That's IRL and in video games. Left 4 Dead, Resident Evil, you name it. If there's a shotgun in it, I'm happy. IRL 12 gauge shotguns are just great. I haven't had a 10 gauge before, but would love to shoot one. The most powerful shotgun I've ever used was a semi-automatic 12 gauge with holds 5 rounds and one in the chamber. While likely to jam, when you could get off all 6, it pretty much was the end of whatever was infront of you. So if the economy gets bad enough to the point where you need protecting your property with deadly force, you know what I'll be using. One thing though, in video games... they really over emphasize the spread range of a shotgun blast. Even shooting a sawed off barrel shotgun doesn't reach the blast radius of what video games like to show a shotgun will cover.

Anyway, the whole reason I bring this up is there was a game called Crimsonland. And one of the best weapons in that game was an Auto Shotgun. No, not like Left 4 Dead's auto shotgun. That thing was semi-auto. In Crimsonland, it was fully automatic. And it was awesome. I was like, man... what if such a weapon exsisted.

It does... The AA12.

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/mu965sVymMs&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/mu965sVymMs&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/hhstuvzMiB0&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/hhstuvzMiB0&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

I'm honestly not as southern as most the freaking rednecks and country bumpkins out here, but that's enough to make this Arkansan squee.

f*ckin' redneck. An assault rifle or a sniper rifle is more intriguing than a shotgun.

Guns are the weapons of cowards and lazy people.

Thereisaidit

But also LIVE people... ^_^

a crowbar can just as easily crush a zombie's skull as a shotgun.. and you're less likely to miss... even if you do have to be closer. it's all down and dirty on crowbar island.

I'm really liking RE5's shotguns.

In real life, what would you use it for?

The way I see it, if you have a need to shoot weapons on a regular basis then there's something clearly wrong with your life and you should consider thinking it over.

If you're just a hobbyist, then the only reason I can picture you enjoying guns is because you get a kick out of holding in your hands something that causes destruction.
So what? Anyone holding that same thing can cause that same destruction. Shooting things is fun, but that's it.

I agree with you for the most part. I don't consider using guns a hobby by any stretch of the imagination. But it's fun to think about if I was in a war, what I would want to keep on my person as a form of fire-arms. And I don't say that to make it sound like war is fun... because it's not. But I also like to think what it would be like to be in a zombie apocalypse too. And videos games.

As long as you are not shooting at animals (including other people), shooting guns is a perfectly reasonably release akin to using a punching bag or blowing up stuff in a video game. It can also be skillful as an art form (like any 'unneccessary' art form done for the love of it rather than some pragmatic use) although admittedly the more automatic, the closer the range, and the greater power per shot, the less skill involved.

Actually, unlike most the southern people over my way, I really don't like hunting. My dad took me when I was rather yound, shot a deer, and did all that mess, and I really just didn't like it. But I did enjoy all the target practice. I don't like a good deal of southern style things like hunting, fishing, mudding, rodeos, all that mess.

That's what I meant. I don't see shooting as much more than a way to release tension, or to get a kick out of destroying things.

Although I guess it could be treated as an art form. Though if I were to spend time and energy perfecting my skill with something, I believe I'd prefer the alternative that would reward me the most.
How about archery? It's an extremely deep science/philosophy/way of life back in Japan. Like... Ikebana. And flower vase making.

I can put five shots in a nickel at 100 yards, which is pretty good.
I can also strike a metal pole with an arrow when I get bored of targets, which is also pretty good.

That being said, Gnash, I don't distinguish between them.
I see your distinctions as primarily arbitrary and ill-informed.
I find the same Zen, the same moments of clarity, and the same joy in skill in guns as I do in bows and arrows.
There is just as little practicality to archery-for-the-sake-of-archery as there is to riflery-for-the-sake-of-riflery.

In the hunting I've done, I've hunted with both, and found them each unique and equal in demand and challenge.
The gun is much condemned these days, but I don't have to like something to recognize the admirable qualities in it.
And I, pretty much, like guns, if it's still possible to say that in this world without bringing a storm of sh*t on one's self.

Bo - What in the world is wrong with hunting?

@N.L.Y.

I didn't say anything was wrong with hunting, I said not to shoot animals. In other words, why not prepare your gear, wake up early, drive into the woods, stake your spot or track your animal, use skill, enjoy the beauty, enjoy the outdoors, enjoy the moment, and when you have that animal in your sights, take a photograph of it, frame that photograph and proudly display it where you live?

That would be a nice reply, if it wasn't a dodge.

I ask, then, in your specific terms, what in the world is wrong with shooting animals?

It wasn't a dodge at all. I separate hunting, i.e. the process of stalking, waiting, positioning, etc., from killing. I'm sorry if you don't.

So yes, if what you were concerned all along about is what is wrong with killing animals, then why not ask that in the first place? Now that you have, I'll address it briefly here as I don't want to get too off topic here (you could create another topic if you want).

I see the killing of animals as the causing of suffering. I see the unnecessary killing of animals as the unnecessary causing of suffering. Who decides whether killing an animal is necessary or not? We all do, and if we find that we will not significantly suffer by designating some of our behavior as unnecessary, then we have motivation to stop the particular unnecessary behaviors that cause suffering, like killing animals for instance.

I think that's a tad far-fetched, but I had no interest in striking up debate. I just wanted to hear your reasoning.

And yes, it pretty much was a dodge. You understood perfectly what I meant, and responded to something else which fit your own agenda.

In any case.
I was never a fan of shotguns outside of some skeet.

Congrats on your skills, man.



Yeah, they're mostly arbitrary. I find bows to be more charming than guns, by far. Because of beauty. Not only the weapon but most importantly the form of proper archery is beautiful. In comparison, I find shooting guns looks more vulgar.
I did read a tiny book called "Zen and the Art of Archery" (that's what the translation was called here). I recommend it, it's really good – great to overcome the large misinformation around Zen that we have.