SHTF & Pump Shotguns

[BlackSky]

I saw a thread on another forum that got me thinking about this. I've heard many times that when doing firearms planning for a SHTF scenario you should plan to have a weapon that can be fired by either hand in case one of your arms/hands is injured. Examples would be revolvers and semi-auto handguns with ambidextrous safeties. Well, when ever I look through threads showing pics of peoples SHTF guns the one that is posted more than any other I can see is a 12g pump action shotgun.

A pump shotgun can be fired with either hand, true but if you only had one good hand/arm available to hold the weapon with it would make operating the pump action pretty darn difficult. For this reason it doesn't seem to me to be the ideal choice. I guess you could pump the gun on a corner or a tree or something (like you can rack the slide on a 1911 with a Govt. length guide rod with one hand) but that doesn't seem ideal either.

Maybe a good semi-automatic shotgun and a small gun cleaning kit would better serve for dirty fan scenarios.

I'm usually not one to get real into the SHTF stuff but I thought this was an interesting thing I've never seen talked about before. My SHTF gear is a S&W 642 and an old M1 Carbine LOL

 

[kingpin008]

Well, given that most people's SHTF scenarios aren't exactly realistic, I'd expect there to be a few less-than-ideal choices of weaponry as well.

In the end, it all comes down to personal choice, and hopefully that choice is something that the owner can actually use and use well, instead of just being something they chose for the "cool" factor.

 

[joshk-k]

Sitting on your butt, your could hold the forearm firmly between your knees and rock your torso back and forth to cock it. The obvious disadvantage is that you're sitting on your butt.

I'm not trying to be funny, I'm trying to think how to operate a pump gun with one hand.

Josh

 

[MedWheeler]

I think the pump remains in vogue largely because only a few quality autoloaders have established themselves as being truly 100 percent reliable. Even law enforcement and military scattergun-wielding units are still generally preferring the pump.
True, the auto-loading shotgun would be easier to fire more than once one-handed, but the difficulty of shooting to aim any shotgun one-handed in combat might negate any assumed advantage. I can't say for sure, as I really don't think I've ever tried it in practice.

 

[WardenWolf]

I'll stick with my Saiga 12. Semi-auto, AK-based, fully strippable without tools, and extremely reliable.

The reason law enforcement prefers pumps is because they fire a lot of less-lethal specialty rounds such as bean bags, rubber rockets, and tear gas that won't cycle a semi-auto shotgun.

 

[Iam2taz]

Not trying to be funny either. But if you are strong enough and quick enough, you can make the action work after firing the weapon. If the 12 ga. is well worn, it will cycle with a stiff up and down motion. Not what I would call economical or quick and I doubt it would work every time. Being a stupid teenager at one point, I have done this very act. - Part of being a teenager is living through some really stupid acts and hopefully learning from them.
I would pick a 12 ga. for versitility. Hunting small game up to a deer if you can get close. You would need two barrels. I would prefer a .22 for small game as it is much quieter, but then this is a SHTF situation.

 

[ms6852]

My shot gun is a 20 gauge 870 remington. My wife is very happy with this get up, and you can rack the slide single handedly. If my wife can shooted I have an extra pair of eyes watching my back.