New Shotgun Speed-Reloading Position

C

Captain38

New member
I just watched a segment of the the Outdoor Channel's TV program "Shooting Gallery" which I recorded recently on my DVR. On it Dave Neth of the Idaho State Police demonstrated a very interesting, and at least for me, previously unseen technique for speed-loading a police shotgun.

Starting from the firing position, he removed the butt-stock from the shoulder-pocket and slid it rearward on top of the shoulder so that the receiver was only about 6-8 inches in front of the pectoral muscle. At the same time he turned the shotgun onto its left side. This placed the stock's side-saddle ammo brackets beneath the receiver and horizontal to the ground. He kept his left hand on the forearm while he plucked individual rounds from the holder with his right hand and slid them into the receiver's magazine much more quickly than I'd ever seen done before. He needed only then to resume his firing postion in a natural way and he was again off and running. Needless to say, it's easier to do than to describe.

This is very much like what you do by bringing a semi-automatic handgun closer to your face when inserting a new magazine and should work well under stress. I've tried it with my Scattergun Technologies 870 and plan to practice it until it becomes habit. I believe Dave Neth might be onto something.
 
The sole problem I see with it, is that most side saddles don't do a very good job of retaining the shells when they're in the side saddle, shell heads facing down.

The do tend to slip down and fall out.

Other than that, that's a MOST interesting method.
The gun stays in a high-ready position, you can keep your eyes on possible threats instead of looking down at the gun, and your left hand stays in position on the forearm.
 
That is an interesting exercise. But,,, that's why I have a tactical sling on my shotty. It allows me to keep the weapon on target and still reload from the side-saddle. Extracting the fresh rounds from the bottom of the holder and following the trigger guard to the insertion point is simple with a little practice.

I'm fast at it because of hours of practice and never take my eyes or muzzle off the target.
 
And Your Point Is???

Oletymer-

When the well runs dry, you're in deepest crap possible and you'll need to reload the fastest!!! NOW'S the time to learn how to do that. That's true for revolver, pistol, rifle OR shotgun.
 
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That is one of the main ways that I have been loading my shotgun for a long time. I probably picked it up from a 3-gunmatch. If I only need one shot I usually do an in position reload by coming over the top of the receiver with my weak hand. If I need multiple shots and I have time and cover I put the buttstock over my shoulder and load from my sidesaddle or a belt holder. Shotgun reloading is a pain but definitely worth practicing.

-David
 
The ultimate "practice reloading" story was in the book "Point Man" by Navy SEAL Chief James "Patches" Watson.

Watson had the worlds first extended magazine Ithaca Model 37 fitted with the "duckbill" shot spreader.

Watson said that he and another SEAL pioneered the SEAL shotgun in the dense jungles of Vietnam, and that "we practiced reloading until our fingers bled".

Watson said that after a while, it became so ingrained that almost the instant a shot was fired, he was stuffing more rounds in the magazine.

After a time, he said it became an automatic reflex, and the gun seemed to load itself with no attention from him.
 
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