Loading the Tube-Fed Shotgun...

[Audie]

thanks Lee...I know there are two threads going on here, but they are related. I think the action locked, chamber empty, magazine loaded, hammer cocked and safety on is the best way to go. I have no children to worry about.

In a stressful situation, actions sometimes get reversed. Thinking that I could pump with finger away from trigger like one was at the range in a HD situation could cause a fatal mistake with a gun with no disconnector and no way to engage a safety with the hammer down. Having to release the action, pump then realize the safety is on, seems best. that would take some conscious effort, and keep you in control of your firearm.

with the hammer down, niether the action is locked, nor the safety on...that just seems like an AD waiting to happen.

Burt, I like the idea of just keeping a few rounds in a side saddle, but I am not so skilled as to be able to load in the dark if a situation (god forbid) arises in which I would have too...that would take practice.
Thanks for the advice.

 

[WolfMansDad]

I hunt with a pump (browning bps, same controls as a mossberg 590) and usually reload by feel, with my eyes on the dog and the downed bird, right after the shot. Right now I am training a young dog, so the reload has to be quick and "in the background." Same technique ought to work for tactical stuff.

I always work the slide right after the shot, whatever else is happening. A LOT can happen after a flush and a shot, and it was surprisingly difficult to get into this habit. Feeding the shells into the tube is easy compared to remembering to work the slide! Whether I handle the shells with my left or right hand depends on which side of the vest I am taking them from. (The vest with elastic shell holders is one of the greatest inventions of all time!) I leave the other hand on the gun to support it, and tuck the stock under my right arm. (I shoot right handed.) I do not turn the gun over, as that would require me to look down. Coming out of the vest, the shells are always rim up, so they never go in backwards. Once the retrieve is made, or, in case of a miss, the dog called back and the action is over for the moment, I usually do a chamber check.

Since I almost never fire more than one shot, whether I hit or miss, reloads are almost always one shell only. Once in a blue moon I will fire two shots, and when that happens I do both reloads in one motion. That is, I take both shells out of the vest at the same time, bring them to the gun, and feed them one after another into the tube. I don't think I ever feed one in, then go back to the vest to get another.

I suppose I could reload after the retrieve, but I got into the habit of reloading immediately after the shot when I was a kid and doing a lot of rabbit hunting with a double. Rabbits seem to know when your gun is open and choose that moment to flush!

 

[Chris Rhines]

This is a terrific thread. Thanks to all who have contributed so far.

I should probably say something about my own loading method. I'm mostly a 3-gun shooter, and I shoot Benelli-type shotguns exclusively - this is important, because Benellis have a unique method of loading. If you shoot a Benelli dry, the bolt locks back and the shell elevator locks down, blocking access to the loading port. Thus, your first shell must go into the chamber through the ejection port.

My solution to this problem is to try like hell to never shoot the gun dry. If I just need to top up the magazine, I load with my weak hand, four shells at a time. I always try to load on the move, loading while flat-footed kills your time. I keep the gun at my shoulder, grab four shells off my belt, and stuff them into the loading port with my thumb.

If I do shoot the gun dry, I load the same way, but I turn the gun ejection port up and drop the first shell in that way, hit the bolt release with my index finger, then load the remaining three rounds as usual. It's cumbersome and it takes a long time, so I reserve this for emergencies.

One more thing. On a day when you have some spare time for fieldstripping and reassembly, load a shell into your magazine backwards and see what happens to your gun.

A big +1 here, this is probably the most common mechanical malfunction to plague the operators of tube-fed shotguns. What generally happens is that the shell slides back out of the magazine tube, over the lowered shell lifter, and locks up the action. If this happens in a pump gun, you can sometimes clear it by holding the foreend and slamming the butt of the gun down on the ground HARD (be careful of rule #2, there's probably a shell in the chamber!) If you're running a semi, things really get brutal - this is an excellent time to think about transitioning to your backup weapon.

When loading, pull your thumb out straight instead of down. This will help keep the shell lifter out of the way, allowing the shell to fall out onto the ground. Also, it's easier to clear a feedway stoppage like this if you cut your shell lifter down to just under the length of a 2.75" shell.

- Chris

 

[Correia]

Chris, sounds like we load the same way.

I was at a match a long time ago, and saw some of the great ones shoot. It was the first big match I had ever gone to. I was loading singly at the time, and at the local level, I was the shotgun guy to beat. Watching these guys shoot just blew me away. It was amazing.

I caught Taran Butler after the match, and asked him to show me how he did it. (real helpful guy).

So I went home and started to dink around with it. I pulled the barrel, bolt, and magazine spring out of my shotgun, got out several boxes of shells, and then every night I practiced. Four at a time, they fall out the front, then another four.

Did it until my thumbs bled. Got pretty fast at it.

It's fun to do it infront of non 3gunners, just blows them away.

 

[AJ Dual]

I've seen one speed-loading technique for those with larger hands, where you load the magazine much like you do with the TacStar speedloader tubes, but you just use your hands.

The shooter holds a row of three (maybe four, if you're freakishly large) shotshells in your palm, thumb and index finger holding the base of the first shell, the middle shell in the palm of the hand with the middle fingers, and the third shell held twoards the middle or the crimp, by the last two fingers, or just the pinky against the heel of your palm, all depending on the size of your hand and fingers etc.

Then you stuff the "train" of three shotshells into the magazine, guiding the first in, then using the third shell to push the other two home, then transitioning your thumb to the base of the last shell as it hits the magazine port.

I've tried it with dummies on my Mossberg 590, and I can assure you, it takes practice.

 

[Userzero]

Not sure if this is good or not, but I can load my 9 shot 590 in 15 seconds flat, starting with the shotgun on the floor with the action closed and loose ammo in a tray, with my eyes closed.

I hold my shotgun with my weak hand on the forend and the buttstock under my strong arm, shotgun right side up. I am left handed and I have absolutely no dexterity with my right hand. I begin by placing the safety on the "on" position, I open the action, tilt the shotgun and place the first shell in the ejection port, close the action, then take shotshells in pairs and put them in the magazine with my thumb.

I practice with dummy shotshells for safety.

Going off on a tangent, it take 35 seconds to unlock the hard case in my closet, open the four latches, take the shotgun and load the 9 shotshells.

I am only interested in being prepared for a HD scenario and it just felt right to do it that way, but I welcome any suggestions. I am currently trying all the methods posted here and trying to get faster.

 

[Fred Fuller]

If you shoot a Benelli dry, the bolt locks back and the shell elevator locks down, blocking access to the loading port...
==================================

Chris,

A couple of friends of mine who worked at one of those places on Ft. Bragg I can't talk about used to refer to this as "cold-starting a Benelli." 8^)

lpl/nc

 

[Zak Smith]

The interesting thing about watching fast shotgunners in 3Gun is that they don't all load the same way. However, there are two methods which I think it's fair to say dominate:

1. Keep the shotgun "up" with the strong hand in a firing grip, while loading 3 or 4 rounds at a time with the weak hand. This is accomplished by grasping 3 or 4 shells (depending on hand size and "fumble factor") from the carrier, with their bases aligned on the side of the ring finger, shells pointing towards and over the index finger. The thumb nudges the front end of the shell into the port, and the end of the thumb slams it home. This is how I load.

2. The weak hand retains the shotgun. It is rotated counter-clockwise 90 degrees (for a RH shooter) and pulled back over the shoulder, so the stock is "flat" on the top of the shoulder and the port is facing outward (right for a RH shooter). Now the right hand grabs shells from a carrier or from the a gun-mounted carrier, and pushes them into the port. This setup moves the port closer to the body to increase speed.

-z

 

[doubleaes2]

Do you load with your strong hand or your weak hand? When I'm down to my sidesaddle, I use my weak hand to grab shells off the sidesaddle and stuff them in the loading port, while my strong hand maintains a firing grip on the shotgun.

- Chris
____________

I keep the gun ready with my right hand, and load with my left hand. Pretty much the same thing you're doing.

 

[Audie]

What does 3 gun mean?

 

[Zak Smith]

3 Gun or "multi gun" is practical, action-style shooting competition that generally involves a pistol, shotgun, and rifle.

 

[Mannlicher]

with my 870, I turn it over, holding it in my left hand, with the butt braced against my right thigh. I pull the rounds from the stock cuff with my right hand, and stuff them up the tube. With practice it does not take long to reload.
I have to say though, if the first 7 rounds have not handled the problem at hand, then I transition to the AR, and let those 30 rounds take up the argument.

 

[Texfire]

After the first magazine is expended I'd probably load cowboy action style since that's what I'm used to.

I'm a lefty so I retain the shotgun pulled into my shoulder with my left hand, and pull two shells from my shotgun belt with the right. Then I'll drop one in the ejection port, work the action with the right retaining the second shell, fire, eject, throw the second shell into the chamber, fire, eject and pick up two more shells from the belt.

A slightly alternate method is to load one shell into the ejection port, close the action and load the second shell into the tube, fire two times and repeat. But I think the first one is slightly faster if you practice it.

Now if we're talking real world then I'd take cover and reload the tube before leaving cover, since I've never shot 3-gun I'm not sure which would be most appropriate.

Tex