A shotgun is a highly effective home-defense firearm when in experienced hands. Skill acquisition and maintenance are critical for the shotgunning defender, as these tools do have their intricacies. While offering the advantages of greater hit probability and downrange energy, they are handicapped by their low ammunition capacity, so loading quickly is a critical skill. Working the action and controls also needs to become second nature, particularly under stress. Nonetheless, owners of these firearms can easily become proficient with this simple three-phase drill program.
For this drill, you’ll need your go-to home-defense shotgun and 50 rounds of your preferred buckshot. (If recoil or price is a concern, you may substitute a lighter #8 birdshot, but screw in a full or turkey choke if you can to help duplicate the pattern you can expect from close-range buckshot.) Cardboard IDPA silhouettes with the perforated “-0” section punched out make the best targets for this series, and you’ll only need one placed at seven yards. Your goal is to put your entire pattern through this area, counting hits outside to your detriment.
Lastly, getting behind artificial cover is recommended for the last portion of this drill. I’ve found a pair of plastic drums stacked on top of each other to work well, but feel free to be creative. (You must ensure proper use of the cover, particularly ensuring that your barrel is completely clear of the obstruction.)
There is no official time or scoring for this routine, but you should be working to make your hits as controlled as possible while eliminating unnecessary movement.
Phase One: Loading on the Move
Due to the limited nature of tubular magazines, loading on the move with a shotgun is arguably more important than with any other firearm type. This first phase does not require live fire, but if you are conducting it with live ammunition, be sure to do so on a safe shooting range. Also, ensure that no other patrons are on this range and that you carefully observe all safety rules.
1. With an unloaded shotgun, position yourself five paces from a set mark.
2. While approaching this mark, load four rounds into your shotgun.
3. Unload and repeat five times.
4. Repeat steps 1-3 five times again, except this time, you’re retreating from your mark.
5. Repeat five more times, this time moving four paces left of your mark.
6. Repeat five times again, this time moving four paces right of your mark.
Phase Two: Load What you Shoot
The overall energy of a full complement of buckshot is often enough to neutralize a subject. This lull allows the shotgunner to top off their gun in preparation for a secondary or tertiary threat. Building the habit of “load what you shoot” is critical, and this phase will start to develop that neurological pathway. It’s important not to get stuck on any specific number of shots before replenishment, as it could create “training scars” that will operate automatically under stress. This routine helps to avoid those scars while maintaining structure.
1. At seven yards, aim and fire one round into the cutout of your target.
2. Reload the gun to its full capacity.
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 three more times, but increase your round count each time (fire two shots, top up and repeat for three and four shots).
4. Repeat the entire sequence three times.
Phase Three: Negotiating Cover and Concealment
Movement with a shotgun must be rehearsed, particularly if you aren’t deploying something compact. At the same time, approaching and using cover presents ample opportunities to insert ammunition into your magazine. This phase culminates the previous two and represents a realistic scenario that a home defender might face.
1. Determine your minimum distance from cover to smoothly present your shotgun and engage your target. (Remember, you must ensure that your barrel is completely clear of the obstruction throughout this drill.)
2. Engage the target from the left side of your cover with one round.
3. Repeat five times, loading what you shot from behind cover.
4. Engage the target from the right side of your cover with one round.
5. Repeat five times, loading what you shot from behind cover.
6. Establish a new starting point five steps farther back from cover.
7. Repeat steps 1-5 on the move, reloading as you approach cover.
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