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Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Shotguns (esp. for Home Defense)

I always face the threat/target square when shooting handguns, carbines, SMG’s, and shotguns. My stance is the exact same for all weapon systems, only the grip changes.

This doesn’t just work when wearing body armor. You are about twice as likely to survive a GSW to the front of the torso vs a shot to the side. I didn’t make that up, that came from a class I attended that was taught by the Chief Trauma Surgeon at Grady. Anyone that has taken one of my classes has gotten the entire spiel on that.

I have read the same. A round hitting one organ is a lot less likely to kill you than one that hits multiple organs if you receive medical treatment. Side shots are a lot more likely to hit multiple organs.
 
Added a new article to the original list above because it is related to defensive use: What’s The Best Stance for Shooting With Shotguns?


Interesting article, but I think it glosses over one fact. I have fired tens of thousands of rounds, maybe hundred of thousands of rounds in competitive shotgun games. I'm certainly not one of the best, but I don't embarrass myself.

There's no doubt I've built up "muscle memory". I don't know that my foot work and so forth is "ideal" for defensive work, but I do know that I can mount my shotgun from low ready, and hit a target going 60 mph about 90% of the time. So I'm perfectly willing to not learn another method, and another way of mounting my shotgun and bring in to bear.

I also have to note that the author's description of clay target shooters stance is limited and somewhat dated. He only refers to trap and skeet. There are many clay target shooters who use and advocate a square up stance because in sporting clays and FITASC you have to be able to move the gun in any direction. The foot forward stance he describes doesn't really work when you have a hard right and hard left target as a pair. Also he seems to think that all clay target shooting takes place on a concrete skeet station. In FITASC you can be standing on a hill side, in a ditch, in a plow furrow, and you may have to turn in any direction, including 180 degrees. While it's not running and gunning, footwork in an important part of the game.

The author over emphasizes that necessity of movement in a home defense situation. He totally fails to discuss the advantage the homeowner has with familiarity with "the ground" on which the fight will occur. In the best of times, I'm not running to chase anyone. In my home, with my shotgun, my ammo, and my knowledge of the premises. I'm taking cover and holding the fort until the cavalry comes.
 
Holding the fort down is an outstanding, primary plan. However, if you live with loved ones that you want to protect, it may not always be an option.

My teenage daughter’s bedroom is on the opposite end of the hallway. I don’t wanna leave her swinging in the breeze.

My wife works from home and keeps crazy hours. Also, she will oftentimes fall asleep downstairs. Don’t wanna leave her to her own protection, either.

Intruders can do things like set your home on fire, intentionally or accidentally.

Having a secured position is outstanding advice, but it’s solid tactics to have a Plan B, and C, and D............
 
Holding the fort down is an outstanding, primary plan. However, if you live with loved ones that you want to protect, it may not always be an option.

My teenage daughter’s bedroom is on the opposite end of the hallway. I don’t wanna leave her swinging in the breeze.

My wife works from home and keeps crazy hours. Also, she will oftentimes fall asleep downstairs. Don’t wanna leave her to her own protection, either.

Intruders can do things like set your home on fire, intentionally or accidentally.

Having a secured position is outstanding advice, but it’s solid tactics to have a Plan B, and C, and D............
Same sort of situation here -- that's why I really was glad to take your room clearing class a while back.
 
I just shot my 20 gauge shotgun with its home defense barrel, an 18.5 inch cylinder bore slug barrel with rifle sights.

A friend brought a Mossberg 500 with a side folding pistol grip stock, and it had a cylinder bore barrel also.

We were shooting #3 and #4 buckshot from 15 yards and then seven yards. The ammo was standard American made buckshot --not expensive not premium, nothing like a federal "flight control" load.

At 15 yards our guns were throwing a pattern more than 18 inches wide! It's completely covered our human silhouette targets shoulder to shoulder!

We had to move up to 7 yards in order to have a 6" - 8" pattern that we could recognize and say that we had been lined up with a certain part of the target's body.

We finished by rapid firing some small birdshot shells from about 5 yards away --just for fun, blowing fist sized holes through the cardboard silhouette targets.

Bottom line: I know that I could not use my shotgun with buckshot to do a precision shot or a hostage rescue shot at any distance past 7 yards.

But if there are no innocent people in the line of fire or the background my shotgun with throw a nice pattern to envelop a bad guy's chest at about 12-15 yards.

If I shot at a bad guy from even 50 feet with my shotgun, I'm sure I would do a lot of damage to him but I'm also sure that I would send some pellets right past him ---complete misses.
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