Help me decide, shotty or rifle?

Question

Okay... so I'll have roughly $600 to spend (give or take ~$50) in the next few months. I have a few pistols (for defense) but now I want one of two things, a rifle (for fun plinking) or a shotgun (for home defense). I'll eventually have both, but not for a while. And a real-deal 5.56 caliber AR way down the road (this obviously cost a lot more so it will have to wait). 

If you were me... would you get the Smith & Wesson M&P 15-22 MOE version with the Magpul PTS Stock and folding battle sights? OR, would you get the Mossberg 930 SPX??? I do realize that the Mossberg is more expensive (roughly ~$100 more) but I would make the difference up on the M&P 15-22 with accessories like an optic and a vertical foregrip. 

I'm thinking, do I go with the M&P 15-22 for fun shooting with out breaking the bank? I mean, you can buy a ton of .22LR ammo for dirt cheap and I can just imagine the fun in shooting for an extended amount of time at a relative low cost. OR, do I go for a sweet semi-auto shotgun as the Mossberg 930 SPX for power and devastation? I shot my friend's Rem 870 express at the range and it was a lot of fun to shoot too! It's definitely a different experience than shooting my .40 for example. But I know the major downside is that the shells aren't cheap like .22LR. But, the shotgun seems more practical for those just in case situations. 

Dilemmas!!!! PLEASE weigh in your vote and help me decide! 10 Points to the best answer and reasoning behind it.... THANKS! And happy and "safe" shooting! Haha1 day ago - 3 days left to answer.

Jake S · Accepted Answer

Well, you really have to figure out where your priorities are. As you posted, you currently have a couple handguns. Do you feel that these are adequate for home defense? Without knowing this, I would say to go with the shotgun. Shotguns are versatile; you can use them for hunting, clay shooting, home defense, or just shooting **** for fun. If you want a .22 just for plinking, don't spend big bucks on it. You don't seem like you want a match grade .22 at the moment so there's no use in investing a lot in one. You can find one at an extremely affordable price at a gun show; or, go to your local sportsmen's club/ range and check out the flyers posted there. You'll likely find a used .22 on the cheap. In summary: buy the good shotgun, find a cheap .22 and have the best of both worlds.

rmurf6987 · Answer

For $600. Pick up both! 
Pick up a mossberg 500 Cruiser. 12ga. pump with a pistol grip. Costs about $300 or so. It's a blast to tear **** up with that. Would work great as a home defense gun!
 Then pick up the Savage 64 .22, for about $150. Then, if you want something that is a blast to shoot with a .22, try to shoot chickens! Just make sure you know where everyone is, if you do that with people.

Anonymous · Answer

if i were you, at that price i would get a saiga shotgun.

if the gauge matters.. all ive seen on cheaperthan dirt was 410 and 12 gauge but the 12 is out of stock. just get a 410. use slugs if you want more range. and a shotgun is sooo much funner than a rifle. with all the variety of rounds you can use

Mr.357 · Answer

If you want a rifle, you should get a real one like a Ruger 10/22.  A rifle is more fun for me to shoot and the .22 lr ammo is cheaper than shotshells.

Anonymous · Answer

buy a mosin nagant. 100 for the gun, maybe 10-30 for a scope mount. ammo is cheap, around 80-90 for 440 rounds and its basically a 30.06

Help me decide, shotty or rifle?

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