The 12 Gauge Shotgun For Serious Defense

[pcosmar]

I'll SWAG that an ounce is an ounce, whatever the heck it is.

And Newtons Laws still apply,,, as far as I know.

 

[Ronin Truth]

And Newtons Laws still apply,,, as far as I know.

Check with Einstein, it's ALL relative.

 

[Intoxiklown]

I think this article is lame. They go on and on about the power. Okay. Was the power of a shotgun ever really in controversy? No. Then they try to make the case that the shotgun is better at long range than some people think. Perhaps. But would anyone CHOOSE a shotgun for a target out past fifty yards? I wouldn't. But my real beef with the article, and my beef with most blather about shotguns, is the implication that at home defense range (they mention 10 feet) a shot gun somehow gives you a better chance of hitting your target. It really doesn't. The idea that a shotgun fills a room with a spray of lead is a creature of Hollywood. The spread on a shotgun blast at 10 feet is minimal - probably about the size of a silver dollar. At home defense ranges, you need to aim it just as accurately as you would a rifle or handgun.

A shotgun has a fairly narrow range window in which it shines over other options in terms of hitting your target. And its advantage in power is lost entirely at the far end of its useful range. At a hundred yards you might as well be shooting a musket.

There are other downsides to the shotgun. It is harder to practice with a shotgun. Virtually no indoor range allows shotgun practice, and most outdoor ranges don't have defensive shotgun facilities. In an urban environment, you are pretty much out of luck. A gun you can't practice with is not optimal, to say the least.

I +repped your post, because you honestly make very solid arguments. However, you are mistaken regarding shotgun patterns. At ten feet, 00 buck is pushing 3 inches in diameter, 3" magnum closer to 4" pattern. This, opposed to an impact area the size of the tip of your pinky finger, is an advantage of epic proportions in a gun fight.

You are correct the shotgun is optimal within 50 yards, but that is well over the average of gun fight distances. And yes, many people have incorrect at how the shotgun does not require aiming. However, a single focal plane system (a bead on the end of the barrel) reduces aim times significantly, and the larger pattern allows for pulling or jerking while firing. In other words, fully agree in no way is it a be all end all firearm. But I would respectfully suggest you step back and consider that even small advantages are game changers in that kind of situation.

 

[Ronin Truth]

I +repped your post, because you honestly make very solid arguments. However, you are mistaken regarding shotgun patterns. At ten feet, 00 buck is pushing 3 inches in diameter, 3" magnum closer to 4" pattern. This, opposed to an impact area the size of the tip of your pinky finger, is an advantage of epic proportions in a gun fight.

You are correct the shotgun is optimal within 50 yards, but that is well over the average of gun fight distances. And yes, many people have incorrect at how the shotgun does not require aiming. However, a single focal plane system (a bead on the end of the barrel) reduces aim times significantly, and the larger pattern allows for pulling or jerking while firing. In other words, fully agree in no way is it a be all end all firearm. But I would respectfully suggest you step back and consider that even small advantages are game changers in that kind of situation.

The article doesn't claim be all end all firearm perfection for the 12 gauge. Only that it IS serious defense. BTW, I agree with that.

 

[oyarde]

I once shot a quail , behind my head to the left , snap shot, completely out of sight, large , empty farm , Northern Indiana ( i am a natural righty w/ rifle and shotgun) , dropped it clean at about 15 feet with a Belgium Browning 12 Ga with some 7 1/2's. I probably would have missed it with my rifle . My wife was forward of me to my right . She was all , " No Way " , I just laughed , yeah , I can do it all day.

 

[oyarde]

I think this article is lame. They go on and on about the power. Okay. Was the power of a shotgun ever really in controversy? No. Then they try to make the case that the shotgun is better at long range than some people think. Perhaps. But would anyone CHOOSE a shotgun for a target out past fifty yards? I wouldn't. But my real beef with the article, and my beef with most blather about shotguns, is the implication that at home defense range (they mention 10 feet) a shot gun somehow gives you a better chance of hitting your target. It really doesn't. The idea that a shotgun fills a room with a spray of lead is a creature of Hollywood. The spread on a shotgun blast at 10 feet is minimal - probably about the size of a silver dollar. At home defense ranges, you need to aim it just as accurately as you would a rifle or handgun.

A shotgun has a fairly narrow range window in which it shines over other options in terms of hitting your target. And its advantage in power is lost entirely at the far end of its useful range. At a hundred yards you might as well be shooting a musket.

There are other downsides to the shotgun. It is harder to practice with a shotgun. Virtually no indoor range allows shotgun practice, and most outdoor ranges don't have defensive shotgun facilities. In an urban environment, you are pretty much out of luck. A gun you can't practice with is not optimal, to say the least.

That is about all right , if a person lives in an environment where there is nothing to eat but big game and people , Lol , or they do not know how to hunt small game, then all they need is a couple M 16's and a few thousand rounds of ammo. They may last .....

 

[heavenlyboy34]

I think he's a fake YouTube persona and he's really from Georgia.

This is probably the worst kept secret on the internetz nowadays.