Seems a lot of people gained their tactical knowledge from the movies especially when it comes to shotguns. I’ve seen it all over the Internet. Folks state the big advantage of a shotgun is there is no need to aim. Just point in the general direction and destroy your target. For far too many this fallacy is used as common knowledge.
Multi-projectile ammunition such as bird and buckshot do provide an advantage as precise shot placement is not as critical compared to rifle and pistol rounds. Yes – the projectile spread from a shotgun increases covering more target area as distance grows from the shooter, however, it’s not an “aim in the general direction” situation. For common cylinder bore defensive shotguns the spread of most loads average around .5″ – 1.0″ per yard. This means that at a living room distance of 15 feet the spread would max out around 3-4 inches. Yes – a concerted effort must be made to aim.
One of the major benefits of the shotgun is the sheer devasting power and the massive variety of loads available for all kinds of purposes. Bird hunting, defense, deer hunting, turkeys – there are tons of loads with different projectiles. Variety is the spice of life, right?
What’s important is to test your own equipment and loads to see how your specific ammunition and shotguns pattern together.
BTW – this is my Mossberg Shockwave. Love this thing. I use mini-shells in it almost exclusively.
Rourke
John, absolutely correct, it is a shotgun, not a cannon with grape shot.