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Practical Tactical

Rossignol

The Original Sheriff
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I'm wondering if anyone wants to chime in on what items are "must have", and which ones to stay away from. How about a cost/benefit analysis? And not cost solely as in monetary, but cost in weight, or takes nearly a college degree to function properly, whats cumbersome and unweildly without any real advantage? That kind of cost.

At what point are the things we put on our guns no longer tactical, but "tacticool"? So if we break it down, what are we left with? I mean really, if we're talking HD, a simple pump gun and maybe a light? A tritium dot and a short LOP stock maybe? But I kinda wanna cover the gambit with some other guns and scenarios too. Like competition and hunting.

Any thoughts or ideas? I wonder if we can break it down into its simplest terms, the lowest common denominator, and come to a concensus.
 
I've got a 12 gauge 500 with 18.5" barrel, Streamlight TLR-1 and a sling. It's got 6 rounds of Federal LE132 in it. That's what my go to gun is for bumps in the night or dogs attacking my animals.

That same gun gets a 28" VR barrel with Accu-chokes and goes out in the field if I need a 12 (most of my bird hunting is done with a 20 gauge double). I plan to use it next week if there are any turkeys out at my dad's place.
 
Good deal. My in laws, though they have a newer Remington pump, still have an old Stevens 16 ga. single shot. That is the go to gun for anything that happens on the farm. They used it most recently in the middle of the night when the chickens got all riled up, and shot a fox. So for them, a gun in its simplest terms is a single shot smooth bore with what I think is a 24" barrel.

My house gun is a 20" Persauder. Nothing attached to it. For hunting, I have my 590A1, between bird and deer, the only change is the reciever mounted rail for a sight. I have a sling and shell cuff on it either way.
 
That single shot wouldn't have worked for me in my last dog attack. There were two dogs running amok in the middle of my animals. They were moving really fast and were hard to hit. I used all five shotgun shells and transitioned to my handgun before all was said and done.
 
My 590A1 is My HD weapon although I'm thinking the red dot may not be best suited for this purpose. Other than the red dot site a spec ops stock and heatshield it's still in it's 18.5" 6 shot beauty. The ghost rings will more than likely find their way back on it and the red dot on one of my other weapons. I have a 500A slugger, 500 20GA and a maverick 88. The 88 is also HD setup with the speed feed stock from 590A1 and a Tactical light. The 20GA has a vented rib accu-choke barrel and even though the receiver is drilled and tapped for a mount I would never do it to this gun..
 
A good sling that quickly goes from 2 or 3 pt to 1 pt (to "drop" a primary so a sidearm can be drawn) that can be also used strong to weak hand easily.
 
I hear ya ...my wording did not translate well at all after re-reading my post and I would never change from 2 to one 1 to pull a secondary when time was crucial. I was trying to get across how much a sling can be a great asset in different configurations.
 
I am guilty of the "hang enough s**t of your gun to make it a boat anchor" club.
But on a true HD shotgun, light, sidesaddle/butt cuff and sling, thats it.
Lately I have been using the velcro attached cloth side saddle.

I do keep a 500, that is the change its clothes like barbies and play toy zombie killer though.....
 
I also use a 2 point sling. The only times I have ever carried a sidearm is while hunting where there was other dangerous game in the area, like bear primarily.

The reason I bring up tactical and hunting in the same thread, is because of situations like Johnny described. I think there is enough commonality that civies like myself can benefit from, whether someone is shooting 3 gun, bear or hog hunting, or defending livestock from predators.
 
Well I can Go way over-board and usually do!! But, I do believe is simple and FAST when it come to self defense in the home!! My house is not a dark place there's always a light on in the laundry room witch gives
gives just enough light off in the house and if I have some one in the house and it's pitch back I know the lay out better than any would be Home invader. I think a weapon light on coming down the hall is just a bad Idea!! Like racking the pump!! I don't want any one to know where I am or that I'm on may way!!
There will be no warning in my House!! BOOM!! Is the first thing the bad guy will hear.
With that said I would most likely take the 1911 and leave the 12 gauge for the wife, Just in case the Intruder get past me and the 2 Doggers..

my HD shottie is this
CLEAN and FAST 7+1
loaded with 5rds of 00 Buck and 3 slugs Just in case I need them!!

win13001.jpg
 
My 500:
1) Standard stock that fits me.
2) elastic cuff with 2 rounds of slug ammo
3) 18.5 barrel with standard 5 round mag.
4) buckshot
5) Quick detachable 2 point sling, which is kept detached for use in house.
6) Hi viz front sight, clip on type.
7) good quality handheld flashlight
8) formal training in combat/defense US Army infantry and MP/hunter training/ccw.

Gee, I guess I`m not Rambo!

some things on the agenda for Jan when I have a block of time set aside for this:
1) formal shotgun defense training, along with some DVDs.
2) patterning my gun with modern (low recoil) buckshot and using up all old ammo in practice.
3) Buy snap caps or dummy rounds and set up short monthly dryfire practice.
4) schedule quarterly live fire HD practice
5) Develop defensive use of stock drill (based on Army bayonet practice)
6) Look into whacking down my vent rib barrel. Cheaper than buying a ghost ring!
7) Buy a hand held push button tactical light.
 
I'm with ya on stocking up on the low recoil stuff, its great ammo! And Federal offers hunting loads with the exact same specs as their LE Tac line of ammo, though if you can find the LE loads online theyre generally less expensive!

Adam, I never get tired of seeing the 1300, I love the furniture! I can only imagine how it feels, Winchesters tend to be slick, faster shooting guns, and get better with wear...
 
To me, a practical tactical scenerio is defending my home. I feel the best tool for that job is the pump shotgun. There are many practical shotgun mods that will make it more tactical, on the flip-side, many accessories only complicate the functionality and reduce its effectiveness.

For home tactical purposes I like: mag extensions, 18" BBL, a simple sling, and a comfortable and compact stock. (I have the Tapco 6 position butt stock on my 870 and really like it.) A mounted flashlight with simple on/off function is nice too.

IMO, you don't need anything more than that. Red-dot sights, lasers, strobes, iron sights, are all gadgets that can limit movement, snag on clothing, add weight, etc. A 12ga. shotgun used at a distance of no more than 10yds. should not require any aiming aids whatsoever.

Here's my 870 clone with tapco stock. The side-saddle style shell holder is nice in that it keeps extra rounds WITH the gun, but reloading from it is not easy. This is why my next mod will be a +2 mag extension for a 7+1 capacity.

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Yeah, I like the side saddle too, but prefer it on the stock. Unfortunately, I cant figure a good way to make one fit an adjustable stock, lol!

Pretty easy to load from the stock like this,
163675_1596245661116_1085205913_31331331_6812260_n.jpg
 
I have a cloth side saddle with elastic shell holders, its on my syn. stock. I prefer this because the plastic saddles seem to be a bit tight when I pull a shell. The elastic allows me to get the round fast. To me this is a big deal, considering that if I need to use the shells that are holstered in the saddle, its because im reloading and have exhausted what was in the mag. This means that the reloads need to be smoothe and fast, because I dont want to get shot while reloading.
The only con for the fabric/elastic one I have. Is that it is a tapered syn. stock, So it gets a little loose towards the reciever. Not enough to cause an issue for me though. It still fits snug. You can just tell that it was intended for a non-pistol grip stock. Mine is the black 500 A.T.P. in the middle.
IMG_1217.jpg
 
I keep my HD shotguns as uniformly eqipped as possible. My 590s with Ghost ring sights have a Surefire forend weapon light, Meprolight front blade, 3GunGear sidesaddle, a Hogue 12" stock, and a Vickers sling. My 930 is a work in progress, but will only basically differ in the forend, although the pressure switch will be in about the same location as the pumps. After a few courses, this is what has proven to work best for me, no more, no less.
 
I can do pretty well with my Mossberg 590, 20" with ghost sights. Thought about mounting a red dot sight, but if I have to move quick, I don't want to have to worry about is the battery charged and, oh I also have to turn it on and select brightness. It's too much. I also have a Surefire G2 mounted with a CDM MOD-C flashlight mount and a two-point sling. I'm also thinking about buying a Maverick 88, 18", adjustable grip stock for another part of the house for quick daytime access. Keep it simple!
 
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