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Shotguns: How to Make them Better

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Over at the Loadout Room, Travis Pike outlines some solutions to the weaknesses faced by your average shotgun. He writes:

Addressing the Weakness

The first weakness is range. We can’t change the principle of the weapon, we can’t give a shotgun the same range as a rifle. So what we have to do is mix both proper equipment and proper technique.

Range

This is why we have a good and proper set of sights. I prefer the ghost ring LPA adjustable rear rifle sight, and a good solid front sight. A bead sight works well, don’t get me wrong, but if you want to maximize both range and accuracy a good set of adjustable sights are perfect. When you choose an adjustable set of sights you want to dial them in for your slug of choice. A good set of sights can only get you so far.

The next step is experimenting with a variety of slugs and finding what works best for you. I like the Winchester PDX standard slugs, they tend to shoot the best from my Mossberg 930 SPX. Start working on your marksmanship, get behind that gun, and start practicing with slugs. Learn how to shoot those slugs. When it comes to slug training you can treat it as rifle training. The same basic marksmanship and tactical methodology works almost the same.

Ammo Capacity

Again we can only extend the capability of the shotgun so much. If you begin adding larger and larger magazines and longer tubes the weapon will get heavier. The weapon will start to become more and more unwieldy. I keep my tube at 7 rounds plus 1 in the chamber.

The key to being a successful shotgunner is being good at reloading, and topping off. You need to learn how to load fast, and efficiently. Topping off is the art of keeping the shotgun ready to go at all times. There are different methodologies to this, but the general the shoot two, load two is the most widely accepted method. It is pretty self-explanatory. Mastering the reload from a weapon’s side ammo carrier, or from a belt, pouch, or whichever you choose to reload is critical.

Read lots more from Pike here.

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E.J. Smith - Your Survival Guy

E.J. Smith is Founder of YourSurvivalGuy.com, Managing Director at Richard C. Young & Co., Ltd., a Managing Editor of Richardcyoung.com, and Editor-in-Chief of Youngresearch.com. His focus at all times is on preparing clients and readers for “Times Like These.” E.J. graduated from Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts, with a B.S. in finance and investments. In 1995, E.J. began his investment career at Fidelity Investments in Boston before joining Richard C. Young & Co., Ltd. in 1998. E.J. has trained at Sig Sauer Academy in Epping, NH. His first drum set was a 5-piece Slingerland with Zildjians. He grew-up worshiping Neil Peart (RIP) of the band Rush, and loves the song Tom Sawyer—the name of his family’s boat, a Grady-White Canyon 306. He grew up in Mattapoisett, MA, an idyllic small town on the water near Cape Cod. He spends time in Newport, RI and Bartlett, NH—both as far away from Wall Street as one could mentally get. The Newport office is on a quiet, tree lined street not far from the harbor and the log cabin in Bartlett, NH, the “Live Free or Die” state, sits on the edge of the White Mountain National Forest. He enjoys spending time in Key West and Paris. Please get in touch with E.J. at ejsmith@yoursurvivalguy.com To sign up for my free monthly Survive & Thrive letter, click here.