09/02/2018
Paying to Play
A great quality shotgun can cost almost as much as a great quality rifle. See our most popular article…AR-15 Buyer’s Guide.
A quick search shows me the running price for a Daniel Defense AR-15 is $1700.
DDM4A1
DDM4A1
Meanwhile, a Benelli M4 goes for $1,700 also. Both of these weapons represent the best of the best when it comes to design and build quality.
On the opposite spectrum the cheapest AR I can find right now is the DPMS Oracle for $599.99.
I can find a Mossberg Maverick 88 for $220.
Maverick 88 All Purpose
Maverick 88 All Purpose
Shotgun Downsides + Fixes
With this, all said the shotgun does have some inherent weaknesses. A shotgunner needs to acknowledge these weaknesses and train or accessorize past them.
Training is certainly the primary means to overcome weaknesses.
Accessories also have their place on a shotgun.
1. Short Range
A shotgun will always have a shorter range than a rifle.
These range estimation are based on effective combat distances, not hunting birds range. There are also different factors that cause variance, like ammunition used and the presence or lack of a choke.
Buckshot is largely limited to roughly 25 to 35 yards.
Birdshot?
This one is massively dependent on the load you use. In general birdshot is not the best defensive choice. It’s made for birds, which are significantly smaller than people. I’d say five yards for a critical wounding shot with most birdshot.
Birdshot is like putting a fire out with a bucket of water. You can do it, but a fire truck works a lot better.
Even when loaded with slugs you are looking at 100 yards effective range for a defensive encounter. Because of the shotgun’s inherent short range, you need to squeeze every yard possible out of it.
Choking Up
A choke is designed to constrict the barrel at different levels.
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Briley Choke
Briley Choke
Different chokes produce different results with most ammunition. Some chokes are removable, some are fixed. Chokes can keep your pattern tighter, and give you a more effective range.
Most tactical shotguns have a cylinder bore, which is the lack of a choke and encourages a wider spread for CQC.
Maximize your Shotgun’s Range
As a shotgunner, this means having a solid set of basic marksmanship fundamentals.
This includes trigger pull, using sights, breath control, and turning your body into a stable firing platform. The old myth you can’t miss with a shotgun is just that, a myth.
Pattern Your Shotgun
This means trying a variety of loads and see which loads is the tightest out of your shotgun. When you pattern a shotgun you learn how the pellets hit over different distances. The old rule 1 inch for every yard is not always accurate. Again, chokes and ammo selection cause a lot of variance here.
Patterning a Shotgun
Patterning a Shotgun
With my Federal FliteControl 00 ammunition and a cylinder choke I get basically one ragged hole at 10 yards.
At 15 yards we have a palm sized group. At 35 yards I cover the A zone of a IPSC target, which is roughly a 6 x 11 inch rectangle.
Buckshot gives me about a fist size group at 10 yards. At 15 yards I’m hitting mostly in that same 6 x 11 inch rectangle. 20 yards and I’m covering the entire upper torso of a IPSC target. At 35 yards the entire target is covered and some pellets miss.
As you can see patterning is quite dependent on the weapon, the choke, and the ammunition.
Patterning will allow you to find the best load for your shotgun, and you can also squeeze out a little extra range from it. You should also test slugs, and see how and where the slugs hit, and zero your sights for slugs.
Why Do Sights Matter?
In terms of accessories, the best thing you can do here is get a good set of sights. Open rifle sights were the old standard, and they still work fairly well. However, a solid set of peep sights, mounted on the rear of the receiver are much better.
Ghost Rings and Open Night Sights
Ghost Rings and Open Night Sights
My favorite set is made by LPA and is completely adjustable for zeroing. Alternatively, you can use a short range optic. A good red dot like an Aimpoint or the Trijicon MRO are excellent choices for a shotgun.
2. Lower Ammo Capacity
You basic combat shotgun is a tube fed model, that typically contains 7 to 8 rounds.
Personally, I prefer tube fed for a shotgun over a magazine any day of the weak. Shotgun magazines are often bulky, and occasionally unreliable. A tube fed shotgun gives the user a smaller profile, and a reliable feeding system.
Saiga Shotgun
Saiga Shotgun
7 to 8 rounds is a relatively low ammo capacity compared to the 30 rounds a standard modern sporting rifle can hold, or even the 17 rounds most 9mm handguns can hold. To address this weakness you need to learn how to top off a shotgun.
In a perfect world, your shotgun will never go completely dry. You should always ‘top it off’ when possible. This means feeding the tube during every and lull in action.
One of the more common tactics is to fire two, load two. Maintaining this rhythm will keep you from ever running out of ammo.
To top off your shotgun you need to have ammo on hand. My personal preference is a side saddle ammo carrier.
Shotgun Side Saddle
Shotgun Side Saddle
This gives you a reload on hand as soon as you grab the weapon. So if something goes bump in the night, you can respond immediately and still have a reload on hand. Just remember to train with that side saddle, it isn’t there to just look pretty.
Lastly always keep the shotgun fully loaded.
There is no reason to pump your shotgun unless you are reloading for a second shot. Do not fall for the gun store gossip that, “racking the shotgun will scare them away.” It won’t, and you’ll give away your position.
The only time they should hear the sound is because you’re about to take a second shot.
3. Recoil
The shotgun delivers a devastating payload into your target and can do the same for your shoulder. A shotgun’s recoil, especially the classic 12 gauge, can be quite fierce. It is still controllable, but when compared to a modern sporting rifle it’s quite powerful.
There are a few things you can do if recoil is an issue.
For a pump action shotgun, reduced recoil buckshot is an excellent idea.
Stance is still key.
Shooting Leaning Stance
Shooting Leaning Stance
You can also use the recoil from the shotgun to help you pump the weapon faster. As the inertia pushes your shoulder backwards you use that inertia to rack the shotgun. By the time the recoil impulse is over you’ll be ready to shoot again.
How a Semi-Auto Shotgun Can Be Better
You can also look into a semi-auto shotgun. The actions and operating systems of a semi auto shotgun reduce recoil significantly since either the gas or inertia is used to rack the next round.
Most will not cycle reduced recoil loads reliably, but it’s not really needed with a semi-auto shotgun.
A semi-auto shotgun can use several different operating systems, the most common being gas and inertia.
Gassed Up
Gas powered shotgun diverts some gas from the barrel to the action. Just like in the AR-15 and other gas operated guns.
Direct Impingement
Gas Gun
This gas is created by the gunpowder in the shells. As it burns and becomes gas it pushes the projectiles out of the barrel and cycles the shotgun simultaneously. Gas guns are typically more reliable with ‘lighter’ loads and reduce the most recoil.
Use That Inertia
Inertia systems essentially use the recoil of the shotgun to cycle the bolt.
The bolt carrier and what’s known as the inertia spring are not fixed to the receiver. The recoil caused by the gun firing causes the spring to compress and the spring then stores enough energy to send the bolt to the spring and hit the return spring to send the bolt back forward.
Inertia guns tend to be thinner and lighter than gas guns, and need less maintenance.
Top 5 Tactical Shotguns
With all this in mind, let’s look at the top 5 tactical shotguns on the market today…
1. The Military Standard – Mossberg 590A1
THE MILITARY STANDARDMossberg 590A1Mossberg 590A1
520
at Brownells
Compare prices (2 found)
Prices accurate at time of writing
