Has the 12 gauge lost popularity as a HD gun over the past few years

[george burns]

It seems that 12 gauge shotguns have been somewhat less popular as of late for use by many, for Home Defense weapons.
Do you agree, and if so is that a logical progression as people lean towards the more glamorous Tactical rifles, with all of the lights and lasers attached to them.
Is the shotgun still your go to gun when you hear a noise in the dead of night?

 

[LeonCarr]

The Remington 870P loaded with 00 Buckshot is still my first choice, even with multiple ARs in the house.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

 

[GEM]

Here's a good analysis - http://www.krtraining.com/KRTraining/Classes/deflonggun.html

I've taken two defensive shotgun classes and am familiar with its usage but prefer the AR for a long gun.

There's more to it than the racking cliches, you don't need to aim and ultimate stopping power.

 

[roadchoad]

12 gauge? No. I have only 20ga now, so I use that. Looking to buy a 12 or 2 here shortly, since the tactical shotgun fad seems to be dying out. Deals are starting to show up on lightly used HD shotguns.

Next, I wait for folks to realize they don't need all these ARs that they rushed to buy in the last few years, and finally get one of those.

 

[Barry the Bear]

I myself leep a mossberg 590A1 in the bedroom for myself, I have a maverick 88 in the truck behind the seat, I have an armscor m5 hidden in the living room, and a nef pardner pump in the cellar . SO what do you think i choose for the bunps in the night ?

 

[JO JO]

12ga hits hard always has and always will i think they will always
have a spot for anti social work

 

[cat_IT_guy]

They are no less formidable or appropriate than ever before.

Less glamorous to discuss, though, when compared to discussing the latest greatest "tactical" pistol, rifle, etc.

 

[col_temp]

I keep one around but my Handgun is the first line.
Once I get to the safe and get it open then I have choices.

You can argue both ways for its use or not. But the 12ga has a fairly vicious recoil for smaller people and older people. And there are so many choices these days.

Cat_IT_guy probably said it best:

They are no less formidable or appropriate than ever before.

 

[Cee Zee]

A shotgun has been the primary HD for me and my family since I was born (including the family I grew up in and the family I raised). I even passed my 20 ga. on down to my daughter for the same purpose. But I will soon be switching to an AR for HD. They work better for various reasons. I wouldn't have said that even a year ago.

 

[monk d]

Shotgun, 12ga, short-barreled pump right by the bed. I'm not likely to be calling up CQB training that I never had at 0230 when I am in a dead sleep awakened by a noise. It does not take much to lay a pattern of 12 30 caliber pellets down a range of 20-25 feet in the dark.

 

[barnbwt]

"There's more to it than the racking cliches, you don't need to aim and ultimate stopping power."
Might wanna pattern that gun at close range; aiming is most definitely required (unless you're referring to false cliches like the racking thing)

I think a lot more gunnies have defense carbines than used to, but the AR is still not favored by beginners wanting a super cheap manually operated gun (there's none cheaper besides the Hi Point carbine)

TCB

 

[gfpd707]

The 870 p is always available however I like the compactness and round count of my glock 34 better.

 

[bikerdoc]

Mossberg 500 on HD duty here.

 

[TarDevil]

Maverick 88 12 ga loaded with 2 3/4 00 buck is my wife's choice. She loves it, and feels safe with it by her bed.

 

[jacob2745]

I've never taken any kind of defensive shotgun class or the like, but it seems like a handgun would be a lot easier to maneuver around inside a house with. That is just my completely uneducated thought on the matter.

 

[Groundhogg]

Rem 870 12GA. with 00buckshot. I don't care if someone in my home that should not be there, hears the slide rack or not. I'd rather the first thing they hear is the first round being fired

 

[MICHAEL T]

Shotgun, 12ga, short-barreled pump right by the bed. I'm not likely to be calling up CQB training that I never had at 0230 when I am in a dead sleep awakened by a noise. It does not take much to lay a pattern of 12 30 caliber pellets down a range of 20-25 feet in the dark.

You best pattern that shotgun At range your talking better be sighting No matter the choke Their not a alley sweeper .

 

[sequins]

If you have an HD shotgun do you keep one in the tube?

 

[earlthegoat2]

Has the 12 lost popularity to the 20 or to anything else in general?

I have had 20s my whole life so that is what I use. I suppose I could use a handgun or a rifle but I don't.

So I don't use a 12.

 

[splattergun]

12 as popular? I suppose not. As glamorous? No, AR gets to walk the red carpet for glamour. But my good old $250 short barrel Mossberg 500 spitting a wad of 9 .32 cal 00 buck at a time makes me feel more confident and secure than a $1200 AR shooting .22 cal pills one at a time.

It's the confidence in my shotgun's reliability and efficacy, along with my experience shooting it, that makes it my choice. And I believe that confidence trumps the tactical "superiority" of an AR.

But to each is/her own.

 

[hso]

Do you agree

No

Shotguns are cheap by comparison to other options. Shotgun ammunition is readily available at any time of year. Lots of households have shotguns with no muss or fuss as opposed to all the bluster over AR/AK carbines.

 

[roadchoad]

The argument of having to aim a shotgun always kills me. Yeah, the pattern at 25 feet is about an inch or two, but are you telling me that I can't point and shoot a man sized target at that range?

 

[hatt]

A carbine can do anything a shotgun can do while holding more ammo and being easier to shoot. A shotgun can't do everything a carbine can do. Only thing the shotgun does better is be cheaper for budget guns.

 

[JFrame]

Mossberg 500... I doubt any home invader facing the muzzle end is going to laugh.

.

 

[george burns]

Most guys who fought in close quarters would rather have had a shotgun for close up work, as nothing does more damage up close "like room length", than a 12 gauge. I would think that between 0-100 ft, a 12 gauge is going to knock down anything you hit. That was true in jungle warfare also like Viet Nam, many guys given the option, chose a 12 gauge shotgun.
They cause more damage at close quarters than just about anything else.