It's 2023, what role does the shotgun fill today?

Now that I have retired and am bored at times I read or watch you tube videos lately, like everyone else with an opinion I have one. I have seen people say the shotgun is worthless except for hunting, they say a long barrel protruding around corners while trying to clear a house will give your location away and someone will take it from you...maybe.
I'm not going to go kicking doors and clearing houses anywhere, I am considering the direction this country is heading at an escalated rate. I do not want to be outgunned in my own house regardless of who comes through the door and in the days forward we will never know who it's going to be, it could be 1 thug or 5, they may be kids or trained men.
Sure I have a pistol, belt, 2 extra mags by the bed and that may be the quickest to grab but 1 step away is a IWI Tavor 12 bullpup SG with 15 rounds in it, it is only 28" long. The way they are made with 3 tubes one could hold slugs and the other 2 buck.
Outside where shots could be over 50yds it wouldn't be the best choice but inside at 15-45ft it will work.
Far from the best video but...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKGTy0WqRTQ

Well, I bought a 1301. I am going to itch that shotgun scratch. I'm making 2023 the year of the scattergun, and I'm excited to test it's potential and limitations.

Looking cool in the back of the safe.

I own 6 different SG's. 12 ga, 20 ga, pumps, semis, you name it. I even SBS'd one of them. But funny thing is, I didn't purchase any of them. They were either hand-me down heirlooms, or won at raffles, auctions, work gifts etc. I am a bird hunter of Ducks, geese, quail, dove and turkey. I like the shotgun, especially for it's versatility. It is devastating in it's HD role, but will never be my #1 choice for immediate HD. While powerful, it is most devastating at bedroom distances. If I'm blasting in these "bedroom distances" then I figure either one of two things happened. 1) Surprise in the night, and the bedroom distance will likely have been closed pretty damn quick at which point waving a SG around would be impossible. Or 2) if I have been trapped into a bedroom of sorts and I will have, by that time, hopefully, already gone to my pistol and/or carbine choices.

Beyond 10 yards I pick the carbine or any sort of rifle for that matter. Hell, even at 5 yards, I choose the latter.
My experience I'm about to explain is one that I am not proud of, it was in my long gone youth, but it happened:
A buddy of mine has a ranch and of course had a pig problem. We trapped 29 of them in a single trap one night and dispatched every one with close range pistol shots to the head. Humane kills. We cleaned and cleaned until we couldn't clean anymore. We had a couple hundred pounds of meat each. We had to dump the rest of the carcasses. When we did we had an experience like I've never had before and probably never will again. We started shooting the carcasses with every type of gun we had. We figured we were helping the buzzards and coyotes by making the meals easier to eat later. Anyway, from a dozen or so steps away, we popped pistol rounds into the already dead pigs; they made holes and whatnot. Then we shot birdshot at them from our SG's and the bodies seemed to just absorb the shot. Barely wiggled. We then shot 00 buck from the same 24" barreled shotguns with modified chokes and the carcasses finally seemed to react a little. We witnessed a little more movement on the ground and more holes appearing. Not much else really, more or less absorbed kinda like the birdshot.
THEN we shot a .270 at one from the same distance and WHAM!. Holy cr@p! That single rifle bullet not only pierced through and through, it briefly lifted the carcass of a dead 150 lb pig a couple inches off the ground from the internal shock wave. The exit holes were horrendous. Along with the rifle shots, pieces of flesh and blood starting getting all over us as well as the vehicles behind us. The rifle round was incredible.
Lastly, we shot our Ar-15's. Not quite as drastic as the .270, being that the bodies didn't pop off the ground like with the larger rifle round, but the 5.56 was more similar to the .270 than it was to the meek 00 buck shot. The 5.56 produced through cavities with gaping exit wounds. Meat and bone particles becoming air born again. The advantage of the AR over the bolt action .270 was being able to pop a full mag through a carcass in just a few seconds and really seeing the thing come apart, right before our eyes. That experience gave me a very solid respect for the .223/5.56 capabilities, as well as any rifle round for that matter.

That was circa 2008. Nothing has changed for me in the last 15 years. Other than I do want a Beretta 1301 LTT. The end.

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Originally Posted by LowSpeed_HighDrag

Well, I bought a 1301. I am going to itch that shotgun scratch. I'm making 2023 the year of the scattergun, and I'm excited to test it's potential and limitations.

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Keep us posted on that bad boy. Heard rave reviews. Post a pic if you get a chance. They make diff models I think.

PB

The short answer to your title is that they fill the same roles that they always have. It's simply a matter of using the right tool for the right job, and thus...
The question that you should be asking yourself is: "What job (role) are you wanting a shotgun to fulfill?", because once you have that answer, then you'll be able to better decide what weapon (even if not necessarily a shotgun) you should be using to do that job.

MA2

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Pappabear

Keep us posted on that bad boy. Heard rave reviews. Post a pic if you get a chance. They make diff models I think.

PB

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Once all the components come in, I'll post a picture. So far, I have an Aridus CROM/Aimpoint, Aridus QDC sidesaddle, GG&G Magpul Stock adapter, and Ferro Slingster en route.

My fascination with really learning the scattergun is just simply to see how effective it can be in suburban environments. Nearly every gun owning home has a 12g of some type in it, there may come a day where knowing how to run one effectively is a plus.

Yea I would like to take a class to learn how to do those fast reloads. I can shoot the shit out of one, but reloading is the skill. Maybe I should do some 3 gun comps. Good luck brother, sure seems like your gearing up.

PB

For me it has no role, so I don't own one. My personal needs for SD/HD are well covered by AR mid length, PDW, and pistols. Although, not a bad idea to have one in the collection either.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by LowSpeed_HighDrag

Once all the components come in, I'll post a picture. So far, I have an Aridus CROM/Aimpoint, Aridus QDC sidesaddle, GG&G Magpul Stock adapter, and Ferro Slingster en route.

My fascination with really learning the scattergun is just simply to see how effective it can be in suburban environments. Nearly every gun owning home has a 12g of some type in it, there may come a day where knowing how to run one effectively is a plus.

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My 1301 is set up similarly, and i love it. It's one of my favorite guns to shoot, and I think you will enjoy learning to run it.

I will say, after taking a tactical shotgun course, i ended up taking off my Aridus QDC sidesaddle, and went with the SKD Esstac velcro shotgun cards. They don't look as cool as the Aridus, but they are quicker to change out, and lower profile so they fit in AR mag pouches and they attach to velcro chest rigs. From a pure useability standpoint, i like them better. Not saying you need to change, just an observation.

Let us know how you like your setup when it's all together!