Beretta’s 20-gauge A300 – Part Deux
My initial look at Beretta’s practical 20-gauge offering – the A300UP – is here. Having two quality 20-gauge shotgun designs available for both end users and serious shotgun students is intriguing. Those are Beretta's A300 and Mossberg's 590. As a traveling trainer, the ability to loan out a 20-gauge, whether semi-auto or pump-action, offers students an easier-to-use gun. There will always be pros and cons, i.e., generally, lighter weight can mean more felt recoil. I [...]
The Case For Shotguns
Over the past decade or so, shotguns have taken a back seat to patrol rifles. While patrol rifles undoubtedly have their place, the shotgun, when properly configured, is still a viable and effective tool. Does it replace a patrol rifle? Not necessarily. Does having a patrol rifle mean you shouldn't [...]
Federal’s #1 Buck Is Back
Along with chasing the best firearm, the collective “we” chase the best in calibers and bullets. Like pretty much anything else in life, the better can be subjective. It all depends on who is being asked or offering their opinion. One of those areas is shotgun ammunition. Shooters want a [...]
Chisel Machining’s Adjustable Shotgun Stock
There are a handful of friends who, when they call me about a product, I absolutely pay attention. Steve Fisher is one of those. He’s a long-time trainer, having run his own company — Sentinel Concepts, and having had a long stint at Magpul Dynamics. He pointed me to Chisel [...]
Staging Your Long Gun
A fair amount of defensive firearms training comes from the experience of domestic law enforcement. That is not necessarily a bad thing, as it can be experience-driven. Likely, it is vetted within local and federal statutes and case law. Unfortunately, it means development and evolution can be hampered by decades [...]
Rangemaster’s Shotgun Instructor Class
We had just finished a call involving pointing guns at dangerous suspects that ended well, all in custody with nobody hurt. One of my partners walked up to me, holding a wood and steel shotgun at arm’s length, and asked me to unload it. Even before the age of [...]
Beretta’s A300 Ultima Patrol Shotgun – Part 2
During my last trip to Gunsite, I finished up my work with Beretta's A300 Ultima Patrol. Patterning No two shotgun barrels are the same. It's easy to stand by that statement because they darn sure do not pattern alike. As a result, the starting point for any serious work with [...]
Beretta’s A300 Ultima Patrol Shotgun
Oh, my gawd, Becky, look at that gauge! Regardless of some thoughts, the 12ga shotgun still has a definite place in a thinking person’s armory. A shotgun can fill several roles decently if one understands the characteristics of different types of ammunition and how to best use them. For [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]