Even the most experienced shooters realize that recoil can change the way they shoot. Some shooters will develop a flinch because of the expected recoil, which reduces accuracy and can cause the butt to slam into the shoulder instead of allowing the entire body to absorb the recoil. Low recoil loads are not always an option because of the reduced range and impact. Another option is a recoil reducing stock.
shotgun
Shotgun Stopping Power
Shotgun Stopping Power
Takho Ukraine Buckshot
To most people stopping power is taken to mean a projectile fired from a weapon will incapacitate an animal or person, stop them in their tracks as it where. Usually stopping power and lethality are two different things. Energy transfer and shock is what determines stopping power. Certain projectiles penetrate more easily and may cause a through-and-through injury that may be lethal but may not stop a person or animal immediately if it has not struck a vital organ. The projectile had limited contact so energy transfer is less. A person in a combat situation that receives a through-and-through may function long enough to discharge a round in your direction.
Shotguns have tremendous stopping power. The projectiles are either numerous in the case of buck shot or birdshot so there is maximum contact or they are slugs that maximize energy transfer. Rarely will a person be able to function even for a few seconds regardless of the lethality of the shot after being struck. Simply put the person goes down. Your objective in any combat situation is to neutralize the threat immediately. You have to know that once struck your aggressor is down for good. This is crucial when there are multiple targets and you cannot focus solely on one.
The momentum of a shotgun shell is greater than any handgun cartridge available. The sheer physics of this will abruptly stop any forward motion of any individual and may even force someone back a few steps. The momentum from a handgun cartridge is simply not enough to move anyone back or pick anyone off their feet as depicted in many Hollywood movies.
What typically happens to a person that is shot for the first time is disbelief, fear of traumatic injuries and then physical pain all in a microsecond, which accounts for the so-called “one-shot” claim. The person may be alive but is so surprised by actually being shot they have been stopped from engaging in combat. This contributes to any weapons stopping power.
Ammunition and distance plays a key role in stopping power. The shotgun shell must be of sufficient strength to penetrate and destroy vital organs. Slugs and buckshot have this stopping power while birdshot may at very close range. Usually stopping power is of a greater concern when engaged in close quarter combat. Your aggressor may only be feet away so they have to go down for you to escape or to engage other targets. Therefore, distance is not always a factor, when determining the shell. Energy transfer, distance and shell size all effect the actual penetration, which is essential as far as “stopping power”.
Shotgun stopping power is important in hunting and self-defense. Not putting an animal down may cause you to go hungry and causes unnecessary suffering on the animals’ part. In a self-defense situation, it may mean the difference between surviving and not.
Remember regardless of the shotgun, shells, distance and other factors there are no guarantees when it comes to stopping power. Having the proper training and knowing your weapon also plays a role. What you think is one-shot-stop may not be the case, so always be prepared to send multiple rounds downrange and never assume anyone can be stopped with one shot.
Pump Action Shotgun
Until recently, the typical combat shotgun was a pump action, or sometimes called a slide action. It was used because of its reliability. This is important in a tactical situation where the weapon is covered in dirt or mud because you can pump through some obstructions. You are relying on your actions to cycle the round and not the energy of a fired round to cycle a new cartridge, which is how many semi-automatic shotguns operate.
Semi-Automatic Shotgun with Magazine Tube
A tubular magazine usually runs under the barrel allowing rounds to be loaded tip to primer. This works well for shotgun shells, because there is not a pointed protrusion that can trigger the primer on a shell. The magazine load is limited by design particularly on shotguns because of waterfowl laws and other local, state and federal laws. Usually you can load four in the tube and have one chambered for a total of five. However, some believe that leaving five rounds loaded for extended periods may wear out the magazine’s spring, so some only leave three in the tube to reduce stress. This is only conjecture however, but it does appear that springs can wear out from use and not just because they are compressed for long periods.
Semi-Automatic Shotgun with Detachable Magazine
Various semi-automatic shotguns can have a detachable magazine. This typically means the rounds are loaded into a box type magazine or clip and is then inserted into the shotgun just as if you would a rifle or even a handgun. The magazine is loaded then inserted versus loading the under the barrel tube magazine.
Shotgun for Door Breaching
Shotgun for Door Breaching
Shotgun for Door Breaching
Breaching a door simply means forcing a door open that is locked or closed. Typically, this tactic is used by law enforcement, the military and sometime emergency services. When breaching using a firearm it is called ballistics breaching.
You want to breach the door without firing more shots than needed so this means you need the right weapon and ammunition. The weapon used is inches and sometime in actual contact with the door and the muzzle is typically angled downward to protect anyone inside the structure. If you place the muzzle flat against a surface without a muzzle adapter then there is nowhere for the escaping gases to go and it may increase the recoil dramatically. Usually the first round is fired at the lock/handle mechanism but some hardened doorways may require you also remove the hinges so this will require additional ammunition. Certain doors have the hinges hidden on the inside to help protect against ballistic breaches. Muzzle adapters are available for door breaching shotguns that allow gases to escape from the muzzle.
Some door breaching rounds do not have a projectial but are powdered filled such as the round the Department of Defense (DoD) uses. Once the metal cup containing the powder strikes the door the impact dissipates the energy on the door lock/hinge, this is called kinetic energy impact. The shell is a 12-guage and is described as “door breaching plastic cup” used with “un-choked shotguns”.
Remington has a breaching shotgun model called 870P™Breacher, which can fire 2 ¾ and 3″ rounds. The barrel has a threaded standoff meaning the muzzle is adapted to allow gases to escape. The barrel is 11.5 inches long with the standoff. It is assumed that if the standoff is threaded it can be removed. The magazine capacity is 3+1.
The weapon can fire the standard buckshot/birdshot and slug rounds but it also has a round for door breaching designed to mitigate collateral damage by not penetrating through the door. The round is called a Hatton round and it is a mixture of compressed powders, which are zinc and gunpowder along with wax. This round only causes localized damage and the muzzle must be pressed to the lock or hinge for best results.
Breaching a door simply means forcing a door open that is locked or closed. Typically, this tactic is used by law enforcement, the military and sometime emergency services. When breaching using a firearm it is called ballistics breaching.
You want to breach the door without firing more shots than needed so this means you need the right weapon and ammunition. The weapon used is inches and sometime in actual contact with the door and the muzzle is typically angled downward to protect anyone inside the structure. If you place the muzzle flat against a surface without a muzzle adapter then there is nowhere for the escaping gases to go and it may increase the recoil dramatically. Usually the first round is fired at the lock/handle mechanism but some hardened doorways may require you also remove the hinges so this will require additional ammunition. Certain doors have the hinges hidden on the inside to help protect against ballistic breaches. Muzzle adapters are available for door breaching shotguns that allow gases to escape from the muzzle.
Some door breaching rounds do not have a projectial but are powdered filled such as the round the Department of Defense (DoD) uses. Once the metal cup containing the powder strikes the door the impact dissipates the energy on the door lock/hinge, this is called kinetic energy impact. The shell is a 12-guage and is described as “door breaching plastic cup” used with “un-choked shotguns”.
Remington has a breaching shotgun model called 870P™Breacher, which can fire 2 ¾ and 3″ rounds. The barrel has a threaded standoff meaning the muzzle is adapted to allow gases to escape. The barrel is 11.5 inches long with the standoff. It is assumed that if the standoff is threaded it can be removed. The magazine capacity is 3+1.
The weapon can fire the standard buckshot/birdshot and slug rounds but it also has a round for door breaching designed to mitigate collateral damage by not penetrating through the door. The round is called a Hatton round and it is a mixture of compressed powders, which are zinc and gunpowder along with wax. This round only causes localized damage and the muzzle must be pressed to the lock or hinge for best results.
Related Post:
How to Avoid a Short Stroke on Your Pump Action Shotgun
Short stroking or short cycling means you have not brought the bolt back far enough to eject the cartridge, which means you cannot chamber a shell. In some instances, the shell may eject but there is not enough force to chamber a round and it can jam on you, which is not what you want to happen. On semi-automatics, the work is done by the exploding gas from the propellant or gunpowder. Shells designed for less recoil can cause a short stroke on semi-automatics because there is not enough energy produced by the powder to slam the bolt back and then propel it forward. The work is done by you with a pump action shotgun however. Sometimes not allowing the trigger to reset or there is a failure to reset can cause a short stroke but this is not typical.
Transition from Shotgun to Handgun during a Firefight
You cannot bring too much firepower to a gunfight. However, unless the fight is choreographed by a Hollywood producer you can only fire one weapon at a time. Therefore, to carry on the fight if the weapon you are firing such as a shotgun fails for whatever reason, jams, or runs out of ammunition you need to transition to another firearm, a handgun for instance.
If your shotgun fails and you are within handgun range then it is better to sling your shotgun and engage the enemy with your pistol. This may give you time to fix the jam or to begin a combat reload. You cannot allow the aggressor to advance on your position as you fiddle with a jammed weapon. You need a sling to maintain control of the shotgun. If you do not have a sling, you have drop the weapon to engage properly with your handgun. You really do not want to give up control of the shotgun if it can be helped.
Transitioning From One Target to Another While Firing
You may be faced at some point with multiple targets, multiple targets that are shooting back at you. Most firing ranges are set up so you only focus on one target at a time unless it is a specialized training facility. You fire, the buzzer goes off and you bench your weapon, it is synchronized to some extent, firefights are not. Therefore, most shooters focus on becoming proficient while shooting at one target in a controlled environment.
Shotgun Slug Change Over Drill
Slug change over drills can seem somewhat elaborate depending on your weapon, and some may question why it is needed to begin with. If you do not believe in the need for a slug change over, it is unlikely you would ever master the technique. It is not typically something you do as a hunter, but would perform during the defense of your family and property.
Choate Magazine Extension for Remington 870 Shotgun
rythomas0704 has posted review of the Choate magazine extension for Remington 870 shotgun on Remington 870 Forum.