Home Defense: AR or Shotgun

Home defense: AR or Shotgun

  • AR-15

    Votes: 65 27.9%

  • Shotgun

    Votes: 168 72.1%
  • Total voters
    233
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+1

Your chance of missing with a shotgun are just as great as missing with an AR-15.

You don't really get wall-to-wall pattern coverage like in the movies!

rc
 
I'm going to say that I flipped that coin and would opt for my AR. Given the angles of my house and such, overpenetration would not be much of a concern since there is a lot a bullet would have to go through before it could make it out of my house. I know that .223 has more punch than what people give it credit for, but since I'm not in an apartment complex, I doubt a standard FMJ 55-62gr bullet is going to go through up to four walls (including the outer brick wall) and hit someone outside.
 
12 gauge shot gun with 00 buck shots... you can't miss..
Click to expand...

+1 to the other responses to this. You can miss.


Unless you mean you "can't" miss as in you better not miss because your life is on the line.
 
I'd use my 20 guage simply because i'm best with it over my other guns. Ballisticly between a shotgun and an AR-15, it depends how many times you shoot them.

a .22lr , .45, or 9mm Uzi would be better than both choices.
 
Can't miss with a shotgun, yeah right.

20" 870P loaded with #4 buck which has 27 pellets 5 shots to qualify with at least one pellet from each shot on target from 15 yards. The number of untouched targets at the end of the day would leave you shocked and amazed.

Now, if highly trained officers cannot hit the target on the stress free environment of the range what do think is going to happen when the SHTF and the juices flowing in a low light confrontation?
 
Another +1 on the "can't miss with a shotgun" issue. Mine does 5" at 10 yards (which is a pretty long shot for home defense, I'd think . . .) with 00 Buck, which doesn't make up for a lot of errors in aim and trigger manipulation.
 
Your highly trained officer comment is quite funny, hilarious even, as the majority that I've seen and shot with/against aren't!

Most shooters, the regular people, not LEOs, will put more rounds downrange in one month then the majority of police officers put down in a year, Hell, ten years, unless, they too, enjoy the shooting sports but that's on their own not from the department...The vast majority, only shoot for their mandatory qualifying round and that's it...

Also applies to the military as well as it's what a 1:20 ratio for support to actual shooters and what percentage of those shooters, with the exception of Special Forces, train more then a few times a year with live ammo...

You want to see nice shotgun work besides the 3 gun events, go to any SASS cowboy action shoot and watch more aimed rounds from a double barrel coach gun go down range then you can with a stock 870/500/590...Not me as I've only participated in a few--still learning!
 
That 5" spread is with no choke. Any choke at all and you are talking about 2"-3" groups. Sawing the barrel will be of little help in getting a wide pattern at 10'
 
For me, I'd go pistol first, best chance there...and then if I need it, I'd go with the AR...mainly because given all the crap I've stuck on the thing, I'd be hard pressed to miss the target at the ranges I'd have to worry about....with the rifle also, less collateral damage really, the building I live in is brick, so even if the round misses and goes through a wall, the odds of it then getting to and exiting the building with enough force to do more then give someone a headache considering the distances to neighboring houses are SLIM, though possible.....but the odds of tearing up a wall a helluva lot worse with a shotgun miss due to the shotgun being less maneuverable potentially leading to my OWN death are enough reason to go with the rifle in my book...

Also- joking response, I SHOULD go with my Mosin Nagant, nevermind SHOOTING the bastards, with the reach you've got with that thing with a bayonet you're all covered! :neener:
 
Just fire your Mosin Nagant at the floor in the perps general direction... the sound will
scare the hell out of the perp and the flame may ignite the perps shoes and pants :evil:
 
Yep 5 shots once a year after a 15 minute skills refresher lecture/demo make one a highly effective practicioner of the shotgun skills.

Most of them would hit the target if they would just slow down and not try to display their machoness by trying to turn an 870 into a machinegun.
 
I voted shotgun; #4 buckshot in the tube and on the buttcuff shell holder; I don't own any semiautomatic rifles and the only one that might do in a pinch is dad's Remington 760 slide action in .30-06 (it is sighted in for Remington Managed Recoil 125gr softpoints) and it would be too much gun for such an application (the only ammo I would consider appropriate for indoor personal defense is Remington's 55gr softpoint saboted 'accelerator' load); this is one of them 'damned if you do and damned if you don't ' questions...there are many pro and con arguments to support each platform; each person has to make their own choice and become adept with the tool they choose
 
It's easy to spot the new guys, isn't it? :)

My primary is a 870 loaded with #4 buck, my backup (and my wife's primary) is an M-1 carbine. I think the carbine cartridge fired from a longer-than-a-pistol length barrel is the perfect HD cartridge.

I use a shotgun because overwhelming force is always better when it's available. I don't keep an AR for HD because, well, I don't like it as much as these other two options. As far as over-penetration is concerned, use appropriate ammo. (Hornady TAP.) DO NOT USE G.I. M855! This round is DESIGNED to over-penetrate, and does so quite effectively.
 
a .22lr , .45, or 9mm Uzi would be better than both choices.
Click to expand...

Wow...not even close. Either 12 ga or .223 would be substantially more powerful than any of these three, and good ammo selection of either 12 ga or .223 will make them no more penetrative in tissue than .45 or 9x19, and the .223 considerably less penetrative in structures. :rolleyes:

KTALGSTO, what does the fact that the "kids" were "hispanic" have to do with ANYTHING? Did it alter your response? Why is it important for you to mention it, or is this just barely concealed racism?

John
 
I prefer a shotgun for 3 reasons...
1. I shoot a shotgun very well
2. An AR is $600 more than a suitable shotgun
3. While a .223 round may penetrate less, a bullet from an AR flying out my door will remain lethal for a much longer range than a pellet of 00 or #4 buck. The chance of hitting a person is very unlikely, but there is a chance.

HB
 
That's reasonable. :)

I also want to limit liability, but I plan on doing that by keeping my single projectile on target. We both obviously have the same goal, though.
 
My primary HD gun right now is a 4" Springfield XD .45, loaded with 185gr Golden Sabers. I keep it in a speedsafe on the bedstand. It is the best option that gives the wife and I piece of mind with the curious 5 yr old little man about the house.

However, in the spirit of the poll, I vote for AR over shotgun. Brief explanation; I have this recurring scenario in my mind, where some home invading pedophile creep has a hold of my daughter (8 yr)... When the assailent is holding an 8 yr old little girl, I think the effectiveness of a scattergun is mitgated. I need a single projectile for the all important head-shot. I also like the AR better from a maneuverability standpoint.

Now given the current arsenal, I would probably reach for the Marlin 1894C .357mag before the AR. Excellent discussion topic.:)
 
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