Cute As A Speckeled Puppy

[Mortblanc]

Talon I have been thinking about your question for most of a week now.

I know what I want to say but I am trying to think of a way to say it and overcome the strictly British notion that three is better than five, two is better than three and therefore one is better than two.

The truth is that if you search your firearms laws you will find that you can have almost the same shotgun on an FAC that any American can have, except for barrel length, and that is an overblown factor. You are much better off with a 24"-25" or 28" barrel over the morons over here that think the 18" tube is king and shotguns are no good past 25 yards.

When you get out to the 8-10 shot magazine tubes a 24"-28" barrel will be the same length as the mag tube. If you have an FAC you can have any size magazine tube you desire on your shotgun, 8, 10, or even the standard 5 shot tube with no crimp on your Mossberg 500. (replacement 5 shot tubes are $40 from Midway USA, replacement requires a strap wrench and heat gun)

The concept that one can reload a double as fast as a pump after the initial emptying of the magazine is a myth. People think they can, but they can't. Especially if the person with the pump has both his hands and opposible thumbs and has done some practice at grabbing more than one shell at a time. A skilled double gun reloader might beat a very bad pump gun reloader, but he will not beat a skilled ad practiced pump/semiauto operator.

For me that means that I would choose the 3 shot pump over the double barrel. The fact that most British folks tend to "favor" the double gun is status and not practicality.

We have a sport over here called Cowboy Action Shooting. In that discipline both pump and double guns are used and the rules state that the shooter must begin a round with the shotgun on the table, empty and can only load and fire after the timer sounds. The pump guns win almost every time, even from an empty start.

Look up Practical Shotgunning in the UK on Youtube. Watch them reload. Look up rapid shotgun reloading on Youtube and watch those guys reload 4 shells into the tube in about 2 seconds. Or watch the US matches where they use speed loaders and push 5 shells into the magazine in 2 seconds.

Yep they have practical shotgun matches in the UK using guns with up to 10 shot magazine tubes and both pump and semiauto shotguns are in use.

As for which of your shotguns would be best in a SHTF situation, I would suggest the Mossberg 500. Always remember that when the U.S. troops entered WW1 they came with pump shotguns having 5 shot magazies. The Germans, the country that invented chemical warfare, protested that the U.S pump shotguns were unfit for use in warfare between civilized nations. SHTF that is one of the guns I want to have with me!

For many decades the Mossberg 500 was the standard issue shotgun for the US military, primarily used as ship security and for guard duty, but also in combat. To be accepted for that role the Mossberg 500 had to fire 5,000 rounds of 12 gauge high velocity buckshot with only 5 stopages. The gun is durable, probably more durable than any single shot on the market.

I own 2 Mossberg 500 shotguns. One was my primary field gun for nearly 30 years. I lost track of how many cases of shells (cases not boxes) I fired through that shotgun before the turn of the century. I bought a second 500 about 10 years ago just because I found it dirt cheap.

I have an assortment of 5 barrels I swap for the conditions I expect to encounter and I have killed everything from doves to deer with one or the other of those shotguns. I have a riot gun 18" barrel w/IC choke, 24"slug barrel with sights, 22" barrel set up with LER scope and interchangeable choke tubes for deer and turkey, 28" barrel with interchangeable tubes and an 18" barrel w/polychoke. I think I have around 15 choke tubes of standard and specialized trim.

If I had to choose just one barrel it would be the 28 w/changeable choke tubes and Hiviz fiber optic sights.

If I ever decide that one shot is better than 5 I will just put one shot in the five shot tube and pretend I am British.