First Look – Beretta’s Defensive 20-gauge
Ok, this shotgun is probably going to see much greater use by lawfully armed citizens than by uniformed law enforcement. Those lawfully armed citizens read AmericanCop, too. I say "probably" because I once wrote a proposal to buy a 20-gauge Remington 870 for a very petite trainee, before AR-15s with collapsible stocks and pencil barrels were common. We were going to buy that gun if she had made it off FTO. Back on Topic During [...]
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. [...]
POTENT PERFORMERS | 20-Gauge Combat Shotguns
I’ve written before about the advantages of a 20-gauge combat shotgun, but I decided it was time to revisit the issue in this column. Up front, I’ll admit that the #3 Buckshot load normally used in the 20-gauge shotgun is not as devastating as the 00 Buckshot load standard [...]
SHOTGUNS | Mossberg 590A1 Retrograde
Back before the colors of Flat Dark Earth, Ranger Green, Coyote, camouflage du jour, etc., all the cool kids used Scorched Earth, commonly called black. I was as cool (guilty?) as everyone else and I clearly remember the day I replaced the walnut stock on my Remington 870 with [...]