Correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t the rabbits in Texas a rather large breed? Here in Michigan they aren’t that big, 2-4lbs tops. To feed my family (6) I would need 2 rabbits and I would have to make a stew or “rabbit and dumplings”.
A single shot 20 gauge opens up a lot of food variety too. We have a lot of water fowl and different game birds (and non game birds) here that are good eating.
Our Jack’s are long legged, tall and skinny but you’d really have to be starving to want to eat one. My granddad had a great joke about “Jack Rabbit Stew”.
Starts out with a long and very specific list of ingredients to buy, how to prepare them etc and of course how they must be layered in just such away in the pot all around the rabbit or it just wouldn’t taste right.
Goes on with exactly how long to cook at one setting, then two more settings with the same very detailed instructions.
In the end you grab the rabbit by the back legs and throw it away and eat all of the veggies an taters because the Jack is still just as tough and nasty as it was when you started. 
Our Cotton Tails are pretty small, by the time you dress them and cook it down removing the bones you’re probably left with less than a half pound of meat.
Handled right though they make a fantastic chicken fry.
I tried the pellet gun on a couple of them, got solid hits but it’s basically like sticking an ice pick through them making a very small hole, rarely exiting and even head shots were not getting clean kills.
We have a serious problem here with feral/wild cats and it wasn’t the least bit effective on them for anything other than making them jump, squeal, and run off.
I love my old 1897, cycling that thing with Slam Fire…
People see the pump shotgun, then come the looks when it cycles faster most everything out there.
Glock 17
SigM400
Mossberg 500
I had a bad experience while helping a buddy guide and one of the clients took a stupid shot at a rabbit that somehow missed my dog, ignoring the “no ground shots” instructions given at the start of the hunt. I leashed my dog and left the field, but I have had a “no rabbits” rule ever since. Back when we did hunt them we saw cycles where most of them would have Tularemia.
We bought this monster 20 years ago and it has yet to fail us. We’ve even shot it with the bayonet attached to see if the vibration would cause it to come loose and were pleased to discover that it doesn’t.
Ours looks like the photo you provided with Ghost Ring sights and has a sidesaddle that holds 6 shells attached to the receiver. For a demonstration of the performance of this shotgun, check out Youtuber hickok45 @ Mossberg 590 A1 - YouTube
I’ve only owned Mossberg 500s since the early 90’s, do you sling yours?
I’m going to do so as the Achilles heal for Mossberg is the elevator lifter pivot pin point can dislodge if dropped on its side rendering it critically malfunctioned and useless. I’ve never dropped mine or had them fall.
Either way I don’t have a bayonet lug but did attach HFD2 pumpkin puncher breachers to mine.
I like the way you think. I don’t have a lack of confidence in the revolver at all. A revolver and a pump shotgun carried me through many dangerous incidents. Simple and reliable. And in a civil unrest situation where they are coming down the block torching private residences (seen it) I’d add my trusty AR.
I’d go with what I currently own:
AR-10
Winchester Defender
Taurus PT140 S&W 40
Ammunition
Ammunition and
Ammunition
Dealing with violent demonstrations would be scary business.
Walk around brandishing a battle rifle and any authorities wouldn’t know if I was just protecting myself, or if I were part of the problem.
My first choice would be a concealable handgun, however full size like a 1911 for HD & SD.
Second would be a shotgun loaded with Buck for additional HD
Third would be a Ruger 10/22 with scope and a can.
This I would deploy like the IDF does, to discourage and confuse violent rioters who may be headed down my street towards my home.
Since choices are obviously limited to currently owned guns:
*SIG P320C RX 9mm with 4 spare mags giving me 75 rounds of Hornady FTX ammo.
*Mossburg 500 12 ga pump and plenty of 00 shells.
*Ruger Mini 14 (since we’re not talking distance shooting) with many mags.
Of course anyone with advance warning would leave as quickly as possible. It is never good to confront a violent (or any other kind) mob.
I am happy with what I own right at the moment. I have the M17-P320 9mm, S@W MP-15 5.56, and my trusty Remington 870 loaded up with #4 buckshot (41, .24 cal pellets). All have mounted lights, and the M17 has the light-laser combo, TLR 8 Streamlight which I really like.
Let us all pray we never face such a crisis.
Wild Rose… The US Military apparently doesn’t hold that opinion.
I have a Mossberg 590 A1 and a Remington 870 Tactical. I prefer the Mossberg…but in a riot…either will do!
Glock 19
Kel Tec KSG (because of the massive rounds for crowds and easy to transition from tubes. One tube 00 buck and the other slugs)
Sig 716 308 (to keep the people at a distance in case I’m barricaded someplace )
I disagree about Remington. 3 out of 3 new guns I bought were defective. One was simply the wrong spring in the mag tube of an 870, but still. Just me, but I would rather find a well used Remington in a pawn shop or used gun rack than a new one.
Of course, if one out of a thousand products are defective, I will get that one. 
If possible find a Remington Police Magnum 870 the internals are all high grade. They are not even made in the same place as regular commercial grade 870’s are. The are tough as anvils have protective coatings and where Law Enforcement trade in’s can be found fairly cheap. Pair that with a complement of slugs and buckshot. I would opt for my Beretta 92 in 9mm along with an AR in 5.56 although having ammo and at least 7 loaded mags is crucial for both weapons.
As a waterfowl hunting outfitter, I saw a LOT of shotguns in austere conditions for a long time. I put my fair share through their paces from Canada to Argentina, about 200 days/year x dozens of clients per season and their guests. Then I have some experience with combat shotguns in the military and as a cop for a few years. I also ran several range facilities and taught clay shooting for many years. That’s all light duty.
The Mossberg 500 series, Remington 870 series, and Benelli Nova are all very functional, dependable shotguns. I do NOT want a semi-auto for social interaction. They are fine for most bird hunting and clay shooting (light duty). My preference is for the Remington 870 platform. I’ve owned a bunch. I have also owned a couple Mossbergs, and been issued both as a duty weapon. In this scenario, I don’t want the Benelli because it is the least common. If I have to replace a part, I want the Remington, then the Mossberg. I have not bought a new Rem or Mossberg since 2013. So I can’t speak to all rumors of problems with “new” guns. But I can tell you there have always (past 50 yrs) been such rumors attributed to “my buddy the gun dealer/gunsmith.” Dealers and gunsmiths do a lot of B2B business with mfgs. They sometimes get their feelings hurt and/or decide one brand is treating them better than another. And they often tell crazy stories to justify their biases instead of admitting it is about $$$, ego, or getting the same thing quicker or with less effort.
Mossberg pumps do feel “rough” compared to Remington 870s. I prefer the 870 safety location, because you don’t have to alter your grip to operate it with your trigger finger. The Mossberg’s is thumb-activated, which means you are fundamentally altering your shooting hand grip to manipulate it. But this is a very minor issue if you train to operate either one sufficiently.
I’ve read a lot of replies. If it’s 3 and for dealing with civil unrest, then my hunting guns for the post-apocalyptic stuff isn’t relevant. I keep 5 fighting guns. 1911A1 .45 ACP, short barrel 12 ga pump gun, AR 15, M&P Shield 9mm, M&P Bodyguard .380. If I’m heading outdoors for some compelling reason in such a scenario, I’m carrying the .45, 9mm, and AR…min.
