The Tactical Pump Shotgun Chapel Hill NC

The most readily available firearm for the patrol officer is the handgun. The gun on the hip is an officer's constant companion. When the unexpected need for deadly force arises on a call for service, the handgun is there. However, when the likelihood of a deadly force encounter is known, the shotgun becomes the first choice. What if an officer must enter an area where it is likely the only force option is a firearm? Employ the tactical shotgun.

The tactical pump shotgun is a versatile tool. It can launch huge chunks of lead far beyond the conventional range of law enforcement handguns. For the urban officer, the shotgun will trump nearly every close threat that is not rocket propelled. For the rural officer, it is additional insurance when backup is at a premium. Few other firearms can deliver a close range payload like a shotgun.

At close quarter battle ranges, the force of a shotgun projectile averages about 1,600 foot pounds, the energy measurement based on projectile mass and velocity. In comparison, the law enforcement .223 runs around 1,100 foot pounds, and the .45 ACP averages about 470 foot pounds. Although other factors like projectile design determine its efficiency, the raw power of a shotgun is devastating. If this were not enough, there is always the most intimidating sound in the world: the "chunk, chunk" of a shell being chambered.

The shotgun reload

In the basic configuration, most shotguns come with four-round magazines, which are the spring-loaded tubes under the barrel. Law enforcement shotguns are usually fitted with aftermarket two- and four-round tube extensions. These extensions have proven to be reliable and useful for patrol use. Because shotgun shells are larger than bullets, several accessories have evolved to hold additional shells on the outside of the weapon. One of the easiest shell holders to use is the Tacstar SideSaddle. This product is mounted on the non-ejector side of the receiver where it snugly holds six rounds for quick resupply.

In the patrol car, shotguns are usually stored with full magazines and empty chambers. Officers put them into action by shouldering the gun and cycling a round. If the officer has an imminent but not immediate threat, he can cycle a round in the chamber and stuff another in the magazine. For immediate threats, rack the slide, then engage; load later. The rule in this instance is "shoot one, load one," which means reloading when tactically sound in order to keep the tube full.

The shotgun's tubular magazine allows reloading without "dropping a magazine," as in a handgun. Officers can simply take shells off the SideSaddle and stuff them into the opening at the bottom of the receiver, pushing them home with the thumb. The rule here is "thumb on brass, point finger in chamber," meaning the fingertip of the pointer finger guides the front of the shotgun shell while the thumb drives it home with the thumbprint on the primer. If the situation requires a different type of shell, the shooter has another advantage. The round in the magazine closest to the receiver is the next onein the chamber. That is, the last round loaded is the first round chambered.

To put this concept to work, consider the armed felon stop where the cover officer deploys the shotgun. The eight-round magazine of the shotgun is all buckshot. The contact officer calls the driver out of the vehicle and the driver complies. While the driver is still prone on the pavement, a passenger runs from the vehicle, fires at the officers and hides behind a tree 15 yards forward of the suspect vehicle. The cover officer fires a round and cycles the next buckshot into the chamber, stuffing two slugs in the magazine. If the armed suspect survived firing at an officer bearing a loaded shotgun, the officer has several options. With the shooting suspect out of buckshot range, the officer can dump the chambered buckshot by cycling the action which will feed a slug. By topping off a magazine with another slug, the next three rounds are slugs. Thus, the savvy officer can switch to slugs by simply topping off the magazine.

Shotgun precision

Can the tactical shotgun provide accurate fire past 25 yards using law enforcement slugs? Yes. Using a Remington 870 fitted with a 14-inch barrel and ghost ring sights, the Law Enforcement Technology test group demonstrated one could easily bridge the gap between pistol and carbine distances, provided an improved aiming system is employed. In fact, the test group found this system reliable at 75 yards. Agencies using the 18-inch barrel should get similar results, provided they carefully inspect and sight-in each shotgun. Accurately guiding slugs requires accurate sighting systems like optical or ghost ring sights. The bead sights on sporting arms point; the tactical shotgun sight aims.

Dry shooting

If the shotgun has been shot dry, the following is a method of quickly getting it operational. This method observes the most important rules of reloading any long gun. Reload with the gun on the shoulder. The purpose is to stay in the fight. The way to do this is to keep the weapon oriented toward the threat.

During a gunfight officers generally will not have an accurate count of how many rounds they have expended. Most firearms schools do not advocate shooting any gun dry, but it happens. Cycling the slide and pulling the trigger on empty chamber is an alarming sensation, even in training.

The SideSaddle can hold the shells brass up or brass down. We recommend carrying the one closest to the chamber brass up. This allows a quick-chamber reload. The others should be oriented according to the officer's preference and needs.

Follow these steps to get the shotgun up and functioning.

1. Rack open the slide keeping the finger off the trigger.
2. If the shooter has fired the shotgun empty, he has been pumping the slide all along. This time, leave the chamber open.
3. With the non-firing hand, pull a round straight up from the SideSaddle, touching the thumbprint to the bottom of the brass, palm facing down. The fingers will naturally curl around the shell.
4. Rotate the top of the gun toward the chest by raising the firing elbow.
5. Drop the round into the chamber.
6. Run the slide forward while rotating the firing elbow down.
7. Engage as needed.

This sequence sounds more complicated than it actually is. Like any martial technique, the goal is economy of motion. Officers should lift the shell from the holder and drop it into the chamber using a minimum of fine motor skills. With very little practice, shooters will begin to blend steps 2 and 3 into the same step, grasping a shell and rotating the shotgun. Correctly performed, the shell will travel less than an inch from holder to chamber.

Every law enforcement tool requires practice. This technique should be practiced using dummy rounds. When training this technique using live fire, employ multiple reactive targets and "no shoot" scenarios. This will insure that the officer has performed the drill while his attention is divided. This is one technique that will keep the shotgun operating and the officer in the fight.

Lindsey Bertomen is a retired police officer who teaches Administration of Justice at Hartnell College in Salinas, California. In addition to freelance writing, Bertomen teaches military small arms and law enforcement firearms.