Someone asked about this in the new members area and I figured I'd go ahead and put my answer down here too. This is a long standing debate and ultimately you have to decide for yourself what you will do if you find yourself in a life and death situation. It's important to think about these things before they happen. Having a plan is a big advantage even if it doesn't work out the way you thing it will. Winging it may work but I'd hate to rely on it.
As far as the big racka sound scaring away intruders: my personal opinion is that it might work but if it doesn't you have just given the turd your position and the fact that you are armed. If he is a determined offender who isn't scared of people with guns, if he's got his own gun, if he was there to kill or maim anyway, if a whole lot of other things, you have given up part of the edge that you may have had in the first place. The sound may scare away most people that are just in your house to steal your tv. It likely will not scare away a deranged psychopath, a dope fiend, a drunk, an experienced violent felon who has been shot or shot at before. Do you know for sure who has broken into your home? The selection of a firearm to investigate a bump in the night should mean that you have already decided that deadly force is an option. Intimidation should not be part of your plan. If you rely on intimidation it may very well mean that when it fails to work you will hesitate when you should not.
Before all the cops jump in and say "when I was on the street that sound was all it took to quell riots". I know that to be true. It's a whole different thing being a uniformed officer with a car full of blinky lights, a radio, a vest, backup on the way or already there, a batman utility belt full of crap with which to thump thugs, etc. Also, turds may assume that if you're the fuzz you are trained and ready to use whatever force is necessary to solve your problem. When someone breaks into your home and you rack your shotgun he may assume that you are a Recondeltasealrangerninja with a family of trained tier one operators ready to deal out death to anyone foolish enough to violate the sanctity of their home. He may think you're a 90 year old woman with her husbands 20 gauge bird gun full of rock salt who is hoping you'll run. He may be a real life BMF who has been in more gunfights than you can count on both hands and both feet that was hoping you'd let him know where you were so he could open a can of whoopass on you. Do you want to guess who it is?
As far as the big racka sound scaring away intruders: my personal opinion is that it might work but if it doesn't you have just given the turd your position and the fact that you are armed. If he is a determined offender who isn't scared of people with guns, if he's got his own gun, if he was there to kill or maim anyway, if a whole lot of other things, you have given up part of the edge that you may have had in the first place. The sound may scare away most people that are just in your house to steal your tv. It likely will not scare away a deranged psychopath, a dope fiend, a drunk, an experienced violent felon who has been shot or shot at before. Do you know for sure who has broken into your home? The selection of a firearm to investigate a bump in the night should mean that you have already decided that deadly force is an option. Intimidation should not be part of your plan. If you rely on intimidation it may very well mean that when it fails to work you will hesitate when you should not.
Before all the cops jump in and say "when I was on the street that sound was all it took to quell riots". I know that to be true. It's a whole different thing being a uniformed officer with a car full of blinky lights, a radio, a vest, backup on the way or already there, a batman utility belt full of crap with which to thump thugs, etc. Also, turds may assume that if you're the fuzz you are trained and ready to use whatever force is necessary to solve your problem. When someone breaks into your home and you rack your shotgun he may assume that you are a Recondeltasealrangerninja with a family of trained tier one operators ready to deal out death to anyone foolish enough to violate the sanctity of their home. He may think you're a 90 year old woman with her husbands 20 gauge bird gun full of rock salt who is hoping you'll run. He may be a real life BMF who has been in more gunfights than you can count on both hands and both feet that was hoping you'd let him know where you were so he could open a can of whoopass on you. Do you want to guess who it is?