why are SG's viewed as HD guns and rarely SHTF weapons?

[KillZone45]

Because everyone views SHTF as themselves being a one man army, we're gonna be in a war type environment, with taking on your own citizens in combat everyday.....all of a sudden we're going to go outside and start shooting our neighbors. ........

I think noone will have time for war, just little time and few tools to get their necessities. Supermarkets out of groceries, shoe stores out of boots, no more bottled and running water etc.... Who's gonna have the ENERGY for everyman for themselves multiplayer version of Call of Duty Modern Warfare

Shotgun for me is fine.

LOL, I think everyone who has a military type mind thinks this way, even I do. It more than likely wont happen this way but it just seems so fun to think this way, I am hoping that if the SHTF I will have moved out of state by then but who knows!

[blackrifle242]

I stand by my Benelli M2. It's hard to say for a SHTF scenerio. You really need one of everything. I say let's have a huge Calguns slumber party on Dec 20, 2012 so we are covered on all sides. We drive to Nevada and remove our BB and assemble our 30 Rd rebuild kits (just in case the DOJ is still kicking). As far as all the concerns with a shotgun being a SHTF weapon, I can load 7 rounds, slugs to 75 yards with precision and the recoil is manageable. i will still have my AR and 1911 and my wife can lug around the bolt gun.

[an actual gun]

Agreed.

Let's face it... realistic SHTF situations we aren't going to be taking out zombies marching down the street at 100 yards.... we're going to be defending ourselves, our families, and our survival supplies. Whether it's holed up in our homes or in a tent in the woods, it's still going to be close range.

I would love to have something along the lines of a .308 or .30-06, but it's use would be pretty much limited to getting food. For HD or SHTF, a couple of handguns and a 12ga are both more than adequate, backed up by an AR/AK for perimeter defense.
The only use something in the .308 or larger range would be useful for against human targets would be as defense against sniper fire. If you're not taking incoming, it's going to be difficult to ascertain the identity or FoF status of a human target at over 100 yards.

Ding ding ding... Put me down for this one. I think even 50 yards might be getting close to fantasy in most SHTF situations.

Still, with practice, 100 yards is not exactly crazy talk for even foster slugs, so long as you've got a good set of sights. It's not terribly hard to shoot minute-of-human. I think the shotgun's range is too often discredited and sold short. Not saying it is anywhere near as accurate as a rifle at 50 yards, but it will work for SHTF.

[land locked]

I have read and have to throw in my opinion. What is a possible SHTF scenerio in California where most of us live? Earthquake? Fires? Flooding, mudslides? Riot in LA? (again) The cops are not going anywhere, the National guard is going to be there. What is going to bring more attention to you? A pump shotgun or a black rifle (legal as it may be). The cops are going to ignore your rights and take the evil gun. Has already happened in N.O. Alot of posts read as if we are going to war as a one man army with high cap rifles to get to snickers bar to provide food for their 8 kids. Considering possible realistic SHTF, I want to protect my home and family without bringing negative attention to myself. I want to keep the guy from taking my car me and my family could be in and from entering my home. Really, lets hear from people who have been through a natural or man made (riot) disaster.How many people did they shoot? How many people did they have to hold up to get to the last bottle of water? Shotgun is just fine. Weight is comparable to a tricked out AR, rugged, cheaper to own, delivers a punch. If you have an AR and want to spend thousands of $ on it and have thousands of rounds to stop the Chi-com invasion then more power to you. I beleive the shotgun would be just as effective in a realistic SHTF situation. Back to the original post.

[Dangerous]

shotties are good to have no doubt. but you might as well have a carbine in case even more S decides to HTF. i would say that a shotgun is more defensive, as most 2 3/4" buck loads dont have the best range, so it would be useful if you are letting zombies or communists come to you. HOWEVER, say you need to be offensive, you will need something more rifle like.

[pigiron]

As far as I'm concerned, HD is a SHTF situation.

[Dragunov]

For HD, the 12 is my prefered. If I have to go Bell Telephone on something or someone (reach out and touch someone) my bolt action 30.06 will suffice. For the Red Dawn event, last one to the National Guard Armory is a rotten egg.
One thing to keep in mind with all this, is the law, if your planning on taking out targets at long range, there will be a small concret cell in your future post event. In the total Red Dawn event, you may not have anything in your personel armory that would suffice for combat (in California anyway).

I don't agree completely with that. An SKS with 100 or 200, ammo filled strippers would be a formidable weapon against anyone, any place at anytime. Just ask our Vets who were in 'Nam, or anyone who was in Boznia.

Anyone w/a bullet button can remove it fairly quickly. Not many people have enough magazines loaded up for a sustained firefight (Magazines are expensive). On the other hand, you can purchase 100 stripper clips for the price of one magazine. That's a thousand rounds in a more mobile, lighter, smaller format. I can reload a stripper clip faster than a magazine and load a rifle from a stripper clip as fast as a magazine. five people and 200 or 300 clips between them (economically COMPLETELY doable!)? You'd think you stepped into hell itself! I don't care who it is.

[eccvets]

I alot of newbies do some serious doubletakes when they read "IANAL"

I'd ianal you, wait your a chick right?

[Cokebottle]

I'd ianal you, wait your a chick right?

Homey don't play dat

[Dangerous]

I don't agree completely with that. An SKS with 100 or 200, ammo filled strippers would be a formidable weapon against anyone, any place at anytime. Just ask our Vets who were in 'Nam, or anyone who was in Boznia.

Anyone w/a bullet button can remove it fairly quickly. Not many people have enough magazines loaded up for a sustained firefight (Magazines are expensive). On the other hand, you can purchase 100 stripper clips for the price of one magazine. That's a thousand rounds in a more mobile, lighter, smaller format. I can reload a stripper clip faster than a magazine and load a rifle from a stripper clip as fast as a magazine. five people and 200 or 300 clips between them (economically COMPLETELY doable!)? You'd think you stepped into hell itself! I don't care who it is.

3 sks?? 1 will keep heads down for days and days especially with an aggressive shooter and a scared public. remember those east coast sniper a--h---s? that was one rifle and a car and it had the whole coast locked down. guns are way more terrifying to people than the shooting community realizes, which is why we AB692 can be pressed on scared people and pass. remember John Dillinger broke out of jail with a fake pistol??? THAT is how scary guns are.

[Denver]

The so called SHTF would imply, I guess, more than a home defense. Look into Katrina for a very minor version of this. Even a very bad natural disaster means (if you look at katrina) hiding your expensive Carbine from government thugs and using your cheap SG or pistol for looters. If your smart anyway. Many good citizens in N.O. lost their weapons by these thugs going house to house and kicking in doors when they should have been out helping people stranded on rooftops.

You save your Carbine, many 30 round mags, vest, belts, 5000 rounds of ammo, etc for things like complete breakdown in social structure nationwide. Things like multiple pinpoint nuclear hits, government induced crisis on a grand scale, collapse of the dollar(looking more and more possible), and whatnot. Nation wide martial law, suspension of H.C., and the government realizing most of our military and police have taken the side of the citizens the government call's in the U.N.

Then, you should have allot more than one AR-15.

peace

[FeuerFrei]

Shotgun is a good choice of all around defense.
In any imagined SHTF situation, any good reliable weapon will be the right one. Just remember that some guy named "Murphy" and his own set of laws will arrive on scene and jack up your perfect plans anyway.
Get good with all the guns you have and keep thinking "what if...".
Keep it legal and safe.

[dansgold]

The so called SHTF would imply, I guess, more than a home defense. Look into Katrina for a very minor version of this. ...

I would not call Katrina "minor" in a strict sense. It was MAJOR SHTF for those involved, some of whom I know personally.

What was different about Katrina is that is was localized. There were still a lot of places to go, and there was some sense that help would eventually come.

[Denver]

That is exactly the sense I was refering to, "localized". I did not mean to down play it in any other way.

[bakokid]

See now I disagree about needing to reach out like that. I think too often people think that in a SHTF situation that they're going to have to be taking down hoards of people at great distance, but in my book that's no longer self-defense. To me in a real SHTF situation we're not going to be going militant on each other, but trying to survive.

but we dont know what we will face in shtf. if someone does please tell me!!!
like some of tthe others said about red dawn, if ur in that situation ur likely to be in a small group that cant go toe to toe with a larger force. thats where reaching out past most soliders 300-600yrd range and stayin concealed keeps u alive and effective.
best bet is to very ur types of weapons, or go with the most versitile one.

now a saiga 12 with 12rnd clips and 3in shells will clear a street real quick.
12x15pellets in a couple seconds