Shotgun or Rifle?..

I know exactly what you mean about budget being a married man. Thankfully, I bought most of my guns before getting married, so I own both. Everybody above is pretty much hitting it on the nail. A big factor is we need to know what state you live in (namely, what firearm/hunting restrictions do you face if any). Here's my breakdown into 3 categories of use:
-Hunting: Shotgun is more versatile. Can hunt any bird and many 4 leggers too. AR is kind of restricted to medium to small 4 leggers.
-Home defense: Personally, I keep a shotgun by the bed. The AR is a great home defense gun too, but the 5.56/.223 has a lot of penetration power vs the shotgun. Don't want stray bullets going into other rooms of the house or even a neighbors house (even if it is unlikely).
-Target shooting: Kind of a tie here. I love shooting my AR at the range, but I equally love shooting skeet/trap with my shotgun. Both are not only fun, but good practice for the hunting seasons.

Ammo is also a consideration. Both have "cheap" ammo and more expensive quality ammo. You can probably find "cheap" 5.56/.223 (usually steel cased) for as low as 25 cents per round online. For shotgun, you can get cheap skeet rounds at Walmart for about the same price. The big difference between the two is you will shoot up shotgun slower when shooting skeet/trap than with an AR. It's pretty easy to rapid fire 30 rounds in an AR without reloading just for fun when it can take about 15-30 min to go through 25 rounds in skeet/trap.
 
As stated earlier, you really need to prioritize your true needs for the firearm that you truly want. Though most firearms can serve to fulfill multiple uses, the firearm may not be a practical choice for that specific task, but it will still get the job done.

In my opinion, a lever action rifle in 44 magnum will still check many more of the boxes you want to use your firearm for and still be within your budget. The high capacity the lever action will hold is more than sufficient to defend your home successfully and allow you to hunt deer at short distances.

The length of the firearm makes it very practical in hallways and tight areas for self defense at home. Get away from thinking that you need high capacity magazines to fight an army, because in reality if you need that much firepower your future is very bleak.
 
American for $450 and a Remington 870 for $350. Thats $800 for the pair that will do anything you want. If you shop around, at Walmart and such you can beat that.
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A Palmetto State Armory blem lower (assembled) and a budget PSA upper (assembled) were running $360 last time I looked. You'd still need shipping, FFL fees, a bolt carrier group, charging handle and rear sight; but you could come close to that Ruger American price.
 
but the 5.56/.223 has a lot of penetration power vs the shotgun. Don't want stray bullets going into other rooms of the house or even a neighbors house
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FALSE

00 Buckshot will penetrate drywall a lot more readily than the 223 which will break apart.
 
Bartholomew Roberts said:
A Palmetto State Armory blem lower (assembled) and a budget PSA upper (assembled) were running $360 last time I looked. You'd still need shipping, FFL fees, a bolt carrier group, charging handle and rear sight; but you could come close to that Ruger American price.
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Cheapest one I could put together at PSA was $515 with all the parts you said it would need. I figure it'll cost another $35 on average for the transfer fees which puts it at $550 without shipping. Really that isn't a bad deal on an AR15 that's ready to shoot.

However, I can walk into my local Wally Mart and pick up a brand new M700 ADL package with scope in .223, .243, .270, or .30-06 for $410 out the door and a M870 for $335 out the door. Not to mention if you buy both before the 30th of September you can get a $50 rebate on each firearm. So for less than $700 in two firearms I'm at the range with plenty of ammunition to get me shooting.

Plus you can walk into just about any big box sporting goods store and buy a Savage 11 Trophy Hunter with Nikon scope for $550 + tax and then turn around and get a $75 rebate on the purchase. I'm pretty sure T/C is offering a $50 rebate on the Venture rifles until the end of the year very soon if not already, they're giving a $75 rebate to all military until the end of the year right now. Then there is the fact that if you spend more than $400 out the door on a regular blued Ruger American or American compact you didn't shop around much.
 
honestly

There's just too much latitude in the OP's question, and not enough choices in his preferred answers (AR or 590) for this post to make a whole lot of sense.
 
As far as what will go through walls or not:
There's really no guarantee how any type of ammo will act in a given situation.
Too many variables to consider.
The thickness of the walls, the presence of studs, what else might be in the room to slow down or stop the projectiles.
Lots of things to consider, including not missing the intended target in the first place.
Just a thought or few.
 
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My options are a Mossberg 590 12-gauge or an AR of some kind.
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MM,

If you go the Mossberg route, get both a 18 inch rifle sighted barrel AND 26 inch ventilated rib barrel.

And a Tac-Star side saddle and Magpull rear stock and you are good to go shoot birds, shoot clays, home defense, deer (inside 100 yards). The only place it will come up short will be longer range shooting and extended fire (where you need lots of ammo.)

But, that Mossie, if you look around, won't cost you $450, even with the extras. And AR will cost you at least $600 or more for the 'basic' gun.

Just depends. I have both AR and Mossie 500 Mariner 12 and they overlap in ability.

Deaf
 
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but the 5.56/.223 has a lot of penetration power vs the shotgun. Don't want stray bullets going into other rooms of the house or even a neighbors house

FALSE

00 Buckshot will penetrate drywall a lot more readily than the 223 which will break apart.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXOIQgfvVlE
I stand corrected. I guess I just based my initial comment on shooting steel plates with the two.
 
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Just depends on the load. FMJ 63 grain green tip I think will penetrate more than say 45 gr varmint HPs. And OO buck more than say, #2 goose load.

Just depends on what you put in the gun.

Deaf
 
I'm thinking shotgun. Get a combo that comes with 2 barrels. I don't believe there is an ammo more readily available anywhere. Less likely to encounter hunting restrictions. Been defending homes since it's creation. Way less expensive.
 
Ditto what kraigway said, with the exception that for cheap shooting I wouldn't be afraid to get one in .223. I love hunting with a shotgun but don't even have one with ready ammo for a home defense firearm.
 
[RE]

So I feel like a good lever action or a pump shotgun would be my better option here based on a few well thought out comments I've seen here. The M590 was my choice over the M500 or R870 because of the magazine extension and the placement of the pump safety (the lever you press to engage the slide).

I prefer hunting SMALL game but the biggest thing I hunt is Elk and that is only occasionally. I hunt deer and every other smaller 4-legger around here (Alaska). My purpose for open carrying would mainly fall under the defense category as well because we have very large and dangerous animals out here (grizzly, black bear, moose,wolf, etc.) So I wanted an all around gun to walk with and hunt with. And for everyone here saying .223/5.56 won't even phase a grizzly, If any animal can take 5-10 rounds or 2-3 slugs, center-mass, and still get to me then I guess it was my time to go anyway.

I don't plan on hunting the bear, just defending myself from it. Same story with moose.

I walk trails on my property, sometimes with my kids. I also take them hunting occasionally. So a good bush gun is a must. So scooting what may or may not be "Legal" under the rug momentarily, what would be the better option here? Theoretically of course. :D

And for home defense, well it might not be a man popping through the window.

Really hope this helps clarify my problem to some of you and I look forward to seeing your replies.

-MM
 
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Well if you're worried about aggressive bears on your property or walking around, then you don't want an AR shooting .223 or any small caliber cartridge. Bullet penetration is your friend if you're trying to stop an aggressive animal, and a .223 won't have the penetration of a larger caliber bullet. A .308 or larger cartridge would do better for any aggressive bears or other large animals that may you need to defend yourself from. A shot gun shooting the proper slugs would also be a good choice for bear defense.

A good can of bear spray would be advisable as well.
 
I am not a proponent of bird shot for HD but a #2 Goose load in a magnum shell will give a BG something to think about.
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Well you can always use BB loads, and call your shottie a 'BB' gun! "Officer, I shot him with my BB gun only once! Honest!"

As for bears... think Brenneke Black Magic. 12 Gauge, 3 in, 1-3/8 oz (yes that's 600 grains), 1500 fps. Basically a 20mm cannon.

http://www.brennekeusa.com/cms/blackmagicmagnum.html

There ain't no bear made that it can take.

And as for buckshot... Federal Tactical LE with FliteControl Wad is the way to go.

http://www.federalpremium.com/education/flitecontrol.aspx

Very tight groups well past 30 yards.

Deaf
 
[RE taylorce1]

Size+Velosity=penetration last i checked?.. While larger calibers work well on steel, i am not so sure that a larger caliber fired at the same or slightly higher velocity into a flesh backdrop would penetrate more. In fact, wouldn't it DUMP its energy into the initial impact creating the larger permanent cavity we see with slugs or other hunting calibers..? FMJ .223 Should make it through a few inches of fat and tissue to the vitals unless you hit something like a bone where it would stop the round but fracture the bone. And a semi-auto 30-30/.308 is kinda expensive.. Bolt actions are cheap, but when seconds matter and a follow-up shot is required, a semi-auto is best.

Please do correct me if I am wrong with these physics, though, it is just what I've gathered by what I've seen online. But with a grizz I guess the money would be worth that bigger perm-cavity in case my aim is off. More stopping power.

I will look into more ballistics, thank you for the advice.

-MM
 
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