handed it to her husband who had caught up to what was happening from the other room. Husband then ventilated the bad guys with their own weapon.

Look at the stats on how many LEO's are wounded/killed with their own weapon. Then weapon retention may seem more important than that light.

It would be a crying shame to see what that nice new shotgun looks like from the business end with someone else holding it.