Shotgun Holster???

[angel38uk]

Hey everyone i need some advice about shotguns. I am actually writing a novel/film script about an action hero type character, similar to the likes of Indiana Jones of Rick O'Connell (from The Mummy films), yet it is set in modern day.

My character is a mercenary whos out looking for artifacts or chasing criminals, climbing through ancient tombs or caves, etc and i need to outfit him with certain weapons which will be useful to him out in the field. It is a bit of a fantasy story so he will be battling gangsters, villains from all around the world and maybe a few fictional monsters too.

Now for his main weapon i am thinking a shotgun, one which can be carried on his back in some kind of holster. I dont actually know much about guns so can anyone offer me some ideas on a good shotgun. The only one i have any basic knowledge of is the one that american police and military use, what is the name of that one?

I was thinking it would be a sawed off shotgun, making it smaller and easier to wear on his back, along with the buttstock being sawed off. Are there any such things as shotgun holsters? I am sure the character Hixx has one in the Aliens film, and maybe Ash in Evil Dead 3 and maybe even Michael Douglas´s character at the beginning of Romancing the Stone.

Are shotguns good for long range shooting or is is only really for close range? And can sawed off shotguns be used one handed or is that not possible?

For his secondary weapon i was thinking a handgun, perhaps two handguns. Either a beretta 9mm of a desert eagle, like the one used by the agents in the Matrix films.

Can anyone answer my questions and/or make any suggestions. Thankyou very much.

[mete]

Not a new idea ."placed his trust in a sawed-off tucked in a halfbreed harness under his left armpit" C Askins describing a shooter in "The Art of Handgun Shooting" 1939... With the right choke and ammo you can do interesting things with buckshot at 50 yds. But with a sawed-off it's close range only.You can shoot a shotgun with one hand but again it's for close range only.

[Dfariswheel]

There have been a number of methods of carrying short shotguns.

One was a simple scabbard on a strap, hung across the back, in a very similar fashion to the way swordsmen sometimes carried a sword.

One unique carry was supposedly invented by a Mormon "Avenger" and used by people ranging from Doc Holiday to modern "211" armed robbers.

In this method, the gun was sawed off at the fore end and at the pistol grip.
A ring or loop was attached to the balance point of the gun, and a strap was attached to the loop.

The strap was slung over the shoulder UNDER a coat.
To use, the coat was opened, and the gun instantly swung itself up into shooting position.

For some reason these radically sawed off shotguns came to be known as "whippet guns".
Some believe it was because you just "whipped" it out, but the name dates farther back then that.

The type of gun you choose will depend on the era.
Before 1890 or so, it would likely be a double barrel.

After the early 1900's it would probably be either a pump action or semi automatic shotgun.

Shotguns are short range weapons only. Most are loaded with large buckshot, and even then about the maximum range is around 40 yards, possible as far as 50.

Sawed off shotguns are even shorter ranged due to the short barrel, and the lack of the choke longer barrels have.

Although a shotgun CAN be fired with one hand, it's something nobody wants to do more than once, and hitting anything is luck, not skill.

So, if this is post-1912 or so, arm your hero with a 12 gauge pump or auto shotgun, and keep the range under 50 yards.

In handguns, most "real world" people don't carry two full sized modern pistols.
Most modern pistols have higher capacity magazines and can be re-loaded very fast.
Most people just carry plenty of spare magazines, and possibly a smaller, backup gun.

The problem with carrying two full sized guns is the weight, and the problem with what to do with the empty gun.
In the time you could re-holster the empty and draw the other one, you could have speed re-loaded the original.

Simply dropping the empty can work, but this is hard on guns. In your hero's case, what's he going to do in a running fight? Just walk off and leave it?

[Quartus]

I think you're being generous to give it 50 yards. I'd say more like 30-40 for any reliably hits with enough pellets to do the job.

With slugs, 100 yards can be done, but not with a cut down weapon.

angel38uk, thank you for doing some research instead of writing out of ignorance, as too many do! I think ANY author who gets his facts straight is a better author, and his stories will be better reading. I wish you well with your project.

Tell us about where you are and you might find one of us close by who will be happy to take you shooting. There's nothing like reality to add realism!

[AK103K]

This place has a couple of shotgun holsters:

http://www.holstersinternational.com/specialcat.htm