Imagine waking up to the sound of a stranger breaking into your home. The one place you are supposed to feel safe has just been violated, but you don’t panic. You simply get out of bed, secure you family and pets before grabbing a home defense gun you keep prepared for just this scenario. Do you know what gun you would grab? I do! My Remington Arms Company Model 870 Tac-14 is my go-to for home defense. This firearm is the perfect home-defense weapon.
Built specifically for self-defense (and dare I say, FUN!?), this 26.3” firearm is based on the ever-popular Remington 870 platform. The 14” barrel and Raptor pistol grip make it perfect for maneuvering through rooms and around corners. The Magpul MOE M-LOK forend allows for the shooter to add accessories and customize it to their taste. Personally, I added a tactical flashlight. The Axeon Optics ShotLight replaces the end cap on the 3 most popular pump-shotguns on the market.
It might surprise some, but so far no marks or marring on the flashlight!
Weighing in at only 5.6 pounds, the Remington 870 Tac-14 has a 4+1 magazine capacity. Managed recoil buckshot makes the easy-to-handle Tac-14 even easier to handle. I’ve heard talk that the Tac-14 can be difficult to handle. Stories of it jumping out of people’s hands or it hitting people in the side from not being prepared for the recoil are not uncommon. I mean, other than home defense, what could you possibly use the Tac-14 for?! Could you shoot sporting clays with it? I suppose you could. What about hunting? While I may not make the Tac-14 a regular choice for hunting, SHWAT™ Publisher shot a couple of doves successfully.
I have to say that my range buddy’s expression when I pulled it out of the box, priceless! He has never seen a firearm like the Tac-14, let alone fired one. After prying it from his grip, I sent half a box of light target loads down range. Honestly, I was nervous about shooting the Tac-14. As a small-framed female, 12 gauge shotgun recoil can be overwhelming if you aren’t ready for it. This gun didn’t have nearly the recoil that I expected. I then handed the Tac-14 off to Joey, my buddy’s son, who spent the other half of the box. Between the 3 of us, I lost track of how many shells we fired. Why did we stop after having so much fun? We ran out of shotgun shells…
So why add a flashlight to the Tac-14? Well, I’m guessing that if someone is breaking into my home, it’s going to be at night and I certainly don’t want to turn all kinds of lights on to alert them. However, the 120 lumen LED flashlight would blind anyone in the dark. While the ShotLight hangs just past the end of the barrel, I’m not concerned because the light is very sturdy and the blast shouldn’t affect it. I positioned the power button on the ShotLight so it was easy to access and quick to turn on.
To me, the Remington 870 Tac-14 is my idea of the perfect home or self-defense firearm. The addition of the Axeon Optics ShotLight just ups the ante, making this set-up my ideal go-to if someone invaded my home. I have other ideas about what I want to do with this firearm, but the ShotLight is the first, and at the top of my list.
About the author: Kat Haas is a writer and YouTuber who loves all aspects of the outdoor life. An avid Maryland based hunter and shooter, you can find more from her at Kat Haas Outdoors. Have a story to share? Let us know!
I love my Tac 14. It is perfect for its intent, fire from the hip home defense or clear the riotous idiots ( democrats ) out of the street. I would have loved to have had this as a police officer.
Nice! The REM Tac-14 is on my “Buy List” for the master bedroom. 🙂
I purchased the Tac-14 in 20 gauge. I found I’m faster with the 20 gauge, so it just made sense. I put my Pro-tac 2 CR123 Stream Light on the Magpul forend (285 lumens) and a single point sling attachment on the receiver. I also use it for when in the mountains above my house, which half the time I’m coming down after dark, so the light works perfect. Extremely easy to carry on my atv as well. Just a great all-around self-protection tool.
where did you get the flashlight? which model is it and how does it attach?
The flashlight is made by Axeon Optics. It’s called the ShotLight. It attaches to the 3 main shotguns on the market by replacing the magazine tube cap.
I love my ShotLight, it doesn’t use up a MLok spot on the foreend and allows me to have an advantage.
Have you shot bird, buck, target out of it? Nothing hits the flashlight?
I shot multiple different loads out of it with the flashlight on there. I don’t have any issues with it affecting the pattern, but it does get dirty and I lost the tension screw. It is secured to the end of the magazine tube, but it spins on the end. I recommend a drop of loc-tite once you know where you want the power button to be.