BATTLE OF THE BOOMSTICKS

Whether your objective is getting back to your family after a large-scale event throws the local population into chaos and anarchy or fending off a home invader in the middle of the night, when it comes to close-range combat, there are few weapons more formidable than a shotgun. It's hard to surpass the simultaneous injection of eight .33-caliber pellets at 1,500 fps or a one-ounce piece of lead at 1,200 fps.

While the shotgun is a platform that’s often unaffected by the Draconian laws meant to specifically target ARs, it has always had three major limiting factors: accuracy, range, and ammunition capacity. The accuracy issue has been mitigated through better barrel and ammunition technology over the years, and range isn’t a big issue when we’re talking about close-quarters confrontations, leaving ammunition capacity as the major concern for many users. Fortunately, several manufacturers have recognized this shortcoming and have begun building guns that combine the benefits of the defensive scattergun with a double-digit shell count.