Crusader is working on an upgrade package for the Remington 870 and the Mossberg 500. We have been filtering down all the options, getting to those bits that can actually be helpful and ignoring the rest.
We’ve also looked at what internal improvements are the best.
We will be putting out the package details soon enough… But its looking very similar to what we are doing for a certain Training School.
Along with the package will be some end-user options… such as stocks, color, and such.
I spent a great deal of time with my 870’s, looking at each one, weighing the pris and cons of each. Going over everything with GunDoc… Talking to a few shotgun gurus… I think our Edge service will be huge.
Tag Archives: Shotguns
Understanding the Gauge
I find it very odd that so many shooters have such profound misunderstanding of the shotgun. I am constantly encountering experienced shooters who still thing that the shotgun remains a 25 yard device and is only good for shooting ducks. These are shooters who should know better. Some of these shooters who don’t understand the shotgun tack the tac that they are against the shotgun and even get insulting of those that elect to use them. They continue to pass on poor stereotypes of the shotgun:
1. Shotguns have brutal recoil.
2. Shotguns are for short ranges only.
3. You don’t have to aim a shotgun.
4. Just the sound of a pump action shotgun being cycled will send goblins running away in panic, soiling themselves along the way.
Unfortunately, none of these are true.
1. My 12 year old has no problem handling any of my shotguns, each one a 12 gauge. If my young kid is tougher than you are… Drop and give me fifty!
2. This is one of the shotgun’s advantages… You can go from zero to two hundred yards with one weapon. Most defensive shootings are within 21 feet. If you have a defensive shooting that extends past that, the further away, the more difficult the time will be for you to justify your use of lethal force. For military guys, sure everything can be a nail and your hammer is a battle rifle so you are fine… But for civilians, going out for three yard shots isn’t really a good idea. So range doesn’t matter much for shotgun justification.
3. At normal defensive distances, inside twenty-one feet, the spread of a typical shogun load from a typical defensive shotgun is shockingly tight. I daresay the pattern will be tighter than what you boast you can can do with your carry pistol. The groups are typically just a couple of inches at those ranges. This makes it easy to fire a dramatic miss. You still have to aim. Part of this aiming is knowing what your shotgun and load is doing at every range interval. Once you gain an understanding of just what your gun is doing… How it patterns… Then it helps you apply all that delicious violence that your shotgun can deliver.
4. Racking the slide does make a good sound. We all love that sound. But for a defensive situation your sound might not scare anyone away, and you might have just gave away your position or warned your adversary that you are getting ready to fire. You might not have time. Get your shotgun ready before the bad guy is close enough to hear it.
Mossberg 930 SPX, lets get critical.
At the gunshop I work at, we got in more of the Mossberg 930 SPX tactical shotguns. Even though they have had a huge surge in popularity, they are the same price as they were before. About 600 bucks. They have improved the SPX slightly. For one, they gave the SPX a larger bolt handle, which is a large improvement. They they screwed in a Sling Swivel Stud so you can put on a sling. Thanks, that’s a nice touch… but it’s not enough. I have some complaints about the SPX that I’d like to see Mossberg take a good hard look.
I sell these things for a living, that’s what I do. And a lot of the serious shooters out there just can’t take Mossberg’s semi auto seriously, and will buy a gun that’s 400 bucks more money. Why is that and what can be done to fix it?
1. The forward handguard feels loose. It doesn’t feel solid and secure. This gives the whole gun a cheeper, lesser quality feeling. I know the gun is good, but when the handguard is shifting around, it’s hard to convince someone that’s it’s okay. A tactical shotgun should be as solid as a Louisville Slugger. Mossberg just hasn’t got this yet.
2. This new aftermarket sling swivel stud looks like someone just screwed it on before they took a lunch break. That just screams chinsey. A simple bracket like what Wilson Combat sells would work perfectly, look cool, and would be easier and better to use for those who use shotguns for serious purposes… like… who you’re selling the SPX to.
3. It doesn’t come with a mount for a pistol light. The addition of a simple bracket around the mag-tube and barrel that puts a short rail up front would go a long way. Instead you (Mossberg) are forcing your customers to go buy that part from someone else. You make that part and you sell that part.
4. No chokes. What makes a Shotgun so great is it’s versatility. With removable chokes, an operator can tune his gun and load in together for whatever situation. This is one of the main reasons I sell tactical shotguns that are 400 bucks more. Serious shooters want to be able to use the right shell for the job, and if they don’t have the ability to change out a choke tube, then that’s a handicap. A big one.
If Mossberg does these few things… the 930 SPX can be transformed from a “Great gun for The Money” into a World Class gun for Serious Shooters.
Gun Wants
Recent message asked what guns I was thinking about getting in the future.
That’s a good question. Because there are so many awesome guns out there, and new ones coming down the pipe.
Beretta Tx4 Storm Shotgun
Beretta has a new tactical shotgun called the Tx4 Storm. The Storm series is a line of Defense/Tactical oriented guns that take a different road than most such guns. Unique features and good styling… and they are good shooters. Accurate, reliable, and rather soft shooting. I like them.
The Storm Shotgun seems to fit all same qualities of the rest of the line. Good looking, good feeling and handling. The Storm Shotgun is a bit unique from other tactical shotguns… it’s very light weight and balances perfectly, loaded and unloaded.
There can be only One!
Something bad is happening… you have to go. Now. You grab one weapon… only one. What do you grab? I have a modest collection of arms, but I couldn’t grab all of them. I’d have to pick one. I suspect most of my readers are in the same boat. I’ll give you guys about 1 second to guess what my choice would be.
Some Wallpapers for Shooters
One of the things that a lot of people just don’t understand… Guns are beautiful things. Especially in groups.
Take a guess at what these are. Gotta love the character in the old style guns…
For the Tactical Minded… A line of some choice fire power.
For the 12 Gauge Brotherhood, my favorite pump actions.
A Stockpile.
Slug Gunning to 400 yards.
One of the things I did at the range today was to put my slug gunning to the test.
300 yard target plate. I missed once or twice, finding my hold. Then hit it at will. Then I turned my attention to the 400 yard target. I pictured the ballistic arch in my mind, held the sight accordingly, and made the hit.
I have no video of this, but I have an Air Force EOD Tech as a witness. My friend Nightcrawler was there and saw it. So he can testify that I’m not making such crazy bold statements off the cuff.
Shotgunning at Distance
I am so tired of hearing “Shotguns are 20 yard weapons”. That statement right there tells me I am dealing with someone that doesn’t know what he’s talking about.
And here is some 200 yard slug tossing. It can be done… with not a whole lot of practice, you can hit at 200.
Odd Shotgun Slug
I found this on Facebook from one of my Foreign Friends. It’s a 12 gauge slug of an unusual design. It’s a Sabot type, but looks like it would be stable out of a smooth bore. The slug is aluminum but can be made of steel for greater penetration.
