The Gun Digest Book of the Tactical Shotgun

226 Pages·2011·19.79 MB·English

by  Scott W. Wagner

Your one-stop guide
GunDigest
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to tactical shotguns:
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Selection. Modifications. TTAACCTTIICCAALL
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Accessories. g
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Tactical Shotgun is the essential guide to selecting ®
T SSHHOOTTGGUUNN
and using a shotgun for defense. Whether your
concern is self-defense, home defense or law
A
enforcement, author Scott Wagner’s advice will
help you make informed decisions. Here he offers
C
an experienced point of view on many makes and
models of tactical shotguns, along with information
T • HOME DEFENSE
on ammunition and the many accessories available.
MODELS
I
C
• LAW ENFORCEMENT
A
FAVORITES
L • AMMUNITION
SELECTION
S
FIND OUT:
(cid:129) What is a “tactical” shotgun? H
(cid:129) Pump action, semi-auto or double?
O
(cid:129) What’s the best choice for home defense?
(cid:129) Which features are valued by law enforcement?
T
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Wagner also reviews some fun specialty ammo (learn which
Scott Wagner is a Police Academy Commander G
exotic load promised quite a show, but ultimately fi zzled),
and Professor at Columbus State Community
and performs some very revealing backyard ballistics testing. College in Columbus Ohio, and Commander of U
the 727 Counter Terror Training Unit. A 30-
year law enforcement veteran and current
N
Deputy Sheriff, he is the Precision Marksman
for the Union County Sheriff’s Offi ce SRT
Team. Wagner is the author of Own the Night:
Selection and Use of Tactical Lights and Laser
Sights and a frequent contributor to Gun Digest
the Magazine and Tactical Gear Magazine.
W
A
G
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US $24.99 E
Y1448 (CAN $28.99) R
ISBN-13: 978-1-4402-1553-7
ISBN-10: 1-4402-1553-7
52499
Gun Digest® Books
C
UP AN SCOTT W. WAGNER
An imprint of F+W Media, Inc. E
www.gundigeststore.com
0 FnL1 04 0120 01 JUYrVyBQdWJsaWNhdGlvbnMsIEluYyAo 02 SW9sYSBkaXZpc2lvbikPR3JlZ29yeSBL 03 cnVlZ2VyAEzRgLkEMTAuNAI4MAExBVVQ 04 Qy1BDDA3NDk2MjAxMzA4OAA= 74962 01308 8 9 FnL1 04 0124 01 JUYrVyBQdWJsaWNhdGlvbnMsIEluYyAo 02 SW9sYSBkaXZpc2lvbikPR3JlZ29yeSBL 03 cnVlZ2VyAEzQIpEEMTAuNAI4MAExBkVB 04 Ti0xMw05NzgxNDQwMjE1NTM3AA== 781440 215537
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GunDigest
®
TTAACCTTIICCAALL
SSHHOOTTGGUUNN
SCOTT W. WAGNER
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Copyright ©2011 F+W Media, Inc.
All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy,
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transmitted on radio, television, or the Internet.
Published by
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Cover photo courtesy Yamil R. Sued/Photoworks, www.hotgunshots.com
ISBN-13: 978-1-4402-1553-7
ISBN-10: 1-4402-1553-7
Cover Design by Tom Nelsen
Designed by Dustin Reid
Edited by Corrina Peterson
Printed in the United States of America
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DEDICATION
T
his work is for my late father, Charles Wag-
ner, who took me shooting for the fi rst time
when I was age eight. This experience led to a
lifetime of shooting enjoyment and employ-
ment as a law enforcement offi cer, police trainer,
criminal justice professor and writer.
It is also for Clifford Wagner, a neighbor of no
blood relation and friend for life, who took me and
my dad and brother skeet shooting with his personal
shotgun collection for the fi rst time when I was 14.
And it is also for Sgt. John Groom of the Colum-
bus Ohio Police Department SWAT team, who was
kind enough to share his staff, equipment, knowl-
edge and skills with me and my tactical team at the
Union County Sheriff’s Offi ce. It was this addition-
al training that helped me to write this book.
Special thanks to Ms. Mandy Hughes for her
photographic assistance.
Finally, for Bobbie Hughes, my fi ancee, who
supported me throughout this work.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction ............................................................................6

CHAPTER 1:
The Tactical Shotgun for Home Defense ..............................10
CHAPTER 2:
The Law Enforcement Shotgun ............................................32

CHAPTER 3:
Pumps, Semi-Autos, or Doubles: Which is Best for You? ......70

CHAPTER 4:
Double Barrel Side-By-Side Shotguns: Makes and Models ....78

CHAPTER 5:
The Tactical Pump Shotgun: Makes and Models ...................82

CHAPTER 6:
Semi-Automatic Shotguns ...................................................108
CHAPTER 7:
Ammunition .........................................................................118
CHAPTER 8:
Recommended Accessories ................................................150
CHAPTER 9:
Maintenance .......................................................................164
APPENDIX A:
Product Index ......................................................................170
APPENDIX B:
Shooting Schools .................................................................208
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6 | TACTICALSHOTGUN
INTRODUCTION
READY FOR ENTRY, Benelli M4 Tactical works well
for SWAT entry missions. Here it is backed up by a
Beretta M92 with Crimson Trace Lasergrip Sights
and a Blackhawk Serpa Holster.
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TACTICALSHOTGUN | 7
“I
’m gonna grab the shotgun!” How many ment career began in 1980. Already familiar with
times have those fi ve words struck fear the Remington 870, I found my training and qual-
into the hearts of those on the receiv- ifi cation time with it very enjoyable. In 1986 I got
ing end of them since the shotgun was my NRA police fi rearms instructor certifi cation
invented? Bad guys hearing it from cops, cops which included shotgun instructor certifi cation,
hearing it from bad guys, burglars hearing it from then in 1987 I obtained the Ohio Peace Offi cer’s
homeowners, robbers hearing it from storekeep- Training Commission certifi cation as a police
ers, guys who are in the need of an immediate shotgun instructor. I continue to train regularly
wedding due to their personal and poorly planned with it as a deputy sheriff at the Union County
activities…the list goes on and on. Yes, the shot- Sheriff’s Offi ce in Marysville, Ohio, as well as
gun in all its various guises and permutations is during police academy training time at our col-
the stuff of legends, especially when it takes the lege police academy. Working with the shotgun
form of a short-barreled model, such as the very has always been an enjoyable part of my police
fi rst tactical shotguns – the “sawed-off” double career, and something I have never dreaded, but
barrel. The short double was used for home, store, fortunately I had early and proper exposure to it.
and stagecoach protection and law enforcement I wish more offi cers felt the same way about the
duty in the west. Stagecoach protective use added shotgun; perhaps this book will help.
the term “riding shotgun” to our common ver- The shotgun is a legendary arm, and rightfully
nacular. so. It has a tremendous amount of close range
power, as suggested by the very large hole in the
WHY CHOOSE THE SHOTGUN end of the barrel – a hole which, in the 12 gauge,
AS A PRIMARY DEFENSIVE ARM? measures a whopping .72 caliber! Even so, it is
I started shooting shotguns at age 14. We not diffi cult to shoot with the right training, at-
didn’t have any shotguns in the family “armory,” titude and equipment. It is versatile and useful for
but the other Wagner family that lived down the a wide range of tasks. If you purchase a gun that
street from us did. The father, Cliff Wagner, a allows for the use of different length/type bar-
WWII B17 co-pilot, was an avid shooter, hunter rels and chokes, you can use it for anything from
and reloader. He took us out to an area gun club hunting birds or clay pigeons to hunting bear and
where me, my brother and my dad all learned to everything in between, for home defense, law en-
shoot 12 and 20 gauge guns at clay birds thrown forcement and military situations, including lethal
off a hand-operated thrower. We even had some and less-than-lethal interactions. Ammo is still
home-loaded tracer rounds to play with. I seemed relatively low cost, and was still available during
to take to it naturally, hitting 17 out of the fi rst 20 the great 2007-2008 gun sale. In the proper con-
thrown. Great stuff. fi guration, it is extremely reliable and can feed
From there I continued my shotgunning career shells in its gauge with the proper chamber rang-
at the Boy Scout Camp. Back then, in 1971 or so, ing from 2-1/2” to 3-1/2” inches in length. Ammo
there was a shotgun game called “Mo-Skeet-O” is abundantly available, even in the now mostly
which used half size clay pigeons and .22 cali- anti-gun Walmart stores. I would speculate that
ber shotguns, actually .22 rimfi re bolt guns with 80-90% of the jobs that need to be done can be
smoothbore, choked barrels and bead sights. The done with some form of the shotgun.
cartridge was the standard .22 LR crimped brass Even with the predominance of the AR-15
birdshot round. The birds fl ew around 50 or more platform these days – and I have to admit, I love
feet as I recall, and I spent the summer paying for AR-15s – the tactical shotgun still rocks. It’s true,
cartridges and blowing up clay birds. I went on you can’t conceal it well legally unless you get
the get the Rifl e and Shotgun Merit Badge on the the $200 federal tax stamp for a 14-inch barrel
Mo-Skeet-O range. model (why bother), at best it holds only a total
I didn’t do much else until my law enforce- of nine rounds in an extended magazine (okay,
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8 | TACTICALSHOTGUN
so normally how many shotgun rounds do you the biggest demand, and you get sale prices like
need in the average self defense situation?) and it I just described. Finally, add an almost univer-
kicks a little bit depending on the setup. But it is sally-available selection of ammunition and you
still the best game in town, and one worth having start to see the practicality of the mighty shotgun
access to. Remember, if you have a handgun, its as a primary defensive/offensive weapon.
only purpose is to allow you to fi ght your way to
a big gun, or as a backup to the big gun, no matter WHAT IS A “TACTICAL SHOTGUN”?
how big that handgun is. Webster’s online dictionary defi nes “tactical”
One of the best reasons this day for selecting a in part as, “of or pertaining to the art of military
tactical shotgun is the cost. Clearly, you get more and naval tactics.” That means we are talking
“bang for the buck” with one of these as opposed about shotguns that are capable of being used in
to the cost of a quality handgun or especially an military applications in one regard, and of course
AR-15. As a matter of fact, as I write this, my fa- we can extend that defi nition to law enforcement,
vorite gun emporium, Vance’s Shooter’s Supply since we in that fi eld are often performing para-
in Columbus, Ohio, has Remington 870 Express military type operations. However, the Webster
Tactical Shotguns that feature an 18-1/2” barrel, defi nition is a very limited one and doesn’t ful-
the very cool looking if not functional Tactical ly cover the modern usage of the word. These
Rem Choke, a full seven-round magazine capac- days, all things “tactical” – guns, lights, clothing,
ity with 2-3/4” or 3” shells, XS® Ghost Ring knives – are the most popular items for sale in
Sights, XS blade front sight and sight rail (which any gun store. So I will expand upon the Webster
is fully adjustable for windage and elevation), defi nition of tactical by outlining three qualities
and the receiver is drilled and tapped for scope of the modern word usage to qualify something
mounting. (With the rail rear sight, I would go for as tactical. Remember that my defi nition is not
a scope with a quick detach rail mounting system the “be all-end all” defi nition and involves three
on sale.) The price? $299. I could buy three of different requirements.
those babies for the price of one middle priced If a product is to be considered truly “tactical”
AR: one for the front door, one for the bedroom, (and not just an average everyday product just
one for the car. spray painted black- such as a “tactical sledge-
Price any 1911 pistols lately? Yep, also more hammer” originally purchased at Home Depot)
expensive. In fact, the new Remington 887 Nitro it must:
Mag tactical I purchased for this book – a brand 1. Be reliable and of high quality-after all we
new model with many features, and perhaps one are talking about products designed to be used
of the best tactical pumps out there, was on sale in person-to-person fi ghting situations. It must
for $439 in the same store! work each time, every time.
Why are they so much cheaper? There is 2. Be of such a confi guration that it is current-
a lot less work required to make one. Smooth- ly useful in combat type operations, whether that
bore barrels, no need to build it with the same means military, law enforcement or civilian “op-
attention to detail to wring every last bit of ac- erations.” The confi guration of the item cannot,
curacy out of it such as with most AR-15s (you due to complexity or poor design, impede the ba-
just need to hit within “minute of felon” with it). sic reason for which the product was designed.
There is no fi nely polished blued fi nish (and no 3. Possess features that give it an advantage
need to polish out any but the largest tool marks in use over the standard version of that product.
when parkerizing or tactical fi nishes are applied) Why pay more for something that is marketed as
and an overall ease of assembly. What’s easier being “tactical” when the standard version will
to completely fi eld strip than the average pump suffi ce?
shotgun? Couple all those practical aspects with So now that we know generally what “tacti-
the fact that, for right now, the AR-15 is still in cal” means in this context, we can examine how
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TACTICALSHOTGUN | 9
that applies to the shotgun. While later chapters
dedicated to home defense and law enforcement
applications will go into more detail, the basics
of a modern tactical shotgun are as follows:
1. It must be of compact confi guration. For
civilian use it should have an 18 inch or shorter
barrel. For law enforcement the barrel can be
much shorter. 14 inches is a common length. It
should be cylinder bored or improved cylinder in
terms of the choke. Benelli’s M2 Tactical comes
with a set of interchangeable chokes to make it
multi-use (fi eld or farm). I like that.
2. It must be fully stocked. The POLICE ACADEMY cadets receive
initial instruction with dummy
pistol-grip only models look way
ammo in order to safely learn the
cool, but are diffi cult to handle and
operation of the Remington 870
their effective range is limited. The pump shotgun.
pistol grip models do have a very
limited application for SWAT entry teams, but
not for general law enforcement or civilian use.
Don’t use them; they don’t shoot as cool as they
look. And, while I prefer the traditional stock
layout for shotguns, the shoulder stock models
with a pistol grip do work, although I fi nd the
length of pull (length of the stock which should
position the gun for optimal use) to be too long.
These models also feel a little more ungainly
than a standard stocked model, they don’t seem
to swing as fast or as smooth, nor do they carry
as well.
There are some folding stock models avail-
able, but avoid the old-style Remington folding
stock for their 870 shotgun. It’s solid steel and that says a bright chromed double barrel shotgun
will beat you to death in short order, and you will at close range is the most terrifying close range
be too tempted to use it with the stock folded (it weapon on earth, and I can see their point. So
folds over the top of the weapon), which makes would a homebreaker.
the sights useless. 6. It should be capable of mounting a carry
3. It needs to have a high-visibility sighting sling.
system, no simple bead sight. Brightly colored 7. It should be capable of solidly mounting a
front sights or even red dot optical sights are a weapons light.
must. We will go step by step in examining what
4. It should have either a high magazine ca- types work best in home defense or law enforce-
pacity or a spare ammo carrier. ment applications (of course there will be over-
5. Color doesn’t matter, although dark col- lap), makes and models that qualify as a tactical
ors are to be preferred. Black or OD green work shotgun, the features the make one type stand out
great. Wilson Combat’s OD green fi nish on their from another, and what might work best to meet
Scattergun Technology pieces are great indoors your needs. It is to these shotguns and their users
and out. There is, however, a train of thought that this book is dedicated.
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