One tool that should be a part of your survival arsenal is a pump-action shotgun. It’s like a Swiss Army knife of firearms because it’s incredibly useful in many different situations. Let’s dive into why having one just makes sense.
1. Super Useful in Many Situations: A pump-action shotgun can do a lot of things. It can shoot different types of shells with varying payloads, like ones for hunting small animals, protecting yourself, and even for large game. This flexibility means the pump-action shotgun can fill many roles.
2. It’s Simple and Reliable: In a tough situation, you want something easy to use and that won’t break down. The pump-action shotgun is perfect for this. It doesn’t have many parts, so there’s less that can go wrong. The pump-action shotgun has proven to be extremely dependable and reliable.
3. Great for Close-Range Defense: Imagine you’re in a situation where you have to defend yourself up close. While the shotgun does need to be aimed, when shooting buckshot or birdshot the payload spreads over distance making it favorable if aiming is not as precise.
4. Easy to Find Ammo: The 12 gauge shotgun is one of the most popular firearms in the United States. With that popularity comes a massive amount of ammunition available in sporting goods stores, hunting shops, and gun shops across the country.
5. Perfect for Hunting: The shotgun is an awesome hunting tool. Due to the diverse loads available with the 12 gauge game like small birds and animals can be taken as well as larger game such as deer.
So, a pump-action shotgun is like a set of multipliers in your survival kit. It can do many things, it’s simple to use, great for close defense, and can be used for hunting. A pump-action shotgun is a good choice to include in your preparedness system.
I have several shotguns but the one that stays out of the safe for home defense is the Mossberg 500 Mariner with 8 shot mag tube and a polymer stock with a two round magazine built into each side so I can face a threat with 13 rounds (one in the chamber) onboard by simply picking up the weapon. I have it loaded with #4 shot at all times. I’ve put thousands of shells through it over the years and it has been nothing but reliable. The marinecoat finish was a great feature when the storm surge flood from Hurricane Ian hit me a year ago. The gun was unfazed by the saltwater.