HD shotgun relevance

[Spdu4ia]

In the world of super customizable AR's and handguns is a home defense shotgun even relevant in today's world? Besides the unmistakeable sounds of racking a pump shotgun is there any area that you would choose a shotgun over an AR or pistol? I found myself looking at getting one and then stopped In an "agh haha" moment to wonder if I'd be better off building one of the lowers instead.

[J]

Yes

[Irving]

An AR pistol is certainly more maneuverable than a shotgun. I think the biggest detractors for a shotgun are capacity, length, and rate of fire. A Saiga pretty much clears up all of those disadvantages, but there just aren't that many shotgun options out there.

That said, I don't think I'd not choose a shotgun, just not first.

[Graves]

I wouldn't say modern tech has deemed shotguns irrelevant for HD.

[ray1970]

I saw a neat little video. I'll see if I can find it.

[Spdu4ia]

I'm not saying they are totally irrelevant in all aspects. I have a 28" benelli I LOVE for clays but in the home defense realm is where I am speaking for this discussion

[DFBrews]

Bedside shotty has 6 in the tube one in the Hole and 6 on the side carrier. If all of that fails well my various boat wreck coordinates are hidden behind the breaker box. Use an insulated screwdriver to dig them out


It is my primary because I keep all the other fun stuff in the safe. As sad as it is an 870 would be much easier to replace cheaply ish than anything else in my safe. And less likely to end up on the news

[Great-Kazoo]

My SBS 590 IMO (for me) is the perfect bedside HD. It's in a place the small AR's don't fit or conceal well. The spouse has a short 500 20ga she likes as her go to HD. if that fails the 26 with extra mags isn't far behind.

BUT, everyone's home defense plans are different. One should not use A over B or C because everyone (the interwebz) says so.

ALSO........ that racking the action is a myth, to some. others it's The Bible. YMMV

[funkymonkey1111]

ALSO........ that racking the action is a myth,

this. you're already compromised on capacity. the silliness of thinking you're scaring someone by racking a slide is nothing more than reducing your shot capacity

[MarkCO]

Pros of SG: Less concussion, more horsepower may be beneficial against armor.
Cons of SG: More recoil, less capacity

But there are tradeoffs and plus-minus based on individual models and loads used as well. I would not say irrelevant, but for many people, may not be the best choice.

[Wulf202]

The sound of a pump action thing is bs. It's the sight of it that's intimidating. The sound in another room is barely distinguishable and cannot be identified as a shotgun.

In my home it makes sense. I live in a place with concrete exterior walls and the soft lead reduces the risk of pinballing a 556 round that overpenetrates or misses.

[Erni]

I would choose a gage provided overpenetration is less than a 55gr 223. Don't know for sure.

[cstone]

Personal preference. When I think long gun, my first choice is always a pump shotgun. Lots of ammo choices, from birdshot to slugs and even exotic stuff like flares, CS, and rubber/plastic slug and shot. Easy to reload even though the current cost of factory loads is pretty reasonable.

As a point defense weapon inside a house, most likely covering a door or window entry by a threat; I think a shotgun is a great choice.

[MarkCO]

More than "preference" is comfort and skill. I would rather a person be comfortable and skilled with the firearms they choose than pick one a gun writer says is the "best".

Handgun, PCC, AR, Lever, Pump and load choices offer us a LOT of choices and the only bad one is not having a plan and practice.