Tennessee Gun

Tag: shotgun

  • How to Skip Buckshot: Ricochet Shooting a Shotgun

    How to Skip Buckshot: Ricochet Shooting a Shotgun

     

    Skip Shooting a Shotgun
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    In today’s article on Skip Shooting a shotgun we are going to talk about a technique taught at a particular state correction academty for dealing with riots.

    While most of us will never have to worry about dealing with inmate riots, the ability for one man with a shotgun to be able to hit multiple assailants with one shot may be useful.  Gabe Suarez, also has a article on Skipping Buckshot, and besides TCA, is probably the only guy still teaching this viable technique.

    We have covered in other videos the concept that while the column of shot fired from a shotgun does spread, it is not as extreme as Hollywood shows in the movies. Basically the shot spreads an inch every 10 feet or so. The low mass of the individual shot also cause it to loose potential energy very rapidly. Taken together, by the time the shot spreads enough to hit 3 or 4 bad guys, it won’t have enough energy to actually stop them.

    How Skip Shooting Works

    However, as the video demonstrates, if you shoot your shotgun at a low angle, and hit solid ground a foot or two in front of your target, the rounds will “skip” up and spread. Additionally, if your firing at asphalt, gravel, or other like substance, some ground debris will also be added to the ricocheting shot.

    Now, before we get illusions of ninjas and super secret squirrel stuff (S4) take into consideration the basic laws of physics, and realize that action has a reaction. By spreading the shot in such an extreme manner there is an additional loss of velocity. Also, depending on the distance from the target, the angle, and how far you hit the ground in front of the target the maximum height you will get impact on the target will vary. It will be somewhere from the shins to the hips.

    Less shot will impact the target, with less velocity, in the bad guy’s legs instead of vital organs. That is a very significant trade off for hitting more than one guy at a time.

    While I think this is a good technique to keep in the brain housing group, if I was in a situation where I was in fear for my life by multiple attackers in close proximity I think I would be better off shooting the biggest threat center mass than peppering multiple guys.

  • How to Replace a Remington 870 Shotgun Barrel

    How to Replace a Remington 870 Shotgun Barrel

     

    How to Replace a Remington 870 Shotgun Barrel
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    I get questions on occasion about “sawing off” shotguns. My first question is why – what do you want out of it, and my first comment is about the legal ramifications.

    There are some legitimate uses of a short barreled (under 18.5 inches), and I do think the idea is cool so don’t Zumbo me, but in general for home defense use I do not think a regulated short barrel shotgun is worth the hassle and a standard pump with an 18.5 inch barrel gives you everything you need.

    However, if you want a shorter barrel on your 870 shotgun you need to know how to replace a Remington 870 shotgun barrel

    If you want to cut down the total length of a shotgun so that you can maneuver it easily 18.5 inches works fine. This length also balances spread with energy transfer – if the pellets have too extreme a spread then less of them with strike the target.

    Besides that if you go with a 18.5 inch barrel it is easy to buy a new barrel and just replace the barrel that came with your shotgun. That way if you ever want to go hunting or shoot skeet or trap you can just put the older barrel back on.

    If you cut your barrel down it’s a permanent solution…

    As I said in the video, a coworker asked me to show him how to switch barrels – since we both commute to work, and work is a national guard armory I could not bring in my gun to show him or store it in my car until after work. Besides, this gives me a legitimate reason to make a video – and you know how I need that…

    I made the video and burned it to a disk – when he watched it he said “Is that all there is too it, anybody can do that”. I agree, and if you have a pump shotgun I think you should consider getting a few specialty barrels – a 18.5 cylinder or improved cylinder bore for defensive work – a longer hunting barrel, maybe a slug barrel for deer – they are cheaper than buying new guns, and turns your shotgun into a true multi-purpose arm.

    Procedure

    • Clear the firearm. In the video I reversed the steps.  I checked the chamber and then the magazine.
      • In my defense I did it prior to filming.  The shotgun used is my home defense gun and was loaded and had the 18.5 barrel on it.  No excuse I know.
    • Pull the slide to the rear.
    • Unscrew the magazine cap. The magazine cap is located at the very end of the slide, just underneath the barrel.
    • Grip the barrel just in front of the magazine tube and pull it straight out. It should come out easily, but you may have to twist it a little
    • Insert the new barrel into the receiver and push it back as far as it will go.
    • Screw the magazine cap back on
    • Function check your firearm to ensure you installed everything correctly
  • Army Pro Tips: Shotgun Reloads

    Army Pro Tips: Shotgun Reloads

     

    Army Pro Tips: Shotgun Reloads
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    Robbie and Daniel with the United States Army Marksmanship Team show you how to be faster with shotgun reloads.

    Like the Army Speed Reload video, the key to this is first understanding the motions and the practicing them perfectly.

    There are two types of reloads taught in this video.  The side saddle reload and the weak hand reload.

    The weak hand reload the Staff Sergeant shows in the video is functionally very similar to the combat load that I learned from the Department of Correction.

    I like it better because it allows for more situational awareness and you keep your dominant hand on the gun.

    However, the side saddle reload may be a little faster.

    To me, I think a few thousandths of a second difference is not as important as keeping your head up and the shooting hand on the gun.

    I also don’t think the differences in either method of shotgun reloading are as important as a good combat mindset and the willingness to practice a shotgun reload method diligently enough to get it down to an unconscious effort.

    Practice makes perfect, perfect practice makes a shot-guner fast.

    If you want to see what practice can do, look up Clint Smith’s video on his shotgun technique.  He runs an old double barrel like these soldiers run their semi-autos.

  • Yes, You Do Have to Aim a Shotgun

    Yes, You Do Have to Aim a Shotgun

     

    You Have to Aim Shotguns
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    Besides butchering rabbits on YouTube, I am a killer of sacred cows. One thing I hate is to hear a mall ninja prattle on about how he loves him some shotgun.  They love to say that all he has to do is point down the hall and kill anything coming down it.

    I hate to tell you, just because it’s a shotgun doesn’t mean you don’t have to aim it…

    Let me break it to you… You have to aim shotguns

    I was first exposed to the following concept of spread by listening to Massad Ayoob talk about “rule of six”.  Try as I might I cannot find that link or I would add it here.  However, what I did find were several forensic studies talking about shotgun spread over distance. While I am not going to reproduce it her, I will invite you to look at this Google scanned book The use of statistics in Forensics  to read for yourself the math that goes into what I am telling you.

    I have to apologize in advance for the video that supports this article. I choose 7 ¾ shot for the exercise because it gives a better overall view of spread than buckshot – more pellets give more data, but the small holes did not show up as well as I would have liked on camera – a fact I did not notice until I was editing the video – it showed up well on the butcher paper at the range. Also wind was barely noticeable on the range, but it made an unspeakable roar on the camera – once again not noticed until I was editing.

    We Show Spread at Different Ranges

    Here is what we did, we fired a 12 gauge shotgun at approximately 6, 12, and 18 feet from an 18.5 inch improved cylinder choked 12 gauge Remington 870 to demonstrate the concept of shot spread.

    As the shot leaves the bore it exits the muzzle in a concentrated mass – wadding included – so at around 6 feet the shot impacts on the target much like a slug. The result is that the shot and wadding mass will produce a single large hole in a target. If the target is a living being, the wadding material will be blown into the wound tract with the pellets.

    At distances more than about 10 feet the shot mass starts to break apart – you will get individual pellet holes (called flyers) around the edges and you will see a wadding hole on a paper target. If the target is a person, the wadding may or may not enter the wound. A little farther and the wad will take on more of a different trajectory as it gives up its energy sooner because of its lighter weight, and may leave a bruise until about 15 feet. The wad will fall to the ground after about 20 feet.

    As you move farther the pellets will spread farther apart so that at 12 feet you start to see individual pellet holes, and by 18 feet you see a large spread that covers a B-6 target.

    Pick the Best Tool for the Job

    With a shotgun you have to make trades, rounds are much heavier than pistol or center-fire ammunition, and while a shotgun leaves a devastating wound at close range – shot loses energy very quickly because of light weight and at 30 feet of so may make a very ugly and bloody would, it may not incapacitate what you are shooting at.

    What I would suggest to you if you plan on using a shotgun for home or other personal defense, is that you measure the distance you think you may be called upon to fire.  Then, go to the range, and set up a witness board.  Turkey hunters call them pattern boards.  Shoot and see what your shotgun can do at the range you plan on employing it.

    Butcher paper stapled to a target frame works well for seeing the spread of the rounds.  However, it may not show you penetrative power. I would suggest you use some Sheetrock at the farther distances to get a better indication of the terminal energy of shot.

    Conclusion

    Finally, you also need to be aware shot patterns can be affected by the load, pellet size, wad type, and choke of the shotgun. That’s why I keep saying approximate.  Your shotgun may not perform exactly like mine.  Regardless of brand, barrel, ammunition, or skill – you have to aim shotguns if you want to hit anything.

  • How to Safely Unload a Shotgun

    How to Safely Unload a Shotgun

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