Gun Digest Book of Survival Guns

^{This AO AK Sporter supports the standard Kalishnikov bayonet, as does the Century International Arms folding stock variant.}

^{The addition of the M4 bayonet on the M1 Carbine will buy this defender several seconds of time if rushed from close range, allowing him to shoot, create distance, or even thrust with the bayonet. Auto Ordnance M1s pattern early issue Carbines and so do not come with the barrelband bayonet lug in place, although they can be added later.}

^{M4-style carbines produced after the sunset, in 2004, of the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban, such as this DPMS AP4 held by this defender on the left, come equipped with and can mount an M7 or M9 bayonet, just like full-size M16, M16A1s, A2s, A3s, and their semi-auto counterparts.}

CHAPTER SIX Shotguns, a Top Choice for CQB (CLOSE-QUARTER BATTLE)

The shotgun has merit as one of your survival weapons, although I wouldn’t want it to be the only one available in the civil disorder scenarios we are talking about. For most wilderness survival, farm and ranch utility duties, or home-defense situations it is an outstanding tool, and you could do just fine if it was the only weapon you had for those purposes. It can be useful, too, during civil chaos, and while it shouldn’t stand unsupported, it is a good mid-range and close-quarter battle (CQB) weapon in many situations. Of course, if it is the only weapon you have or can afford, like so many other things in life, you make due. Having a shotgun for defense is certainly better than throwing back the rocks hurled at you by the mob that wants to tear you and your family apart.

^{You’re looking at the main reason the shotgun, in this case a 12-gauge Mossberg 590A1, is still a viable weapon—the .72-caliber hole it makes. This is a view no attacker wants to see.}

Many of you don’t remember this, but short-barreled shotguns, starting with the 1897 Winchester pump, used to be known as a “riot” shotguns, terminology I’ll use here for this weapon type. This was back in the day when it was still alright for cops to shoot lead pellets (rather than rubber), at people who were causing mass property destruction and injury to others. Today things are different, and not necessarily for the better. Civilians today are preparing for a time when those situations won’t be happening in a far off city or to unoccupied businesses. It will be happening to us, everywhere and in every corner of the country, not just the big cities, and there won’t be any cops around, myself included, to drive those looters off with rubber bullets, tear gas, and water cannons.

There is only one type of shotgun that should be selected for the task of riot gun and that is the pump. The pump gun is simple, fast, reliable, and can digest any ammo of the proper gauge and length you can find. The semi-auto is much more complex to operate, more expensive, and more likely to be sensitive to different power levels within a gauge range. Too, other than the recoil-operated Benelli shotguns, the majority of semi-autos will require more maintenance and cleaning to continue their functionality. That is why police agencies never went to semi-auto duty shotguns en masse and limited their issue to specialized units like S.W.A.T.

The riot shotgun should be of the type termed the “tactical shotguns,” which I cover extensively in my book The Gun Digest Guide to Tactical Shotguns. The barrel length should ideally be 18 inches. A 20-inch barrel will also work, but 18 is best. Twelve- or 20-gauge models are the gauges that will work best. Leave the .410-bore out—it simply doesn’t have enough longer-range power for riot duty outside the home. The 20-gauge has more than enough power but with less recoil than the 12-gauge, which means faster follow-up shots. Don’t worry about needing a flash suppressor or compensator on the barrel in either gauge. You or another selected user should be able to handle one without compensation, and if that’s not possible, then get a different weapon. Also, don’t worry about going through all the BATFE paperwork and obtaining the NFA tax stamp for a shorter-barreled version. You lose too much in terms of ballistics by going shorter than 18 inches.

The bore should be choked Cylinder or Improved Cylinder. Don’t waste money on a gun with an interchangeable choke system. Those are for sporting use and, in addition to racking up the cost, mean parts that can be lost or, worse yet, used with the wrong type of ammo. It would be a bad thing to shoot rifled slugs through a shotgun wearing a Full choke, for instance.

The riot shotgun should have a tough protective coating, Parkerizing or some sort of matte finish, and be a model in common use by our military or civilian police forces. A quality riot gun made by a recognized manufacturer is not that expensive compared to most AR-15s. Don’t try and skimp by purchasing a bargain basement model from a questionable overseas source for your long-range survival needs. It won’t hold up to the tasks you’re going to ask of it. Do not, I repeat, do not get a shorty pistol grip-only shotgun without a buttstock. A folding stock is okay and is useful for defending yourself from inside a vehicle, but don’t forgo a buttstock altogether.

Let’s talk a little bit about the pros and cons of the riot shotgun for survival use.

Top on the pros list is that the riot shotgun is at its best when used for mid-range and close-quarter defense of one’s home, shelter, or vehicle, from about 25 yards and closer in to what I call “eye-gouging distance.” The effects of being hit by multiple large pellets at the same time at the ranges I’ve just described are documented and legendary. In fact, few other civilian legal weapons are as effective. The only conventional weapons likely more effective are full-auto bursts fired from submachine guns or military rifles like the AK-47 or M16.

^{The shotgun still has a place as a CQB or mid-range weapon. Here the rear guard is armed with the excellent Mossberg 590A1, a Mil-Spec shotgun with adjustable stock.}

These are versatile guns. The riot shotgun can be loaded with 00 Buckshot for defense against large angry mobs or large angry animals, or with field/hunting loads for use in the emergency taking of small game. Indeed, my riot shotgun became a standby weapon after I found my neighbors were keeping two female lions in the house I rented to them next door (yes, you read that right). Until they moved out, I kept one with me often when letting out my dogs and my wife’s guide dog. Plus, at least when it comes to people, the large bore and the sound of the pump’s action being operated have always been intimidating to the bad guys. It shows you mean business.

Speaking of versatility, shotgun ammo is absolutely universally available in both 12- and 20-gauge chamberings, some would say in an extreme of variety, and even in areas of the U.S. under the most stringent gun control. Buckshot of various sizes, birdshot of various sizes, rifled slugs, sabot slugs, duplex loads, signal flare rounds, less-lethal rubber pellets, and projectile-free stun rounds are readily available at retail shops and through specialty outlets online. There are even low-recoil shotgun rounds available in both buckshot and slug offerings.

Stay away from the really bizarre rounds, such as chain and flechette rounds. These projectiles are unpredictable in flight (part of their charm) and are usually made of steel, so it is possible to ruin your bore with them. Truthfully, there is really nothing that can be done to make the shotgun more effective than it already is when used with standard round lead pellets—and there certainly is not enough of an improvement to warrant the extra expense or risk in using exotic loads. If you were to shoot someone with those exotic rounds now, in our current pre-collapse days, you will face some hard questions in court, such as “What made you feel that a standard loading of 00 Buckshot wasn’t deadly enough for your home- and personal-defense? Were you really defending yourself or were you seeking revenge by trying to cause undue pain, mutilate, or even torture someone?” Imagine yourself or your lawyer trying to explain away that kind of inquisition. Even anti-gun folks know the reputation of the shotgun, and even if that reputation is full of Hollywood inaccuracies, you will be in a bad way on the witness stand. Stay conventional.