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Light options for 20 gauge Shockwave?

Spock

Copper BB
Looking for light options for my newly purchased 20 gauge Shockwave, anyone have one, or know of good options? Thanks
 
First and foremost welcome to the forum.

GG&G makes an excellent light mount for a 20 ga Shockwave. The short rail allows you to mount many different lights.

The Streamlight TLR-1 is used by many but there are other good choices depending on how you plan to use the weapon.

Regards
 
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First and foremost welcome to the forum.

GG&G makes an excellent light mount for a 20 ga Shockwave. The short rail allows you to mount many different lights.

The Streamlight TLR-1 is used by many but there are other good choices depending on how you plan to use the weapon.

Regards
how much size difference is there between a 12 and a 20g slide tube?View attachment 26784
 
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Rodburner, I'm assuming your question regards utilizing the Racker Assembly which is made for a 12 ga on a 20 ga?

Short answer it can be done but you need to find a thin metal sleeve which acts as a spacer between the smaller 20 ga action tube and the 12 ga racker assembly. Without the space the 12 ga racker will loosen up or even the rear portion of the racker can come off during firing. Might try sleeve made from something like a thin wall telescoping closet rod. Use a caliper to measure the differences. If you need to increase the fit size wrap some stick on velcro or electrical tape around the spacer to get a proper fit.

GG&G make light mounts for both the 12 ga and the 20 ga but they are not interchangable due to different sized mag tubes.

Regards
 
Thanks for the insight. I have a 12g so it’s not an issue. I searched through other topics and found a pic of the Streamlight racker installed and realized it’s not my cup of tea. To my eyes it looks bulbous and ungainly. I have only fired this thing indoors and can’t imagine needing to make it even more clunky up front..lol my home made aluminum forend isn’t even as large a diameter as the outer edge of the retaining nut..lol
 
Rodburner, tend to agree with you on the bulkiness of the Racker. My 12 ga Shockwave is used everyday as a work gun and other than a ESSTAC shot card I try to keep it simple and lightweight. I do have a GG&G light mount installed and when I come in at the end of the day I remount a TLR-1 for nighttime defense.

The way I use my Shockwave a Racker doesn't fit my needs. But to each their own.

Regards
 
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Ernst,

Thank you for the welcome, and thank you again for the info. I will look into the option you suggested. Much appreciated.
 
Shockwaves sure do sell well.

Think there are two reasons:

The Shockwave and the Remington "firearm" designation precludes folks from having to deal with SBS and AOW paperwork, government oversight and the cost of a "Mother May I" permission slip.

The more practical reason is the Shockwave's utility. Once you've mastered the aimed, push/pull techniques it becomes a go anywhere firearm for carrying in an ATV, a Jeep or truck, on a tractor or simple a easy to carry woods work gun. Plus IMO it's overall length makes it an ideal in home defense weapon which can be easily used to clear room and transition from strong hand to weak hand firing.

It definitely fills a nitch market and I think has become a firearm that people either love or hate. Atleast we don't have to deal with the pistol caliber wars!!!!!

Regards
 
Think there are two reasons:

The Shockwave and the Remington "firearm" designation precludes folks from having to deal with SBS and AOW paperwork, government oversight and the cost of a "Mother May I" permission slip.

The more practical reason is the Shockwave's utility. Once you've mastered the aimed, push/pull techniques it becomes a go anywhere firearm for carrying in an ATV, a Jeep or truck, on a tractor or simple a easy to carry woods work gun. Plus IMO it's overall length makes it an ideal in home defense weapon which can be easily used to clear room and transition from strong hand to weak hand firing.

It definitely fills a nitch market and I think has become a firearm that people either love or hate. Atleast we don't have to deal with the pistol caliber wars!!!!!

Regards
Ernst- where can I find more information on the push/pull techniques you mentioned?
 
Ernst- where can I find more information on the push/pull techniques you mentioned?

JDK, I can only provide some background based on my initial experience and the personal shooting techniques I developed. Others can certainly chime in on their experiences.

I purchased a Shockwave within the first couple of weeks when they came out and obviously the first noticable improvement was the bird's head. As compared to the older pistol grip shotguns it really allowed a smooth transfer of recoil energy down your entire arm vice trying to break your wrist. No big surprise here.

The natural tendency when you take the first shot or two was to see how much recoil and upper barrel rise you might have. So the first few shots were from the "hip" and like others have reported there was a tendency to shot high and to the left (right hand shooter). After a few shots it was time to see if you could actually use the front bead and aim a shot. Obviously the initial concern while shooting an aimed shot was would the firearm actually recoil backwards and hit you in the mouth.

My initial technique was to push the forearm away from me to compensate for the anticipated recoil while normally holding the bird's head. And while that worked well from a recoil point of view there was still a tendency to shoot high and to the left because of the barrel raise. After a few more shots I found that by pushing the forearm forward and equally pulling the bird's head rearward the firearm was actually very balanced to shooting, the firearm was easy to control and after a couple of boxes of target shell I could easily and consistently hit the point of aim.

I say it took 3-4 boxes of 7 1/2 target shells to be totally comfortable with this technique. Since then I've shot a bunch of 00 buckshot and because of where I live and the preditors I deal with (bears and cougars) I actually carry Brenneke Black Magic 3 inch magnums 1 3/8 oz slugs along with 00 buck. Unless you really need them I don't recommend shooting these magnum slugs. They are a handful but with practice you can shoot an aimed shot using the push-pull technique. And I'm not a spring chicken, seven plus decades old.

JDK, I hope this addresses your question. Again these are my experiences. Back in the early Shockwave days guys were basically experimenting with these new firearms. I think the first guy everyone later saw shooting a Shockwave on the internet was Hickhock 45. He has a couple of videos which you can pull up. There was another guy early on that demostrated shooting clays with a Shockwave. There's a video link back in the Shockwave section of the forum.

As I said earlier it's a nitch firearm but an excellent carry and work gun.

Regards
 
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Spock, we're certainly not ignoring you and your original light question!!!!!

Some of these threads tend to take off and take on a life of their own. But gererally related to the original question.

If we can further assist you in your light search please chime in. Would like to see what you decide on among the many choices.

Hope you find the additional dialogue interesting.

Regards
 
@Spock

ElZetta lights are the toughest on the planet, and you can have one built to your specific wants and desires (tailcaps, switches, number of batteries, spot or flood lenses). You can even have personal laser engraving on them.

They are almost literally bomb proof. But they are expensive.
 
I put an elzetta mount on my winchester 1300.

It far exceeded how other cheap mounts worked (or rather didn't).

Most other cheap mounts, tended to move and slide upon recoil. Thus, the light moved around, didn't stay where you wanted and just don't work right.

But, the elzetta mount has never moved on me, in the ~6 years I've owned it? (I'm guessing 6 years, maybe more or less, but it's been there a while now and just works).

7dAWlBu.jpg
 
JDK, I can only provide some background based on my initial experience and the personal shooting techniques I developed. Others can certainly chime in on their experiences.

I purchased a Shockwave within the first couple of weeks when they came out and obviously the first noticable improvement was the bird's head. As compared to the older pistol grip shotguns it really allowed a smooth transfer of recoil energy down your entire arm vice trying to break your wrist. No big surprise here.

The natural tendency when you take the first shot or two was to see how much recoil and upper barrel rise you might have. So the first few shots were from the "hip" and like others have reported there was a tendency to shot high and to the left (right hand shooter). After a few shots it was time to see if you could actually use the front bead and aim a shot. Obviously the initial concern while shooting an aimed shot was would the firearm actually recoil backwards and hit you in the mouth.

My initial technique was to push the forearm away from me to compensate for the anticipated recoil while normally holding the bird's head. And while that worked well from a recoil point of view there was still a tendency to shoot high and to the left because of the barrel raise. After a few more shots I found that by pushing the forearm forward and equally pulling the bird's head rearward the firearm was actually very balanced to shooting, the firearm was easy to control and after a couple of boxes of target shell I could easily and consistently hit the point of aim.

I say it took 3-4 boxes of 7 1/2 target shells to be totally comfortable with this technique. Since then I've shot a bunch of 00 buckshot and because of where I live and the preditors I deal with (bears and cougars) I actually carry Brenneke Black Magic 3 inch magnums 1 3/8 oz slugs along with 00 buck. Unless you really need them I don't recommend shooting these magnum slugs. They are a handful but with practice you can shoot an aimed shot using the push-pull technique. And I'm not a spring chicken, seven plus decades old.

JDK, I hope this addresses your question. Again these are my experiences. Back in the early Shockwave days guys were basically experimenting with these new firearms. I think the first guy everyone later saw shooting a Shockwave on the internet was Hickhock 45. He has a couple of videos which you can pull up. There was another guy early on that demostrated shooting clays with a Shockwave. There's a video link back in the Shockwave section of the forum.

As I said earlier it's a nitch firearm but an excellent carry and work gun.

Regards
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience Ernst. And Spock I apologize for hijacking your thread. I too watched the Hickok videos when I first purchased a Shockwave. I’ve got a Walmart case of bird shot to start with and a lot of inexpensive buck shot from OpticsPlanet to perfect technique before I start down the road of choosing a proper self-defense round like the Winchester Defender I asked about previously. I too am following the question about mounting a light! Thank you again. This is a great forum.
 
I’m taking advantage of OpticsPlanet excellent return policy and sending the Streamlight Racker back. Like the other Streamlights I own the quality is great and I can’t fault the design of the Racker but like Rodburner and Ernst I found the bulk too much of a negative. IMO it detracts from the “stow-ability” and “grab-ability” of the Shockwave. I really wanted to like this set up.upload_2022-3-6_13-18-31.jpeg
upload_2022-3-6_13-18-49.jpeg
 
I guess it comes down to what the owner deems most critical in a given situation. My party popper hangs in a quick draw bracket behind a door. I primarily live alone and with the advent of LED lighting, my house is never dark inside, day or night. And for the rare instances where the power goes out, I have a full 12v lighting system,JIC.. A laser saddle allows me to point and shoot with alacrity if my other exterior obstacles prove insufficient. Good luck with your search.
 
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Ok, since you all want to veer off topic here, I'm going to take my Shockwave and go home . . . just kidding. I am learning a lot reading all of the back and forth opinions and side information.

So here's the poop, I got the Shockwave primarily for home self defense, because as opposed to a handgun, my wife is actually willing to learn to handle this firearm. So my thought process was I would mount a light to improve our ability see an intruder coming down the hall at night, and also hopefully temporarily blind the intruder in the process as well. Whether that makes a great deal of sense or not other than in my noggin I don't know, but I'm open to alternative suggestions. By the way, my Shockwave came equipped with the Crimson Trace Laser Saddle, so I suppose if my home nighttime ambient lighting was sufficient, I may not need the additional mounted light at all, yes?

Rodburner, what kind of quick draw bracket are you using?
 
I have a very dear friend that gave me some suggestions about using a light. He was a former door kicker in the US Marines and served several tours doing just that.

I'm pretty sure they weren't allowed to use lasers on those shotguns in the first place, but he did have a light. And there was 2 things that always stood out to me concerning their use.

If you turn a light on, not only can you see them, but everyone around can also see you too. So, his suggestion was to only have a momentary switch where you could leave the light on, but probably weren't at all times. Because as I mentioned, having a light, does also make you a target if you turn it on and leave it on.

If you use a light, use it in very short bursts and move a lot. Weaving. Left. Right. However, because wherever that bad guy saw the light last, that's going to be their reference point of where they're going to be aiming and if they pull the trigger, you don't want to be standing where the light was last on.

The other thing that I'll never forget, and I have mentioned here many times, in the range that you would use a shotgun in the house, IF IT'S LIT, IT'S HIT.

Meaning, wherever the main body of the beam lights up, is going to be where the bulk of your payload is going to go. So, instead of using a laser at very close distances, just use the light as an aiming reference. If you have never paid attention to how a flash light looks on the wall, do that sometime to understand what I'm saying.

Any gun that I use for HD, WILL have a light on it so I can identify the target.

There are many people who think you have to have a light that is brighter than the surface of the sun. I disagree. Not only is a light that is "too bright" and disorientating to a bad guy, it is to whoever is on the sending in of it as well, and will mess as much with your night eyes as it will anyone elses.

So, I prefer to keep my lights at or under 150 lumens. It's bright enough to be able to identify anyone/anything within the confines of your home and without the need to illuminate a machinegun nest 420 yards away. Remember, if you're using a shotgun, you're not going to have the useful range with it as an 800 lumen light can reach anyway.

So, those are a few suggestions, from a guy that knew what he was doing and did it well.
 
Ok, since you all want to veer off topic here, I'm going to take my Shockwave and go home . . . just kidding. I am learning a lot reading all of the back and forth opinions and side information.

So here's the poop, I got the Shockwave primarily for home self defense, because as opposed to a handgun, my wife is actually willing to learn to handle this firearm. So my thought process was I would mount a light to improve our ability see an intruder coming down the hall at night, and also hopefully temporarily blind the intruder in the process as well. Whether that makes a great deal of sense or not other than in my noggin I don't know, but I'm open to alternative suggestions. By the way, my Shockwave came equipped with the Crimson Trace Laser Saddle, so I suppose if my home nighttime ambient lighting was sufficient, I may not need the additional mounted light at all, yes?

Rodburner, what kind of quick draw bracket are you using?
I don’t know how much my laser saddle lights up in pitch darkness, because as I mentioned, my small house is never dark inside and I have a city street light in my front yard in addition to a half dozen plus exterior security lights with motion detectors. If they kick in my doors it won’t be in the dark. And everyone I welcome inside has a key..lol my bracket is just some odds and ends that I cobbled together. The Shockwave is just a friction fit in the bits,( a piece of unistrut, 2 unused Craftsman sockets welded to it and a squished pipe clamp for the grip), no lifting, pulling or negotiation. I dunked it in plastidip to keep it from getting marred. Grab the grip and it’s in your hand..A824D8F9-42AE-448A-8F0F-363DB6384319.jpegView attachment 26815
 
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