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Introduction

The shotgun has been with us ever since somebody got the bright idea of using gunpowder to launch a projectile. Ever since then, we have been struggling with the same questions. How big? How heavy? How to make the damned thing hit where I want it to? When smoothbores were the only guns available, a lot of time and energy went into perfecting them. What a lot of shooters today don't realize is just how far those efforts went. We think of a muzzle-loading firearm as a curiosity, or another way to get more hunting time. It couldn't compare to a modern shotgun, rifle or handgun could it? Don't bet on it.

A muzzle-loading rifle can be quite powerful, enough to handily kill any big game. A smoothbore can be accurate. When dueling was fashionable, rifling in a dueling pistol was not allowed. However, gunsmiths could so precisely bore the barrel, and make molds for bullets to match them, that one English nobleman who practiced (a rarity then and now, someone who actually practices) bragged he could “hit a silver dollar a 20 paces every time.” Want to duel against him? Neither did anyone back then. And unreliable flintlocks? At the pinnacle of their design and manufacture, a lockmaker could make a flintlock “proof against rain, and sure in function.”

Shotguns were close-range hunting and defense weapons that threw a lot of pellets. A duck centered by an ounce of No. 4 shot can't tell whether the shot came from a muzzle-loader at 20 yards or a modern “thunderstick” at 50. Confusion over the proper design and use for a shotgun didn't come up until rifles had supplanted them as general-purpose tools. Once rifles took over as the main hunting tool, and the main military personal weapon, shotguns were defined more by what they lacked than what they had. Shotguns were rifles without rifling. Even though hunters don't aim much (just watch them shoot) many feel that aiming is the only way to shoot. The idea of a cloud of shot sweeping their quarry from the sky is too peculiar. Others take the idea of a “cloud of shot” too much to heart, and assume that if they throw lead up, ducks fall down. Shotguns work differently than rifles, and if you do not understand the difference, you will be frustrated with any shotgun.

Without a dominant position, the shotgun found itself being forced into many secondary roles. “It's a duck gun.” “It's an alley-sweeper.” “Its a slug-throwing deer gun.” Well, it is all of those but not all at once. Many advocates feel that the shotgun and a selection of ammunition is the most versatile firearm going. However, unless you have all of the ammo selections at hand, and the time to make a choice, the versatility is theoretical.

Even the U.S. Army has tried to make the shotgun into something it isn't. Enamored of the idea of multiple shot payloads, but not satisfied with the durability, range or penetrating power, they have tried to “improve” the shotgun. The goal is to create a weapon that will give a near 100 percent certainty of hits at 100 meters, the ability to penetrate body armor and chance obstacles, and has quick-reloading capabilities. As any capable shotgun shooter or gunsmith could tell them, the Army ended up with a weapon that was larger than and nearly as heavy as a light machinegun, had heavy recoil, and a limited magazine capacity. The Army isn't alone in trying to force-fit the shotgun into new jobs. Law enforcement agencies have struggled with the role of the shotgun, from a “can't miss alley sweeper” to a weapon issued only on raids, to a launching device for tear gas and pepper spray.

If the idea of a “wonderweapon” is out, what can you make a shotgun do? A lot, but not all in the same shotgun. If you want a shotgun that can pull ducks and geese down out of the sky, great. We can do that. Just don't expect the same shotgun to go out the next weekend and bag a buck at 100 yards with a slug load. Anything you do to make a shotgun, or any firearm, better suited for one purpose, you risk making it less suited for another. One example would be goose hunting and quail hunting. The goose hunter needs to launch heavy payloads at brisk velocities to relatively high altitudes. The cost of this performance is recoil. He can reduce felt recoil by making the shotgun heavier, which also smoothes his swing. By using a longer barrel he gets a more precise lead on the distant birds. Take that same shotgun with its 3-½-inch magnum shells and 30-inch barrel out after quail and you'll give up before lunch. Even if you can tote the weight, maneuvering the long barrel through the thickets and around the brush is frustrating work. And when you do kick up a bird, getting that heavy gun to point in the right direction before the bird is gone may be impossible. Sure, you can switch from the magnums to light loads, but the shotgun is still a ponderous tool. But a suitable quail gun that weighs less than 7 pounds with a 22-inch barrel is one the geese will laugh at.

Many states, and parts of other states, require shotguns-only for deer hunting. Neither the goose gun nor the quail gun will serve you well for deer hunting. While the recoil of slug loads can approach that of goose loads, you don't need the weight or size of the goose gun. You need better sights than either the goose or quail gun have. If you mount a scope on your deer hunting shotgun, you may have to alter at replace the stock for a higher comb so you can get a good check weld. With the higher comb on, and a non-scoped barrel back in place, you may not be able to get your face down far enough to properly see the bead. Your deer shotgun may need more than just an extra barrel, and you will need the proper wrenches or screwdrivers to replace the stock each time you switch.

You don't need high magazine capacity or rapid-fire for any of these uses. For a defense shotgun, utter reliability is paramount. Then, you need rapid follow-up shots and ease of reloading the shotgun. While a side-by-side shotgun is almost required for Cowboy Action Shooting and very useful for hunting and clay pigeon games, I would not pick it first for defense. Not that I would feel naked if it was all I had, but it wouldn't be my first choice. (Actually, my first choice is dialing 9-1-1 and waiting for assistance, but that is another book.)

The shotgun can be a versatile firearm, but do not try to make it do too many things at once. I will be showing you how to fix and upgrade many shotguns for quite a few situations. When you are planning to work on your shotgun, remember that you can't make one do the job of many. The more you specialize the more you will need another shotgun to fill the roles your modifications preclude. If you want to use this as a pretext for buying and owning more shotguns, go right ahead. Just don't expect me to get in the middle and mediate if you go overboard and your significant other objects.

At almost every turn while describing how to do this or that procedure, I will start out by saying some variant of: “Make sure it isn't loaded.” It may seem nanny-like, and you may bristle at the constant reminder. In years of working as a commercial gunsmith, I saw quite a few loaded guns brought in for sale, trade or repair. In every case, as we were going to check it, the owner would invariably say “Oh, it isn't loa.……” The ammo rattling off the counter and onto the floor was always a sure conversation stopper. I have had one accidental discharge in my life, and it happened when I knew for a certainty that the revolver I was handling was loaded. I let myself get distracted for a moment, and the range rail I was standing at acquired a new hole as a result.

The result of that accident was a moment of embarrassment, and memory for a lifetime. If you don't check the loaded status of that shotgun you are handling, the results could very well be more than embarrassing, possibly even a nightmare for a lifetime. It takes a moment to check, and is the mark of a competent shooter to check each time. If you don't already do it, get into the habit.

When it comes to what work you can and “should” do, and how many shotguns you need to enjoy your sport, I'll just tell you “why and how” and will leave the rest to you. Have fun and stay safe.

Patrick Sweeney