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Thread: Sincere Question: What is a shotgun good for? (besides birds)

  1. #1
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    Sincere Question: What is a shotgun good for? (besides birds)

    I have a shotgun. It is a Remington 870 that was a vent rib and cut down before I got it. I added a Wilson Combat mag extension and a side saddle to it. The problem I have with it is in deployment. Primary HD is a Glock 19 with Surefire X300. Behind that is my AR. I can't find a reason to keep the shotgun. Can anyone tell me what it does that the AR does not.

    I'm not looking to start a war, but am struggling with my own definition of purpose for this gun.

    Thanks!

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    Probably the more relevant question is: what do you want the SG to do?

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    hunting with it is great, squirell, rabbit, birds. definetly better in the woods against bear than an ar. and there is a metric ton of ammo to choose from. imo the 556 round is awesome for hd as a 55 grain projectile will penetrate one sheet of drywall before it fragments harmlessly. have u tried clay pigeon shooting. its a great time, you have a well rounded shotgun from my perspective. and the slugs. i have some 15 pellet buck shot from walmart that will rock your brain. boy id hate to be down range from them
    Last edited by fivefivesix; 11-12-10 at 15:08.

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    My shotgun, in a perfect world and God willing the gun laws don't get crazy, will never replace my carbine as my go to HD gun. The shotgun is just so adaptable and that's what I love about one. How many other guns can kill squirrels AND bears? As of late my main use for a shotgun has been in 3 gun. To me there is nothing more enjoyable as running one as fast as you can. It is also the most difficult for me to master b/c of having to plan reloads much more often. The shotgun is a tool and there are some tools better suited for certain applications than others. YMMV,

    -Jax


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  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by El Mac View Post
    Probably the more relevant question is: what do you want the SG to do?
    That's really the problem. I feel like the shotgun is a gun looking for a purpose. I have it because "everyone" says you need one.

    My purposes for firearms:
    Hunting big game (my .30-06 and .308 are better than a shotgun at this)
    Hunting small game (My scoped .22 is more accurate and has better range than a shotgun)
    I don't bird hunt, but if I did, I do have a 24" SxS .410 that I will never sell
    Home defense (well established that a carbine is a better ballistic choice and more versatile in terms of the fight moving outside)
    Target/Competition (I've never shot 3-gun, but I think I would like to. I guess I should keep the shotgun for that maybe, but wouldn't an auto work better if it's purely to play the game?)

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    You will have to find your own wants/needs/desires to work the SG.

    For me, I love it. Why?:
    1) It takes skill to operate with it efficiently.
    2) Skill comes from time spent.
    3) The effect of seeing a competent SG handler is stunning.
    4) The ballistic effect of the SG is stunning.
    5) It is versatile as hell.
    6) It is fun as hell.
    7) Once mastered, it is a very satisfying experience to operate with one.

    Yes, I know all about the 'shortcomings' of the SG. Like the 1911, its obsolete and should be put into a museum if you listen to some of the 'gods' out there... ok, whatever.

    Find your own peace with it. If you can't, they sell pretty quickly.

    As for a recommendation - go autoloader, Benelli.

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    I like the shotgun for static defense.

    I'd hole up in a room with the family and wait for the dirtbag(s) in question to come through the fatal funnel themselves. Pile their ass up in the doorway. If more are behind and leave then I pursue just far enough to ensure they left either the 2nd floor or the house completely.

    No need to take the fight outside at that point. Keep the family secure and let someone else come to clean up that sh*t outside.

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    Some good discussion here if you have not already seen this thread
    http://m4carbine.net/showthread.php?...highlight=role

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    I think shotguns have a whole pile of uses but it's more about what you want to do with it, like Jax said.

    I initially bought a shotgun for home defense because it was the only gun I felt totally comfortable shooting. As I've become more proficient with automatic pistols and the AR-15, it has been pushed from that duty. I currently use it as an additional HD gun, stashed in a closet near the door. I think they are a good gun if you don't have a large budget and need something that will be an almost perfectly reliable defense gun, or if you need more guns than you have due to your situation with the same smaller budget.

    I also have a Ruger over/under which I shoot sporting clays with at a couple local courses, and a Stevens 67 with a 27" barrel for small game around my house. They are exceptionally versatile guns! What's more, there are many shotguns designed to quickly swap barrels. Go from a rifled slug gun to hunt bear and deer to a smoothbore for clays to a long choked barrel for birds to a short barrel for home defense, all with a single gun. While there are guns that will do some of these things better for some people, none of them can do all of the above easily.

    Really, if you can't find a use for a shotgun, what kind of shooter are you?

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    "From a pure wound trauma standpoint on a shot against unarmored soft tissue, a close range hit from a 12 ga shotgun using buckshot will create more damage than any 5.56 mm projectile; it is for this reason that Dr. Fackler has expressed his preference for 12 ga buckshot over 5.56 mm for close range defensive use."

    That, and combined with I have more trigger time behind a 870 than any other weapon is why I use a shotgun.

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