Has the 12 gauge lost popularity as a HD gun over the past few years

[Vern Humphrey]

I have it on good authority that at least in the jungles of Vietnam the 12 gauge was fitted with a device called a "duckbill" which made it a better defensive weapon. Ergo you can only claim military preference if your weapon has that device as well.

My company (A-1/61 IN) had two. Both had standard short cylinder bore barrels. The Army may have experimented with shaped muzzles, but I never saw one in the field.

The Army also designed a shotgun shell for the M79 Grenade Launcher. It was essentially a sub-caliber device, a 12 gauge chamber in a 40mm grenade case. Designed for self-defense use, it wasn't worth a flip.

 

[CoalTrain49]

The 12ga. is more popular than ever. In the last few years it has found a new calling as a defensive weapon. It still remains the most popular shotgun being built. All you have to do is go to your nearest big box sporting goods store and compare 12 ga ammo to the 20 ga ammo they have on hand. Also go to any trap, skeet or sporting clays range and it will be the predominant gauge there. Another place to look is waterfowl guns on the racks. Almost everyone a 12 ga. Actually it is the most versatile of any gauges and probably always will be.

 

[Cee Zee]

With lighter loads there really isn't a lot of use to buy a smaller ga. shotgun these days. You can shoot rounds that have less recoil than a 20 ga. or even a 28 ga. from the trust 12 ga.. It is very versatile. But having the right ammo loaded for HD may be a trick if you have different people who might use it. With an AR almost everyone can fire it without any trouble and there is still plenty of defensive power.

 

[javjacob]

12ga is the best choice for home defense. As far as the recoil argument I don't think I'm going to be too worried about recoil in a life or death situation.

 

[Cee Zee]

As far as the recoil argument I don't think I'm going to be too worried about recoil in a life or death situation.

What about your wife or your daughter? My wife weighed 100 pounds until she was 55 years old. A full bore 12 ga. load is too much for her. I'd give her the SKS in a heartbeat over one of my 12's. But more likely she would grab a small caliber handgun if push came to shove. But a 12 ga.? Not unless it was loaded with a very light load which is what I mentioned before. If I have it ready for her to use for HD when I might not be home then it wouldn't really be ready for me for HD. I have more than one 12 ga. though so I could set one up for her and one for me but I haven't done that. I know a .22 is far from ideal for HD but that's what she shoots best and it may be best for her. She does a great job shooting our Buck Mark. I will probably get it setup for HD as much as possible with hot rounds etc..

With a 12 ga. she's going to get off one round and she may not even be able to shoulder the thing again. I mean she won't be able to take a 00 buck shot load and do it repeatedly. She just can't. Heck I know men that won't shoot a 12 ga. more than once or twice. Maybe she grabs the 12 I have loaded with bear busting Breneke KO slugs. It's going to maybe break her shoulder if she doesn't hold it exactly right. With an AR she could fire 30 rounds and barely notice the recoil. Combine that with the fact that certain .223 rounds won't penetrate even as much as a 00 pellet and that's why the AR is becoming more popular as a HD weapon.

 

[Mitlov]

The most likely possibility is that you'll never need a HD gun.

The second most likely possibility is that when you do need one, any firearm that you are competent and comfortable with will do the job.

The scenarios being argued back and forth--the wound characteristics of 12-gauge buck versus the magazine capacity and lower recoil for follow-up shots of the AR, etc...I'm having trouble believing that there's a statistically significant number of home defense scenarios where your survival depends on your choice of long-gun instead of just your comfort and competence with it. My gut feeling is that if "weekend shooting fun" is taking the AR to the range, a carbine is the best HD long-gun, and if your "weekend shooting fun" involves ducks or clays, a shotgun is the best HD long-gun. Just my opinion of course, no solid data or incredible experience to back it up.

 

[Mitlov]

What about your wife or your daughter? My wife weighed 100 pounds until she was 55 years old. A full bore 12 ga. load is too much for her. I'd give her the SKS in a heartbeat over one of my 12's. But more likely she would grab a small caliber handgun if push came to shove. But a 12 ga.? Not unless it was loaded with a very light load which is what I mentioned before. If I have it ready for her to use for HD when I might not be home then it wouldn't really be ready for me for HD. I have more than one 12 ga. though so I could set one up for her and one for me but I haven't done that. I know a .22 is far from ideal for HD but that's what she shoots best and it may be best for her. She does a great job shooting our Buck Mark. I will probably get it setup for HD as much as possible with hot rounds etc..

With a 12 ga. she's going to get off one round and she may not even be able to shoulder the thing again. I mean she won't be able to take a 00 buck shot load and do it repeatedly. She just can't. Heck I know men that won't shoot a 12 ga. more than once or twice. Maybe she grabs the 12 I have loaded with bear busting Breneke KO slugs. It's going to maybe break her shoulder if she doesn't hold it exactly right. With an AR she could fire 30 rounds and barely notice the recoil. Combine that with the fact that certain .223 rounds won't penetrate even as much as a 00 pellet and that's why the AR is becoming more popular as a HD weapon.

If she likes the AR, go with the AR.

If she's otherwise more comfortable with a shotgun but simply finds 12-gauge too punishing, they make 20-gauge shotguns for a reason. 20-gauge buck will still stop someone just fine and the guns themselves and the recoil are far more manageable for a small-framed individual.

 

[Mitlov]

Joe Horn with his trusty Winchester 1300 Defender shotgun shot down the robbers when he met them in his front door. He was hailed a hero. This was in Pasadena , Texas back in 2007.

He shot two unarmed people in the back. Legal or not, moral or not, that proves nothing about the relative effectiveness of shotguns and rifles.

 

[Robert]

After six pages we have pretty well exhausted this round of shotguns are/are not better for hd.