Has 2020's Riots Changed Your Mind On Shotguns? Still Viable?

[Brazos Dan]

My choice for close range conflict at this time is my 12 ga. 870 - 18.7", 7 rnd extension, Fed. 00 - 9 pellets.

I had become really bored with AR's and gave my last one to my granddaughter's husband, whom I consider a grandson.

My first gun was a 20 ga. 870, my Christmas present from my parents in 1960. We lived in a small semi rural town in central Texas and I spent decades hammering morning doves during the seasons. I've owned SEVERAL 870's since and can operate them as fast a semi and in my sleep. They are part of my anatomy. I shot cowboy action for several years and have mastered the over-the-top reloads.

My neighborhood is a subdivision of Houston and shots would seldom be over 50 yds. My 870 is cylinder-bore and the last time I patterned it at the gun club, it put 7 pellets in the green silouette at 50yrds with three in center-mass 9 & 10 areas.

I have long range rifle if I need more distance.

[DDTSGM]

I'm surprised to hear this...though I guess it's something from the past that doesn't come up much anymore. I'm sure there's some archival footage online from when it was more of a thing.

Endorsed by none other than Eddie:



https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...pqk1pgyV8UdIrN (PDF)

I got a reprint of that article when I went through the Academy. Several years later when I showed up as an instructor, they were still passing them out to students. I referenced the handout as an illustration of why we might want to stay off walls whenever it's tactically sound.

ETA: Please understand that the application explained in the article is not intended to be less-lethal.

[Hambo]

ETA: Please understand that the application explained in the article is not intended to be less-lethal.

Clearly not, based on the targets.

[kitchen's mill]

Bouncing a load of shot off the pavement creates secondary projectiles that might scatter a mob of violent knuckle knecks. Buckshot works as good as birdshot, hollow base slugs break into pieces and throw gravel into the legs of rioters.

Indiscriminate targeting like that would be hard to justify in the current climate.

Works good for flushing someone using a car for cover, bounce a charge under the car.

Of course the tactic can be reversed and used on you

[TCinVA]

Ive heard of the bird shot skip technique from old school state penn CO's.

[mmc45414]

Was glad to see they didn't blast up that nice Fastback as a demo...

[Glenn E. Meyer]

It has it uses. A guy I worked with was out hunting birders with his dogs. Well he found more than that. All of a sudden his dogs start running back to him chased by an angry emu. Not wanting to shot the emu, he fired birdshot in front of it to skip into its legs. It halted and ran away. Folks let emus loose in TX when the pyramid schemes collapse.

BTW, I know it’s less lethal, sloppy on my part. Also in Dave Spaulding’s class we skipped rounds under cars to demonstrate the effects.

[scw2]

As Tom Givens says (and who teaches a great shotgun class that I took), you have to look at the number of opponents and time in the fight. The shotgun is a smaller number of opponents and allows a shorter time in the fight.

Doesn't Tom also make the argument that for carbines most are trained to use 3-5 rounds per target, so a 30 round mag would by 6-10 "servings," while something like a 1301 with extension could have 7+1 which would put you right at the midpoint? Of course, missing your target with a shotgun has a much higher impact on how many remaining "servings" you would have on board.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

Well, in one my last carbine matches with approximately 50 targets, I was only 3 points down. So I won't worry. Yes, that wasn't a gun fight and I am being facetious. I'm a carbine fan except for the shotgun if need be and if the local bear come to visit (kidding but there is a local bear) but folks are more worried about the puppy eating coyote this week. He or she ate a gopher the other day!

The idea of being out of cover and fighting a swarming mob is fantasy football if you have your head on straight. These folks standing in front of car dealership or a house aren't thinking about competent opposition.

[Old Man Winter]

It has it uses. A guy I worked with was out hunting birders with his dogs. Well he found more than that. All of a sudden his dogs start running back to him chased by an angry emu. Not wanting to shot the emu, he fired birdshot in front of it to skip into its legs. It halted and ran away. Folks let emus loose in TX when the pyramid schemes collapse.

(off topic warning)

Number of years back I was bowhunting whitetails in Sumner County, Kansas. Dozed off in the tree stand mid morning and woke up to the sound of leaves crunching. I'm slowly looking around for what was surely gonna be a monster buck but I didn't see any deer. My eye's lock on three giant birds standing about 30 yards from my stand. Must be dreaming I told myself. Took me a minute to realize I was wide awake and three giant birds really were standing in front of my stand. Get back to camp that night and the outfitter tells me a farmer in the area opened the gates and let the emu's loose when their value dropped below the break even point.