Day 2 began with a discussion about Slugs and their usage.
We then fired some slugs at some steel targets, with amusing results, including one slug that when it hit the steel target, the wood post holding it snaped in two from the hit.
Then we moved on to buckshot and its usage at longer range.
Good Buckshot can hit a target out to 70 plus yards, and we demonstrated that.
The issue is it will hit the target and likely the target beside it if it is shoulder-to-shoulder.
A realistic usage case for buckshot at such a range is if you're being attacked by a shooter standing alone at that distance and you don't have or cannot switch to a slug for some reason - you can still get hits. Indeed, using FliteControl, we got some very tight hits as opposed to the cheap stuff that we used for comparison that sprayed everywhere - and in 20 gauge on the vast majority of shots taken, the cheap buckshot actually missed the target entirely with its pattern at that range.
The less realistic and in my opinion far more legally risky usage case that was discussed for buckshot at such a range, is if you're being attacked by a vehicle or a mob bent on destruction.
Justifying such a long range shot against a group of people, especially as at that range you are going to hit multiple persons with shot, may be rather hard to do. Short of all of them possessing ranged weapons that can reach you and they've demonstrated a willingness or viable threat to do so it;s going to be hard to justify. Such justification, while never totally impossible, is still pretty unlikely and I'd recommend not trying to shoot at a mob of people or vehicle from 70 yards away, knowing your shot is going to hit multiple persons. Short of an end-of-the world, breakdown of society-type scenario, it is likely going to legally end rather badly.
We then worked on ammo select drills - switching from Buck loaded in the shotgun to Slugs when the transition was called for.
Had I been allowed to use the Tavor as designed, I would have had one tube loaded with slugs and the other two with buck and transition would be a cinch, and I woulda seriously smoked everyone else's time doing so, by a wide margin.
That was not to be. Instead, I had to eject a buck round, rotate the tube to the loading gate, load a slug from the shot card on the outside of the gun into the tube, rotate it back and load it and get it done. Quite a but slower. It was, however, excellent manipulation practice for me, but I sure wasn't winning the competition that way.
After that, we did some further drills, and then got a chance to try other people's shotguns.
Quite a few people wanted to try the Tavor, and they rather liked it. I also demonstrated a full 16 round tube rapid dump on target with the Tavor, running it as designed, which is always a lot of fun.
I tried a Beretta 1301 and I do indeed find it to be a very nice and well-designed shotgun. It's impressively ergonomic, well though out and easy for mounting a red dot. I don't think anyone would go wrong by purchasing one and using it as a defensive/tactical shotgun, and it's likely the current top dog in that category. Of course, I personally believe the Tavor TS-12 is a similarly worthy competitor for that title and also a top-notch choice for a defensive/tactical shotgun.
It was a great class, with a great instructor. I also ended up meeting a bunch of great people who attended it and it was a great time. I certainly improved in manipulating the shotgun from this class.
Definitive Shotgun is definitely a "Learn to use your tactical shotgun at a fundamental level" type of class, and it excels at that. Zach Bush as an instructor is very clear with his instruction, explanations, and demonstrations. It is a very comprehensive class on the use and operation of a shotgun for defensive purposes.
If you're looking for an in-depth class on the fundamentals of shotgun usage, I can recommend Definitive Shotgun.
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