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Pistol grip only shotgun

That makes sense, and as mentioned above, with practice it can be used very effectively and efficiently!
 
I view the pistol grip shotgun as a trade off...small enough to be unobtrusively stowed or tucked away. Kind of like having an insurance policy. You hope you never need it. Yet if you do...it's there. So it's a compromise, they are a tad bit eaiser to stow, but have less than desireable ergnomics.
 
I love my PGO 12 gauge now more than ever. I don't fire it from the hip. I can hit what I'm aiming for by bringing up to my eye. Just have to be careful not to bring it TOO close to my eye. :D I don't find it difficult to pump, either. Practice has made all the difference in the world, for me. I do want to try some of those Winchester PDX1 buck and ball style slugs in it, next. Take care. Tom Worthington.
 
I have a JIC in the tube. It's fairly easy to stow in the trunk and I'd be far more likely to have it with me while I'm out and about simply for that reason.
 
When you "pistol-grip" a shotgun, you turn it more into a "special-purpose" weapon. That's fine, of course, as long as that special-purpose scenario is something that occurs regularly enough in your lifestyle to make it worth reducing the overall versatility of a shotgun. I was taught the finer points of the PG shotgun by the U.S. Marshals Service a number of years ago.

Firing a pistol-gripped gauge requires an isometric type of a grip on the gun. Your weak-side hand grips the gun's forearm and pushes the muzzle toward the target...your strong-side hand grips the pistol-grip and pulls backward...countering the forward-pushing effect of your weak-side hand. This "isometric tension" between your hands is what absorbs the robust recoil of that 12-gauge shotgun shell going off. If you can manage that, in short order you'll find that you can (from a semi-crouch) raise the PG gauge up to about the level of your collarbone, and shoot rapidly and accurately at short range, looking over the top of the barrel at the target.

Please note that if you let your strong-side hand continually take the pounding of the gun's recoil, you will have some hairline stress fracturing in your wrist bones before long. Please note, too, that a proper, two-handed isometric grip on a pistol grip shotgun tends to freeze up your upper body and arms. Thus, to address multiple targets, you'll have to remember to keep the isometric grip and pivot your feet quickly left or right to bring the pistol-gripped gun to bear on the target(s).

Think about that for a moment. With a "normal" handgun (and remember, a pistol-gripped shotgun is simply an abnormal handgun) you can keep your feet in place and rotate your upper body (like a turret on a tank) darn-near over a 140-degree arc, especially shooting Isoceles-style. In the stresses of a high-speed, spitting distance fight, it's often an advantage to keep things simple and use techniques where your footwork will take care of itself, and not be something extra to worry about.

However, with a pistol-gripped gauge you've got to be conscious of your footwork. It isn't a big deal, really. It's a matter of pivoting on one foot to turn your entire upper body. Pretty much just like when you were taught to pivot on one foot or the other when passing a basketball. Truth to tell, that ain't a bad skill for a defensive shooter to have in any circumstances. But it's the key for handling a PG shotgun.

Practice. I practiced...in fact, I practiced so much with my 12-inch barreled PG 870, using the issued full-power buckshot ammo, that I got a nice case of bursitis in my strong-side elbow. Some naproxen sodium and having enough sense to acquire low-recoil ammo for practice finally cured that. In retrospect, I should have instead used low brass skeet loads while practicing my two-handed isometric grip on the gun and learning to pivot to address multiple targets.

You reduce the versatility of your shotgun when you pistol-grip it. A great deal, too, because a properly-buttstocked shotgun gives you the ability to accurately shoot different loads at longer distances, including slug loads. There's a place for a pistol-gripped gauge, but not for "general" use. If you have the time to really master a PG gauge, you can do wicked work. Just keep in mind that, to date, you've internalized the skills needed to shoot shoulder-fired guns, and one-hand handguns (even though you often use two hands on those, too). The PG shotgun is neither fish-nor-fowl in that regard, not a shoulder gun, and not a handgun in the normal sense...so you almost have to learn a third shooting style to effectively use one.

Just something to think about.
 
MY very first long gun was the Mossberg 500 Persuader which came with the pistol grip option. I was leaning toward to putting it on until I was told NOT to knowing that I have old injuries and osteoporosis. Guys .. please don't do this for your wives/other half. Many of us are just to structurally weak to shoot a shot gun with this platform which can cause injury. There is just too much kick that could jam the wrist or worse. Put the bantam stock on the SG instead.
 
I bought a 20 gauge Mossberg 500 for my wife. Even with a Compstock on it, she still complained about it bruising her (I know, I was amazed too). What to do? Well, I had an ATI Talon pistol grip on my Maverick, so I bolted it on the 20 gauge. Guess what? Now she can shoot it without any pain anywhere.

But now I think we are gonna fight over it, because I think it's about a perfect inside-the-house, quick-reaction personal defense weapon. :D I know I can shoot better with a full stock, even at very short ranges. However, at ranges inside the house, am I even gonna get the thing up to my shoulder? If a 20 gauge model with an ATI Talon pistol grip causes you pain, I suspect any shotgun setup is going to be an issue. Take care. Tom Worthington.
 
I use a pistol grip with an adjustable stock for my home defense shotgun. I think it works perfectly and I have never had an issue doing practice sweeps of my house at night when I'm bored. The Stock doesn't seem to ever be an issue and the grip is the only way to go imo.
 
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