Is going on at Surviving in Argentina AKA FerFal's blog. My thoughts, rehashed from previous posts and maybe slightly evolved are as follows. The shotgun has some real benefits which relate just loosely to the weapon itself.
A servicable defensive rifle such as an AK, AR or some sort of .308 can be a real trial on a modest budget. For some folks it would take a very long time to save up for or just not be affordable until their situation changes. Defensive shotguns in the form of Mossberg 500's and Remington 870's are cheap. You can get them gently used and perfectly servicable for under $200 in used gun racks and pawn shops until you run out of cash or closet space. Of course like anything you can spend as much as you want. Somebody out there makes a $3,000 high tech custom defensive shotgun (interestingly unless it's a semi auto I would go dollars to doughnuts it's an 870 with lots of bells and whistles). However an 18-20" barreled pump shotgun will do 90% of what it will do at 10% of the cost. Bison's 90/10 rule definitely applies here. My advise is not to church it up. Get a pump shotgun, a sling and something to hold extra shells and practice.
Also there are a lot of bird/ deer/ skeet guns out there which can be readily put into defensive service with an appropriate length barrel and some buckshot. $10 bucks in buckshot and $5 in slugs turns a dove gun into a house gun. Versatility is a strongpoint here. If you live in an oppressive area then shotguns have another plus. They are not specifically targeted by much in the way of anti gun legislation. They are umbiquitious and within their performance envelope an effective weapon.
If you can afford a good semi auto rifle then you should get one. It might be the way to go for a home defense long gun. However if your budget or inclination lean towards a shotgun that is fine too. Understand your chosen weapons strengths and weaknesses and train with it. It is generally more about the person behind the gun than the gun itself.
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3 comments:
I completely agree with your thinking here. I'd love to have a nice AR or two but the price is out of my budget at the moment. I have 2 pump shotguns, one long and one short barreled and plenty of shot-shell. Perhaps now that bonuses are being reinstated :) I might find the money, but I have other priorities at the moment.
I think a lot depends on where you live and what think is going to happen in the future. For someone like me with a ⅓ of an acre lot in the 'burbs who's making a "just incase" purchase a shotgun seems like a good option.
I like non-semi-auto's for novice gunners as I think having to manually put rounds in the chamber is safer and lessons the chance of an "oops" taking place.
Shotguns are one of those polarizing discussions in the survival community. theyre either considered the all-purpose weapon with slugs, buckshot, flechettes, birdshot, etc, etc. or they are considered useless for even the most basic food gathering when the weight-of-ammo-to-kill ratio comes in to play. On the other hand, shotguns are usually the last class of weapons to be prohibited by .gov so theres some use there.
Personally, I keep a few around for 'close encounters' as Corporal Hicks would say. But, when its time to run out the door with a pack and a long arm that long arm probably isnt going to be a shotgun.
But...theyre cheap, effective under the right conditions, reliable and everyone seems to know how to use one. Theyre certainly better than having just a pistol or just a .22 but I dont think theres many circumstances where a shotgun would be a better option than an AR or AK. Oh sure, there might be a few but I think most situations would be better served with the carbine.
having said that, though, I do keep a very tweaked out Rem 870 by the bed.
Your mileage may vary, of course.
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