When it comes to the universal language of "You picked the wrong house!" nothing beats the sound of a home defense shotgun racking! The Mossberg 500 with pistol grip certainly would melt the intent of just about anyone staring down a homeowner armed with one.

That being said I want to say that as a a woman who likes to be in control (OK, no jokes here!) of any firearm I am shooting, I struggled with this one. I subscribe to the fact that almost anyone can shoot all but a handful of firearms without needing to be built like Rambo or Wonder Woman if they have the proper grip and stance.  I handled the Mossberg from the hip just fine, making sure I kept my wrist and arm nice and straight and that the shotgun was away from my ribs. I'd no problem blowing nice size holes in the target with 00 or peppering the heck out of it with bird shot, still I found it painful to shoot. Especially in my thumb joint and the muscles that surround it. I kept wishing for a butt stock and short barrel set up instead.

The shotgun itself is simple to operate, with a traditional pump, safety at the rear of the top of the barrel with distinctive red showing when you're not on safe. There is a button to push up just to the rear of the trigger guard (I wanted to slide it forward, but I got used to pressing up) to release the pump for racking.  Standard loading, front bead site, and all the firepower of a 12 gauge that will eat everything from rubber ball to double ought buck. The biggest advantage to the Mossberg 500 is how compact it's. Certainly its configuration makes it easy to get around a corner with and there is no question that it's mean as hell in its look and delivery. Photos on Mossberg's website show Law Enforcement using this shotty for breach, so it's obviously a tool that goes beyond my range of needs. But, before you snicker at me, I've shot a 50 cal repeatedly and there was nothing here I could not handle, but even my editor and camera man didn't want to shoot it more than a few times due to the recoil.  Cool tool?  Yup!  Fun to shoot? Couldn't pass it up. Still, I am not surprised that it'sn't offered in Tiffany blue or Prison pink!  -Anna

Say hello to sweet Katie Mae! This month's Guns and Lace girl is a confident, beautiful and proficient shooter who embodies the spirit of a survivor that just won't quit. She is a single mother of 3, grown and raised in Alaska, and no stranger to the bears, wild animals and the importance of the hunt in keeping food on the table. She battles adult epilepsy, but is a true champion in that she has made up her mind not to let it impact her favorite activities. She is a country girl now living in the Seattle area of Washington where she is doing all she can to make sure her children understand the importance of being strong, self-reliant and understand the importance of the 2nd Amendment.

Katie enjoys gardening, cooking, canning and yup, even a fancy, out on the town, dress up evening in heels once in a while. She shoots a shotgun like a boss, enjoys skeet and trap, but most of all she practices her marksmanship to make sure she can protect her family and herself. You go, girl!