Pump shotguns

[hunter63]

I still see this as a round about "If you have only one gun....what would it be?" question.

Seems many agree in "that scenario" the 12 gauge pump has many fans.

So in light on the OP....Yes I agree....

Any thing else is churning the point.....IMO.
Carry on.

[Phaedrus]

Some skills are more perishable than others. I find that after being primarily a handgunner for the last 25 years I can shoot one pretty well even if I go a few months between range sessions, but if for some reason I go longer my skills are pretty rusty. Shooting a rifle is more akin to riding a bike IMO.

I have no arguments against a shotgun! I think all guns rock; shotgun, turn-bolt, wheelgun, autoloader, etc. Heck, black powder and archery are a hoot and air rifles are a blast. But I don't really hunt anymore, and even when I did I wasn't all that avid of a bird hunter. For me there's nothing a shotgun can do that I can't do better with a rifle, carbine or handgun. Now I'm just talking stuff I do with guns. Certainly if I was in Kodiak country a shotgun would be very handy although under stress short stroking a pump can be a concern.

[blackfinger]

If you're talking survival I'll take my Savage 24 30-30/20ga combo gun over a pump shotgun any day.

[kyratshooter]

And as Hunter said, now the thread turns into an "if you only had one gun what would it be?" event.

The truth is that most people don't know squat about firearms, even a great number of devout firearms owners, therefore their choices are irrelevant to me.

That is one of the reasons this forum is one of the only places I will ask opinion, and most of the time that is in a PM and not open forum.

My only concern in what someone else chooses is compatibility of ammo in an emergency. That is why I recommend most of what I do to my friends and relatives when they ask my opinion on something.

Oddly enough, no one has ever complained about the caliber choices I have recommended for their individual requirements. Perhaps they simply knew no better.

[hunter63]

I would suggest a 30-30 or 30-06 rather than say... a .256 Roberts or .30 Gibbs.......for ammo availability....still in any hardware store or country gas station.....

[kyratshooter]

My experience of late is that the country store is owned by Mapco, Chevron or Shell and they have Jack Links and gift cards but they do not carry ammo.

Closest place that has any ammo is the Walmart 10 miles down the road. They may or may not have what you need today.

But they have a truck arriving on Tuesday!

And I will never forget the months on end when there was not a single rifle cartridge in any of the popular calibers on a shelf anywhere in the nation! Popularity is not a guarantee of availability. .223,.308 and 30-06 were the first to disappear. 30-30 and .243 lasted a bit longer but the only thing that was there for the entire shortage was stuff like .25-06, .270. some of the big magnums.


Does anyone remember that scene from Happy People where the trapper is setting out for his winter run and he has about a half dozen guns in the boat? Even in Russia they want more than one!

[M118LR]

The jest of the matter is that wilderness survival situations are not planned. They are emergencies that take place in spite of planning. We therefore have no control over the weapon, caliber or type we might have to use, other than it is what we had along at the time.

If all you own is one shotgun the problem is simple. Sorry, I got more than one and what I have along might not be what I wish I had. There are also times when all I have available is the 9mm in the glove box that gets stuck in my belt when I go for a walk.

So the correct answer is that we should be proficient in the use of all types of firearms, weapons, and implements of destruction.

I believe you have found the crux of the biscuit. Survival is after the the emergencies that take place in spite of planning. Should you decide to take 30 days to venture into the wilderness for a little canoeing, fishing, water-fowling, that runs into big game season. Then perhaps more than a sidearm is prudent, and a shotgun would be a wise choice. Survival is always looked upon in layers. Start with the tin in your pocket and work your way up. It's always the small choices that make the biggest differences when you find yourself in a survival situation. No one plans to be in a survival situation.

[M118LR]

No one plans to be in a survival situation, but a failure to plan can sure turn an ordinary wilderness adventure into a situation. (Sorry for the double post, but I am having issues with the edit function at present)

[Walking Bear 1954]

Well I am new here and do not want to offend anyone. After the military I went into law enforcement and responded to an armed robbery call. The clerk had been shot 4 times with a 357 mag at close range and was sitting talking to the first officer. No vital organs were hit yes he was hurting but as with any use of a firearm it comes to shot placement. In any survival situation it would be prudent to have what you can handle and make hits with. There is no perfect gun or perfect bullet its a compromise at best. I carry a Glock 20 a lot and since I reload it can approach 41 mag level with 15 rounds. If you are comfortable with a shotgun then go for it. I have trouble with a 3" magnum 12 gauge anymore and prefer something tamer.

[Phaedrus]

I'll admit, all this shotgun talk has me wanting to pick up an 870 Police shotgun.

[Rick]

If I had been shot 4 times with a .357 and survived the priesthood would be very high on my list of new occupations.

[hunter63]

If I had been shot 4 times with a .357 and survived the priesthood would be very high on my list of new occupations.

.....and no betting man would take that bet, for even one shot of a .357 let alone 4....

[tundrabadger]

If I had been shot 4 times with a .357 and survived the priesthood would be very high on my list of new occupations.

I think I'd go for a cloistered monastery myself. Preferably somewhere in the mountains with only one road.

[kyratshooter]

Only thing I can say is that he did not get shot with any of the .357 loads I have ever used!

[Walking Bear 1954]

I am sure it was not 125 JHP the main 357 round for law enforcement. I can tell you no shot hit a vital organ and for the life of me can not recall what it was loaded with. A million years ago I use to shoot PPC with 148 grain bullet and 2.7 of Bullseye what a powder puff. Ahh for the love of a good revolver.

[kyratshooter]

Most of my /357 loads go in at 35 caliber and on the other side you could drop a soft ball into the hole! At least that was the effect on deer.

4 shots anywhere in the body and he would have bled out before the police arrived.

4 shots in the extremities and he would have been a paraplegic.

[randyt]

Most of my /357 loads go in at 35 caliber and on the other side you could drop a soft ball into the hole! At least that was the effect on deer.

4 shots anywhere in the body and he would have bled out before the police arrived.

4 shots in the extremities and he would have been a paraplegic.

yup, yup and yup

[hunter63]

Wait a minute......I heard at the barber shop, some one BIL's cousin, had a friend, next door neighbors, brother.... that was in that shooting....didn't die right away...took 10 minutes.....He thinks....

After all,.... a .22 will kill anything on the planet......it's all about shot placement.
I read that on the interweb, so it gotta be true.

[Rick]

Man, that had to be a long 10 minutes counting holes in you. A guy wouldn't have enough fingers to plug all those. We won't even talk about pluggin' 'em with tampons.

[shiftyer1]

A lot of my guns are chambered in 357 mag, it's my main squirrel round. I would never trust it to do any damage to a person, especially 4 rounds center mass.