The last advantage I’ll mention should be obvious to everyone, but just in case, know that a quality, combat-ready shotgun is priced far lower than nearly any brand new AR. This is regardless of make.
Now for the downside. While I said before that one of the riot gun’s greatest assets was its effectiveness at short range (under 25 yards), it’s that same range that is also it’s biggest disadvantage. The one small exception to this is with the use of sabot rounds (which contain a sub-caliber projectile housed in a sabot, or plastic “shoe”), which can extend the shotgun’s effective range, due to their higher velocity when compared to bore-diameter rifled slugs. This advantage is small. Sabot’s still require a rifled barrel to shoot to their accuracy and distance potential, and a rifled barrel ruins the versatility of the shotgun, as it inhibits the patterning of shot rounds compared to the same run through a smoothbore.
Let’s talk about some other forms of ammo and their limitations. Out of smoothbore riot gun barrels, buckshot runs out of serious steam around 40 yards. Accuracy potential from rifled slugs is limited to not much past 100 yards. This keeps the shotgun limited in use against longer-range threats and defines why a shotgun alone should not be the only firearm in your survival armory.
The next most significant weakness of the standard shotgun is the magazine capacity. Riot gun capacity is generally limited to a maximum of eight rounds or less in the magazine tube, unless you attach some huge competition magazine system. That’s fine, but such add-ons hamper the portability of the weapon and can make the firearm unwieldy. The exception to this issue might be the 14-round Kel-Tec KSG pump. A bullpup design with twin under-barrel magazine tubes, the KSF is extremely compact. It is also a brand new design, not one adapted from sporting weapons, such as are nearly every one of today’s tactical shotguns. It may provide the solution to the limited capacity issue. I’ve never handled or fired one, but reviews seem to be favorable. What I don’t know about is the long-term endurance of this weapon under hard use. Until there is proof of its durability, I’d stick with a conventional tactical pump with an eight-round magazine—and eight at the very most, as six is really more ideal—and practice your loading/reloading technique until you have it down to a smooth, nearly automatic drill. Also add in training drills where you transition from an empty shotgun to a high-capacity pistol or other weapon until you can get your shotgun reloaded. You will need a sling for your weapon to accomplish this technique successfully; you don’t want to drop it while you’re working with another firearm.
Top Shotgun Picks
There are a lot of very good to excellent tactical shotguns that make good riot guns, and I worked with a large number of the best for my Tactical Shotgun book. I won’t rehash all the choices that are possible here, since not all of them are at their best for riot gun-type duty. Instead I will give you my top three personal picks for survival shotguns. Note that none of them have pistol grips, which I feel reduce pointability and slow deployment.
First up is the Ithaca Model 37 Defense Gun in either the four- or eight-shot model and with the genuine walnut stock. Walnut has been used successfully far longer than synthetics for military rifle stocks, and its durability is well tested. These Model 37s I am talking about are real Ithacas (not a foreign-made knock-off), one manufactured in Upper Sandusky, Ohio, on CNC machinery and with hand craftsmanship at a very reasonable price. The Model 37 was the favorite of the LAPD and NYPD, to name a few. Its solid-frame design allows only one entry point for dirt, as well as for loading and unloading of shells. The one I have is equipped with the simplest, or “riot,” gun sight, that being a single brass bead. Marbles brand adjustable sights with light gathering tubes are available, as well. While the bead is quite visible in low light, simple to use, quick to acquire, and nearly indestructible, it won’t give you the long-range precision with slugs that you might want.
The 12-gauge version of the Model 37 weighs in at a very light seven pounds, while the 20-gauge weighs in at 6.5. The Defense shotgun is coated in a protective matte coating that has a slight greenish caste. As such it is very well camouflaged in rural and urban settings. When I tested it with some members of my former sheriff’s office, who were accustomed to Remington 870s—the standard in police and sporting pump shotguns—with full pistol-grip stocks, they loved the light weight and pointability. Overall, this is an affordable, battle-proven (in both military and law enforcement street combat), classic that will serve you well.
Next up is the Mossberg 590A1 with an M4 collapsible stock. The A1 is the military-issue version of the storied Mossberg 500 and has only recently been made available to the civilian public. This shotgun worked out for me better than any other I tested for my Tactical Shotgun book. If I was going strictly on ergonomics alone, this would be my No. 1 pick.
While the 590A1 is available in several variations, the one with the collapsible M4 stock works best for me. I suffer from a deterioration of mobility in my shoulders, the result of teaching police defensive tactics for some 20-plus years. The damage has caused me to lose a great deal of normal flexibility, which translates into me having difficulty handling rifles and shotguns whose length of pull (the distance from the butt to the receiver) is on the long side. It seems like there are a lot of shotguns out there that way, but this isn’t one of them.
I shoot all my M4-stocked guns, rifles and shotguns, as I learned to from my combat-hardened friends in the Army Special Forces (specifically the Green Berets), with the stock all the way closed, body armor or no body armor. My nose is close to touching the charging handle on the left side. (Okay, in a rifle, for a caliber heavier than 5.56, I use a little more extension to avoid getting smacked in the face). I keep the Mossberg locked down like that, and because of that, it is very quick to the target for me.
One of the other cool things about the M4 stock is that the stock is not in a direct line with the barrel. It actually slopes down from the receiver. This has the effect of mitigating felt recoil. Also, because the stock can be collapsed down, the 5901A1 would be a great shotgun to travel with—and if you really want to shorten it for low-profile transportation, dismount the barrel.
Beyond the personal ergonomics, the 590A1 is rock solid, with Mil-Spec reliability. My version has non-adjustable rifle sights (actually, they’re more like pistol sights, three-dot, in fact), which shoot dead on and are impossible to mess up. According to the Mossberg online catalog, the company is no longer offering these sights, the choices now being between bead and ghost ring peep sights.