.223 is perfect for sub 200yard work... and all this stuff is sub 200 yard... likely sub 30 yard.
Shotguns only disperse a couple inches at that range, so saying you don't miss as much is bull.
Taking into account the heavy recoil and large shells, shotguns aren't the best choice at all.
.223 is popular because of small powerful rounds, flat trajectory, and little recoil.
I was surprised that my .223 with hp 55g would nearly pass through 1/2" steel plate at 200y..... plenty of down range energy.... any longer than that, and a good fart will push it off significantly.