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Originally Posted by
fultonCoShooter
i could argue it is easier to get on target with a shotgun than a rifle but i own a eotech which makes my ar very point and shoot i just put the big circle on a man sized target within in the house ranges very quick sight.
Argument is pretty much null at home defense distances, regardless of sighting system.
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Now when talking learning curve i would have to think it is easier to learn to use a pump shotty over a AR there are less controls on a pump shotgun than a AR
If you have taken a tactical shotgun and tactical rifle course, i'd like to know how you reached your conclusion. If you haven't, i feel it's almost neccecary in order to discuss the merits of that argument. I held your opinion as well until the first time I participated in a week of pistol, rifle and shotgun training that changed my outlook permanently. Frankly, i feel that until a person trains on and uses both under similar circumstances, the advantages and disadvantages of either platform aren't exceedingly obvious and can't be fully appreciated.
I'll list my reasons anyway, but know that i think it's pointless to argue them under most circumstances...though if anyone has a well thought out viewpoint coming from training an/or use of both platforms for defensive purposes, i'll gladly entertain it.
First, there are really no more controls on an AR15 than on a pump-action shotgun as it pertains to home defense. There's a safety and a charging handle/slide. The bolt release on an AR is superfluous in combat just like the slide release on the shotgun. It's something you'll never have to use for anything but administrative procedures. Note that i reload using the charging handle for the same reasons i use the overhand mathod to reload my pistol. I've never used the forward assist or found reason for it. The charging handle on an AR has to be operated once and then the gun is ready for action for the next 30 squeezes of the trigger. The slide on a shotgun has to be manipulated after every round and without sufficient practice, short stroking under stress is a common occurrance. This is why i state that the learning curve is higher. Non-diagnostic malfunction clearing on either weapon requires the same action, manual operation of the action.
Now, before you say that i forgot to include the magazine release as a control on the AR-15, consider the relative difficulty of reloading a shotgun, round by round, under stress, in the dark, compared to the relative ease of changing a magazine in an AR-15 under the same circumstances. I have watched people load shells backwards into their shotguns under these circumstances creating malfunctions that are, for all intents and purposes, unclearable. This is another reason i state the learning curve for the shotgun is higher. Secondly, considering that, In your PJ's, you're probably not carrying spare magazines or shells unless they are on your weapon, the point is almost moot, but another reason to opt for the greater capacity afforded by a rifle. Also considering that you are likely not carring a secondary weapon to transition to, The relative speed in which a detachable magazine fed rifle can be put back into service cannot be discounted.
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But in my personal opinion at a range from 10-20 feet a 12Ga shell will be more effective than a .223 meaning it will do more physical damage
The mechanism of wounding is different, both are devastatingly effective at close range when using the proper ammunition.
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we can stand 10 feet away from a tree and on this tree there are 2 identical branches we can say go and see who can destroy the branch fastest to disconnect it from the tree
12 ga will win every time
That's not really a good analog to a home defense situation at 10-20ft. It's a lot easier to break airborne sporting clays with a shotgun too, but that is also irrelevent. Fast, repeatable COM shots on multiple targets is the diagnosis for the situation we're looking at.