View Single Post
Old August 9, 1999, 08:44 PM   #8
Long Path
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 31, 1999
Location: N. Texas
Posts: 5,899
I humbly submit that:
A good autoloader, properly employed, is just as effective, with certain benefits over the pump. (However, as I wrote in "I Need a Shotgun" thread in General Discussion forum, I am all in favor of the 870 pump...)

A long recoil auto like the Remington 1148 is very fast to bring into action with an empty chamber, and also allows one to use the racking sound as an intimidation device. With the 1148, all one need do to bring a round into battery with the gun in a shooting grip and pointed at your target is to use the off-hand to pull back the bolt handle, and let it go. Just like charging an M-14.

Kept to the bare minium of cleanliness, this gun will operate with complete efficiency. Of course you need to test your duty loads in any gun for feeding before using. I am willing to bet, however, that, over 1000 rounds fired and cycled through a gun like an 1148 or and 1100 (gas operated) vs. a pump gun like an 870 or a 500, you will find fewer failures to feed from the automatics, given new, clean ammo and reasonably clean guns.

Benefits of an automatic for tactical shotgun:
1. Reduced felt recoil.
2. Ability to fire one-handed.

Drawbacks:
1. Less reliable with dirty or bulged shells (far less of a problem since the advent of plastic hulls about half a century ago!).
2. Right-handed shooters must rotate the gun to access the bolt-handle with the left hand while the shotgun is in a shooting grip with the right. (best done with the gun brought down from the shoulder, but always pointed toward the danger)
3. SOME guns, like the M-1100, require a separate operation to bring the bolt closed after it is racked back. On the 1100, this is done by pushing the silver button on the bottom of the feed port. Long recoil guns like the 1148 generally just require a rack back of the bolt, and you're in the war.
Long Path is offline  
 
Page generated in 0.03045 seconds with 8 queries