Question for Shockwave & Tac 14 owners

[nightwolf1974]

Looking into getting a Mossberg Shockwave next month.....

Watched dozens of videos on YouTube of "how to fire" it.

The guy at the gun shop today (owner & and former LEO) said "it should only be fired from the hip, or you will punch yourself in the face".

I've shot 18" Mossberg 500s with the Raptor grip when they first started coming out....I aimed it just like I do the vertical grip on my pistol grip shotguns, and just leaned in more when using 2.75" 00 buck. #4 buck, or 1+1/4 oz. birdshot loads.

What are y'all doing with yours?

[Lprmcnit]

Let me say at the outset that i have not fired one, so i can't speak from personal experience. I have considered purchasing one however. I have also watched Clint Smith's video, discussing their use. I know Clint well from classes at Thunder Ranch. You can rely on what Clint says in his video. He's a no BS kind of guy whose word can be counted on. I think his comments on use of the handstrap and shooting from an elevated position are particularly relevant. Hope this helps.

[Screwball]

Held as if shooting a stocked shotgun... just without the stock.

[444]

If you own one, or you buy one; you shoot it a few times and see what happens.
I don't own one of the guns you mention although I am trying: I just can't find one of those Remington Tac14s to buy.

But, I do own an AOW 870, a Serbu Super Shorty. Which is the same thing as the Remington TAC14 only with a shorter barrel. I think the barrel is 6". I can tell you that the first time I ever fired it, by mistake I bought some three inch 00 buckshot. Since I was already there, I decided to shoot it rather than go back and buy something else. The recoil was terrific. The biggest handgun I ever fired was a .454 Casull with max loads and that was nothing compared to this AOW. I am talking about recoil that really could injure you. I am not going to go into details because anyone reading it will assume that I am full of crap and just trying to be dramatic so I will just say this; the shock of firing that first round actually stunned me to the point that I stood there for probably 15 seconds trying to get my whits about me. The trigger guard cracked me across the knuckles and I was in pain. I thought the gun blew up............. I actually dropped the gun or the recoil tore it out of my hands or something. Brand new gun was lying in gravel.

So the moral to the story is that if you are shooting low brass birdshot, that is one thing. If you are shooting 3" 00 buckshot, that is an all together different thing. Just experiment, pay attention to what you are doing, and be safe.

[nightwolf1974]

I've shot a Serbu Super Shorty before, and may actually someday get one, and held it like my life depended on it for the first several rounds with 2.75" #4 buck. After awhile I felt more comfortable in how much I had to lean into it. It was nothing like shooting the 500 S&W I had at the time, so I have actually fired big bore handguns.

Unlike what that gun shop owner said I believe in aiming what I'm shooting. I was just wondering if anyone who that has one feels the same way. I loved hickok45s video, where he was actually aiming it.

[444]

Yes, absolutely I want to aim and hit something. I get no joy at all out of just firing a gun for the sake of firing a gun, making noise or whatever. I need to have a specific target and I am trying to hit it preferably with the first and all subsequent shots.

The Super Shorty is kind of cool in that it is an NFA weapon but it is probably one of the cheaper NFA weapons. Since it is an AOW, the tax stamp is $5 and the gun itself isn't very expensive. That being said, I would never buy another one. Especially since you can now buy things like the Shockwave and the TAC14. Not that I really have any actual specific use for any of them, but I think they are cool and enjoy owning them.

I am sure a lot of people have said this but............... I am a very avid shooter. I shoot at least three times a week. At various times in my life I have been really into shooting largeish handguns with max loads. I own and have shot fairly largeish rifles: .45/70, .338 Win Mag, .444 Marlin..........nothing huge, but fairly large. I also really enjoy shooting my regular shotguns with slugs. All that being said, I don't want any part of shooting that Super Shorty with those 3" buckshot loads again and I am not even sure I want to shoot it with any real heavy load again. Which is one of the reasons I would never buy it again. With something like that, it seems to me that you want to be shooting buckshot and maybe even some slugs. I don't see all that much fun in shooting light birdshot. But if I can't enjoy doing it, then I don't see the point in owning it. However, let me end with one last comment: I recently changed the pistol grip on it to something that I think is more conducive to managing recoil. I started out with a grip just like the come that comes on the TAC14: I think it is referred to as a birds head grip. I believe that allows the gun to flip upward in your hand. What I put on there is a rubber type grip: Packmeyer (SP ?) that looks more like a conventional pistol grip. So I will see if it changes the experience for the better.

[Targa]

My dad and I just went in together on a Shockwave for my brothers Christmas present. I will be aiming it when I shoot it but it will be nice to watch my brother shoot it first....

[CalmerThanYou]

The Shockwave needs to be allowed to kick back and slightly downward. Some slight force forward on the strap. Aim like you would a shouldered shotgun and manage the recoil as described above.
There is a YouTube video of some dude killing clays with it, just takes some getting used to. Practice is half the fun. Have fun, be safe.

[DukeConnor]

Use the strap, lock your left elbow, aim and have fun. Fire a couple testers to get used to it.

[Model12Win]

The gun shop guy is an idiot. Seems par for the course these days.

And some people balk at buying online. One reason is to not have to deal with so many clowns.

[Fishbed77]

Held as if shooting a stocked shotgun... just without the stock.

This is the way I've always shot Mossberg Cruisers and the like. I see no reason it wouldn't work with the Shockwave.

[nightwolf1974]

Thanks guys.....Will update once I get mine.

[MJFlores]

I have shock wave. With bird shot it's very controllable and can shoot it like a handgun easily. It's also very accurate and keep surprisingly tight patterns despite the short barrel. With slugs and buckshot I aim it, although they seem to like to shoot high because of your site picture. Lock your arm and let loose. And, dont be a dummy and take the strap off. I can hiot firty yard plates easily with slugs and buckshot. It's literally accurate enough to hunt deer with if someone chose to.

[colbad]

Check out the accessories for it. I just got mine and am considering the "center of mass" laser that is out there. Might be kind of fun for close range shooting and you can see your impact point if you shoot under the arm pit or hip.

[NooYawkuh]

I've had mine about 4 months. I won it in a drawing. Otherwise, I never would have considered one. I love it. It's a blast to shoot and a badass HD weapon.

No you won't hit yourself in the face with it unless you're a girly-man. To aim it accurately, you really have to sight down the top strap and the gold bead. Even then, I tend to aim a little high. I have to make the bead almost disappear. It's tough at the range I go to because of the lighting. But no, I don't come close to being punched by it, even with full power slugs. I even put a box of 3" slugs through it. They're no fun but I had to try it just to know.

Shooting from the hip or the pect, I tend to aim WAY HIGH. I think I'm not alone in this because I see that in most of the youtube videos. Everybody tends high with it.

You'll want to shoot some reduced-recoil loads. Very manageable and very enjoyable. I've shot mostly Fiocchi slugs because none of the ranges around here allow shot; slugs only. The Fiocchi loads are about as cheap as anything out there (other than target loads).

And by all means, get yourself some Aguila mini shells and an Opsol Mini Clip. It holds 8 mini shells in the tube. They can be hard to get but I bought a case of them from Target Sports. They are very tame but they still pack a nice punch. The gun will feed the mini shells without the Opsol but I'd rather be sure.

And of course, it needs a scabbard. I got these. Excellent value and fits the Shockwave perfectly.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004691VNG/
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007OZZY64/

[NooYawkuh]

Originally Posted by colbad

Check out the accessories for it. I just got mine and am considering the "center of mass" laser that is out there. Might be kind of fun for close range shooting and you can see your impact point if you shoot under the arm pit or hip.

I'm thinking of this:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00M2885F0/

In low light, I haven't had too much success with aiming it accurately and of course, you DO have to aim a shotgun, despite the myth. I can't afford to miss in a low-light, high-stress, HD situation.

[nightwolf1974]

Well, I finally actually got to shoot one! I hated it!!!!! Can only be fired comfortably (by me at least) with low brass birdshot or reduced recoil slugs & buckshot!!
The ONLY way I'd buy a Shockwave now is to AOW it and put a std. vertical pistol grip on it, or SBS it and put a stock on it!!

[HarryB]

Clint Smith does a pretty good demo and walkthrough https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fM_sqSTg2v8