Every firearm has its place and the shotgun is no different. I think it is a great home defense weapon (in some circumstances) and is invaluable for bird-hunting. If you load it with slugs, it rivals some rifles at short range.

Check out the shotgun slug results here against ballistic glass:

http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot6.htm

_

 

Firearms are tools. Choose the best tool for the job be it AR, AK etc (pick your poison) or 12ga riot

 

Then basically you might consider the question to be what is a shotgun's use?

 

I keep a Rem 870 with a slug barrel for CQD. Heck of a shot pattern at room distance. The wife keeps it bedside the nights that I am not home.

 

Well, since this came over from another thread, I'll restate my opinion for the record.

If I have the option of only one gun in a SHTF survival situation, it would be the shotgun due to the versatility.

 

Yes... Kind of... If your out bird shooting and see a deer... Gonna pepper it with birdshot.. No you would want a slug for that.. Try to reload it fast with no noise so ya don't spook the deer.. Or vice versa.. Ya gonna try a high stray goose/duck when it's loaded with the buckshot or slugs you have in it for defense.. Shotguns can be used in widely different situations.. Yet there are alot of disadvantages..

 

You gotta put it into perspective.

Home Defense, Bird hunting: Shotgun

War, Killing Humans, Combat: AR15

 

Shot guns are pretty effective at killing a human.

Survival, Home Defense, Bird Hunting: Shotgun

If you are in combat or a war, an AR, unless I can get HK417. But that's semantics.

So I posit, if you can have only one weapon, you are on the way out the door as the SHTF, shotgun or AR?

 

If I could only have 1 weapon...

The AR-15 is quicker to load.
It holds 30 rounds.
Changing mags for barrier-blind vs. OTM is much quicker than a switch to slug drill
It is PRECISE. This can matter.
It can reach out well past slug range with authority.
Ammunition is MUCH more compact/lighter.

 

The ammo isn't lighter, but it is more compact.

The rest of your points I don't dispute.

However, what are you going to do for game in the wild? Large game sure, but you can do that with a .12.

Birds, nope. Small ground game, debatable.

Again, its the versatility of the shot gun that makes it a much better survival weapon in SHTF sit, imo.

 

Well....

 

I beg to differ sir......

 

If I could only have one or the other it would still be the shotgun. I will make sure I avoid any long range engagements (or engagements in general). The shotgun will be less imposing, ammo will be easier to find and procure(yes everyone in the United States owns a shotgun, not a AR-15), and I can hunt large game, birds, or kill 2-legged threats. Plus in the end I will probably just use one of those slugs to kill that guy that thinks hes a bada$$ just because he has a AR15 and make HIS ar15 MY ar15 :thumb:

 

Ranger is that really your stratagy? Just kill other people and take what they have? Well with that plan, why worry about storing anything other than guns/ammo.

 

Oh woops....I just noticed that his ar15 has the shotgun underneath...haha sorry....I thought you were in the aR15 camp. Yes the best of both worlds would be ideal!

 

There will always be a need for the 12g shotgun. When used properly it is far more useful and versitile than the Ar 15 Stick with the 12 gaurge you wont be disappointed

 

" Plus in the end I will probably just use one of those slugs to kill that guy that thinks hes a bada$$ just because he has a AR15 and make HIS ar15 MY ar15"

Well that isn't how it came across. Guess I misunderstood the above quote.

 

Eh, he's a grunt, he don't talk so good. : I'll give him the benefit of the doubt, but I'm certain he'll speak for himself.

 

AR 15, most of the roads in my area will allow a 100+yard shot and personally my biggest problem is the number of raiders/sheeple in my area.
A shotgun would for the most part not have the range necessary.

 

Well, this seems to denote that you are in a defense mode.

First sheeple don't won't be well armed.

Raiders presumes folks coming after YOUR stores.

I'm thinking of a situation where you have to strap on you BOB, and make it. No BOL to go to. Into the Wild if you will.

Not worried about sheeple, first shot of a bang discourages them rapidly.

Raiders, well, that's a fight/combat, and yeah as noted AR. However, I think raiders, particularly early, are going to be very discouraged by a .12. Raiders, until very organized won't tend to engage difficult targets, AR or .12. While I head for the forest.

Once in the forest, I can bag food if needed much easier.

 

IMO, a shotgun is the swiss army knife of a survival arsenal. It's not the best at every task, but it can do a lot.

That said, I only recently purchased a shotgun, while I've owned my AR15 since 2006 (my AR15 was purchased before I really got involved with prepping and survival).

 

Ok Ranger---- It just sounded a little off. I must not have not understood what you said in the context that it was ment.

 

Honestly....My Rem 870.

My area has good hunting all around be it bird or deer.

I am very confident in my skills with it and I could def make a group of people think twice about pressing me more if thats all I had.

 

Agreed. Too many people seem to think this will be some sort of continual guerrilla war. A determined person or group with shotguns and good position will make others think twice about taking casualties to get what they have.

 

I live out west where we have lots of wide-open country. So, I choose the AR. The shotgun does most things well, but engaging targets at extended ranges is not one of them. Plus, the sheer bulk of shotshells vs. 5.56 ammunition makes a big difference in what your practical combat load is. While I have no intention of seeking out a fight and "sniping" folks from a distance, I certainly wouldn't want to rule that capability out...

PS: Very thought provoking thread, Ed. I like this discussion MUCH better than the standard AR vs. AK crap we see here on a nearly daily basis... :thumb:

 

Makes sense. We all come back to the balancing of load, functionality and environment in these decisions. Sure, everyone wants their 4-gun mix (Rifle for combat, shotgun, pistol and .22) but when things go awry and you have to drop some gear, which will you drop?

 

Yup gotta say.. my ole pump would scare the crap out of most people. she holds 10 rounds.. Just keep the trigger pulled and pump.. lays out one heck of a wall of lead. Would make them want to turn around and think about it for awhile.

 

and then at 1 second per shot to reload, you are a sitting duck if you run it dry and don't win the gunfight at that point. Or if they are 200 yards out, etc.

 

Its what I have used for over 30 years, so its the best thing for me. I have been shooting alot more rifles lately though. (sks, 30.00, 30-06,.22 .22 hornet .22 mag) Dont great with one by no means!

 

Sometimes people are out to prove that there is 1 answer to a problem that doesn't have just 1 answer. The shotgun has it's uses. Yes, it's a man killer but that doesn't mean its the best man killer. The AR is a man killer but it doesn't mean it can do as many things as the shotgun can. Why does there have to be a VS thread? Why not carry both?

 

Do you want it at a distance, or do you want it up close? Well, do ya, Punk.

 

Here is a ballistic test with 12 gauge,

Here is a ballistic test with a .223,

Both did pretty good in my opinion.

 

So everyone needs an AR huh?
You mean my 30-30 or my mosin cant do what an AR does?

 

No they can't.....I would feel comfortable taking on multiple assailants at close range with a AR15. A mosin or a levergun...I would probably not make it. Semi-auto makes a big difference.

 

Well I would perfer shotgun over a AR if defending my home.
Shot doesnt have a tendecy to penetrate walls like a rifle round does, and I dont feel like making martyrs out of those I live with.

 

Not if you're like a lot of the crazy shotgun guys on here loading Slugs and 00 Buck. Those will go through your house, the next house over...so on.

 

Great. A versus thread. These never end well, yet people insist on starting them anyway.

Both guns have their pros and cons. Whichever fits your needs is the right choice. For me, a shotgun doesn't have the range I need. I'm in a desert area with a lot of wide open spaces. So that's the right choice for me.

And for whoever said they'd just use a slug to take someone's AR-15. The opposite statement could also be that they'd just use a bullet to take your shotgun.

 

Yeah I agree, these never end well. I had said that i would rather have both but in the event someone was a threat to me with a AR-15 then I would take their rifle with my shotgun. And yes the reverse could happen as well but I like my odds:thumb:

 

I am still waiting for someone to design a shotgun that holds 20 rounds, can be reloaded in two seconds, can make precise shots, and be effective up to 800yards.

 

See, just after I posted that it doesn't have to go this way, you come with this.

Rather than stating an opinion you make derogatory or snippy comments. You could have simply provided an opinion, but that would require admitting that it's an opinion and not gospel. THIS is why these threads go downhill.

BTW, aren't many elk running around in the Midwest.