We Were Slingin’
A long time ago, in what was another country, I heard it said that a sling is to a rifle or shotgun what a holster is to a handgun. The sling fulfills several purposes. It is a way to secure (or store) your long gun when you want it handy but do not immediately need it. Slings are also shooting aids – giving you added stability when used correctly, though that is no longer as [...]
FIREARMS ACCESSORIES | Good or Bad?
Are some firearms accessories good? Or bad? Can they help you? Or hurt you? What about modifications? And I am only asking in regards to using the firearm in question. Regarding modifications, some will tell you that you can't even modify a gun for legal reasons. I'm afraid I have [...]
12 Gauge Recoil And (Too Much) Stuff
I spent most of my LE career teaching firearms skills to cops and repairing/maintaining agency guns as an armorer. We issued Remington 870s to every officer during recruit school. The training was intensive; recruits fired hundreds of rounds in a compressed time frame. Subjecting shooters and guns to that much [...]
Is Your Shotgun Ready?
Low, High, Indoor, and CQB – just the different ready positions commonly employed by those who may have a shotgun in their hands. Which one is most likely as driven by one's surroundings as by one's preference? Before we start, the strong hand holds the grip portion of the stock. [...]
Shotguns – do they still have a place?
Shotguns - have they outlived themselves, or do they still have a place? For citizens? For cops? A few thoughts on where we are with shotguns and how we got to this point. Back when I went to the police academy, a fair number of my classmates had time with [...]
Inexpensive but Not Too Cheap – SDS Imports’ AR-T02 12ga Shotgun
I like shotguns; I really like them. My second and third Gunsite classes were shotgun courses. When I started at the sheriff’s office, we didn’t have patrol rifles; it would be another three years before we fielded the first ones. Your shotgun was whichever one was in the car you [...]
Cruiser Safe – a change in the pump shotgun’s ready condition
The NRA Law Enforcement Handgun/Shotgun Instructor Manual defines two methods of "cruiser carry" for pump-action shotguns. Cruiser Ready: Safety ON, chamber empty, the action is closed and unlocked (bolt forward and trigger pulled to drop the hammer); the magazine tube is loaded. Cruiser Safe: Safety ON, chamber empty, the action [...]
Modifying your shotgun – defensive and duty accessories
While the shotgun is currently seeing a renaissance of sorts with armed citizens and home defenders, it has been falling out of favor with many law enforcement agencies. There are good and not so good reasons for that. Recoil is a factor with the shotgun, especially as our police officers, [...]
MOSSBERG 590S SHOTGUN | More Versatile Than Ever Before
O.F. Mossberg and Sons is the oldest family-owned firearms manufacturer in the United States opening their doors in March of 1919. I’ll admit up front that I’m a Mossberg fan because of their products, customer service and innovation. That innovation includes compact and subcompact pistols, and they’ve done it once [...]
KEL-TEC KSG BULLPUP | Who’s A Good Boy?
In 2011 Kel-Tec introduced the KSG—a pump-action bullpup shotgun that held 14 rounds via two tubular magazines. On first seeing the KSG I was immediately reminded of the Neostead shotgun made in South Africa. Like the KSG, it held it’s shells in two tubes, although the Neostead’s tubes were located [...]
BROWNING’S THIRD ITERATION | The Auto-5
In my last two shotgun columns I wrote about John Browning’s first two shotgun designs: the lever-action Winchester 1887 and the Winchester pump-action 1897. This month we’ll take a look at his third—the world’s first semiautomatic shotgun, the Browning Automatic 5, most often called the Auto-5 or simply A-5. [...]