[357]

Remington 870 or Mossberg 500, 12-guage pump action shotgun. Short barrel if desired, but I wouldn't get a pistol grip. Should be $300-350 max. I wouldn't go with 00 buck for penetration reasons. Most any game load will be suffficient for stopping a bad guy without the overpenetration concerns. They are cheaper too, about $7 for a box of 25.

When you're not home, get an alarm with cellphone capabilities. At times burglers will cut old landlines to disable alarms ability to notify authorities. If you really want to get your geek on, buy a cheap desktop PC UPS (uninterupptible power supply) aka battery backup that can keep the alarm running for a 20-30 minutes after a power outage. Just in case they cut the power.

Timed lights are also a good idea for deterrent, although so are some cheap ADT/Brinks window stickers or lawn signs.