Home Forums Hunting & Shooting AR and Tactical Rifles Home Defense AR Question

My M2 Tactical was almost that good with the Federal FliteControl Low Recoil rounds.

My Benelli with modified choke does about an 8" - 10" pattern with the Federal Tactical Flite Control #1 Buck round at 30 yards. That is 15 .30 caliber pellets in the 2.75" shell.

I mostly agree.

That said, if I was somewhere where the AR couldn't hold more than ten rounds or had a fixed mag, a shotgun loaded with 8 would be in the equation.

Shotguns are heavier, longer, recoil more, hold less ammo, are slower to reload, and slower to fire. They’re a disadvantage in every objectively measurable way.

The only reason they’re popular is from pure nostalgia. If they were introduced for the first time tomorrow they wouldn’t be considered viable by any reasonable person, for all the reasons listed above.

The only potential positive is that the shots spreads out so you *theoretically* don’t have to aim them as precisely.

Which is another way of saying “When I don’t aim it at the bad guy, and sometimes when I do, I send buckshot careening through my house at who-knows-what”……Which isn’t an advantage at all.

Well, you fellas are certainly free to use whatever you wish.

FWIW, a learned shotgun shooter does not "aim". Assuming one has done their homework and the gun fits, it is pointed, nothing more or less and as a result there is little if any memory of the barrel/target picture after the boom. Daytime, nighttime makes no difference. I would not rely on a 2-shooter, there are many styles out there that hold 5 or more. That said, I walked into a wad of hogs some years back with a H&R Topper .410 and a fist full of slugs. The Topper is a SS break action gun. 4 were dead at the scene and one waddled off somewhere else to kick the bucket. Why? Well, the first shot was at a stationary target, the rest were on the run and the 4th shot was not quite perfect. I had one in the chamber and 4 between my fingers and thumb. It ran off behind some brush before I could pull more ammo out of my pocket and I had to defend myself from #5. Li'l bastid got blood all over my jeans. Don't go into a gunfight with a fella wielding a break action shotgun and think you won after he fires twice. Might be a surprise awaiting.

I imagine most of you gents are looking at your own setting when talking about this stuff and I understand that. My own is such that it would be difficult to have a visual which provided a shot much beyond 50 yards. Long way of saying a load of heavy shot will work inside or outside, matters not one whit. If I run out of ammo for the scattergun I do have a jam-o-matic for backup.

I was fiddling around awhile back with an old damascus 12 bore double loaded with brass shells and #4 buck at the 20 yard line. Full choke on both tubes and they shot about the same patterns to the same pattern center and I considered it rather enjoyable. 30" circle on the target. I suspect that gun and load would be adequate out to around 50 yards. BTW, buckshot in the house is unnecessary and ill advised.


Thing of it is that what most don't realize is that different barrel/choke/load combinations don't always do what one might expect. I have another 12 ga that with the FC barrel will pattern a load of 00 buck in about 6" at 30 yards. Same gun with the IC barrel patterns more in line with expectations, but if one loads shells with a light shot charge (7/8oz) it will shoot 7-1/2/8/9 birdshot into absurdly small patterns at 30 yards. Somewhere in the 15"-20" size. They are all different and have many quirks.

Have fun, don't take any prisoners. They just bitch, bitch, bitch.....

Where the hell is BSA to settle this once and for all?

A couple 20 shot groups would settle this once and for all.

I don’t want BD coming at me with a shotgun, or Maverick coming at me with an AR, so I guess it’s a draw.

eems like there are more than a few guys here who think proper use of a shotgun involved in wingshooting and clays games correlates to the proper use of a shotgun in a defensive, or offensive situation. there is a reason that shotguns are being replaced in patrol cars. largely for the reasons Blue mentioned above. I will take a short barreled AR with an optic all day every day over a shotgun for social purposes.

Not too surprising, shotguns can get pretty messy in crowded areas. But for home defense, that can be an advantage...

Intolerant attitudes can help make that mess!

well one selling point often touted by the salesmen is less wall penetration (I.e. flying thru the next room) by pellets that go wide of the target..

Funny stuff. I have a double barrel 20 that weighs a few ounces over 5#. A pump gun and 12 O/U that weigh a bit over 6, and the other three just 7# or a few ounces more. So, ya, heavier that butterflies.

That is entirely dependant upon ammo choice. A .223/5.56 with the right ammo is no more a threat of over penetration than a shotgun. In fact, that .223/5.56 round is most likely safer indoors than a hollow point bullet from a service pistol caliber like 9mm, .40 or .45 ACP.

What bullet do you in the know load for “interior” work?

Gold Dots, and don't shoot towards my kids room.

😜

In my neighborhood, the only intruders with ARs who would break into my house in groups greater than two would be a police SWAT team who have come to the wrong address.

And I probably would not win any argument with them.

Start watching at 17.30:

Of course just about any on the ballistic tip style bullets in the 50-60 grain range will demonstrate performance similiar to the Hornady Critical defense used for this test:

Start at 12.15:

The mental gymnastics required to use a TWO SHOT shotgun as an example of lightweight home defense is amazing.

is that Jeff O?

Always best to bet your life on a best case scenario vs a worst case scenario.

Not.