Gold & Silver Forum - Fighting with a shotgun-The Box O'Truth

I suggest a youth model shotgun....in 12 ga if you are a man and in 20 ga if you are a woman.....but a 20 ga also works well for men....I just prefer the 12 ga for the greater shell payload....otherwise 20 ga is fine and has less recoil for smaller women and perhaps you may have your youth using the gun for protection as well......a youth model will have shorter pull lenght on stock.....("pull" is the lenth from butt of stock to the face of the trigger) this is required for all youth...I'll say all women...and a lot of full sized men.

The ideal fit for a shotgun "pull" is to place the butt of the gun in the crook of your elbow while grasping the grip area of the gun ...can you comfortably engage the trigger? A lot of folks have shorter forearms than they realize.....and this translated to awkward fit and function of the gun...and ability to operate the pump.

It is never really a disadvantage to have a short stock for a big buy....saying a big person can shoot a little youth gun....in fact in gun fighting it is an advantage....it makes the gun fast and handy....easy to shoulder quickly.

Youth sized shotguns have short stocks and short barrels.....makes them great for fighting right out of the box....no modification needed. Remember - this is a fighting gun....not an ideal fit bird hunting gun......just take a look at WWII M1 Carbine.....short and handy...stock about what would be youth sized....one size fits all and they made about 10 million of the litte devils....

If you study old gun fighters and criminals....many modified their rifles and shot guns by cutting down the stock and barrels.....this made them short, fast, handy, easy to use in enclosed spaces...easier to store and carry....all advantages in a fight.

Clyde Barker (Bonnie & Clyde) shortened every weapon he ever had....take a look at his stocks ....he really cut them down a lot...too much for my likeing....he only left about 5 inches beyond the grip. He also screwed a sling to the butt of the stock that ran to the front of the gun...he could shoulder the gun very quickly .....he called them "whip-it guns"...you could whip it into action quickly. He even did this to his 30.06 Browning BAR 20 shot full automatics..."

This is just my opinion on fighting shotguns......get a youth model 12 ga pump....and if the barrel is not short enough....get the shortest production barrel you can...that will be 18 to 21" in barrel length. Get a sling and attach it as far back on the stock as possible. Get a side saddle ammo carrier. Get a magazine tube extention to increase base capacity. Get a light that mounts on the mag extention. Do not add a pistol grip to the forearm pump. Youth model rear buttstocks that are tatical in desigh and have a pistol grip are ok...but I prefer a non tatical grip on a shotgun. Tatical is easier to carry shoulder mounted 100% of the time....non-tatical easier to carry at the ready and put into action...but can still be carried shouldered.

Loads....buckshot is very deadly but can cause problems in homes made of just drywall....in the past, I've suggested #5 shot.....I still hold by this suggestion if you are concerned with overpenetration hitting your kids....no question buckshot will give maximum penetration....and #5 will give much less.....I also like smaller buck than 00 .....even #1 shot or BB is pretty tough stuff. Remember....in a home you will only be shooting 10 yards maximum...the pattern will be the size of a softball or small volleyball...potent stuff in any shot size. Bucket-o-truth...does not address overpenertation killing your kids or the neighbor in the apartment next to you.....do you want to live with your kid being dead or blind? Most bedrooms are on the same end of the house...you may be firing from your room into the kids room....In retrospect....I should have paid a few extra hundred bucks and had all halls and bedrooms have a 3/4 plywood under the drywall when the home was built. At night, just waking up fighting in the dark....you do not have the time or ability to figure this out.... get your gun out and train in your home.....you will see what i mean....

I've shot 1/2 in plywood at 10 yards and #5 will make a serious splintered hole....no mans guts or head can take that shot...they will die and it can't be repaired...BB would be the ideal compromise in my opinion....#1 buck is even better and 00 buck is best if you can put a good chest shot on target and have no concern with a missed shot overpenetrating and going through some walls.