A criminal assault can make your whole day miserable. A break-in can also disrupt your sleep and change your perception of your home, possibly forever. Mossberg 590 Shockwave 20,-Gauge shotguns are great home defenders. RELATED STORY: 4 Mossberg Shockwave Scabbard Options For Concealing And Carrying The Mossberg590 Shockwave20-Gauge Personal attacks are most common in and around homes and vehicles. You need to be prepared and receive high-quality training in order to defend yourself against them. You may believe self-defense can be done with butcher knives and baseball bats, or boiling water. This is because too much of your training has been based on movies and video games. Pre-Planning Many people don’t give enough thought to potential violent interactions. Some people just stop thinking. Some people just play around with the idea of self-defense and might buy a gun, then tell their family. Serious self-defense practitioners take the time to examine potential problems and make sure they are well informed. Smart people do at least some pre-planning and training. Excellent usability is provided by the Vang Comp modifications that include oversize safety and the XS Big Dot. This makes the Mossberg 590 Shockwave-20-Gauge perfect for defense. (Photo by Scott Baxter). One of your first tasks should be to create safe and secure areas in your home. You can call 911 to alert the police and gather your spouse, children, and weapons into these safe rooms. You should have a safe room with all the necessary equipment, including cell phones, chargers, landlines and flashlights. Next, create a plan for everyone to arrive at the safe room. Also, determine the location and allocation for any firearms that have been previously stored in the safe room. Unless it is absolutely necessary or when there is no danger, everyone should remain in the safe room. The danger level rises outside the safe room. This is where training is a good idea and compact firearms are a great option. Everyone in the household should know about all evacuation routes and safe rooms. There could be multiple routes of ingress or egress through your home. It is important to be clear about these options to anyone who might be visiting your home or needing an escort to safe areas. A Safe Room is necessary to identify fire routes that are open to all family members. It also provides backstops like refrigerators, cabinets, and fireplaces. Everything should be downrange of your firearm muzzles when you are maneuvering in a house. Each room should have 360-degree fire lanes. Pre-planning for home defense is also important in hotel rooms, where you might be staying while you travel. Apart from being able to host guests, hotel rooms often have separate bathrooms. The only passive defenses available are a solid wedge or doorstop wedged under the doorknob. Smart men once said that “During a gunfight it’s too late for you to learn how to fight.” Train for vehicle and home defense before you go. Safe Room Arms The types of safe room weapons available vary depending on the individual’s opinions and circumstances. Although handguns are a popular choice for home-defense situations, they have a limited stopping power. Handguns require skills that not many people will be able to master. Inexperienced shooters may be able to hit targets as close as 20 feet away. Another favorite rifle is the AR-15 family. These guns allow for interior and sometimes exterior wall penetration. Even when their stocks are completely collapsed, carbines still exceed non-NFA shotguns by approximately 7 inches. If defenders are to leave the safe room, length is crucial. Longer firearms can increase the risk of entanglement and telegraph position to the bad guys. They are also easier to take from inexperienced people. (Photo by Scott Baxter). I chose Mossberg’s 20-gauge 590 Shockwave gun, which is non-NFA. The shotgun has been in service with the U.S military forces since 1975 on the basis of the standard 590. Shotguns can fire multiple pellets downrange at once, inflicting multiple wounds on your opponent. Even with birdshot, penetration of interior walls within a home may be possible. Larger pellets (especially buckshot), increase the potential for overpenetration. These are great reasons to ensure that all pellets remain inside the attackers. Only a few pellets of any size can penetrate brick or high-quality rocks walls. (Studs used for drywall construction can also deflect projectiles. However, not all homes have a brick or stone exterior. Even homes with windows and doors can be used as escape routes for bullets. No matter where you are, whether you’re in an automobile, a house, or on the street, when an attack starts, you can’t help but hurl bullets at the air. If they get out of control, you are responsible. Shockwave Smoothbore Mossberg’s 590 Shockwave, 20-gauge, includes a barrel with a thick wall and a cylinder bore choke. The barrel measures 14.37 inches in length. The gun is 4.9 pounds in weight. Instead of traditional stocks, the Polymer Shockwave Raptor grips produce a small package measuring 26.37 inches in length. The Raptor’s design and length make it easy to maneuver in tight places and reduce felt recoil. The Mossberg Shockwave can hold 5+1 rounds (2 3/4-inch shells) in its single-piece magazine tube. The forend is a corncob-style with a strap to keep your hand from the muzzle. The Shockwave is smaller than a pistol-grip shotgun and will not easily be crushed by tight quarters. Some people are intimidated by the 12-gauge blast and its associated recoil. Others may be unable to handle it due to age or physical limitations. A 20-gauge Shockwave will produce a lighter recoil. Birdshot or Buckshot? Some believe that a Shockwave containing birdshot and a pattern that spans a hallway at 7-10 yards will suffice despite any pattern gaps. Birdshot of any type can deliver deadly blows regardless of whether it penetrates flesh or clothing. Although tight groups of unhampered pellets could penetrate up to four sheets of drywall, they would lose their potency quickly as they travel further. I was able to see the significant improvements made by Vang Comp Systems’ backboring, porting, and firing at a variety shotshells at both 10 and 7 yards. The Remington Express XLR No. 5 shots produce patterns measuring 9 inches in diameter, which is definitely not hall-filling. XLR buckshot wasn’t readily available in my region, but Remington and Winchester No. 3 buckshot produced patterns measuring approximately 6.5 inches. For defensive work, I prefer a tight, even pattern. A tight pattern means fewer pellets are lost by attackers or run wild. This allows for better shot placement. A tighter pattern increases the Shockwave’s effectiveness if the battle is outside. Add-Ons Even without accessories, the 20-gauge Shockwave works great. The TLR-1 HL/TLR-2 HL GH (forward light/laser), GG&G’s Shockwave 20 gauge flashlight mount, XS Sights epoxy attachment tritium front sight and Blue Force Gear Single Point Sling, Vang Comp Systems oversized Safety, and GG&G’s QD Rear Sling Attachment are all great options. The icing on top was the TLR-2 HL from Streamlight, Blue Force Gears’ superb Single Point Sling, and GG&G’s light-mount QD receiver sling attachment point. (Photo by Scott Baxter). I chose the QD sling receiver attachment from GG&G over the attachment point on the Shockwave grip. I made the single-point sling rigid full extension to make it look like a stock. Due to my short Tyrannosaurus arms, the sling must be tightened up when attached to the QD receiver mounting. The sling can’t be cut to fit the non-QD point of the birdshead grip. Vang Comp’s System was added to my gun, with backboring/porting for better muzzle control and tighter patterns. The Remington and Winchester No. 6 patterns were about 6.5 inches in my testing. 3 buckshot patterns fell to 2.5 inches. Perfect! My Car, My Castle Vehicles look castle-like. If there is armed trouble, it will likely be outside, shooting inward. Driving away is the best option, but a GMC Sierra (at 5,000 pounds) can reverse many attacks. Two of the most common vehicular attacks are to force assailants from the road to make them easy targets or to charge stationary automobiles that are impeded by traffic lights, parked, or moving in heavy traffic. (Photo by Scott Baxter). Today’s vehicles are primarily made of aluminum and plastic. This makes them feel uncomfortable when bullets are involved. Behind the wheels or the engine compartment is the best protection when you’re firing from the sides of a vehicle. Avoid shooting over the roof, trunk, or hood. Keep an eye out for enemies who might be approaching your position. Attackers and robbers must be close to you. They cannot rob or steal someone’s vehicle or wallet from more than 40 feet away. The engine compartment will provide some protection if danger is present at the rear or front of a vehicle. But tires don’t help much. The windshield and rear windows are not protected well. Although they aren’t as effective as my skin, wind shields are still more effective than my skin. Pre-planning is important for self-defense in a vehicle. Defenders may have multiple firearms at their disposal. People and firearms will be constantly moving, unlike in a home safe with only a few static positions. Safety and muzzle control must be top priorities. Stay Safe. What should you learn from this? It is important to quickly and safely leave any danger area. Your chances of successfully defending your dwelling or vehicle are higher if you do dry practice and plan ahead. Training is essential. You should prepare for scenarios and have a plan. You can determine the safest direction your bullets will fly. Finally, you should learn how to defend your house and vehicle using your defensive weapons. Mossberg.com has more information. Mossberg 590 Shockwave 20-Gauge Specs Gauge: 20
Barrel: 14.38 inches
OA Length: 26.37 inches
Weight: 4.95 pounds (empty)
Raptor: Grips
Sights: Bead front
Pump Action
Finish: Matte blued
Capacity: 5+1
MSRP: $500 This article originally appeared in the Personal Defense World August/Sept 2021 issue. Subscription is available in print and digital editions at OutdoorGroupStore.com. Or call 1-800-284-5668, or email [email protected].
