I break shotguns into three categories:
- Wing shooting (clays, trap, hunting birds, etc)
- Tactical (home defense, competition, etc)
- Turkey Hunting (kind of a cross between a wing and tactical shotgun – think longer barrel with a red dot).
Wing Shooting Shotguns
For breaking clays or shooting a trap game, you point (not aim). You don’t want red dots or sighting systems on the gun, and the gun is ideally fitted so that it points exactly where you want it to point. You also want a long barrel so you have swing (think golf swing) and follow through. A short barrel does not work at all for wing shooting.
Tactical Shotguns
For Tactical shotguns you aim (not point). A red dot or sights is paramount. And you must move and maneuver in tight quarters, so a shorter barrel is required. Trying to clear your house with a wing shooting shotgun (no sights and a long barrel) is practically impossible.
Dumb Myths from Movies
Sadly, movies and TV have perpetrated myths that won’t go away. If you hear someone say something like this, then you know they’ve never taken a tactical shotgun class.
- “Just the sound of a shotgun being racked will scare away an intruder.”
- “Fire a round or two in the air to scare someone away.”
- “You don’t even have to aim a shotgun. Just hold it at your hip and BAM!”
- “A shotgun is the best home defense weapon for a woman, because you don’t have to aim. They’re especially good for elderly women, or anyone who can’t shoot a handgun or AR.”
Reality
The tactical use of a shotgun is quite difficult, which is why most gun schools require classes and proficiency in handguns and ARs first, before they’ll allow you to take their shotgun class.
Many years ago, I bought all the Magpul Dynamic training DVDs. They’re no longer available new (maybe on eBay used though). If you ever find some of them, they’re worth buying. It seems someone uploaded their shotgun class to YouTube, so I am sharing it below.
This may be older, but it’s still really good. It’s about 3 ½ hours long, but you’ll learn a ton – like how to set up a tactical shotgun (sights, sling, side saddle), how to best run various systems (Benelli M4, M2, Mossbergs, Pumps, Autos…), how to move and keep a shotgun fed and running, and more.
And if you don’t have a good tactical shotgun but would like to get one, watching this first may help a ton in figuring out what you want to buy and how to set it up.
The Art of the Tactical Shotgun – Magpul Dynamics (Travis Haley)
Clint Smith – Thunder Ranch
A shorter 25 minute video intro by the famous instructor from Thunder Ranch, Clint Smith.