Newbie question: How do I practice with a shotgun?

[Ura-Ki]

To expand on what my good friend Andy54Hawken posted earlier about the shotgun sight bead as a sight. Most defensive shotguns that don't have a vent rib or mid/rear, they will still have a noticeable section of the top part of the receiver, on a Mossberg 500, that can sometimes be a milled section, sort of like anti glare grooving, or even the tang safety on some, that's what you want to line up your head/eye with and then the front bead tracking the target! It might take some practice to get used to it, but once you have it, it becomes second nature! The vent rib is an expansion of that, it gives you a proper sight picture, but adds complications to a defensive shotgun, something you don't really need when things get Sporty! That said, practice until you can shoulder that shotgun in a snap under field conditions and aim and fire all in one fluid motion! The rise and mount should be a very snappy yet fluid motion, almost like you throw the left hand/forend out in front of you as your right hand lifts the stock to the shoulder and your head meets the comb and eye lands on the front bead all at the same exact instant, done perfectly, its a thing of beauty and wins competitions in the shotgun shooting world, and under field conditions, can mean the difference in putting birds in the pot or walking back to the truck empty handed! Learn it, live it, love it!
Best video out there for learning the basics, Note how fast and smooth Paul mounts his shotguns, this is how you do it!

 

[GWS]

Your best bet is spend some money on formal training. A shotgun, improperly mounted to your shoulder will beat the snot out of you within a few rounds. Properly mounted, you can shoot hundreds of rounds without ill effect. Good training will show you how to pattern your shotgun, clear malfunctions, engage multiple targets switch to a slug when necessary and even take out a hostage taker as in shooting someone hiding behind a hostage. With buckshot.
The shotgun is a devastatingly effective home defense weapon, but only if you know how to use it.
Get good training as soon as possible.

 

[GWS]

Masking tape is WAY cheaper than colored stick ons. Also you can slap a piece of mail that was free on some cardboard.. Buying targets for shotgun work is silly.

I disagree Silhouette targets are useful for learning how your shot patterns at 5, 10, 15 and 20 yards on a man-sized target They are useful for practicing head shots with slugs and buck.
Too many people think you just point the shotgun in the general direction of your target to get hits. Those people will never be good with a shotgun. They also fail to realize that just like your owning every bullet your fire, you are responsible for every pellet you loose when you fire your shotgun. Without knowledge of how your shotgun patterns you'll have no idea where those pellets may go, and who else might get hit.

 

[titsonritz]

Get some of these...
https://www.amazon.com/Action-Pro-Shotgun-Trainer-Cartridge/dp/B00RG6RJ32
to work on loading your shotgun...

 

[American123]

I disagree Silhouette targets are useful for learning how your shot patterns at 5, 10, 15 and 20 yards on a man-sized target They are useful for practicing head shots with slugs and buck.
Too many people think you just point the shotgun in the general direction of your target to get hits. Those people will never be good with a shotgun. They also fail to realize that just like your owning every bullet your fire, you are responsible for every pellet you loose when you fire your shotgun. Without knowledge of how your shotgun patterns you'll have no idea where those pellets may go, and who else might get hit.

Ok… Cardboard is free at the back of every major store where all their boxes are put into the recycle from product shipments. Everything that could have been accomplished with a silhouette can be done with materials that are generally much cheaper or free. But if you absolutely have to have an official silhouette and aren't willing/able to easily effectively make your own then yeah, buying them is an option.

 

[3MTA3]

Like @titsonritz said, run shotgun snapcaps at home until you get the operation down to an instinctive level for loading, unloading/clearing, pumping and shooting, then move on to live practice.

These have worked well for me

https://www.amazon.com/Action-Pro-Shotgun-Trainer-Cartridge/dp/B00RG6RJ32

 

[JRuby]

I grew up back in Southern Michigan before I joined the Navy. Hunting back there was primarily done with a shotgun or a 22LR. We used shotguns for almost everything ( squirrels, waterfowl, pheasants and deer ) as well as trapshooting in 4-H. I still have my 1100 from selling a 4-H steer. If you want to learn how to shoot a shotgun hunt with it. We used to sight in on a 1gal plastic milk jug at a 115yards - we used the remington pumpkin balls and killed quite a few deer with it. I never did understand the bubbleguming about a 12guage slug having too much kick - we started hunting deer back then when we turned 12 and thats what we used. Use your gun you will learn it.

 

[blendergasket]

Is dry firing without snapcaps bad for the shotgun?

 

[cowboykid8]

Is dry firing without snapcaps bad for the shotgun?

Not great on firing pins long term, kinda depends how much dry firing you do.

 

[cowboykid8]

You have two barrels, so I am assuming you are thinking one for home defense the other for flying clays and hunting?

Getting a feel for how to quickly load the shotgun will help with defensive practice. shotgun shells aren't the easiest to load, some trainers call this out as you will drop half the rounds you attempt to load in a stressful situation, so practice, but plan accordingly.

A cheap clay thrower and clay targets in the air would be a great way to train for bird hunting, and is where I would start before going to a clay target range/club.

Mounting a gun properly helps with recoil, as mentioned above. Practicing getting a good mount is a helpful way to practice for bird hunting or clay shooting. placing a small flashlight in the barrel can help you see if you are tracking correctly.

For helping mitigate recoil there are only two factors in ammo, weight of charge and speed. 1 oz loads are plenty for close clay targets, velocity 1200 and under is a good choice. In times of ammo abundance i would say you get way more options than a 20ga, but right now just getting cheaper shells is a win.

 

[titsonritz]

Is dry firing without snapcaps bad for the shotgun?

There is more to dry firing than pulling the trigger, that is the purpose of dummy rounds, to get the whole process down w/o risk of blowing a new "window" through your living room wall.

 

[titsonritz]

Mounting a gun properly helps with recoil, as mentioned above. Practicing getting a good mount is a helpful way to practice for bird hunting or clay shooting. placing a small flashlight in the barrel can help you see if you are tracking correctly.

For helping mitigate recoil there are only two factors in ammo, weight of charge and speed. 1 oz loads are plenty for close clay targets, velocity 1200 and under is a good choice. In times of ammo abundance i would say you get way more options than a 20ga, but right now just getting cheaper shells is a win.

There is another...technique:

 

[Helocat]

You can also buy a LimbSaver or some other softer recoil pad. My Maverick 88 had a hard piece of rubber or something so the LimbSaver

HAA! My quick glance at this I saw "LimbShaver" as in some crazy bad bubblegum 12g round called a "Limb Shaver". Ha.

Limb Shaver ammo.

Back to your regular scheduled post.

 

[titsonritz]

HAA! My quick glance at this I saw "LimbShaver" as in some crazy bad bubblegum 12g round called a "Limb Shaver". Ha.

Limb Shaver ammo.

Back to your regular scheduled post.

They are "Limb Shavers" alright.

 

[cowboykid8]

There is another...technique:

That is why I specified ammo.

Technique, stance, grip, recoil devices, adding weight to your shotgun, porting, types of action on a shotgun, are all ways that can be used to reduce recoil.

 

[dangerranger60]

My friend tried to talk me into getting a 20 gauge. Time will tell if I was a fool for not listening to him.

The big difference for me is that 12 ga has so many more choices for loads. 20 ga is limited once you get out of the light bird shot. Where you will find choices in 12 ga slugs and buckshot, in 20 ga you will be happy to find just one.
Where 20 ga has an advantage is when you are hunting in the mountains for game that travels a lot! after carrying the 12 ga for 4 hours the 20 seems light!
But Ill take the 12 ga for the choices!
since you are new to shotguns, hit the pit till you get the hang of the gun and action, and then take a lesson in clay shooting.
The lesson will help you with a proper mount, proper posture, sighting a moving target, and follow through. especially the mounting and posture will keep the gun from beating you up!
25 rounds on a trip is a good number to stop at. But once you get the mechanics down the gun won't beat you up any more.
I learned to shoot a shotgun long before I learned to shoot a handgun. And believe me the heavier guns are easier to shoot. They just tire you out after awhile.
Also practice with the long barrel. it will help you with the swing and follow through.
Good Luck, DR

 

[Knobgoblin]

There is more to dry firing than pulling the trigger, that is the purpose of dummy rounds, to get the whole process down w/o risk of blowing a new "window" through your living room wall.

1 biggie is positive ejection. It's easy to get fast running an empty gun, only to find yourself hanging up on empties when you go back out to live fire . I dislike 3" shells for this reason also.

 

[titsonritz]

This belong here too...

 

[Mono1]

Also you can slap a piece of mail that was free on some cardboard

Pictures of certain politicians could work well too!

 

[American123]

Pictures of certain politicians could work well too!

Not my cup of tea, personally, but it does fit the idea of "reduce, reuse, recycle."