How do military shotgunners carry extra ammo?

That's the one. Talk about skeet shootin'. We watched them shoot a drone with that thing. It blew it to pieces, then locked on to the pieces and blew them to pieces, then locked on to the pieces of the pieces and tracked them down to about 100 ft. I'd hate to be the pilot that just punched out after being hit by one of those.
 
Wow! That is a serious shootin' Iron. I knew they were effective, but Wow!

It sure beats Cuba Gooding Jr. on that 20mm! :D
 
Another way to carry shotgun shells on the gun is a buttcuff. Most of the ones I see are ballistic nylon, but Milt Sparks manufactures one called the Cold Comfort Cheekpiece. It's made out of leather and laces on. It holds 7 rounds and comes in natural leather , black and brown, and is around 60 dollars. It isn't in the catalog but should still be available. It should take about 6-8 weeks for it to come. It sounds pricey, but is worth the money. Also looks classic with a wood stocked shotgun and a M1907 rifle sling (I have the set up on my Ithaca 37).
 
USMC Spare ammo

Force uses shotguns only for breaching. The FSBE vest has a 5 round pouch that will usually be worn on the upper vest.
There is also a 20 round fold over pouch that can be worn on the vest or leg panel.

In reality, the 5 round pouch is the only one used. The larger pouch is rarely encountered, and not general issue.
Aside from breaching, the shotgun just isn't useful in the DA environment.
 
When was he in the Navy? I cant remember the name of the things (Navy guys help me here) but they look like R2D2 on Star Wars and Cuba Gooding Jr ain't sitting behind them with his feet in stirrups blasting away. They track and fire on targets automatically and make one hell of a racket. I'm pretty sure they've been around since the early '70s, but I could be wrong. I was in diapers then.
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Just remembered...

They called it the Sea Whiz.

I was asleep in the back of my plane just forward of the island on the USS Wasp. They announced that they were test firing the thing on the 1MC, and like any good jarhead, I ignored it. That thing went off and I jumped out of my hammock so fast I nearly cracked my skull on the roof of the plane. One of the ships ordnancemen later told me, "When God farts, that's what it sounds like."
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Yes, that's the Phalanx Close-In Weapons System (CIWS -- hence, "Sea Whiz"). It's essentially a M61 Vulcan 20mm Gatling cannon connected to an autotmatic fire-control system and a targetting radar...completely standalone unit, just turn it on and it zaps anything it dectects that doesn't have a valid IFF code.
 
Well I have observed many people using bandoliers at the Three Gun Matches I have attended. The first two matches I noticed that by using the bandolier it took some effort to locate, extract the shell from the bandolier. I am not sure if it is easier but I decided that I would use a sporting clays pouch. It has two sections and I put "00" buck on ones side and slugs on the other. I always know where the pouch is in reference to my body and the only problem I saw was indexing the ammo to reload into my shotgun.
The next match I actually competed and used both the pouch and the bandolier. I like the pouch system better, but that is just my opinion.
 
Not really a tactical application, but... :)

When I was a kid, I lived on a big farm. I would go out in the morning with my 870 and shoot pretty much all day. I would just dump shells into every pocket of my pants, shirt, and coat, until it was no longer comfortable to walk, and then go hunting for rabbits, birds, and squirrls.

Thanks for the memories. :D
 
The butt cuffs are handy, but can cause problems if you need to use the gun in the "tuck" position, with the butt stock clamped to your side by the upper arm. This is a good stance for shortening the projecting length of the gun while manuevering indoors and still having the capability to look over the top of the barrel if you need to shoot. It can also be a good technique for the recoil shy. You may also end up firing from a weak side barricade position, where you may do best by firing from the opposite side in a mirror image stance. The butt cuffs can cause problems there as well. The side saddles avoid these issues.
 
So whats better for breaching, 00 or slugs? Either or probably, but I did wonder about it, if one was better or not. Anybody ever do any testing of this sort?
 
So whats better for breaching, 00 or slugs?
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Honestly? C4 :)

I've spoken with a few folks who have tried those special breaching rounds. They said they worked fine. That fits the definition of hearsay perfectly, so take it with a grain of salt.
 
Breaching

Gentelmen,

The definition of breaching is "Using minimal amount of force to gain 100% penetration causing least amount of collateral damage every time".

Breaching is used for CQB, which is different from MOUT (that type of breaching involves demolition, usually without regard to collateral damage)

That definition may include mechanical, explosive or ballistic breaching.
In the case of ballistic breaching, special 12 ga rounds are used to defeat the locking mechanisim without endangering those inside. The composition of those rounds varies, but will be reduced to powder to avoid hurting non involved persons inside.

Either 00B or slug would prevent a serious down range threat to hostages or unknowns- obviously not a good thing.

Whith explosive breaching, extremely small quantities of specific explosive may be used to defeat a variety of targets.

Don't get wrapped up in TV and movie scripts, 'cause that is not what happens.
 
I must have missed someone mentioning it here, but this month's American Rifleman has an article on US issue shotguns and ammunition during Vietnam. Also brief history up to that point.
 
Early work in Viet Nam (pre 64), some purchased shotguns on the open market. Mixture of brands, types and grades. Doubles, pumps, autos...you name it.

Sam
 
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