Rifles or Shotguns

[Gared]

I want to hear an updated opinion on the topic
Reddit and Steam discussion are a bit dated now and inconclusive

I'm thinking about specializing on either rifles or shotguns.
Looking at the ammo info within the game, shotguns look more versatile, because shots allow hunting across the board from 1 to 9 ranks.. What's the catch?

Thank you

[Ulf]

Shotguns have much more limited range and they are also bugged currently.

Also the only shotgun ammo ethical for class 9 is the new 10GA Slug. Or the Grelck, but that one uses the 9.3x74R rifle ammo.

[Vompattimies]

Rifles have an advantage because of the range and penetration. You should still take some of the shotgun skill tree perks since they help with recoil management etc. You can try carrying both a rifle and a shotgun and see which one feels better for you.

[Gared]

If the rifles are better, why use shotguns at all?

[Gared]

I mean, they are cool and everything, but practically speaking?

[Machin Shin]

rifles allt he way, shotguns just for fun,
but i use shotguns primary for small animals like foxes and rabbits and ducks

on larger animals you want to shoot from 50 to 150 at best to get a good angle, and with shootguns you should shoot below 50

[naspa]

Why use shotguns?

That is very easy to answer.
For close range hunting they are very good. They are perfect for self defense as well when going in bushes with swines or buffs - but you could take a handgun as well.
They have one advantage over handguns: using buck and bird shot you are more likely to kill fast moving small animals (even multiple of them).

[Gared]

These are all a very good answers, thank you

What about slugs? Are they kind of like rifle bullets?

[Vompattimies]

Originally posted by Arkendight:

These are all a very good answers, thank you

What about slugs? Are they kind of like rifle bullets?

Not quite, they have a bit more range than the buckshot, but not even close to rifles. I tried to shoot a moose with the new 10 gauge slug and I only got one lung. Might have been a poor angle though, but with an appropriate rifle you could have gotten both lungs. Slugs work quite nicely on some not as tanky animals as the moose but you gotta be somewhat close.

[naspa]

Yes, slugs are like big rifle bullets, doing massive damage to the animals.
I am very happy with the Cacciatore filled with 6 slugs when being attacked by a pack of wolves.
I remove the scope and start pumping for survival.

And there you have maybe your last answer why to use shotguns: they are very versatile. Only thing is that they no good for longer ranges. Than rifles have far more reach and precision.

Only thing is: do not forget to switch amo. It did happen to me that I had to kill a bear or moose by letting them bleed out with a dozen of birdshots :-)

[Kaned Dragon]

My current load out is a rifle / shotgun and bow. The rabbits, birds and lynx / foxes, in dense foliage when you can hear them but can't see them. The shotguns are the best, and with the 3 different ammo type, they are very versatile. The bows are great for silent kills. Ever been stalking something or waiting for it to show itself, and some roe / white / musk deer just walks up to you out of nowhere, that's where the bow can help, get an insta kill and sometimes the surrounding animals won't get spooked. At this point the rifles are great, good selection for your needs. Something for anything.

So both! Always have a shotgun. Then spend ages deciding which rifle your gonna take out,,,,,,unless your pure rifle.

[yogisgoat]

@[B)]Vompattimies

The 10 gauge is bugged for me at the moment. I've shot 6 moose at less then 20m and never got better than single lung. One of them was broadside at 8m and still only single lung. At that range this cannon should take even a moose off it's feet.

[Ice_King]

Originally posted by Steph:

Shotguns have much more limited range and they are also bugged currently.

Also the only shotgun ammo ethical for class 9 is the new 10GA Slug. Or the Grelck, but that one uses the 9.3x74R rifle ammo.

Originally posted by yogisgoat:

@[B)]Vompattimies

The 10 gauge is bugged for me at the moment. I've shot 6 moose at less then 20m and never got better than single lung. One of them was broadside at 8m and still only single lung. At that range this cannon should take even a moose off it's feet.

Is the 10GA bugged or are all shotguns bugged? If it's all shotguns what is bugged about them?

[florble mcfumperdink]

Originally posted by Ice_King:

Originally posted by Steph:

Shotguns have much more limited range and they are also bugged currently.

Also the only shotgun ammo ethical for class 9 is the new 10GA Slug. Or the Grelck, but that one uses the 9.3x74R rifle ammo.

Originally posted by yogisgoat:

@[B)]Vompattimies

The 10 gauge is bugged for me at the moment. I've shot 6 moose at less then 20m and never got better than single lung. One of them was broadside at 8m and still only single lung. At that range this cannon should take even a moose off it's feet.

Is the 10GA bugged or are all shotguns bugged? If it's all shotguns what is bugged about them?

I feel like this could be a clientside bug because I've seen people flattening caribou at 75 meters with the 10GA and I personally have been using the 12 gauge slugs effectively on deer out to 100 meters.

I've also watched some people taking effective shots through the shoulderblade on water buffalo out to 100 meters with the 10GA but that seems to be more of a mix of insane marksmanship and good luck than anything.

[Ren Moriyama]

I love shotguns, especially slug hunting with a 12GA and the shotgun scope.

At the moment the major shotgun bug is that buckshot is not registering vital organ hits even when hitting vital organs. This means that you cannot hunt class 2 or 3 animals without the risk of failing the harvest check.

Shotguns are like many of the other weapon categories in the game. The rifles are all around the easiest and most effective way to take all of the animals in the game. Bows, Handguns, and Shotguns are a bit trickier to use, generally requiring closer ranges, but are generally a lot more versatile in their animal classes and power.

The biggest reason to take shotguns (and by extension the Bows, and Handguns) is that it encourages a different type of hunting than the rifles, and can be a load of fun. Nothing more satisfying than stalking really close to a deer and blowing a whole load of buckshot into them.

One thing that does peeve me though is that the 20GA shotgun slugs are not legal for class 3 animals, really wish they would drop the legal class by one so that I can slug hunt roe deer, blackbuck, and springbok.

[Gared]

What defines classes? Is it a gameplay thing, or is it something from IRL?

Slugs sounds so cool, that I kind of wonder why use buckshot anyway