Mike Pannone had a system for function testing a carbine. He would get it dirty by shooting a bit, and then hold it by his side, and fire a round from a single-round loaded mag using his thumb, buttstock unsupported. If it locked back, it was G2G.
How do you function test your gauges with some of the low recoil stuff out there? Hold it out like a big pistol? Just kinda hold it a bit loose? Hold it from the kneeling? Mike Pannone methd? What's your method?
I presume you mean a semi-auto shotgun.
You want to ensure shells load into the magazine correctly, that the shell stops hold the shell appropriately, and that they will release the shell when acted on either manually or by the action.
You want to test your proposed load of choice in the gun running the shotgun normally. If it works properly, you can see how much margin for error there is in how the gun runs. Push/pull with maximum force and ensure it will still cycle reliably. (Those with higher levels of upper body strength can actually stop an inertia-based shotgun from running using push/pull) Then see if it will function if you "limp wrist" the shotgun by using no recoil mitigation at all and letting the shotgun recoil.
Keep in mind that it's possible to choke almost any semi-automatic shotgun if you let the gun move too much.
I've actually seen a couple of people accentuate recoil (meaning they moved the gun more than recoil alone would) and that when combined with bad ammo results in stoppages. You can try the same thing to see if it induces a problem in your gun/ammo combination, but don't be surprised if it does.
Ensure the gun will function reliably at maximum speed. Sometimes shotguns will reveal problems when you essentially mag dump the gun a few times. This is something I do in class when a client's gun is having issues. I'll try it with their ammo and with some of mine to see what's happening. Usually if the gun itself has a problem I can feel it...but I shoot a lot of shotguns.
Of course, that could get expensive if you plan to run Flight Control as your defensive load. So another good suggestion would be to pick an ammunition and shotgun combination that is known to work together well. I've seen a boat load of Federal's low recoil flight control ammunition cycle through Beretta 1301 shotguns, for example...so if you picked that shotgun and that ammunition and you have run 100 rounds of birdshot through your specimen without problems, odds are it will feed FFC just fine. Etc.
3/15/2016
At what point in these "tests" is it prudent to say "this is not okay"?Originally Posted by TCinVA
If you can repeatedly induce a failure with specific conditions and multiple types of ammo, you have a gun problem.
Shotgun shells are not the most precisely manufactured ammunition available, so if you encounter problems the first thing to eliminate is ammunition. Try different ammo to see if it continues. If it does and you can induce the stoppage/malfunction repeatedly it's a gun issue and it's time to start looking at parts/manufacturer support.
3/15/2016
Like you said, though, any shotgun can be made to malfunction if you hold it loose enough. For example, my Benelli M4 will run LE133 held like a pistol (arm extended), held off my shoulder a bit, held very gently, but it will not run if I hold it away from my body and let it free recoil, or if it doesn't hit my shoulder at any point in the first few inches of recoil travel when cradled gently in front of me. Ergo...it is a system failure...but I am also being maybe a bit absurd about it? that's what I meant, where is the "threshold for BS" when torture testing the gauge for function?
I think Hornady once made low recoil buckshot for semi auto's. Perhaps they still do.
Reducing friction will assist in assuring reliable function. Polishing magazine tube's interior is one small contribution. Another is running a couple hundred rounds of cheap birdshot through the gun to wear in the mechanism. After cleaning and lubing, shoot low recoil shells and note how far they are ejected from the weapon. If they hit the ground at your feet, then they're barely leaving the chamber upon extraction and ejection. On a gas operated weapon, enlarging gas ports will resolve any ejection issues for low recoil ammo, but might accelerate wear if you run quantities of regular buckshot through the gun. This step is easily accomplished as long as a competent smith does the work. Remington had published data on gas port diameters which differed according to barrel length. My opinion is that enlarging gas ports is a sure thing. Otherwise, you might or might not get a surprise.
Every semi-automatic shotgun is built with the expectation that you will actually have the gun running into the mass of the body in some way...otherwise the gun itself will move to the point where it robs energy from the function of the weapon.
Every one will have its own preference for exactly how much of what you described you can do before the gun chokes.
If the thinking is use when injured, that tendency can likely be mitigated significantly with the right techniques.
3/15/2016
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