herrwalther
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Shotgun is far more versatile for all purpose. With the variety of rounds available in bird, buck, and slugs you can or should be able to take care of most things on two or four legs.
Shotgun or AR15 for all-purpose
- Thread starter tercel89
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stchman
Member
Both firearms have their uses, keep them both and buy more ammo.
Just as an example of how versatile a shotgun can be the place I did live (still own and will be moving back) has no cable tv so it's satellite all the way. But it's in the woods too. That means trees and leaves. About every 4 years the growth on a nearby tree drops down far enough to block the signal to my satellite. I use a shotgun to clear those branches and give my dish a clear view. The first time I did that I made some installer about fill his drawers. He was a city type person who had very little experience with guns. But with the right load it's fairly easy to clear over hanging branches. Heck I even knocked the top out of a dead tree so it wouldn't fall on my head when I wasn't looking. It was right in my yard. I couldn't shoot a rifle into the air there but I could sure use a shotgun with buckshot. I blasted through a 3" branch. It was dead of course but it still took more than a few rounds. Still it was cheaper than hiring someone to come out with the right tools to clear it out.
My dad used a load of 12 gauge birdshot to clear a hornets' nest away from a shagbark hickory tree in the back yard (we grew up rural).
Unfortunately, the cloud of #6 pellets did not obliterate all the hornets.
How hot does it get in a '79 Ford F-250 in July in Pennsylvania when you and your dad are hiding from a hundred angry hornets?
Pretty hot.
Maybe shotguns are better for creating lifelong memories of things that probably shouldn't have been done that way.
Unfortunately, the cloud of #6 pellets did not obliterate all the hornets.
How hot does it get in a '79 Ford F-250 in July in Pennsylvania when you and your dad are hiding from a hundred angry hornets?
Pretty hot.
Maybe shotguns are better for creating lifelong memories of things that probably shouldn't have been done that way.
ACP
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I have both. I won't sell either.
That being said, I find the shotgun more versatile. I hunt turkey; can swap out barrels and hunt deer, waterfowl or field birds. Buckshot or slugs (!?) for self-defense or hunting larger game.
Then again, you can swap out AR uppers (much more expensive) and shoot 22LR up to some thumper rounds.
I have the AR for plinking and SHTF; I have so much invested in mags. and ammo I will never get rid of it.
If I were just a plinker, the AR would win hands down. Just for hunting or home SD, shotgun hands down. Do a little of both? Hang on to both. That's what a "safe" is for!!
That being said, I find the shotgun more versatile. I hunt turkey; can swap out barrels and hunt deer, waterfowl or field birds. Buckshot or slugs (!?) for self-defense or hunting larger game.
Then again, you can swap out AR uppers (much more expensive) and shoot 22LR up to some thumper rounds.
I have the AR for plinking and SHTF; I have so much invested in mags. and ammo I will never get rid of it.
If I were just a plinker, the AR would win hands down. Just for hunting or home SD, shotgun hands down. Do a little of both? Hang on to both. That's what a "safe" is for!!
DougW
Member
While I love my Benelli M1Super90 Tactical, I shoot one of my AR's a whole lot more. I used the Benelli in 3 Gun, but since I stopped that it is now a hunting gun. I guess out to 150 yards it is my primary weapon, but I would grab an AR heading out the door first.
sappyg
Member
there are just some guns you don't let go of. With that, if an AR doesn't do it for you then by all means move it along. There's absolutely nothing wrong with replacing it with something more useful to OP.
i like both shotgun and AR so I would have a hard time choosing between them.
i like both shotgun and AR so I would have a hard time choosing between them.
oneounceload
member
This is not, nor should it be, and either/or scenario as neither is completely interchangeable with the other when it comes to usefulness.
I will admit that an ammo can of 12 gauge buck shot does give me a warm and fuzzy feeling. Then again, so does an ammo can full of XM-193.
I'm also in the "why do you have to choose one over the other?" camp. Why not keep them both?
Also, now is a horrible time to sell an AR. Everyone and his brother is selling new ones at great prices. Unless you really need to sell for some financial reason, don't sell the AR yet.
I'm also in the "why do you have to choose one over the other?" camp. Why not keep them both?
Also, now is a horrible time to sell an AR. Everyone and his brother is selling new ones at great prices. Unless you really need to sell for some financial reason, don't sell the AR yet.
huntsman
Member
same for a can full of Sluggers
Blade First
Member
There's a certain lack of imagination in this thread, likely due to a misunderstanding of how versatile the AR-15/AR-10 platforms are.
There are 12 GA. shotgun uppers available for both.
Further, the current range covers .17HMR through .50BMG; inclusive are some of the most respected short-range [.22LR and 9mm] and extreme long-range [.300 Win. Mag. and .338 Lapua] calibers in the entire world.
For me, having at least one AR and one shotgun platform is not a necessity but is just good common sense. Both are extremely adaptable and capable in multi-roles.
There are 12 GA. shotgun uppers available for both.
Further, the current range covers .17HMR through .50BMG; inclusive are some of the most respected short-range [.22LR and 9mm] and extreme long-range [.300 Win. Mag. and .338 Lapua] calibers in the entire world.
For me, having at least one AR and one shotgun platform is not a necessity but is just good common sense. Both are extremely adaptable and capable in multi-roles.
I hinged on the "all purpose" phrase. To me that means home defense, deer, birds, varmints, plinking, targets, clay pigeons, offense; everything. The shotgun is capable of many, many more uses than the AR. And I like the AR platform. For long range the AR prevailes, but the OP said "all purpose". Each is just another tool in the tool box. What carpenter has only one hammer?
Candyman87
Member
Shotgun... AR doesn't have much use in New Jersey.
When I move to PA? That's another story!
When I move to PA? That's another story!
A shotgun is versatile... but not as versatile as you think. You're going to need different barrels at a minimum to configure one shotgun to do everything you'd ever want to do with a gun well. Even then, it doesn't do some things all that well. You really would be better off to just add a rifle to your collection if you find yourself having to spend a lot of money to make your shotgun act like a rifle.
If anything, I have come to the point where I'm trying not to sell guns now. If I get a gun that I really like that I know I'll want to hang on to for a good long while, I look for a way to get a second one just like it in case the first one breaks. And if I do think I need to sell one, I clean it up and put it in storage for a month or three before I sell. So far, I haven't sold anything else.
If anything, I have come to the point where I'm trying not to sell guns now. If I get a gun that I really like that I know I'll want to hang on to for a good long while, I look for a way to get a second one just like it in case the first one breaks. And if I do think I need to sell one, I clean it up and put it in storage for a month or three before I sell. So far, I haven't sold anything else.
I don't think anyone expects a shotgun to be shooting 1000 yards or anything or even 300 yards. But 200 yards isn't out of the question and depending on your state it's the only option for things like deer hunting.
Again a shotgun is never going to be a rifle but buying a barrel is still way cheaper than buying a rifle. And some barrels are very versatile. I've bought barrels for my 870 for around $125. I understand that rifled barrels are more expensive but locally the price has come down relatively especially since they started allowing people to hunt with certain handgun calibers in Ohio. The relatively new technology of the sabot slugs and the laws that allow their use in states like Ohio has lost some of it's new tech edge now and the prices are down. But even with Brenneke slugs and a smooth bore a person can get 75 yard range or so. That's nothing like a rifle of course but the kind of rifle it takes to fire a Brenneke Black Magic slug equivalent bullet is not going to be cheap. There's a reason the Black Magic slugs are used for bear control. That's something that it takes a bunch of money to equal with a rifle. And it's the main purpose I have for one shotgun I own. It's set up to control any bears that finally decide they deserve the steaks on my grill more than I do. I have other shotguns setup for different purposes like HD and long range (for a shotgun - 50 yards or so) varmint control.
Yes I have multiple shotguns set up for different purposes but swapping from one style barrel to another style isn't that hard or time consuming. I wouldn't want to be stand around waiting for a gun to deal with a hungry bear of course but the truth is it's more about the shells than it is the barrel when I'm talking HD vs. bear defense. And swapping rounds can be done fairly quickly with a pump like the 500 the OP has.
One advantage of the shotgun is price. Even now, a basic AR is gonna run you about $600 and something like a Colt or BCM is going to set you back maybe $850. Mossberg 500's do still turn up under $200 used, and there's not a whole lot to go wrong with them. You might wear one out eventually, but you'll get callouses and go to the poor house doing it.
I think shotguns excel at small game hunting, home defense, and defense against large predators like bears (or even a moose, which is also pretty damn dangerous). I think they're great for having fun shooting clays on a Saturday afternoon.
They're OK pressed into service with slug barrels for hunting... a necessary evil in some states I guess. But by the time you've got a slug barrel for $125, a scope, and enough Brenneke's through it to be confident of hitting something, you are approaching used Savage or Ruger American bolt action rifle prices.
I don't disparage the shotgun. They're great at some things, acceptable at others.
But would I sell an AR to buy one? Nope. Especially not when I could keep the AR, keep my Mossberg, and probably afford a second Mossberg by not drinking beer, not stopping at Starbucks for overpriced coffee, and working an OT shift or two.
But that's just me. I've bought and sold a lot of guns too and some just weren't for me. I regret selling a great S&W 60 .38 Special, a lovely Finnish M39, a SIG P-225, and a S&W M18. Wish I'd had the smarts then to just oil them up and set them aside for a year. I don't even know where the money I got for those guns went, so selling them didn't benefit me in the long run. But if I'd kept them, I'd still be enjoying those guns. So I wouldn't say never sell a gun, but I would say never sell one without really thinking it through.
I think shotguns excel at small game hunting, home defense, and defense against large predators like bears (or even a moose, which is also pretty damn dangerous). I think they're great for having fun shooting clays on a Saturday afternoon.
They're OK pressed into service with slug barrels for hunting... a necessary evil in some states I guess. But by the time you've got a slug barrel for $125, a scope, and enough Brenneke's through it to be confident of hitting something, you are approaching used Savage or Ruger American bolt action rifle prices.
I don't disparage the shotgun. They're great at some things, acceptable at others.
But would I sell an AR to buy one? Nope. Especially not when I could keep the AR, keep my Mossberg, and probably afford a second Mossberg by not drinking beer, not stopping at Starbucks for overpriced coffee, and working an OT shift or two.
But that's just me. I've bought and sold a lot of guns too and some just weren't for me. I regret selling a great S&W 60 .38 Special, a lovely Finnish M39, a SIG P-225, and a S&W M18. Wish I'd had the smarts then to just oil them up and set them aside for a year. I don't even know where the money I got for those guns went, so selling them didn't benefit me in the long run. But if I'd kept them, I'd still be enjoying those guns. So I wouldn't say never sell a gun, but I would say never sell one without really thinking it through.
Bobson
Member
There are, IMO, only three areas where a shotgun is better than a rifle:
1. Bird hunting
2. Rabbit hunting
3. Clay pigeons
I do 2/3 of those things, maybe once or twice a year, for fun. The other, I don't do at all.
For basically everything else (SD/HD, and other types of hunting), a rifle is a more efficient and effective tool.
For myself, as an all-purpose tool, I'd take a rifle. Ideally, have both, even if one sits unused most of the time. But if I had to pick one, I'd pick the rifle.
1. Bird hunting
2. Rabbit hunting
3. Clay pigeons
I do 2/3 of those things, maybe once or twice a year, for fun. The other, I don't do at all.
For basically everything else (SD/HD, and other types of hunting), a rifle is a more efficient and effective tool.
For myself, as an all-purpose tool, I'd take a rifle. Ideally, have both, even if one sits unused most of the time. But if I had to pick one, I'd pick the rifle.
Sheepdog1968
Member
I spend more time shooting my shotgun than any long rifle. To me it's not an either or but I would definitely miss my shotgun if I didn't have it.
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