Since we don't have a thread specifically for shotguns.....

[DeadeyeD]

Facing a riot? Here are my thoughts on firearms selection.

masondixontactical.wordpress.com/2016/09/23/the-riotgun-and-the-bayonet/

[panzer0170]

Yes.

Simply, yes.

Random fact: Ze Germans wanted the shotgun banned, in it's primitive form, in WW1, because it was an 'unfair' weapon.

If that isn't enough to sell me, all the points, (less the shotgun racking one, I'd argue against that because plenty of people, especially on drugs/alchohol wouldn't even necessarily notice it...) in the linked article are, to my beleif correct.

Not to mention the shotgun is a fantastic harvesting tool for game, for when you can't get meat out of your local food warehouse because it hasn't had a delivery in weeks, if ever that becomes a problem...

[whitebear620]

www.americanspecialtyammo.com/12-ga--less-lethal.html

Just a little bit of looking around online shows that less than lethal shotgun ammo can be a bit pricey, but the point made about shooting a pepper shell at someone approaching your barricade instead of just shouting or resorting to the last of the four Ss is a good one. And I'm glad that no one brought up the myth that "you don't need to aim, the blast is wide enough to catch them!" 
I don't have a shotgun, mostly because my priority was rifle first and then look at other things.
In regards to the racking of the shotgun invoking sphincter puckering, why wouldn't the sound of an AR/AK being chambered do the exact same thing? 

[DeadeyeD]

Whitebear, it might, but then again it might not. I wouldn't want to count on a sound doing the job or scaring them off. Something else you might want to think about is that  each pellet of OOBuck in a 2 3/4 shotshell has around 215 foot pounds of energy at the muzzle, and your AK's 7.62S has around 1500 foot pounds. If you miss with the 10 pellet, .33 caliber buckshot load, the chance of it going through another house next door is a lot lower than a .30 caliber bullet from your AK. But hey, you can always mount a bayonet on your AK, right?

[whitebear620]

I can mount a bayonet on my AR, one of the reasons I went 16" midlength 
I don't plan on relying on the sound of a rifle being chambered guaranteeing my safety, that was just a question because you brought up the shotgun racking sound in the post.
The chance of rounds going through walls in my home is probably very high, hence the need for a weapon light and good sighting system. Also helps that the most likely avenue of approach for a person breaking into my house is in front of the outside wall (cement not drywall being a plus) and behind that is the cement wall surrounding the apartments I live in. It's not perfect, but it is a consideration.
Nothing against shotguns, just my questions.

[Spinebuster]

I have a Mossberg 590 with a bayonet lug that I have kept for years. I consider it an excellent tool for the jobs I believe I will need it for. I would never use it as my primary, but it is good for all the points mentioned in the linked article.

Something that the article did not mention is the ability to use it to hunt as well. Face it I am not going to use precious .223/5.56 trying to hit small game to feed me and mine unless i am really desperate. I am just not that good of a shot. Heck I would use it over my AR to hunt larger game such as deer (it is called buckshot for a reason).

I have a variety of shells for mine from No. 8 shot for target shooting/small game, 00 buck (that nice mil spec kinda that is available everywhere), home defense rounds and even a handful of hydra shok slugs. I am looking into reloading as well as it is very simple to do for shotgun and is not that expensive.

The shotgun is a versatile tool that should be included in your bag of tricks. If you don't have one I would suggest that at least someone in your group has one.

[panzer0170]

If there were ever a "you can only have 1 gun", or you found yourself in that scenario, I would say that a shotgun would be the best all round tool, because of it's versatility.

They are hungry, and take a lot of feeding, but they'll do pretty much any and every task inside realistic engagement distances, especially in an urban enivornment.

Especially key in my eyes is the ability to harvest a wider variety of game (birds, specifically) that would be considerably harder through to impossible, with a rifle.

You can have a reasonably civil societal collapse (rural areas often remain RELATIVELY undisturbed during civil unrest...) and your only real issue is getting food. If you can grow, store, trap, catch and shoot? Most of your worries are covered there.

[judomayhem]

On a few occasions, I have had non-warrior types of men ask me about weapon acquisition. The whole, "I've been thinking of buying a gun" conversation that pops up when people know you are "that guy". Basically, they want an affordable way to protect their family and maybe their neighborhood. Knowing that they aren't going to train much beyond going to the range once a decade, I suggested they purchase a defensive pump shotgun in 20 ga. The ammo is available everywhere, is twice as powerful as a .44 mag handgun, and it kicks about half as much as a 12, which matters because they have women and smaller teens who also will need to know how to use it.
Personally, I only use mine when out at the range by myself. Loaded with buck, it sits beside me in case a dirtbag decides he wants to approach me after I've emptied the weapons I am actually training with. It has happened to three friends in the past. Two were robbed of their weapons, the third had his ccw still loaded, which he pulled on the homie and sent him scurrying. "Yo man I was jus playin'..."
From a SHTF standpoint, I can see issuing them to someone pulling homestead security who is not particularly competent with handguns OR rifles.

[protus]

Hurricane guns..g17 for me..smith mdl 66 for wife..
Norinco 12g. By the bed at night.
It's the 18 inch with ghost ring sights.botton feed and eject. I think its a Ithaca 37 clone.
Tight pattern on it though..but good for the porch to street distances it'd be used.
Ran 2-3/4 000 in it. Only 5 iirc I can get 8.
Had a bando of 3 inch slugs and more 00 on hand .

They have thier place...tool in the box. Not my go to choice but I know it works

[omnivorous]

This new for 2016 version of the Mossberg 590 has really caught my eye:
www.mossberg.com/product/590a1-7-shot-ghost-ring-50774/

•+1 shell capacity, awesome.
•Keeps the 18.5" barrel length, awesomer.
•Best part for me, it comes with a heavy-walled barrel, threaded for chokes from the factory, awesomerest! (It may just be my failing, but I've never found one of those online, without it being gunsmithed. Something I'm rather hesitant pursue, because of additional costs & potential quality issues.)

It just, obviously, lacks the ability to have a bayonet mounted on it like the 590A1.

[waffenmacht]

Great read, thanks for sharing. The only real downside I see to a shotty is lack of range, but then many situations (particularly related to personal defense) do not require range. I'd like to add a shotgun to my collection soon, I'll have to keep this article in mind.