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I saw this video pop up in my feed one day and though I mostly agree on the points raised in that video, I noticed it overlooked one crucial thing and it wasn't even mentioned. The best militia rifle... Isn't actually a rifle...
It's a shotgun.
That's right. The humble (preferably at least pump-action) 12-gauge shotgun. So often overlooked in ridiculous weapon bans, extremely reliable (assuming they're not semi-auto shotguns), very easy to maintain, incredibly easy to use for a beginner, extremely common ammunition, of which, the shells can even be reloaded using homemade black powder, extreme versatility in ammunition, being able to fire anything from buckshot to slugs to your mama's crusty hot-dog dinner, will shoot down some drones, can be used to blow most locks off doors, and finally, has incredible ease of aiming for a beginner. At close enough ranges, the shells pack enough power to where body armor stops mattering, and beginners will have a comparatively very hard time screwing up the gun in the field. If the shell can fit into the chamber, the barrel is clear of obstructions, and the trigger drops the hammer, the weapon will fire. Every time. And as to finding shotguns, even the military still uses them to an extent, and there is also over a century's worth of shotguns in the US. Yeah, we ain't gonna be running out of them anytime soon.
Now let's talk about the problems. For one, the gun doesn't hold nearly as many rounds as the rifle and not many shells, again, comparatively speaking, can be carried on one's person. Also, if the shotgun isn't mag-fed, reloads will be slow. And finally, shotguns simply don't have the range at all that a rifle will have. But I have counterpoints for all of these.
When it comes to the smaller round count compared to a rifle, one really needs to keep in mind that unless you're firing slug rounds at personnel (don't do that), even standard 00 buckshot will have NINE pellets in it per shell. So for a standard 6-round tube magazine, that's 54 pellets in total and 9 pellets of that is being discharged with each shot. And let's say you have a meager group of three people with shotguns. With three of them firing just one shell at once, they, in that moment, just discharged 27 9mm-sized pellets upon a target in an instant. And only one of those pellets needs to hit. That is nasty. And demoralizing for the enemy! Being shot at is never a fun time, but try hearing three booms with 27 pellets zooming at you and your squad at once with a SINGLE volley!
The reloads being slow without a mag-fed shotgun is offset somewhat by the fact that the gun can be fired at any time mid-reload. Mossberg shotguns especially are great as there is no spring-loaded loading gate you need to push down on to load a shell in. And in an incredibly intense situation like a firefight, you need every advantage you can get. By making sure you're topping up your shells while firing, you can ensure that the reload delays are kept to a minimum.
And for the range issue, let's face it. Most of your recruits are not gonna be marksmen. If they are, they'll probably have their own rifles and ammo anyway. The shotgun actually gives your troops a much greater chance to hit than they would with a rifle. As to sniping, you're not gonna be doing that with 5.56 either. At the ranges most of your troops will be in, the shotgun should suit them brilliantly.
That's right. The humble (preferably at least pump-action) 12-gauge shotgun. So often overlooked in ridiculous weapon bans, extremely reliable (assuming they're not semi-auto shotguns), very easy to maintain, incredibly easy to use for a beginner, extremely common ammunition, of which, the shells can even be reloaded using homemade black powder, extreme versatility in ammunition, being able to fire anything from buckshot to slugs to your mama's crusty hot-dog dinner, will shoot down some drones, can be used to blow most locks off doors, and finally, has incredible ease of aiming for a beginner. At close enough ranges, the shells pack enough power to where body armor stops mattering, and beginners will have a comparatively very hard time screwing up the gun in the field. If the shell can fit into the chamber, the barrel is clear of obstructions, and the trigger drops the hammer, the weapon will fire. Every time. And as to finding shotguns, even the military still uses them to an extent, and there is also over a century's worth of shotguns in the US. Yeah, we ain't gonna be running out of them anytime soon.
Now let's talk about the problems. For one, the gun doesn't hold nearly as many rounds as the rifle and not many shells, again, comparatively speaking, can be carried on one's person. Also, if the shotgun isn't mag-fed, reloads will be slow. And finally, shotguns simply don't have the range at all that a rifle will have. But I have counterpoints for all of these.
When it comes to the smaller round count compared to a rifle, one really needs to keep in mind that unless you're firing slug rounds at personnel (don't do that), even standard 00 buckshot will have NINE pellets in it per shell. So for a standard 6-round tube magazine, that's 54 pellets in total and 9 pellets of that is being discharged with each shot. And let's say you have a meager group of three people with shotguns. With three of them firing just one shell at once, they, in that moment, just discharged 27 9mm-sized pellets upon a target in an instant. And only one of those pellets needs to hit. That is nasty. And demoralizing for the enemy! Being shot at is never a fun time, but try hearing three booms with 27 pellets zooming at you and your squad at once with a SINGLE volley!
The reloads being slow without a mag-fed shotgun is offset somewhat by the fact that the gun can be fired at any time mid-reload. Mossberg shotguns especially are great as there is no spring-loaded loading gate you need to push down on to load a shell in. And in an incredibly intense situation like a firefight, you need every advantage you can get. By making sure you're topping up your shells while firing, you can ensure that the reload delays are kept to a minimum.
And for the range issue, let's face it. Most of your recruits are not gonna be marksmen. If they are, they'll probably have their own rifles and ammo anyway. The shotgun actually gives your troops a much greater chance to hit than they would with a rifle. As to sniping, you're not gonna be doing that with 5.56 either. At the ranges most of your troops will be in, the shotgun should suit them brilliantly.
