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Old July 6, 2008, 03:42 AM   #24
King Ghidora
Junior member
 
Join Date: April 7, 2008
Location: SE Ohio
Posts: 584
Personally I wouldn't use a PGO shotgun for anything except to take to a flea market and trade it for a better gun. The ONLY advantage is you might be able to get off a shot in a tight space with a PGO gun that you maybe couldn't do with a gun with a stock but that is a very rare situation. The downside is so big it is no fair trade off.

Aiming from the hip is not something you can practice at and be good at doing it. You are either able to do it or you aren't. There are people who will improve some but shooting from the hip is something you're born with really. It's like shooting a 25 foot jump shot with a basketball. Some people can do it and others can't. A friend of mine was in the navy and they made a huge deal of the fact he could shoot a pistol from the hip. They changed his whole occupation because of that single fact. It's just not something everyone can do.

Then there's the recoil problem. Sure you can probably do it ok with no stress and when you have time to prepare yourself. But shotguns KICK and if you're hands and wrists aren't exactly ready you can break your wrist. And if you're under the huge stress of having a BG in your house that you feel you have to shoot then you're going to be thinking about something besides how you're holding your shotgun.

I've had shotguns put a bruise on me that lasted for weeks and I don't bruise easy. It depends a lot on the person of course but think about your 100 pound wife or your kid trying to shoot a PGO shotgun with 00 buckshot loaded. Do you think they can do it safely? I don't. What if you're not around some day but a BG is? Wouldn't you want your wife or teenage kid to be able to fire that one gun you have to protect your family? Maybe you live alone. Maybe you're not a 250 lb. guy either. Maybe you are a small guy. Bones break and shotguns can do it.

The advantages of a gun with a stock are almost endless. You can aim it much better. If you try to aim a PGO shotgun you're putting your arms in an even worse position. What if you need to make a long shot?

Here's something to try. Pick up a rubber band and shoot it off your finger at something. See if you can shoot from the hip and hit anything at all. Now try it while aiming at eye level. Shooting from the hip just isn't a natural act for many people and holding a shotgun with a PGO can end up hurting you.

At least get a gun with a stock and a PG. That way you have the option of shooting either way. The few inches you save by going PGO is not going to save your life except in very rare situations. Not having to shoot from the hip can definitely save your life. The chances of that being a factor are much higher.

I'll tell you what I did. I bought an 870 Express and I take care of it. It should last for years. I followed Scattergun Bob's advice on updating a few parts and made it a better gun. And I practiced with it until I could have a friend throw up a pop can and I could shoot it twice before it hit the ground. If you can do that you don't need a PGO shotgun.
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