Which gun is more powerful?

Question

Which gun is more powerful and deadly from 0-15 yards away. A 12 gauge pump shotgun or a S&W 500 Magnum?

Answer 1

the 12 gauge with 3 inch magnum slugs would be better bear medicine.

Note, the other posters who are hesitant about buckshot are correct, but let's compare the two for a second

500 SW

Bore size: 0.50

Projectile weight: 400gr

Energy at the muzzle: 2492 ftlbs

Availability of ammo: Very limited

12 guage 3 inch 'buckhammer' slugs

Bore size: 0.729

Projectile weight: 600gr roughly

Energy at Muzzle: 3200 ftlbs

Availabilty of ammo: High

Answer 2

The 12ga hands down. Don't fall into the bigger is better deal either. If you want something for personal or Home defense the most powerful is not always optimal. The 12ga is great for both if you are going for home defense then you want max penetration  and not max power. You don't want a round that will completely go through someone. That is too dangerous in an urban area. The 12ga in most brands avail as a pistol grip or can have an after market pistol grip installed easily.  

Answer 3

The 12 gauge with 00 buck much more deadly.  

Answer 4

Both will get the job done, but a 12 gauge pump shooting heavy foster slugs is likely to be easier to use and more controllable.

Answer 5

Provided you're using slugs, the shot-gun.

That's over an ounce of lead at 1400 FPS.

No pistol can match that.

Answer 6

12 guage.  The model 500 is good for hunting large game, but its a pistol.  No pistol in the world can beat a long gun.

the 00 buck is the best load, but if your going for a solid piece of lead, a 12 guage slug is about a 73 caliber piece of metal.

Answer 7

Go with the shotgun with slugs, stay away from the buckshot, its great for goblins in your home at night but its not for stopping pissed off mama bear. Not even the 1 oz slug will neccessarily drop a grizzly bear, but there arent very many rounds that will do as much damage to a target at those ranges as the slug will.

Answer 8

Ballistically the 12gauge is almost worthless against a grizzly, if you are trying to kill the bear.  A look at the numbers shows a tiny amount of energy per pellet in buckshot, at 3200 ft/lb total.  Which adds up to about 355lb/ft at 9 pellets, of muzzle energy.  With a slug, you get roughly 3100 lb/ft of muzzle energy at the muzzle.  Keep in mind that you lose tremendous velocity, thus energy, as your target gets further from the muzzle.  

A big-bore pistol like the .500s&w is going to give you around 2500lb/ft energy, with a .440 grain bullet that outweighs a shotgun slug by a lot, while sustaining it's energy at great distances.

The pistol will be much more portable, and easier to have on hand.  You won't want to carry a 12 gauge while walking the back forty, or working on your yard.  The pistol fits in a holster or a tool box.

Buckshot is not an effective bear option, slugs are ineffective to a novice shotgunner because they require great modifications to a bird gun to fire accurately.  The pistol will shoot "straight", right out of the box.  You wil will have to zero the slug gun.

I would go with the pistol for convenience; convenience will encourage you to keep the gun around; the shotgun will encourage laziness, thus, you may not have it when you need it.  In addition, the 500 mag gives you the ability to hit the aggressor a lot further away, with much more energy and penetration than the shotgun.  At 15 yards that shotgun is a ballistic dog; the pistol is a ballistic champ.  Energy, energy, energy...  I would get both; if I had to pick one, it would be the pistol.

Good luck; you're asking the right questions.