Reinventing the Shotgun

Like everyone I have struggled in the last couple months to secure anything resembling gun parts. Ammo being top on that list. Thankfully I had a reasonable stock when the apocalypse happened. So I can at least keep shooting, so long as I conserve. One thing I have noticed is the availability of shotgun parts and ammo. Which has led me to take a new look at my good old 870, and retrieve it from it's dark corner in the safe.

I acquired this particular shotgun a few years back when the Highway Patrol traded them in for AR-15's. So I think I paid $100 for it.  At the time, (and even still today) I really wasn't a shotgun guy. I prefer rifles, particularly long range precision pieces. But with current events, I think honing my shotgun skills will keep me shooting, and ammo is still on the shelves.

I started with a good cleaning. From there I decided if this was to become a "real" go to gun, it needed some upgrades. I took off the old Speedfeed and installed a new Knoxx stock. Suddenly the length of pull was perfect, and the ergonomics felt right. Next I added a Magazine Extention. Now I'm packing 7 rounds! Ok, this is shaping up to be a much better defensive gun. Finally I replaced the forend with one that has an integrated light. Night work covered. My last upgrade will be to mount a red dot sight. I'm looking at an Aimpoint. But haven't decided yet.

But what to put through it? This is the magic of a shotgun. The variety of ammo that you can put through the same gun is astounding! Slugs, birdshot, buckshot, sabot, even less lethal options. I have tried to get a good variety of ammo for different situations. My current self defense set-up is as follows:
First round is a rubber slug. After that, 2 rounds of #7 birdshot. I chose this because at close range it is a still a powerful round, but is less likely to result in over-penetration. After that the other 4 rounds in the magazine are 3" magnum buckshot. On the side saddle I have 2ea. #9 birdshot, 2ea. slugs, and 2ea. 00 buckshot. Seems to me to be a pretty diverse load for home defense.  Your mileage may vary.

Currently I am looking for a good shotgun course, and will update when I find the right one. So there you have it. From out of the darkest corner of the gun safe, a new defensive gun emerges as probably the new standard next to my nightstand.