By Major Van Harl USAF Ret
Wisconsin –-(Ammoland.com)- My personal opinion is, if you can only own one firearm it should be a 12ga shotgun.
There are more different types of 12ga shotgun ammunition made than any other gauge of shotgun ammo. You can hunt the smallest to the largest animals with a 12ga shotgun depending on the type of shotgun shells or slugs you are carrying.
If my only firearm was a shotgun I would prefer a well made pump.
The only problem with a pump or semi-auto shotgun is you cannot readily use any of the great inserts that are out there. Shotgun inserts that allow you to shoot other smaller shotgun rounds, rim fire cartridges and center fire cartridges out of your single shot and some double barrel shotguns. If money is an issue there is an excellent way to acquire the ability to have a shotgun and also be able to shoot 22LR, 9mm, 45 Long Colt and 410ga all for less than $300 dollars.
Harrington & Richardson firearms (H&R), has a number of 12ga single shot shotguns that are the best thing on the market in that category. There are only a few moving parts on the shotgun to break, which makes them a great preparedness firearm. It is after all very difficult to find a gunsmith to fix your weapon if the “walkers” have already eaten all of them. Many of the H&R models can be bought new for under $200 and if you haunt the gun shows you still find them for under $150. At the small price of $109.99 there is a well formulated way to greatly enhance your shooting ability and survivability.
Ray Banister, at Short Lane Chamber Adapters (gunadapters.com), has a package deal called the 12ga Pathfinder Adapter Kit. This is a three-insert kit that provides the ability to shoot the above three cartridges and 410 shotgun shells. In time of crisis you have to constantly think about conserving ammunition. Whenever possible you should always engage with 22LR first. It is the cheapest ammo to buy [current shortage noted] and the lightest to carry.
The Pathfinder Kit has a rifled 12ga-22LR insert that you can accurately place shots from your single shot shotgun. I will admit having rifle sights on the shotgun barrel does help improve the process. Because 22LR is the cheapest ammo to buy, be proactive now, even during this current non-crisis time of a man-made 22LR ammunition shortage you need to buy 22LR whenever you can.
9mm ammo is the number one handgun ammunition sold in the world. I am not that big a fan of 9mm but I do understand the logistics of the cartridge. It is everywhere and cost effective compared to any other center fire handgun ammo you could buy.
The kit has a 12ga-9mm rifled insert. Remember 9mm has been used in machine pistols and rifles for over 100 years.
I would not want to get in a firefight with a single shot 9mm rifle/shotgun but a well placed shot just before bugging out may slow down the advancing herd of “walkers”, (what we used to call shoot-n-scoot back in my Infantry days).
The third insert in the kit is a 12ga to 45Long Colt and/or 410 ga. This is the only insert that is not rifled so do not expect great accuracy. In fact the 3E, 45 Long Colt, 255gr Buffalo Bore ammunition (buffalobore.com) I was shooting tended to key-hole into the target. But you know, having 255 grains of lead impact sideways into evil DNA, I would suggest will make worse wound channels than a front on assault. Logistically 45 Long Colt is not always sitting on the shelf of every ammo-selling retail outlet in the country so you have to plan ahead to acquire this cartridge.
Now the same 12ga-45Long Colt insert also allows you to shoots 410 shotgun shells and 410 ammo can be readily found anywhere. Along with 410 shot ammo, 410 slugs can be effectively shot out this insert. In the military when you can take a tactic and add other components to enhance your fighting ability, we call those force multipliers.
By taking a simple to operate firearm, that is simple to teach the non-gun person to shoot, add a Pathfinder Kit which allows you to shoot four other types of ammunition, you have a very effective force multiplier. You may have to teach your liberal, anti-gun brother-in-law how to shoot in order for him to pull midnight guard duty so you can sleep. The easiest thing to train a liberal on who wants to stay alive in time of crisis is a single shot shotgun. The cheapest way to train that same relative is with a 22LR insert to conserve ammo.
Yes even liberal in-laws can be taught to become force multipliers.
Major Van Harl USAF Ret. / vanharl@aol.com
About Major Van Harl USAF Ret.:Major Van E. Harl USAF Ret., a career Police Officer in the U.S. Air Force was born in Burlington, Iowa, USA, in 1955. He was the Deputy Chief of police at two Air Force Bases and the Commander of Law Enforcement Operations at another. He is a graduate of the U.S. Army Infantry School. A retired Colorado Ranger and currently is an Auxiliary Police Officer with the Cudahy PD in Milwaukee County, WI. His efforts now are directed at church campus safely and security training. He believes “evil hates organization.” vanharl@aol.com