If you\u2019re unfamiliar with the relative pros and cons of these two long guns for home defense and hunting, then you\u2019re in the right place. We\u2019re going to tell you what you need to know to make an informed decision!<\/p>\n
Shotgun vs. Rifle for Home Defense<\/h2>\n
![\"Firing](\"https:\/\/www.ammoforsale.com\/ammo-club\/media\/DSC2962-Web.jpg\")
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You\u2019re obviously not going to pick a bolt-action hunting rifle for home defense. Sure, it\u2019s more accurate than a semi-auto, but that\u2019s not going to provide an advantage while you\u2019re engaging a threat in close quarters. You also want your next round chambered as quickly as possible. Let\u2019s assume you\u2019re considering an AR-15 for home defense like so many other Americans already employ for that all-important job!<\/p>\n
Power \u2013 Advantage: Shotgun<\/h3>\n
A 12 Gauge shotgun loaded with 00 buck<\/a> (which is the most popular type of shotgun projectile for law enforcement applications, second to slugs) is poised to do a lot more damage to a threat than any 5.56×45 or 223 Rem rifle is capable of. Nine pellets of double-aught (which weigh approximately 484 grains) loaded to a muzzle velocity of 1,600 fps are going to transfer at least 2,600 ft lbs of energy to their target at close range. 223 ammo<\/a> with a 55 grain bullet loaded to a muzzle velocity of 3,240 fps, on the other hand, will deliver about 1,200 ft lbs of energy at the same distance.<\/p>\n In short, a 12 Gauge shell that\u2019s suitable for self-defense deals more than twice the damage of an AR-15 round. Is that overkill? Well, you could argue that overkill is a moot concept when someone means to do you immediate bodily harm. But you do pay a price when you opt for a shotgun\u2019s greater power: heavier recoil.<\/p>\n Recoil energy is largely determined by firearm weight, projectile weight and muzzle velocity. Without diving too deep into the math, it\u2019s reasonable to assume a 12 Gauge shotgun will always subject the shooter to more recoil than an AR-15. A 20 Gauge shotgun will generate less recoil than a 12 Gauge, and it\u2019s still more than powerful enough to quickly neutralize a threat, although it generates greater recoil more the same.<\/p>\n Why is recoil important? Because recoil forces the barrel to rise upward following ignition \u2013 a phenomenon known as \u201cmuzzle rise\u201d or \u201cmuzzle flip.\u201d The heavier a firearm\u2019s recoil, the farther its muzzle is going to jerk upward each time it\u2019s fired. If you fire at and miss a threat that is advancing toward you, you\u2019re going to be in a poor position if heavy recoil has forced your barrel to point up at the ceiling. In short, lining up your next shot is going to take longer with a shotgun as opposed to a rifle!<\/p>\n We have to preface our next point by advising that you should never let a minor operate a firearm unsupervised. That said, if you\u2019re not around during a home invasion and your kid has to take their personal safety into their own hands, you\u2019d much rather they have an AR-15. The rifle\u2019s lower recoil will give them a great advantage as they have an easier time directing rapid, accurate fire at the threat.<\/p>\n Rifles are easier to reload than shotguns. Whereas each shell must be manually loaded into a shotgun\u2019s tubular magazine (or chambers, in the case of a double barrel shotgun), a rifle only requires a quick magazine swap. (Unless it\u2019s a magazine-fed \u201cAR-12\u201d shotgun.) During a high-stress home invasion, a simpler reloading process can make a whole world of difference.<\/p>\n Rifles also have larger capacities than shotguns. Whereas a shotgun typically holds about six rounds, a standard AR-15 magazine holds 30. You would ideally only need to fire one shot to end a dangerous altercation, but things are seldom ideal under such circumstances. During WWII, it was estimated that 45,000 rounds were required to kill one enemy soldier. We\u2019re not suggesting you\u2019ll need that many to stop a home invader, but WWII does demonstrate the importance of having plenty of rounds at the ready.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s do away with a misunderstanding about shotguns. Thanks in no small part to movies and video games, a lot of people think shotguns are magical objects which only have to be aimed in the general direction of a threat before it blows them away with a massive radius of shot.<\/p>\n Not so. A shotgun loaded with 00 buck is going to deliver a cluster of shot about the width of a man\u2019s fist at 10 yards. At 20 yards, that pattern increases in diameter to about 12\u201d.<\/p>\n A cardboard target hit with 12 gauge buckshot<\/p><\/div>\n But a shotgun\u2019s pattern is still far more forgiving of poor aim than a rifle bullet. A 5.56\/223 bullet is .224\u201d in diameter. If you miss the threat by 1\u201d, you\u2019ll miss them altogether. But if you miss the threat by the same distance with a shotgun \u2013 which is realistic during a situation when your blood\u2019s going to be about 90% adrenaline \u2013 you\u2019re still likely to sink at least one or two .33\u201d diameter pellets of 00 buck into the threat.<\/p>\n Of course, with birdshot, you’ll get even greater spread with a shotgun.<\/p>\n 12 gauge birdshot fired into a cardboard target.<\/p><\/div>\n Of course, a shotgun\u2019s spread advantage becomes moot once you load it with slugs, which act more like bullets than clusters of shot.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t take into account how intimidating your firearm is going to appear to the threat. You should only point a firearm at someone if it is reasonable, under those circumstances, to shoot them. Their perception of your firearm is irrelevant at that point.<\/p>\n Some people claim that the iconic \u201cchik-CHAK\u201d of a pump-action shotgun is sufficient to deter someone from harming them. Perhaps. We can certainly see the value of so intimidating a sound from a police officer\u2019s point of view. Another theory, however, holds that it is never wise to inform a threat that you are armed. It gives them invaluable information as to how they ought to proceed if they intend to continue their mission to harm you.<\/p>\n On a side note, it is wise never to make a firearm look more intimidating than it already is. However reasonable your decision to defend yourself may have been, if you wind up in court, the prosecuting attorney is going to consider it a gift if you previously put Punisher skulls on your firearm.<\/p>\n A shotgun offers greater stopping power and a more forgiving spread. An AR-15 offers less recoil, faster reloading and more available shots. But as we said earlier, the firearm you should prefer for home defense ultimately boils down to personal preference.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s shift our focus to a lighter topic: hunting, where your life is never in danger unless you\u2019re going after enormous or vicious animals.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s just get this out of the way: A shotgun is indispensable for bird hunting. Whether you\u2019re going after upland birds like pheasant or grouse or waterfowl like ducks and geese, you need a wide pattern of shot to anchor a small, fast and flying target. (But a 22 LR rifle\u2019s just fine for putting the fear of God into crows that are looking funny at your newly seeded lawn.)<\/p>\n Birds notwithstanding, let\u2019s get into the relative pros and cons of shotguns and rifles for deer hunting. The following points largely apply to other game such as hogs and predators.<\/p>\n Shotguns can cover some distance. A good rifled bore shotgun, which can impart spin and resultant rotational stability to a slug, is able to cover 150 yards with impressive accuracy.<\/p>\n But this achievement pales in comparison to a rifle\u2019s range. The distance a rifle can cover largely depends on (A) the cartridge it\u2019s chambered for, and (B) the skill of the person firing it, but a range of 1,000 yards is not remotely out of the question for many commercially available rifles. The longest confirmed sniper kill was nearly 2.2 miles, and it sure as heck wasn\u2019t done with a 12 Gauge.<\/p>\n The shotgun really shines when you\u2019re hunting in an environment with lots of trees and other plants. If a rifle bullet strikes a twig or a branch, its trajectory is likely to deflect enough to spoil the shot.<\/p>\n A powerful slug, on the other hand, is better equipped to charge right through a twig and keep on going. And if half of a spread of buckshot gets absorbed by a sapling, the other half is still capable of anchoring a whitetail no problem.<\/p>\n Shotguns can easily be 12\u201d shorter than rifles. If a deer suddenly sprints by you, it\u2019s far easier to swing a shorter firearm while lining up a snap shot. Furthermore, if you\u2019re traversing a densely wooded area, you\u2019ll find the journey a whole lot easier while you\u2019re carrying a shorter shotgun. No one feels like a genius when a low hanging tree branch knows their rifle out of their hands!<\/p>\n The amount of power a shotgun puts at your fingertips will exceed that of a rifle chambered for 223 Rem, 22-250, and possibly even 30-30 (the rifle\u2019s greater range notwithstanding). But once you get up into big boy territory \u2013 think 30-06 or 300 Win Mag \u2013 a rifle\u2019s power starts to dwarf that of a shotgun at any range.<\/p>\n It\u2019s important to bring enough gun when you go hunting. As a rough guideline, you should try to put 10 ft lbs of energy into a target for every pound it weighs. You would ideally hit a whitetail with at least 1,000 ft lbs of energy (bearing in mind that a bullet progressively loses energy over the course of its trajectory). Humanely hunting elk calls for a minimum of 1,500 ft lbs of energy. Shot placement does compensate for lower impact energy, however.<\/p>\n Rifles limit what you\u2019re able to hunt. You\u2019d never want to use a 308 Win to hunt squirrel, as that would be the definition of overkill. A lot of hunters consider the 223 Rem too weak for deer hunting at ranges beyond 100 yards. And like we said, if you only have a rifle, the closest you\u2019ll get to hunting ducks will be feeding them bread crumbs at the park.<\/p>\nRecoil \u2013 Advantage: Rifle<\/h3>\n
Reloading and Capacity \u2013 Advantage: Rifle<\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\nSpread \u2013 Advantage: Shotgun<\/h3>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.ammoforsale.com\/ammo-club\/media\/DSC2882-00-BUCK-Shot-Web.jpg\")
![\"12](\"https:\/\/www.ammoforsale.com\/ammo-club\/media\/DSC2888-Bird-Shot-Web.jpg\")
Intimidation Factor \u2013 Irrelevant<\/h3>\n
The Verdict<\/h3>\n
Shotgun vs Rifle for Hunting<\/h2>\n
Shotgun vs Rifle Range \u2013 Advantage: Rifle<\/h3>\n
Hunting in Dense Vegetation \u2013 Advantage: Shotgun<\/h3>\n
Rifle Example Through Brush<\/h4>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.ammoforsale.com\/ammo-club\/media\/AFS-223-Target-Damage-Web.jpg\")
<\/p>\nShotgun Example Through Brush<\/h4>\n
![\"12](\"https:\/\/www.ammoforsale.com\/ammo-club\/media\/AFS-12G-00-BUCK-Target-Damage-Web-1.jpg\")
<\/p>\nManeuverability \u2013 Advantage: Shotgun<\/h3>\n
Power \u2013 Advantage: Depends<\/h3>\n
Versatility \u2013 Advantage: Shotgun<\/h3>\n