Shotgun = Sledgehammer

[BigJimP]

I don't expect it to ever be a real world problem .....but in theory, I like Scattergun Bob's approach .... use the handgun to fight your way to your long guns.

Why limit yourself to one or the other - if you have both ...

But I'm pretty comfortable with a 1911 .45 acp on my hip - or even something in a .40S&W for that matter / and a couple of extra mags. My shotguns are locked in my safe ( and I don't have any dedicated Tactical or "fighting" shotguns anyway )...and don't see a need for them ( for myself, in my situation today). I also have no interest in AR's ....so I don't fuss with them. I have plenty of shotguns / and a few rifles ....and I could mount a capable defense.

I'm not saying our society is perfect ...but the zombies aren't beating a path to my door anytime soon either. If they break into the neighborhood someday ...maybe I'll revist the issue...

 

[rantingredneck]

PBP, just to take one facet of your OP............Hunting...........

Yes, You can hunt with a handgun.

In a survival situation I'd feel comfortable hunting deer with anything from 9mm on up. Heck, if it comes down to eating or starving and all I got is a .22 pistol I'd go for a headshot and hope for the best.........

But the typical defensive caliber handgun comes up short in feeding you if you dont' run across any large game. If all you have around you are squirrels and birds, a 9mm/.40/.45/etc is a little overkill yes?

With a shotgun all it takes is an ammo change to change tasks to smaller prey.

Granted a shotgun has it's disadvantages (capacity, ammo weight, etc.) but it does most things "well enough" and has a place at the tikiwiki table .

 

[Stevie-Ray]

I have no dislikes toward shotguns, but in my most likely situation of invasion I prefer a handgun.

Same with me, but then like you I am used to lesser confines. A shotgun would be unwieldy in my too small present home, not to mention that I purely suck at handling one. But my new home is far larger with what will be potentially long fields of fire, and I find myself thinking about the use of my Colt Tactical Carbine as my future first line of defense. When settled, I also plan to buy a decent shotgun and improve on my rather embarrassing prowess with it. No question that it would be a welcome addition to my collection. But only after I am satisfied that I can use it properly. Until then, it's the .45, and I don't feel undergunned.

 

[Silverado]

I don't know about "the end of the world as we know it", but it is not impossible that the world as we know it can change quickly and for some time, ie: Haiti currently, New Orleans immediately post Katrina, etc. Best to be just generally well-armed in this case, no?

Other than that, I'll stick to the adage, carry a handgun "just-in-case", carry a shotgun if you're expecting trouble. To qualify my comment, I've shot a shotgun since I was 13 and am very comfortable with it to this day, (~2000+ rounds per year sporting clays- couple hundred per year horsing around with my SD Savage against hostile cans, fruit, etc). Am getting more comfortable with the handguns, finding enough ammo has been an issue until very recently.

 

[jersey_emt]

Come on, everybody knows that the ultimate do-it-all firearm is the duck foot pistol.

Seriously though, a shotgun is an extremely versatile weapon, and with training you can hit anything you can see with your unaided eyes. The capacity issue can also be negated with training.

That said, a rifle with a few 30 round magazines makes it very easy to carry large amounts of ammunition. It is quicker to reload. I think that it takes less training to be able to hit anything you can see with your unaided eye with a rifle than a shotgun. These points put the edge on the rifle as the best single weapon IMO.

 

[gyvel]

In an advancing gun fight with heavy cover 4-6 rounds is not going to make me feel to comfortable if the other guy has 20 before he has to reload.

Your reasoning here presumes that the guy with the 20 rd. handgun knows what he is doing with it and doesn't have a tendency to "spray and pray."

Out of ALL the people that own handguns, how many do you think are truly proficient enough to use it as a serious combat weapon? (And I emphasize "all," meaning every man, woman and child that owns a handgun.)

 

[gyvel]

If I had 4 people approach me waving a white flag then turn on me at close range I would rather have a Glock in my hand inside my coat than a rifle on my shoulder.

If you are in a social scenario as bad as I think you are envisioning, then the rifle should be immediately unslung and at the ready, no?

 

[Playboypenguin]

Your reasoning here presumes that the guy with the 20 rd. handgun knows what he is doing with it and doesn't have a tendency to "spray and pray."

I have always thought it prudent to assume any adversary knows what he is doing. You end up a little less dead from underestimating someone that way.

If you are in a social scenario as bad as I think you are envisioning, then the rifle should be immediately unslung and at the ready, no?

No. I am of the belief that visible aggression will get you killed very fast in an iffy situation. It puts a bullseye on your back.

 

[Bud Helms]

Just skipping through this discussion, I noticed ...

Every time there is a "Things go bad and you can have just one gun" thread

the best choice in a long term "bad times" scenario.

The caveat, is that the Argentinian recession-style collapse kept civil order (more or less) through the entire crisis. If we descend to a level of chaos below that, where gunshots are a matter of course rather than something to be merely "tidied up" by law enforcement as they get around to it, that is the time to have the EBR or shotgun.

Why does everyone think it is going to be a situation of picking off everyone you see from 100+ yards or fighting off crowds from a bunker? It is far more likely you will be needing to gather near other people to obtain supplies or to simply keep moving when fleeing a disaster.

You are confusing combat with survival situations.

Hey, if you feel you're best prepared to defend yourself with concealed handguns in a TIKIWIKI environment, then have at it.

can someone tell me what tikiwiki means?

it never ceases to amaze me that there is, at one time or another, someone planning tactics for the end of the world.

Just an idea, and maybe a good way to get to know one another here, perhaps we could break into two or three or four man teams. Each team PM each other and work out details of the scenarios as I explained above. At a predetermined time, each team will post their tactics to a thread and then we will put it up for vote as to which team stands the best chance of survival.
Once this is complete, perhaps the sky will stop falling and the end of the world as we know it may be staved off for another day.

If the need arose, our famililes would try to get to a farm that my brother
owns (about 70 acres). He is pretty stocked/protected and we have discussed a bleak long term scenario. His house is 4700 sq feet plus two barns and two garages and only two people occupy the land. There is game everywhere there (turkey / deer / etc.). There is also a great well and two large fresh water springs.

I would take my handgun(s) to carry of course in the vehicle and also the 20 gauge in the passenger floor board. A little easier to transport and wield than a "long" gun but just as fierce.

We may all have our lists and thoughts but I haven't gotten far past having cash / weapons / a steady head / and a bible ready to go.

Yes also first aid, water, etc. But I don't have 6 full BOBs and 30 days or MREs in the Nissan nor do I plan to buy.

Any sort of "things go bad..." scenario ... So in a "things go bad" environment, ...

TIKIWIKI is a fairly common way of mocking reference to TEOTWAWKI(aiff).

Not intended as a slight to anyone in particular in this thread... just toward the zompacalypse genre in general.

...SHTF means it all comes out...

I'm not saying our society is perfect ...but the zombies aren't beating a path to my door anytime soon either. If they break into the neighborhood someday ...maybe I'll revist the issue...

Granted a shotgun has it's disadvantages (capacity, ammo weight, etc.) but it does most things "well enough" and has a place at the tikiwiki table .

I could hardly tell if this was a TEOTWAWKI topic or not.

So here's a discussion titled, Shotgun = Sledgehammer, in the Handguns: General Handgun Forum. Purdy clever. Doesn't stand out much.

Looks like it's time to make a point.

This one is closed. See this sticky post in the General Discussion Forum.