ditto1958

Okay, folks. Persuade me as to why I should add a shotgun to my guns.

I got back into firearms in June of 2012 after years of being away from them. I started out with a 10-22, and have since added 2 more .22 rifles, a 9mm S&W and a .40 cal. Glock.

I don't hunt, and don't collect "safe queens," but I mainly buy guns I can enjoy shooting in my back yard range. The political events of the past several months have also gotten me interested in home defense, as well as 2nd Amendment rights.

My current "wants" also include a 1911 pistol, a 30-30 levergun, and also an AR at some point.

It seems like most folks who own firearms own at least one shotgun. Should I be looking to get one? They seem to be one of the few types of firearm that are not only still widely available, but also ammunition available to buy and shoot. Are they enjoyable to shoot? What would be a good gun to start with as a first shotgun?

texassmitty

I don't hunt anymore but I do own a shotgun. It is a 20 ga Mossberg 500. It is strickly for home defense. Nothing discourages a bad guy as much as a shotgun pointed at him.

berettabone

Don't have one, don't want one, don't need one, and would never talk you into buying one.

3strokes

What? Don't you listen to your Vice-President's advice?

berettabone

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh............NO.

fungun

Cheap effective home defense tool.

LimaCharlie

I own a 12 gauge for home defense. It is loaded with #1 or #0 buckshot. That is the round the FBI considers the best stopper with the least over penetration compared to most popular handgun or rifle calibers for home defense.

ditto1958

Actually? I'm looking for reasons TO buy a shotgun, not reasons NOT to buy one.

Normally, if Obama, or Biden says something, I assume that the opposite is true.

andybothel

I bought a Rem870 Tactical 12g for two reasons 1) HD/SHTF 2) Fun

Very happy with my purchase.

I like it because it's very powerful, versatile in what kinds of ammo you can use in it, and ammo is readily available (even now).

Mayor Al

Of all the guns you have now, plus those you are considering for the future, none will give you the sheer delight that putting a couple of slugs into your gun and blasting a gallon jug of some bright colored water, or better...freeze it solid then shoot it with a slug. No 22 can equal the explosive reaction you get when that slug blows up that milk-jug !!

Then add the security of the home defense mentioned here by others.

Thats a good reason to buy a shotgun in 12 or 20 gauge.
AL

wyattski

I think everyone who owns guns should have at least a shotgun they can be found for cheap and they have a large variety of ammo which is also cheap and with the right ammo they can kill just about anything. They are like a .22 to me everyone needs at least one.

NCLEO89

Speaking from first hand experience, nothing....and I mean NOTHING...gets a bad guy's attention like the unmistakable sound of a pump action shotgun having it's first round chambered. Even if your home invader [or, in my case, armed suspect] doesn't even speak English, he knows what that sound means: Things just got VERY serious. At home defense range, the shotgun has a downrange effectiveness that few, if any, handguns can match. The aforementioned off-the-charts intimidation factor is a plus in my book, too...if the weapon I confront the bad guy with is enough to spook him into surrendering, so much the better. Of course, that's IF, and one should never count on intimidation alone to win the fight, but ask yourself which would look more imposing to you if you were a burglar: A .22 rifle, a Glock pistol....or the cavernous muzzle of a Remington 870 Marine Magnum? To me, this is an easy call.

mishtub

I enjoy shooting a shotgun.
For all-around versatility, IMHO a pump style action would be the way to go. Several manufacturers make them relatively inexpensive, very reliable.

Scorpio

If you want to buy a shotgun just to say you have one is kind of silly. Shotguns have many useful purposes but if you don't have a use it's pointless to get one.

Use #1 Home defense. Arguablly (and I do mean arguably) the shotgun is the best home defense instrument you can own. Many people will have a different opinion on this matter but this is mine. Shot is not as likely to go through walls and into a neighbors house as say a 5.56 or 9mm. you can load what are called less than lethal rounds for home defense.

Use #2 Hunting. Well... you don't plan on hunting but you never know. Right now I am in the process of selecting a caliber for my first bolt action rifle. I don't plan on hunting with it, but, in the unlikely event I find myself in a situation where I need to put meat on the table, it would be assuring to know whatever I get can.

Use #3 Skeet and trap. Skeet shooting is a lot of fun and it is not expensive if you reload and throw your own clay. Skeet is also a good family activity. Less boring than horse shoes.

If you do not see yourself wanting a shotgun for any of the above reasons, then it will probably be a waste of money. No one shotgun will do everything but you can get a gun like the Remington 870 and set it up for multiple purposes. The 870, and I'm sure others too, can be set up for home defense one day and re-barreled and stocks swapped the next for skeet or turkey. I kind of get where you are coming from though. Lately I have been looking at some AR15s. I don't particularly like the gun. It is cool and all that but I have no practical use for it. I think I just want one because Blowbama doesn't want me to have it.

MolonLabe

As others have said before, shotguns are extremely versatile. They are relatively inexpensive (depending on make/model) and the ammo is more available than most rifle/pistol calibers.