Shotgun = Sledgehammer

[PlayboyPenguin]

Every time there is a "Things go bad and you can have just one gun" thread several people always come in and chastise others for picking their favorite handgun. They come in and lecture people how you need to have a shotgun (and to a lesser extent a rifle) in a bad situation if you are going to have just one gun.

Am I the only person that disagrees?

There are a lot of times a shotgun is the best tool for the job. It is great for stationary defense and hunting. It also has tons of power. I just do not think it is, by default, the best choice in a long term "bad times" scenario. It has way too many weaknesses. It is like that old saying that if the only tool you have is a hammer you have to treat every problem like it is a nail. In this case it is more like all you have is a sledgehammer.

If I was in a situation where I had to be on guard most of the time I would not want a shotgun or rifle. They are harder to bring to bear. They also lose the element of surprise for you. Not to mention the extremely limited capacity. I would prefer a high caliber, high capacity handgun. That way I could have it close at hand without giving away my defensive abilities to anyone that sees me from a distance. I would also want to be the last one to run out of rounds in a firefight. In an advancing gun fight with heavy cover 4-6 rounds is not going to make me feel to comfortable if the other guy has 20 before he has to reload.

I can hunt with a handgun. I can conceal a handgun. I can fit a lot of rounds in a handgun. I can bring a handgun to bear very quickly. I can fit into smaller spaces with a handgun. I will keep my handgun.

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[PhysicsGuy]

I can hunt with a handgun.

Have you tried handgun hunting before?

Not as easy as it sounds.
Along the same lines of skill required as bow hunting.

 

[Gunner3456]

Every time there is a "Things go bad and you can have just one gun" thread several people always come in and chastise others for picking their favorite handgun. They come in and lecture people how you need to have a shotgun in a bad situation if you are going to have just one gun.

Am I the only person that disagrees?

There are a lot of times a shotgun is the best tool for the job. It is great for stationary defense and hunting. It also has tons of power. I just do not think it is, by default, the best choice in a long term "bad times" scenario. It has way too many weaknesses. It is like that old saying that if the only tool you have is a hammer you have to treat every problem like it is a nail. In this case it is more like all you have is a sledgehammer.

If I was in a situation where I had to be on guard most of the time I would not want a shotgun. They are harder to bring to bear. They also lose the element of surprise for you. Not to mention the extremely limited capacity. I would prefer a high caliber, high capacity handgun. That way I could have it close at hand without giving away my defensive abilities to anyone that sees me from a distance. I would also want to be the last one to run out of rounds in a firefight. In an advancing gun fight with heavy cover 4-6 rounds is not going to make me feel to comfortable if the other guy has 20 before he has to reload.

I can hunt with a handgun. I can conceal a handgun. I can fit a lot of rounds in a handgun. I can bring a handgun to bear very quickly. I can fit into smaller spaces with a handgun. I will keep my handgun.

I don't know the answer. I wouldn't pick a shotgun but I do love them. A combo of buck shot, rifled slugs and bird shot and you can defend yourself out to 200 yards and feed yourself large and small game and birds. They are a sledgehammer.

I noticed the concern about round capacity. If a guy's going with that as a priority, it seems to me to rule out wheel guns, 1911's, many smaller CCW's, etc. My favorite shotgun will hold as many rounds as most 1911's and more than most wheel guns.

$.02

 

[PlayboyPenguin]

Have you tried handgun hunting before?

Not as easy as it sounds.
Along the same lines of skill required as bow hunting.

Puh-leeze...I was raised on 127 acres inside a game reserve in WV. I was hunting with a handgun when I was 12. We would regularly take rabbits with revolvers and cull deer with large handguns. Bow hunting is not that hard either. People are just intimidated. All it requires is more patience and closing a little more distance.

 

[PhysicsGuy]

Puh-leeze...I was raised on 127 acres inside a game reserve in WV. I was hunting with a handgun when I was 12. We would regularly take rabbits with revolvers and cull deer with large handguns. Bow hunting is not that hard either. People are just intimidated. All it requires is more patience and closing a little more distance.

Yeah but without the experience or skill sets, you would be pretty hungry relying on a handgun.

 

[the4thshake]

Good luck hitting a flushing pheasant with a handgun. I would take a shotgun with 00 buck over any handgun if a bear, cougar or tweeker were lookin' to prey upon me. One blast with a shotgun will do the work of multiple shots with a handgun.

 

[Gunner3456]

If the SHTF and I could have two guns, one would be a shotgun. I'd take the mag extension off my Defender and put it on my 24" mod. choke 1300. I don't think I'd be concerned about hunting laws at that point. Some rifled slugs, some buckshot, some birdshot... Don't mess with me, LOL.

$.02

 

[Gunner3456]

Good luck hitting a flushing pheasant with a handgun. I would take a shotgun with 00 buck over any handgun if a bear, cougar or tweeker were lookin' to prey upon me. One blast with a shotgun will do the work of multiple shots with a handgun.

We regularly have mallards in our irrigation ditch and occasionally geese. We have lots of wild turkeys and deer. We have other critters not counting the possible 2 legged BG. A shotgun would be really handy, but still not first choice.

 

[speelyei]

what item could bring the discordant philosophies of men like the Playboy Penguin and Mr Speelyei into symbiosis ...?

two great flavors that go great together:

 

[rudedog04]

I don't know the answer. I wouldn't pick a shotgun but I do love them. A combo of buck shot, rifled slugs and bird shot and you can defend yourself out to 200 yards and feed yourself large and small game and birds. They are a sledgehammer.

I noticed the concern about round capacity. If a guy's going with that as a priority, it seems to me to rule out wheel guns, 1911's, many smaller CCW's, etc. My favorite shotgun will hold as many rounds as most 1911's and more than most wheel guns.

$.02

200 yards you might be able to hit a target the size of an aircraft carrier at that distance i get hit with shot duck hunting feels like rain?
200 yards?????????????

 

[Gunner3456]

200 yards you might be able to hit a target the size of an aircraft carrier at that distance i get hit with shot duck hunting feels like rain?
200 yards?????????????

1. I plan to "bug in" and am well prepared for it.

2. I have a fully rifled deer barrel to pop on there (and a separate shotgun to just leave it on) and Remington sabot slugs - JHP slugs with brass jackets.

3. I can shoot a 5" group offhand at 100 yards, and a couple of days ago shot an 8" group at 200 yards in sandbags. Get this: That's a 385 gr projectile with a muzzle velocity of 1900 fps and an accuracy of about 4 moa at 200 yards.

Yep, 200 yards.

 

[ORBrit]

200 yards you might be able to hit a target the size of an aircraft carrier at that distance i get hit with shot duck hunting feels like rain?
200 yards?????????????

I think he's referring to the rifled slugs @ 200

EDIT: Forgot to refresh the page before posting this - he beat me to it!

 

[Gunner3456]

Edit - missed a post also....

 

[NoAim]

This question is flawed.

You want BOTH a handgun and rifle.

 

[Brokenoaks]

Yeah but without the experience or skill sets, you would be pretty hungry relying on a handgun.

regardless of what gun you have in a critical situation, without those two attributes you will probably be dead in short order. if I had just one or the other in a survival situation out in the wild I would choose a handgun. in a urban or home defense, shotgun hands down. I know that sounds kind of wishiy washy but in a worst case scenario we won't all be in the same situation so having the right tool for the job at hand is how you will survive.

 

[Muddman]

This question is flawed.

You want BOTH a handgun and rifle.

Or one of these...

 

[Gunner3456]

I'm not as good with a handgun as some are. All I have to do is go shoot with my son or my SIL to know that. They are both experts and have qualified as such to prove it - one at Monmouth, and one in the NG. I'll be OK against a BG, but that's a bigger target. I'm not saying I suck, but I couldn't "positively" take a wild turkey around here at 50 yards with one. I sure as heck could with an AR-15, and the same at 200 yards. I could probably do it at 300 yards.

Heck, if I had to bug out into the wilderness around here, I might opt for my .22lr rifle because I can carry 2,000 rounds of ammo. Who knows?

 

[cwegga]

I would also want to be the last one to run out of rounds in a firefight. In an advancing gun fight with heavy cover 4-6 rounds is not going to make me feel to comfortable if the other guy has 20 before he has to reload.

Just addressing this part. I'm not saying I'd choose a shotgun but surely you've seen CAS people working a pump shotgun (I thought you shot CAS?). They can keep up a steady fire as long as there is ammo in reach. Give them an ammo belt or ammo pouch and your handgun capacity won't touch them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=786jVtVxShc

 

[Trlsmn]

Lets break the question down to it's simplest form:

What 1 firearm would you rather have for SHTF? a shotgun or a handgun?

I'd go to the shotgun without a second thought.

 

[PlayboyPenguin]

Just addressing this part. I'm not saying I'd choose a shotgun but surely you've seen CAS people working a pump shotgun (I thought you shot CAS?). They can keep up a steady fire as long as there is ammo in reach. Give them an ammo belt or ammo pouch and your handgun capacity won't touch them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=786jVtVxShc

Yeah, I have seen it, but it is a rare skill and it is missing the part where people are returning fire.