Few firearms are more intimidating than a shotgun. Perhaps a criminal’s worst fear is to poke around a corner inside a darkened house during a home invasion and hear the paralyzing shuck-shuck of a 12-gauge pump. But imagine the effect if we all truly knew how to use one.
    Most readers probably think they can run a shotgun. Many of us cut our teeth flinging lead at clay or fowl, and short of a .22, we’ve probably fired more rounds through a shotgun than anything else. I used to share that opinion, until I went through a tactical shotgun course. After a few days of intensive training at Blackwater, I left the firing line with this epiphany: While we all may be able to run a gun hot in a goose pit, fighting for your life or the lives of your loved ones is another venture altogether.
    The induced chaos of a stress course under the eyes of a full class and several instructors was enough to make me realize defensive shotgunning requires training. Understanding a life-or-death situation would amp stress exponentially sent me searching for answers that could help us all become better equipped for home defense. Proper training is essential; practice is vital; but on the most basic of levels, you first have to understand your gear.

Form Fitting
    Grab a pistol, a carbine and whatever shotgun you happen to own, and one thing should be immediately clear: The shotgun is a beast. It’s bigger, heavier, longer and the most difficult of the three to keep fed. Throw in technical maneuvers such as combat loads and ammunition changes, and the shotgun is easily the most complicated firearm you can bring to a fight. It also happens to be an excellent choice, so it pays to learn your gun inside and out.

While proper instruction is necessary to become skillful with any firearm, it’s especially true in relation to a shotgun, given its unusual attributes.

    In a defensive role, shotgun fit might be the most overlooked fea-ture. Gunsite Operations Manager Ed Head pointed out that a standard shotgun stock with a 14-inch or longer length of pull is a bit long for defensive work, and most people will find a shorter stock is more comfortable to shoot.
    “Longer stocks push you into a bladed stance,” said Head, “and the butt ends up on the point of the shoulder...ouch.”
    I experienced this during Blackwater’s tactical shotgun course. Whether it’s a take on the Weaver or a modified isosceles, the stance good trainers teach these days is what anyone would call an athletic posture. The legs are shoulder-width apart, the strong-side leg is slightly back, the knees are bent, and body weight is forward. If you look like you could D-up on Kobe, then you’ve probably got it right. A gun with a buttstock that is too long forces you to put the strong-side leg further back in the stance, turning an athletic posture into one worthy of Camp Perry. It may be good for one accurate shot but not for dealing with recoil, and it’s certainly not a stance from which to move. At one point I fired a shot using inadequate form during a slow-fire drill, and Blackwater shotgun instructor Doug Harris was quick to correct.
    “See how that rocked you back on your heels,” Harris said as he moved the buttstock of the gun from the point of my shoulder inward, high on the chest. “If it puts you on your heels then you’re not in a good, aggressive stance to manage the recoil of that weapon.”

Understanding shotgun ballistics at various distances plays an integral role in learning how to use a shotgun. Choosing the right load and smoothly transitioning to it are also important.

Pick a Pump
   For years, the standard for defensive shotguns has been the trusty pump. From the Winchester Model 97, to the Remington 870s and Mossberg 500s of today, it’s hard to best a pump gun for rugged dependability. However, more companies are now offering semi-automatics for home defense. Just like the pumps, they are available with ghost-ring sights, extended magazine tubes and AR-type adjustable buttstocks. More than ever, consumers have a choice for their home-defense shotgun—until you ask the experts.
   “For most people, a good pump is going to be the way to go,” said Head. “Nothing wrong with an auto, but, other than for competition, there is no advantage to an auto, and some of them may not be as reliable. Pumps are simple to operate, are less complicated to load, unload, switch ammunition, etc.”
In terms of combat loads and ammunition changes, as in switching from buckshot to a slug, the semi-auto requires extra steps and is a bit more cumbersome for some maneuvers. The simplicity of the pump gun, combined with its inherent reliability, gives the nod to the pump.
   Regardless of which action type you use, you should become intimately familiar with every part of the shotgun, especially those related to loading and unloading, and the fire controls. It will make your life easier when you go through a tactical training course, which will reinforce proper manipulation of the shotgun. Move your thumb to the tang safety on your Mossberg several hundred times over the course of a three-day training class and you’ll develop the muscle memory required to find it under stress. During defensive use, the time spent fumbling for a safety in the dark could cost lives.

Load Lessons
   Once you know your shotgun, you must understand what you intend to run through it. While different gun makes, chokes and ammunition manufacturers influence terminal ballistics, there are some general concepts that provide a basis for understanding shotshell performance.
   At Blackwater, tactical shotgun instructors have taken averages from several types of shotshells to formulate a standard baseline for how shot patterns from typical defensive shotgun barrels and chokes. They found, on average, a 12-gauge, 23⁄4-inch 00 buck load contains nine .33-caliber pellets that leave the muzzle with a velocity of 1,325 fps. The maximum effective range of 00 buck is 20 yards, while the maximum range is 750 yards.
Blackwater also noted the average rate of spread for 00 buck is 1 inch for every yard traveled after the shot column has reached a distance of 5 feet from the muzzle, which is less than 2 yards. So for practical purposes, 10 yards of shot travel equals roughly 10 inches of spread.
   Knowing these figures points to the limitations of your load. The critical info is that at 25 yards, 00 buck has spread to 25 inches. Since Blackwater measures a man-sized target’s width to be 14 inches, even at 25 yards some .33-caliber pellets are going somewhere other than their intended target. That’s troublesome, because as armed citizens we are responsible for every round we send downrange. At 35 yards, our sample pattern spreads to 35 inches, and only 60 percent of the shot hits the target. This is an unacceptable hit-to-miss ratio.
   Blackwater teaches engaging targets at anything past about 25 yards necessitates an ammunition change to slug loads. According to Blackwater testing, typical .72-caliber slugs have an average weight of 1 ounce. They leave the muzzle at 1,600 fps, with a maximum effective range of 50 to 100 yards and a maximum range of 1,700 yards.

Despite the shotgun’s effectiveness and versatility, the fact remains that it has a low capacity. Gear up accordingly and practice reloads.

Patterns and Penetration
   The Blackwater baseline clearly shows a shotgun has an effective range from the muzzle to 100 yards or more, depending on the shooter. But to fully understand what load to use and when, one must fully appreciate the shot pattern at all distances within that load’s maximum effective range.
   “At Gunsite, we teach this with three zones: the A, B and C,” said Head. “We depict this as three concentric circles with the A zone in the center, the B surrounding A, and the C on the outside. In the A zone, any load acts as a single projectile, as the pattern has not opened up much, if at all. This is generally from the muzzle out to about 7 yards. As the pattern starts to open up, we are in the B zone, and this may extend out to 15 yards or more; with a really good barrel and ammunition, it can go as much as 50 yards. This is our buckshot zone, the distance in which we can depend upon the majority of the shot staying on a man-sized target. Once we exceed the effective zone of buckshot, we are into the C zone, where we must use a slug. This zone may extend out to more than 100 yards, if, with good sights and ammunition, we can get reliable hits.
   “Now, you can certainly use slugs in all three zones, but to get the most out of a shotgun we need to understand how it patterns and how different ammunition can be effective at different ranges,” he said.
   Gunsite personnel set up a testing scenario on one of its outdoor ranges. Instructors erected three walls, placed
21 feet apart, the distance across a room in an average-sized home. The first two walls were standard wallboard construction. The final wall was an insulated exterior wall with clapboard on the outside, simulating the exterior wall of a home.
   The first wall was shot with No. 71⁄2 birdshot, 00 buckshot and a typical slug load. The results were shocking. The slug load completely penetrated all three walls and exited the “house.” The 00 buck also penetrated all three walls and exited. But what was really surprising was the effect of the supposedly benign No. 71⁄2 birdshot. While it failed to penetrate the second wall, it put a fist-sized hole in the first wall. According to this test, the load we think of as the light stuff is perfect for home defense. It has a lethal effect at self-defense ranges.
   “Indoors, at home, any type of birdshot will work just fine,” said Head. “It is devastating to a human being at the ranges inside a house, but will only penetrate one wall, thus not endangering people in other rooms, or even outside the home. Slugs or buckshot will easily go through several walls and may exit the house. Having the shotgun loaded with bird, then having a couple of rounds of buck and/or slugs on the gun (should the fight go outside or to longer ranges) is a good plan.”

Learning how to manipulate a shotgun is part of comprehensive training. The true test comes when applying that knowledge on the firing line and integrating it with basic tactical skills—like reloading and taking cover.

Get Training
   The first step for those who arm themselves is to become professionally trained. Training academies like Blackwater and Gunsite are excellent choices, but your local range probably has an NRA-certified instructor running courses as well. No matter your route, when it comes to shotgun, think high volume.
   “It is a labor-intensive weapon,” said Harris. “I can’t put 30 shotshells in there.”
That requires you to make some personal choices about how you want to carry ammo. To train in a high-volume course you will be required to carry an extreme amount of shotshells on your person. Unless you are in law enforcement or the military, this is the one exception where you don’t necessarily have to match your training to real life. In fact, during the Blackwater course, Harris wore a typical sporting clays pouch on his belt. In a home-defense scenario, armed citizens won’t have the time to reach for vests or shell pouches.
   “If taking a class at Gunsite, you will need to have extra ammunition on the gun, in a pouch, in an ammo belt, etc.,” said Head. “At home this is not an issue, as you will likely solve your problem with what is in the gun. A SpeedFeed stock, a butt cuff or side saddle on the gun will make it a little heavier but will give you the ability to have a few extra rounds on the gun.”
   When that gun is picked up, in what condition should it be? Most law enforcement agencies teach “cruiser safe,” which designates a loaded magazine and an empty chamber. No matter what you decide, it should be one way, all the time.
   “The ready status of the shotgun at home should be with the magazine loaded and no round in the chamber,” said Head. “The safety can be either on or off. Therefore, to use the gun, the action must be cycled. If you don’t shoot, the safety should be activated.”

Overpenetration can be a concern with a shotgun. In some cases birdshot can be the best choice to avoid punching through thin walls.

Have a Plan
   Planning is probably the most important, yet least followed, aspect of effective personal defense. You can own the best gun and gear, and even train. In the end, all of these are pieces to the pie. But to get the most out of your personal-defense training, you must have a plan.
   “A shotgun is probably the single best home-defense weapon,” said Head. “Its major disadvantage is its length, making it hard to maneuver within tight spaces. But, since the homeowner is best advised not to go looking for the bad guy, this is a minor issue. We recommend something like this: Have a shotgun in the bedroom, and have a sturdy door with a good lock. Have your cell phone in the bedroom, in case your landline is disabled. If you can, gather everyone into the bedroom, get behind cover (the bed is good), get on the phone, call for help, and be ready to engage anyone trying to break down the door.”
   Should someone enter that bedroom—with your loved ones tucked behind you, only you between them and one who would do them harm—will you be ready?

 

For an in-depth look at Blackwater’s tactical shotgun courses, watch “American Guardian Television” Dec. 31 and Jan. 7. The show airs on the Outdoor Channel Wednesday nights at 9:30 EST.