The TSD Combat Systems Pump Action Shotgun

First off guys...I think we all know that we are not going to discuss "making do with what you need". In truth, as elaborated by the war chief Geronimo, the only thing you need to fight your adversaries is a freaking rock. We will be discussing wants here. The shotgun has been around the combat scene for a couple of centuries and it is a particularly American weapon. As such, it has suffered at the hands of American marketing and wrong thinking about what a shotgun is used for, should be used for, and what can be expected of it.

So some dispelling of gun school nonsense first, then establishing what-why-how.

The shotgun is not a pistol - The shotgun is something you go and grab, not something you carry around on your belt everyday. Thus is is not a reactive-defensive weapon but rather an offensive proactive use gun. It benefits from being short, but there is a limit to its usefulness there both legally-economically, as well as tactically.

The shotgun is not a rifle - The rifle is an offensive weapon intended to force others (the enemy) to do what you want them to do. It can project force in massive volume and great accuracy over long distances. The shotgun cannot do that as it suffers from a low ammunition capacity and extremely short range, as well as less-than-surgical precision. The shotgun is a short range weapon that can deliver overwhelming power on a given target, with a far wider impact area than a single projectile weapon like a rifle or pistol. Its impact, even a partial impact, is devastating on the adversary.

It has been said that one round of buck shot striking a torso is the physiological equivalent of a five round burst from a rifle. I tend to agree. The advantage of the shotgun is what many consider its weakness. Being short range and low penetration on cover or other materials, it is a prime choice for urban applications specifically for close range work in built up areas as a defender.

Another advantage often dismissed as a weakness by the unenlightened is the spread of the shotgun's pattern. when we say "spread" some think of the precision of carpet bombing, but that is not the case at all.  We are not talking an alley broom, but rather a reasonable and anticipated spread. Why is this desirable? Because unlike many shooting schools idea of reality, there are many times in gunfights where you will simply not have time to take a proper stance and a proper sight picture and press ever so carefully.

To the contrary, shotguns tend to be used in the same situations as handguns and involve high speed, short duration events with multiple bad guys and reduced light. Circumstances where the exact placement of a choked and tightened charge in the "A zone" will simply not be possible. But what will be possible is hitting with a partial charge. Several times in my past I was able to bring down a rapidly moving adversary with a partial charge of buck shot by using the weapon's characteristics to my advantage.

The desire to turn the shotgun into a rifle came from the commercial shooting schools in the late 1990s. Having saturated the pistol market, they began to delve into other platforms, the shotgun being one. What you see today is what happens when you put a classic precision seeking rifleman, and a liability-averse police administrator in a room and ask them to write up doctrine for the shotgun. What they produce will be vastly different than if you put sweaty men with bloody hands and combat knowledge in there and ask the same of them.

So what will make the existing shotgun better? We will begin at the back.

1). A pistol grip stock that is both strong and comfortable. It should have some adjustments so it will fit smaler members of the "team" as well as be adaptable to the ever-prolific use of armor. The Mesa Tactical stock systems are the best available today.

2). While I prefer ammo separate from the weapon, we have enough people ask for this that it is a near requirement. If you do, keep it to a minimum. The receiver mounted side saddles are far better than any other place. Go for four not eight shells.

3). Somewhat extended controls are a good idea. The shotguns in the 870-500 category were not designed for combat and do not take its needs into consideration. Reasonable larger buttons and levers are a good idea.

4). Sights. Bead sights are "OK", but since we add red dot sights to even our handguns, it goes with reason to add to the shotgun as well. Adding a short rail to the top of the receiver is a simple idea that will allow the running of these such as the Trijicon RMR. For those that do not want a red dot system, I suggest staying away from the ghost ring concept and using standard rifle sights instead. Not only will you be more accurate with the short range slug, but you will be faster with the buck shot loads. As well, you will have a commonality of sight systems with your handgun in the same close quarters environment. the best are the standard rifle type sights from Trijicon.

5). Lighting units. I like lights on the shotgun, but I don't like them there all the time. As well with the prevalence of the smaller Mini Lights, like the X-300 from Surefire, you can move the light from one gun to the next with no issues. To that end, we elected to use the Surefire rail handguard.  Notice the VFG on the fore end of the shotgun? We have been experimenting with this and it not only makes manipulating the shotgun far faster, it makes it easier to maneuver in the CQB environment. Nevertheless, those that want a permanent addition of a light, Surefire has some excellent systems available as well here at One Source.

6). Barrel treatments. I do not believe in over choking the shotgun to produce tight patterns, or in setting one up for exclusive use of slugs. Rather we want a predictable and controllable pattern, coupled with the reduction of recoil to a degree. Neither of which is so important that we reduce the advantages of spread and of power.

Finally, since the shotgun will be used hard, a strong rust resistant finish such as Cerakote or even Nickel Boron (preferred for maritime environments) is a far better idea than simple factory finishes.