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Great White North
Shotgun Makes a Comeback (Canadian Forces)
2007-05-23
CFD DUNDURN, Saskatchewan — A weapon that's been in our arsenal for a long time but is often overlooked is making a strong comeback on deployed operations.

Although many soldiers have trained with the Remington 870 pump-action shotgun in the past, they rarely saw it again. That has changed.

From breeching locked doors and compounds to providing lethal and non-lethal protection in crowds, the shotgun is seeing a lot of use in Afghanistan. Most sections on patrol keep a shotgun in their vehicle, and it's not unusual to see at least one air sentry carrying one in a convoy.

The shotgun is not normally carried as a personal weapon. But it is used in specific situations to make use of its capabilities. Three types of shells are used: a slug, 00 buckshot consisting of 12 large pellets and a non-lethal beanbag load.
The latter leaves an ugly circular bruise that is sometimes called an "Oakland hicky," in honor of that city's estimable police department and its allegedly frequent use of such loads against peace hypocrites and other urban varmints.

Nifty photos at link, check them out.
Posted by:Atomic Conspiracy

#8  Oakland Hickey. That's hilarious.
Posted by: Danking70   2007-05-23 23:24  

#7  winchester defender - 18" barrel, 12 Ga, pistol grip, pump. Nice thing is the kick from .00 shot causes you to auto-rack a new round (if you can keep the barrel from kissing your forehead)
Posted by: Frank G   2007-05-23 18:36  

#6  Mossberg Persuader 500 or 590 are decent shotguns also. I have the 500--works very well.
Posted by: JohnQC   2007-05-23 16:50  

#5  I have a Browning "Sweet-16" semi-automatic with a full-choke barrel I used for varmit-hunting and birding as a kid. Great range - a 9' spread at 75 yards using #6 birdshot, 120-yard kill range with a slug (super-X). Not much kick, and fairly accurate even in a running-shooting environment. Great stopping power - I shot a 6-point buck at 20 feet with #6 birdshot, and put wadding and all 20 inches into his chest. Of course, for REAL stopping power, there's nothing like Grandpa's 10-gauge double-barrel. Maybe that should be an alternative weapon for the Bradleys. Sure keep people at bay, but would need a STRONG recoil mechanism - da$$$$ thing kicks harder than an Army mule.
Posted by: Old Patriot   2007-05-23 15:29  

#4  You just can't go wrong with a Remington 870. One of the world's great firearms.
Posted by: gromky   2007-05-23 11:35  

#3  The 870 with a recoil suppressor stock is a great weapon to fire. 90% of the recoil is eliminated. With sights, slugs are effectively shot at targets 75 yd away. And with regular maintenance, the shotgun is very reliable.
Posted by: Alaska Paul   2007-05-23 11:18  

#2  I imagine that the soldiers also get very creative in their shotgun loads. For example, the "prospector's load", where you drip paraffin over your shot, which narrows the spread, making it much more vicious. (Invented in the old West, hence the name.)
Posted by: Anonymoose   2007-05-23 08:18  

#1  For a reasonably strong adult, a 12 g with 00 is a terrific close up weapon in those types of situations. There is some risk of through and through penetration to someone/something behind the target. However, in the types of situations that these guys face, the advantages outweigh the risk of that.

Shotguns were used a lot more heavily in WWII and Vietnam, particularly in jungle situations, than we've been led to believe. An uncle of mine was in SE Asia in WWII and said that for many guys the weapons of choice were a 12 g and a Colt .45 rather than an M1 or a Thompson.
Posted by: no mo uro   2007-05-23 06:10  

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