Shotgun or AR...

[cmdrdredd]

Ok so I'm going to buy one more gun very soon. I don't have a good Shotgun that I trust to fire, just some old WWI era weapons. I also have never owned an AR15 of any type.

So it comes down to the question. Get an AR15 or good Shotgun. Below is a few points I've been thinking on.

1) Shotgun is a good HD weapon and practical in that respect. AR not so much and seeing as I'm not in an area that has good access to outdoor ranges I might not be able to fire the AR very often.
2) Shotgun saves cash as the weapons and shells are very cheap by comparason
3) If I wait too long I may never again be able to get an AR.

So basically I'm back and forth. Help me decide, should I get an AR just to have one since I can or should I go practical with a nice shotgun?

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[maddyfish]

AR, those who attack your home might arrive wearing body armor. Take that as you like.

[cmdrdredd]

Shotgun at the head area? Besides I don't know that a standard .223 will go through armor...

Anyway I'm entertaining all suggestions. Cost is somewhat a consideration here but I just don't know.

[varob]

12ga pump shotgun..... 1 oz slugs will stop just about anything.

[maddyfish]

I'm thinking for use against the LII stuff. Not the LIII and up stuff.

[reyno2ac]

I'd go with the shotgun. Like you said, it is much cheaper to shoot than an AR and can more easily be shot at an indoor range.

I'll be purchasing a shotgun very soon as my birthday present to myself.

[peckman28]

From a practical standpoint it sounds like you've made your decision already. However, you throw the wildcard in there when you mention the potential of never getting an AR again. If that really is a concern maybe you should get the AR first; a good carbine like the Colt LE6920 would be an excellent defender. It wouldn't take you too long to save some more money and snag a Mossberg 500 or Remington 870 for between $300 and $400. However, if you just want a practical and affordable HD long gun, you really can't beat the value of the shotgun.

[cmdrdredd]

Strange question maybe, but can you put a sight like an Eotech on a shotgun? I don't see people do that much, is it because you more or less point and shoot or does the recoil of a shotgun mess up the calibration when you site it in?

Also, any major differences between a Mossberg 500 or Remington 870? To me they seem so similar.

[skysoldier29]

A 223. round will go thought pretty much any soft armor not rated to stop a rifle threat. You can ask my buddy about that one. The Strike Face hard plates will stop most rifle threats up to .308. Shooting 5.56 isn't that pricing I think. I was looking at Ammotogo.com and they had some pretty good prices on the stuff. I am in the market for an AR once I get back to the states. As for home defense, I would hope you wouldn't use an AR, as that bullet will go a long ways after to hit the BG. As for long guns and HD, you might want to think of getting a tactical folding stock or something to shorten it up. If you have narrow hallways and stuff it might be hard to swing and get on target in a shooting situation.

[reyno2ac]

Strange question maybe, but can you put a sight like an Eotech on a shotgun? I don't see people do that much, is it because you more or less point and shoot or does the recoil of a shotgun mess up the calibration when you site it in?

Also, any major differences between a Mossberg 500 or Remington 870? To me they seem so similar.

Yes, you can put a holographic or red dot sight on a shotgun. I don't know why you don't see more people doing it, I want to when I get one.

Brand really...I've been googling that all day long and haven't come across any major differences other than personal preference.

[cmdrdredd]

A 223. round will go thought pretty much any soft armor not rated to stop a rifle threat. You can ask my buddy about that one. The Strike Face hard plates will stop most rifle threats up to .308. Shooting 5.56 isn't that pricing I think. I was looking at Ammotogo.com and they had some pretty good prices on the stuff. I am in the market for an AR once I get back to the states. As for home defense, I would hope you wouldn't use an AR, as that bullet will go a long ways after to hit the BG. As for long guns and HD, you might want to think of getting a tactical folding stock or something to shorten it up. If you have narrow hallways and stuff it might be hard to swing and get on target in a shooting situation.

Oh I know all about HD scenarios. I've gone over it a lot. I wouldn't use an AR in that role. It's just that I am going to buy another gun soon and it will be a long gun, but not for hunting. I've decided it will be one of the two. Leaned toward the shotgun initially based on price and practicality of having a nice shotgun for HD, but I also think that I might not ever have a chance to get an AR again if I procrastinate. The problem is, where I live there's only one good range to shoot an AR at and it's run by Range Nazis. Gave a buddy of mine a hard time because he had an old lever action rifle with no manual safety (half cock is safe) and they tried to prevent him from shooting it there. Long story short I might not really get to shoot my AR much.

[Gideon]

You'll have to work it out. I got the AR first thinking I might never get one and if I did later, that it would cost a fortune. I got mine a few years ago and love it but IMO it's not too practical. I don't believe I'll ever see a real end of the world scenario where I'm walking around with it. But I'm retired military and just wanted it. The Eotech costs big bucks too!

I just got my shotgun and it is more practical because I can swap barrels and turn it into a lot of different configurations. Pesonally I'm finding a 12GA heavy and unwieldly for me. Your mileage may vary. For home defense I still think a .45 is good along with a good high quality light like a surefire.

The one poster mentioned that if you get the AR you get the expensive one out of the way and can then save up for the shotgun in relatively short order. There's something to be said about that.

Good luck wrestling this one to the ground!
God Bless
Gideon

[peckman28]

Also, any major differences between a Mossberg 500 or Remington 870? To me they seem so similar.

Location of slide release and safety. That's about it. Can't go wrong with either one.

[Bark'n]

First off, there's nothing wrong with a carbine such as the AR platform in a home defense role. If you doubt me, I'd recommend you go enroll in a tactical carbine class such as those offered at APT Academy, Thunder Ranch, Gunsite, and a couple dozen others and learn the truth from professionals, and see for yourself in live fire training instead of listening to a bunch of hype without reference to back it up.

It's all about the choice of ammo you use in the weapon. Let loose any shotgun slug, 00 buck, 0 buck, #1 buck and miss your target, it's going right into the neighbors house.

Hornady TAP FPD personal defense rounds in .223 carbine is more likely to be trapped in the confines of the home and less likely to enter the adjacent structure than any of the above mentioned shotgun loads. The same goes for any of the frangible rounds on the market by a variety of manufacturers.

Now if you're shooting bulk surplus .223 ammo, or stuff like steel core military ammo, or any military spec. ammo, of course you have to consider where your rounds are going to end up. I buy steel core and surplus ammo by the case lot and shoot it up for target practice and plinking. But I have three 30 round defensive magazines loaded with Hornady TAP. However, it isn't cheap. A hundred rounds is going to cost you $100 but if you're serious about the job you're doing, you're not going to skimp on price.

Now there's nothing wrong with a pump action shotgun for home defense, but if you think you don't have to worry about over penetration from slugs or buck shot, you've been misinformed. Likewise, if you think bird shot is going to provide the adequate amount of penetration needed to effectively stop an amped up home invader who is wound tighter than an 8 day clock before he can absorb a few birdshot rounds and still be able to kill you, you may find a lethal surprise as you are getting stabbed repeatedly in the chest with a 8 inch screw driver.

Either platform, shotgun or carbine can be an effective home defense weapon if used correctly with the proper ammunition. I find the semi-automatic carbine to have a lot more advantages over a pump shotgun within the confines of close quarter battle. More compact and easier to wield in narrow hallways, easier for weapon retention should someone try and disarm you and a lot more firepower can be immediately brought to bear with quicker reloading capability.

If you are worried about the future possibility of gun bans, then definitely buy the AR-15 first. I'm not too worried about that happening, but if it does... The pump action shotgun is probably going to be much further down on the ban list than semi-automatic repeating rifles.

JMHO, YMMV

[MinistrMalic]

As for the difference between a Mossy and a 870, from a practical perspective they are functionally identical. I think that the Remington is less expensive and is just as good a gun personally...which is why there's an 870 Express Magnum HD pulling HD duty in my home.

I think that it sounds like the shotgun is a more practical weapon for home defense for you at this time. The AR is nice (I own one and it's my favorite gun to shoot), but I don't see them going anywhere in the current political environment. So spend the $300 or so on the Remington and start saving for a decent AR as a EOTWAWKI gun.