I'm looking for people with more shotgun experience than me to tell me why they like them. I'm considering investing more money into my new shotgun, but I need to decide if it'd be better to save my money for another firearm down the road
In real estate, the three key factors are location, location and location.
In defensive shotguns, the three key factors are power, power and power. Shotguns are different from other defensive firearms in that, at close range (where it counts most), they will literally remove bone and meat (that's a partial quote from instructor Clint Smith, BTW- not just me waxing gross here). No, a shotgun is not a 100% guaranteed one-shot stopper, but it comes as close as anything not crew-served to being one.
Shotguns have evolved over several hundred years to deliver lead onto fleeting targets quickly. That too has qualifications- the shotgun doesn't walk around and shoot itself. It has to be in the hands of a qualified shooter to be effective.
I am absolutely unabashed in my appreciation for the defensive shotgun. I literally grew up with a pumpgun in my hands, and subsequently have trained and practiced in its use for defensive purposes. I most definitely DO prefer a shotgun as a purely defensive weapon.
I would suggest that you invest, not in your hardware, but in your software. In other words, get some serious defensive shotgun training. If that doesn't introduce you to the possibilities of the shotgun for defense, I don't know what else will.
You can buy all the firearms in the world, but until you master the guns you have you will not feel comfortable or confident depending on them for defense. Thus my sig line... see below.
hth,
lpl