Assuming you hit your target. Missed shots will go through lots of walls. You can reduce that tendency by using soft point bullets instead of FMJ.

 

In .223/5.56, most softpoint rounds will provide twice the penetration of both barriers and animal compared to FMJ because most softpoints are designed to stay in one piece and retain nearly 100% of mass. The ball ammo, in contrast, breaks up due to very high velocity and weak construction in this caliber.

HD ammo for an AR... Hornady VMAX 55gr.

Don't waste your money on a shotgun unless you plan on using it for something fun, like trap shooting or hunting. Otherwise it's just gonna collect dust. Sure, you can take it out to the range, fire a few rounds of buckshot through it... but it's a shotgun...

 

ARs are more fun.

 

This is why I have an AR and no shotgun. I just don't see me shooting a shotgun or having any fun with it.

If you like Trap, Skeet, or Sporting Clays then get a shotgun first. If you don't do any of them, then get the AR first. I have found that people either love shotgun sports or they don't care for them, not too many in-between.

 

A shotgun is pretty useless as a plinking gun, an AR can fill your afternoon.

 

Me, I have many shotguns, no AR's, though I do have an AK-type rifle.

I have both and I shoot the shotguns way more than the ARs.

OP already said he was going for the AR.

 

/thread

Good choice on the AR. A shotgun will show up eventually. Think about this, if cars were equal in price to guns, what would you get? I know some guns cost more than cars. Let's just say they went for about $1000.00, how many cars would you have? I see within two years an H1, Chevy heavy duty pick up, absolutely one muscle car that spews gasoline and sounds like Odin farting, might pick up a used Delorean for a safe Queen, an old VW bug that you can set your points with a match book cover, a beemer so I could show my in-laws I'm taking good care of their daughter, and always keep my eye out for something else.

 

Why do you need all those cars ? I don't, I just like them. ( end of sentance, end of rationalizing, end of story )

I have both and I shoot the shotguns way more than the ARs.

 

Shotgun is more fun. That being said, I don't shoot it as much. I need to buy my own launcher.

 

Best of both worlds

 

Lol, that's great!