LET'S TALK ABOUT THE SHOTGUN - by Gabe Suarez

If I were writing the Shotgun Doctrine today, in the same manner as Cooper did in 1990, I would say this as a mission statement for the scattergun -

The shotgun is intended for proactive use in close range combat where the dynamic tempo of events may surpass the operator's ability to use traditional sighting concepts, and where the probability of a hit with a single projectile may also be affected by these events to include reduced visibility. Anything not fitting this performance envelope is far easier handled with a rifle.

The natural loading for the shotgun to manage these events is buckshot. Thus while the weapon may be pressed into service to other things (such as launch less lethal, gas, breaching, and other jobs), or used with slugs for special circumstances involving the destruction of cover, or reaching beyond its intended envelop via the use of slugs, we seek to optimize the weapons for their intended use with buckshot.

If such a mission statement had been made, the development of the shotgun nearly twenty years later would have taken an entirely different path. The shotgun would be seen as a special-use weapon and trained thus, rather than the currwent attempt to turn it into a ballistic Leatherman's Tool.

The shotgun is not a rifle and seeking to turn it into one will yield a shotgun that is not useful for shotgun problems and a poor performer at rifle problems. True, there are police officers that are not trusted with anything else. For them there may be little choice. But why would a free american that can choose any weapon and set it up as he pleases, want to be limited in the way the untrusted, shotgun armed, policeman is?

To those who would argue, I would mention that while you could shoot a CCW pistol at 220 yards, its use is to carry concealed 24/7 in anticipation of a close range gunfight, and not to shoot at 200 yards. So modifying the pistol for use at 200 yards makes little sense. Adding a scope, a stock, and a bipod to your Glock 17 seems as silly as trying to turn a shotgun into a rifle regardless of what the gun guru said.

This is what I suggest -

Barrel - Short as possible - left as it comes so we have a natural spread of the buckshot.
Sights - Standard open rifle sights. No ghost rings.
Magazine - Even with the end of the barrel
Forend - Long style. We don't carry it in police racks so why modify it for that?. A light may be used here.
Sling - Two point caveman style
Stock - Pistol grip full stock (folding is OK).

That is it. I would add nothing else. Now, let's look at how that may apply to the ubiquitous Remington 870. I know it will be a long long time before the Saiga 12 ever eclipses the 870 so I am not going to dwell on it. I have an 870. I attended all the important schools dealing with 870 and actually taught a good amount with one. I even shot a bad guy or two with them. They are good to go and very nice weapons.

There are probably as many 870 acessory makers as there are for 1911 and AR-15. All the current schools take a very Cooperian view of the shotgun and specially the 870.

So lets examine how to best use this beast and set it up to fit our methods for fighting in the close range environment.

1). Barrel. The trend today is to so choke the shotgun barrel that one can discuss the impact in terms of minute of angle rather than pattern. This comes from two areas. One is the competitive nature of the early tactical community. They would set up a pepper popper way in the heck out there to force the student to transition to slugs (as taught in the class and as favored by its instructor). Crafty shooters would get all choked up in the barrel and take the shot with buckshot, thus giving themselves a definite time advantage over those who sought to "go to slug". The other area is the impossible-on-the-street thought that ALL PELLETS MUST HIT. Even with pistols and rifles this is not possible, so how will using a shotgun change things. This is more from a police fear of liability than a desire for combat effectiveness.

I prefer to leave the barrel as it comes, and use quality buckshot. This will give me a relatively tight pattern up close, but a natural spread of the impact on a threat outside the close range (5 yards and in) envelope. Consider that our forefathers shot more bad guys with shotguns than we do today, and that chokes were available back then as well. What did they do? Exactly what I am suggesting - Leave your barrels alone and stop setting them to win gun school games.

2). Sights. I don't think a shotgun needs ghost ring sights. For 90% of all shotgunning the regular bead will work great. An optimizing of the bead concept would include a high visibility bead from XS sights.

Personally, I like the regular standard rifle open sights that come on most 870s. Adding an XS system to this is the optimal sight for shotgun use IMEAEO (in my educated and experienced opinion). If your shotgun has ghost rings, don't worry, leave them...but I don't think they are optimal nor as fast as the previous options. There has been a move to add red dot sights tot he shotgun. While I don't think this is actually necessary, I am not against it. I think a forward mounted Aimpoint is far more useful than ghost rings.

3). Magazines and Ammo Capacity - The tubular magazine should NEVER exceed the length of the barrel. I don't care what the competition gurus do with their guns, you should not copy them if your pursuits are more martial than sporting. Leve the magazine as it came. if you wish to add a few more shots (not a bad idea) add an extension that reaches out to the muzzle but no farther.

Extra ammo - I am not a weak guy by any means, but I hate side saddles on any of my guns. They make a gun that should be light handy and lighting fast, into an overweight pig.
The buttcuff ammo sleeves are just as bad. Ever try to shoot from the left side with one of those? Forget it. To carry extra ammo get a small bag and throw the shell in there. Store it with the gun so when you grab one you grab the other.

4). Forends and accessories. Most shotgun accessories are focused on the police job. In police work the shotgun rides in a rack, and that rack secures the shotgun vis-a-vis the space between the receiver and the rear of the foreend. "Sporting" fore ends are far too long to secure in police racks and thus just about all after market accessories deal with the short fore end.

A long fore end, however, is far more desirable in therms of handling and speed. How many competitive shotgunners of any sort, use a shorty police rack fore end? None. In fact, look at the 11-87 version of the Remington. Long forend. The only reason for the short forend is the rack. I leave the regular length fore end on all my shotguns.

A light is nice, but not at the expense of added weight nor of a compromised police forend. Take a light and attach it to the regular length fore end via rifle bedding material, screw in rail or whatever, but don't give up the long forend..

5). Stocks. On the stock...."A Pistol Grip"? Some might ask why? In fact, Cooper didn't like pistol grips on anything. Why? His view of the rifle was not so much for the CQB envelope but rather the classic view of the snap shot and long range shot. The view was of a "general use" which was focused less on shooting people than on the hunt of wild game. The development of the shotgun mirrored the methods for the rifle.

Me, I think that a pistol grip stock is essential. You can shoot like they do at gun school with a regular stock, or hunt ducks with one, but don't you have a pistol grip on your MP5 or AR 15...or even the AK?. There is a reason for this. Because it facilitates dynamic transfer from shoulder to shoulder. Because it facilitates shooting in the CQB (Under the arm) position. Because there is no loss of any weapon attribute at all with a pistol grip other than not being socially acceptable in Commie-fornia.

So get one on your shotgun.

6). Finally slings. The best sling for a shotgun is a simple two point caveman sling. I think those uber-tactical three point slings look stupid on a shotgun. They complicate the weapon, make it slower to deploy or use in a fight. They make it impossible to transfer the weapon from side to side or to use it as a club when the time requires it. The shotgun is a simple weapons, put a simple sling on it.

Shotguns are wonderful weapons, and the Remington 870 is a great example of what a shotgun can be. But before you train with it or accessorize it, take a long and deep look at why you have it, the real circumstances where you will use it, and then act accordingly.

THE SKS RIFLE AS A CIVIL DEFENSE RIFLE

My personal SKS is a Russian rifle designated the M45. I bought it back in 1996 in Los Angeles because the commie politicians there were going to make some sort of law or another prohibiting future sales. I don't recall if they did or not. I think they did. So at one point, I suppose I was a criminal for having one. I do know that the SKS was exceedingly popular during and right after the Rodney King Riots in Los Angeles. The SKS was a favorite defensive rifle in the Korean community, and their personal SKSs were put to good use that week, much to the dismay of the urban thugs, gangs - and liberal politicians in L.A. I shot my SKS a couple of times to become familiar with it, and put it away. It was in very nice condition, and probably never used much. It shoots quite well and is very similar in operation to the Kalashnikov, except for the magazine. Now I don't plan to tell you to grab up a Simonov over anything else. What I will say is that for those who do not want or cannot, due to economics or oppressive governments, buy a proper Kalashnikov, that the SKS is a great second choice. It may even be a better choice for those "grey states" whose populations and governors are un-decided on the actual purpose of the Second Amendment, and who still think that guns are for hunting and games. A wooden stocked SKS may appear acceptable to the Elmer Fudd Sportsmen, where an AK in full military trim may get you a disapproving second look from the Range Nazis. If that is important to you, then consider the SKS over an actual sporting rifle (a lesser fighting tool). As a point of fact, my research indicates that there are probably as many SKS rifles in private hands in the US as there are Kalashnikov Rifles, and there are quite a lot of Kalashnikov Rifles. The sights on the SKS are very "Kalashnikov". Regardless of those who can't use Kalashnikov sights, I like them. There is proof that rifle fights in urban areas occur well inside 100 yards. Many happen well inside 25 yards. Most of the SKS use in Los Angeles in '92 was from a rooftop to the street below for example. Having the same sights as your pistol for all CQB (Close Quarters Battle) for all your weapons is a great simplifier. I like and prefer the SKS/AK style sights. History will show that many of the great feats of marksmanship performed by the old west "shootists" were done with sights more like those on the SKS/AK than with those on the AR/M4. The safety is similar to the AK design, but positioned at the trigger guard. It is just as simple to use as that on the AK, and somewhat similar to the M14 placement. The bolt is operated like any other bolt. Pull it back and let it go. Simple - caveman simple - like the AK. The only drawback, for some it may be an advantage in terms of legalities, is the magazine. The SKS has a fixed ten round magazine in place. It is fed from over the top by stripper clips of ten rounds, or one round at a time as if you were loading a magazine except that it was still in the rifle. Not much of a big deal, and even simpler than the AK. Load it - shoot it - when it stops the bolt is locked back - load it again. The only problem is the loading process takes a little manipulation, and you won't do it as smoothly as with your AK. Think of the Garand. It is a similar tactical concept. You put the "clip" of ammo in place and work the bolt. With the SKS you insert the stripper clip, push the ammo into the gun and work the bolt. I find it interesting that those detractors of the SKS's loading system never say "peep" about the expensive sacred cow Garand. Go figure?! Many of our students have elected to go SKS over the traditional lever action rifle. Interesting choice. The SKS is much faster to use (and load) than the lever action rifle. In fact, a ten shot, semi-auto 30-30 may be a good description of this little beast. If you can get past the ten shot issue, and remember there are few ten shot 30-30s out there, you can use this weapon for just about anything you would use a 30-30 lever action rifle for. At the price of the various types of Simonov Carbines, Yugo, Albanian, Russian, and other SKSs, you can keep one in each truck you own, and it would not make a bad "burial gun" for those of you who keep "country retreats". Again. the SKS does not beat a Kalashnikov, but it does beat just about every lever action rifle in terms of "fightability", cost, and reliability. And it is miles ahead of a fragile and finicky Ruger Mini-14 or a Ruger Mini-30. And for the money you save over one of these, you can buy a couple of thousand rounds of good fighting or hunting 7.62x39mm ammo. Try it...and by all means train with it, and bring an SKS to our Rifle Gunfighting Classes, and you will see for yourself how cool the SKS is. In many traditional, or police-based gun schools, if you show up with an SKS, they will laugh you right off the shooting range. Not in my school! We will welcome you with open arms and show you how to fight with your SKS in ways no one else will. Go ahead and bring them to class. I look forward to training with you. __________________ Gabe Suarez Suarez International USA, Inc. One Source Tactical info@suarezinternational.com Office 928-776-4492 Spaniard by Heritage Cuban by Birth Christian by Grace American by Choice

HOW LONG DO WE HAVE??

I was in this biz back when Americans turned stupid once before (1992). Remember those days? Ross Perot - the little handgrenade with a bad haircut gave us Bill Clinton by default when Bush I did in fact give us "new taxes" in spite of us trying to read his lips.

The backstory during Clinton's first half-term was that the Stockton school shooting and a few other similar events gave California (always a haven for left wing ideology and extremism) a perceived reason to pass their anti-freedom anti-gun law a few years earlier (1989?). Then in 1991 we had the infamous Rodney King deal and the subsequent Race Riots in Los Angeles.

All the usual suspects got involved (Shumer, Kennedy, Boxer, Fiendstein, and all the other let wing socialists in power) and set up the now expired AWB which was finally signed in 1994.

But initially Clinton had plenty of other issues to deal with before getting to that one. He did get to it - eventually - and before the 1994 mid term elections. But if you recall the fall out from that decission caused them to lose the majority in congress.

Do we have a similar set of events today?

How will this affect us?

And how long do we have?

Some points of consideration -

1). The 1990s saw an incredible amount of growth in private sector training and gun businesses, while we saw a shift to the left in politics. These companies were around before, but the prevalence of the Clintons made them grow to an incredible level. It was during this time that Gunsite flourished, and that both Thunder Ranch and Front Sight were created - as well, I think - Blackwater and other training companies. We also saw a distinct shift from sports guns to fighting guns. Winchester model 70s languished in stores while AR-15s flew off the racks.

I think we will see the same things now. Obama (excuse me while I spit) has single handedly armed more people in the past week than any other president in history. These people have bought fighting weapons and the ammo that goes with them. Later they will want to learn how to use them. So "Thanks Barak!"

2). Ammo will go up. That is inevitable. It always has. But just like gasoline...it will only sustain at that level while people are fearful and scarcity-driven enough to pay those prices. As everyone's armory gets filled, the purchases will drop off and sellers will be forced to lower prices to get new sales. How far they lower those prices remains to be seen. A look at gasoline will show a similar trend.

The fear that Obama (excuse me while I spit) will ban ammo is ridiculous and will not happen. Think of the myriad of American companies that will be out of business. People like Winchester, Remington, etc. have political pull, and will keep their doors open. And still....when has ammo ever been banned in the USA. If they can't keep drugs or machineguns out of the hands of illegal alien gangs, how do you think they will eliminate ammo? We need to move on. What may happen is a curtailing of importation of ammo. American ammo makers will need to produce more "training level" ammo to fit the gap. Those that do will reap huge rewards.

3). I do see another AWB in the distance. But not only that. That they will try to do this is a given. I see them trying to target training schools as well. This is what he and his minions want. Not particularly to "keep their little urban hoodlums" safe, or to keep anything out of the hands of criminals, but simply to control the american people more and modify this once great society further down the leftist path. There wasn't much civilian gun ownership nor civilian skil-at-arms schools in Stalin's Russia nor Hitler's Germany either.

Now - before we get all weapy eyed again.

The world is full of problems that Obama (excuse me while I spit) must deal with. And I thank God for every single one of them!

The Russians are flexing their muscles in Eastern Europe again.

The Israelis will need to make a quick decission about Iran before Obama (excuse me while I spit) is inagurated. And he will have to deal with the fallout from that.

Iraq and Afghanistan still remain as issues to deal with, and he will realize that his promise to pull out will not only be a slap in the face to those who have died there (a good many of them friends of mine) but it will also create a devastating power vacuum in the region that will inevitably be filled with Iranians.

And let us not forget the economy and all the empty promises made with references to "spreading the wealth". Democrat economic policies always lead to ruin. The only thing that lifts an economy is a conservative-based policy and lowered taxes. So his results will invariably be poor, and he will not be able to confiscate american's wealth without a serious political fight on his hands.

Assault Weapons are on his list, but not as number one. I don't think they are even on the first page. But they are on his list. My best-guess prediction?

We won't see this until about 2010, more or less. By 2010 he will had two years to really screw up America, disenchant those who wanted "change", and things will likely be a big mess. Hopefully the imbeciles who voted for him will have come to their senses, and the imbecile Republican party will have come to its senses, and the Senate and House will change the balance of power as it did in 1994. And then there is 2012. We will see.

My suggestions...I have been inundated with emails about which AK to get and what magazines to get and so on.

Gents...the word of the day is this. IF YOU SNOOZE - YOU LOSE. You can't get AK kits anymore. Those who waited? Too bad dudes...there are no more. Those who didn't get an AK at reasonable prices? Again...too bad dudes...now you will pay almost twice as much. But waiting, at this point, is simply stupid.

If you want a rifle...GET ONE NOW! Any rifle will do. Yes, I like AKs, but if my choice was a Mini-14 or nothing, I'd say grab up the Mini! If your wife or your mom won't let you, grow some hair on your chest and get one anyway. Buy some flowers on the way home to make up for it. Same goes for ammo. If you don't do it now, and you can't get one due to what we have just discussed coming to pass, or simply due to supply-demand issues, don't call me and ask where you can get a good deal.

Ammo? Looking at four years of Obama (excuse me while I spit) in office, I would suggest the following as minimum. 5000 rounds of each fighting caliber as minimum. Get 1000 rounds of good quality fighting ammo and 4000 rounds of training ammo. Use up 500 - 1000 per year to train (or less), and replace it as used - if possible.

Training? I understand that people are buying more rifles and ammo now, thinking they can train later. Maybe so. But here are a few points.

If you like WT and the DVDs and all the free stuff we share here, send some money to SI/OST. Support those who support you. We will see about offering as much stuff as possible, at as reasonable as possible prices next year. But understand that this activity is on their hit list. Do it while you can. Don't put it off thinking you can do it later.

I have been in this business since the early 1990s and if the country does not bounce back by 2010, I can almost guarantee that training will be gone as well.
So there it is.

The time to check the life boat is not when you wake up on the bottom of the sea - it is when the rain begins to fall - and it has been coming down pretty good from where I stand.
__________________

Gabe Suarez
Suarez International USA, Inc.
One Source Tactical
info@suarezinternational.com
Office 928-776-4492

Spaniard by Heritage
Cuban by Birth
Christian by Grace
FREE American by Choice