Shotguns
Minuteman Technical Bulletin September 23,2002
Just some Random Thoughts about the Scattergun
It is one of my favorite tools and I love teaching people what can really be done with them. You know, like hitting a 10 inch steel plate off hand at 200 yards with slugs.....
Heat shields on a shotgun.....You are not supposed to touch the barrel. I have never seen the need for anything like that on a shotgun. I have run 870's and 11-87's as fast as can be run and yeah the barrels get hot, but you are not supposed to touch them. Let the bad guy do that.
Ghost rings on shotguns-Well there are two schools of thought on sights. Ghost rings are fast and accurate, but then again so are a standard set of rifle sights.
Sights need to be on the shotgun because at close ranges your shot spread is small and it is easy to miss. With a set of sights, even if you do not have a cheek weld, but can get on the sights you can hit. You cannot do that with a bead.
Speak of bead sights-Ever try to zero a set? Most 18" barrels using a bead sight will shoot 14-18 inches high at 25 yards; another reason for a set of sights. On those types of barrels you zero the barrel by bending the barrel in a special jig. No kidding.
But with a set of rifle or ghost ring sights, you can cure the problem easily.
Most people say well, I am shooting buck shot, what does it matter. It matters a lot. I have two shotguns that will shoot less than 4 inch groups at 25 yards using Fed Tactical H132 and one shotgun using Hornady Tap that runs under 3 inches at 20 yards. So, I reckon a set of sights is a necessary tool for me.
As for in the home, you need to pattern that shotgun, at distances of 3, 5, 7, 9, 10 yards. Measure the distances across each room of your home, down the hall, in the front and back yards, and see what you come up with. The average living room today is 7 yards; that is 21 feet across, some go 10 yards. Do you know what your shotgun will do at that distance?
You know, some people think that the bigger the spread the better. Well, in some instances yes, but not in the home; or in the urban environment. What you need in that situation is the absolute knowledge of what your shotgun and ammunition load is going to do. Loose rounds down range killing a 3 year old kid in their bed room or on their tricycle is not a good thing. You also need to know how to select your load and be able to do it in under 1.5 seconds. This is not called a select slug drill; it is called a select load drill. You load what you need for the particular application.
A side saddle is probably the best method of carrying spare ammunition, as the shotgun should be a self contained fighting tool. Avoid those slings with loops on the gun, and butt cuffs are OK for a hunting situation but not for a tactical environment. The Speed Feed Stocks with those twin two round carriers are horrible. Under recoil the ammunition moves forward and then to the rear damaging the leading round and often dumping a round to the ground. They are slow and inefficient to load from as well.
Flash lights are a good item to have on the shotgun, but not mandatory, as long as you know how to run your Sure Fire and cycle the action at the same time. You know, that you do not let the light go out between hits right....You keep him lit until you are sure he is down and out. And do not believe for an instance that one load of 00 buck or one slug is a sure fire stopper, because it isn't.
A sling is a good idea on the shotgun as long as you know what you are doing with it and what it is really for. It is kind of hard to do a transition to the handgun and retain the shotgun at the same time; allowing yourself the opportunity to go to a Harries Technique with the handgun. You cannot do that if you do not have a sling.
Extended magazines are not that great of an idea, especially if the magazine extension does not close the gap at the end of the onboard magazine. Most of the after market ones do not do this well, causing the magazine spring to bind at the gap. Oh well, that is why you carry your handgun, so that you can practice transitions when you cannot get the shotgun to work because the magazine spring is all bound up.
Again and again, those stocks are way too long especially those folding metal ones. Not only that but they do not let you get a good cheek weld unless they have been custom modified.
I wish Roger Small had never sold Scattergun to Bill Wilson, now we cannot get the parts we need, especially "T" Pins.
Choking has little to do with patterning of the shotgun. A good quality choke simply retards the wad so that the shot can leave the barrel without all that gas pressure behind the shot load, minimizing the spread of the shot. However, if you are not using a shot load that is encapsulated within a shot cup, no choke will be able to do it's job well. Thus the reason for patterning your shotgun with as many loads as possible to determine which combination works best.
Reduced recoil slugs also mean reduced penetration. Felt recoil is a function of stock length. Too long a stock means for felt recoil. Do you know how to measure your stock for correct length? Most people do not.
Shotguns are aimed just like a rifle. You press the trigger the same way. You follow through just as you would with a rifle. We are not talking about shooting clays; we are talking about shooting bad guys. And besides, I shoot clays with my rifle and my handgun. It is too easy with a shotgun.
If you replace the forend on the Remington 870 with one of those tactical forends or a SureFire light forend, you had better trim the back edge of it or you will be sorry; lots of blood on the range when people do not listen. Shotgun classes are fast and furious, when you let that palm or little finger get between the forend and the edge of the receiver, you will know that you have done it. It is by the way, a self correcting error.
Well, enough of this for tonight.
Jim Crews
Copyright 2002 by Jim Crews
I love my Mossberg.....to each his own..now nuff said
