It is pointless to own a shotgun if you do not practice using it properly. This does not mean going out and blowing through a pile of ammo as fast as you can. Proper training builds on the fundamentals. Safe weapons handling, reload drills, and shot placement are all skills that you should strive to perfect both on and off the range. Learning to handle your weapon, understanding how it functions, and choosing proper ammo, are the keys to success – and survival -- in the field.
Chance Sanders is a former U.S. Marine marksmanship instructor and firearms specialist. He teaches survival skills in his native South Carolina and is currently working with Dave Canterbury (Dual Survival/The Pathfinder School) to establish a S.C. branch of his Advanced Pathfinder school there.
Shot Shells 101
by Chance Sanders
It is always important to have the right tool for the job. This certainly applies to firearms, and the ammunition selected for the firearm in use. While the weapon itself may be up to the task, poor choices in ammo may yield less than desirable results. Matching up your firearm with the task at hand can be best handled if you know what it is you are planning to do with it. Heading out to the dove fields armed with a .22 cal rifle doesn’t make much sense. However, going out with a shotgun does – that is if the shotgun is loaded with birdshot. For your money the shotgun has the best range of available ammo for a variety of applications. Everything from hunting grizzly to ducks can be done with a shotgun and the right ammo. Let’s take a look at the different uses and ammo available for the shotgun in today’s market.
More often than not we can find the right shot shell within three categories. Slugs are single projectile rounds that are used for hunting deer, turkey, and hogs. Slugs are further divided into rifled slugs and sabot slugs. Rifled slugs are used in smoothbore shotguns while sabots are better used in a rifled bore shotgun. Sabots are of a more traditional bullet design encased in plastic, which allows spin to be imparted to the projectile. The shape of the slug and the spin gives it a better ballistic coefficient and greater range. (pictured below)
Next we have buckshot, and given its name it is not hard to figure out what it is used for. In addition to hunting, the buckshot is your standard defensive load in a shotgun. Standard 0 buckshot will hold 7 to 9 pellets each weighing around 9 ounces each. As you go up to 00 and 000, the pellet size gets bigger and fewer. There is low recoil buckshot available for tactical applications. The reduced recoil allows for faster follow on shots. (pictured below)
Lastly we have bird or BB shot shells. These give the highest number of shot, but the smallest size of individual projectile. Number 9 being the smallest and going up from there. The lower the number on the shell, the larger the individual pellets. These shells are used for hunting rabbits, birds, and other small game. Research the animal you are trying to hunt and determine which shot is best used. (pictured below)
No matter what you intend to use the versatile shotgun for, it is important to practice safe weapons handling. There is no excuse! Take the time to learn your weapon and be able to employ it at a moment’s notice. You never know it may one day save your life.
Seven Sensible Strategies for Teaching Gun Safety
by Lisa Bedford, the survivalmom
If I were a really cool, trendy mom, guns would be banished from my home. My son would be decked out in pastel polo shirts, and my daughter would be enrolled in a ropes course by the age of six. Any depiction of a gun would be disallowed, and I would even cast a disapproving eye on the letter ‘L’, since, when placed on its side, it looks suspiciously like a small handgun.
This may be a bit overstated, but the pervasive anti-gun rhetoric and propaganda of the past five decades has produced firearms-aversive parents who are nearly that absurd.
I was once one a parent of that kind, smugly superior in my intolerance for anything resembling a firearm. I decided that my two-year-old son would not be playing with a Buzz Lightyear Astro Blaster or, for that matter, any toy gun. My pretense was punctured on the day my son turned a pizza crust into a small handgun and started “shooting” at the waitress. I knew this was not a hill I cared to die on. The next day I went and bought the Astro Blaster.
My son’s collection of toy guns accumulated over the years. After he turned seven we began making frequent family trips to the shooting range. Incorporating guns into our everyday lives is how we live now.
Our approach is matter-of-fact, focused on the fundamentals of gun safety skills, and age-appropriate. Here are a few tactics we’ve used to teach our kids to respect firearms and handle them safely.
#1: A gun is no big deal.
One of the first lessons I wanted my kids to learn is that a gun is no big deal. It’s a tool, much like a hammer. I didn’t want that tool to acquire the “forbidden fruit” mystique that may lead the kids to give in to temptation, thereby endangering themselves and others.
Remember the scene in “The Sixth Sense” in which the tormented ghost of a young boy says to Cole Sear, the troubled youngster who sees dead people, “Hey, c’mon – I’ll show you where my dad keeps his gun” – and then the apparition turns toward the bedroom and we are shown a huge gunshot wound in the side of his head? That kind of tragedy is precisely what we’re trying to prevent. In our home, we don’t want guns to be so fascinating that safety rules are quickly forgotten. After all, what is more alluring to a child -- something they’re not allowed to see and touch, or something so ordinary that it’s no big deal?
I am not precluding the possibility that either of our children may do something stupid someday while around a firearm. If they do, however, it certainly won’t be because they view a gun as something alluring and glamorous. The last thing I want my kids to do is wait until their parents are gone -- and then seek out a hidden gun to “play with.”
#2: A gun is a huge deal.
A gun can take a life. That’s a huge deal -- the biggest possible deal, in fact, and this makes owning a firearm a serious responsibility. Our kids have been taught never to put their finger on the trigger until they are ready to shoot. They know always to keep the barrel of the gun pointed in a safe direction -- which is never at another person -- and that guns remain unloaded until we are actually at the range.
One challenge faced by parents in this process is helping kids understand the difference between the glorified gun fights they see on the TV and movie screen, and what a real gun can do to a person. When a person is shot, there is no “second take”; the injured person doesn’t pop up so they can appear in the next scene. Gunshot injuries are real, painful, and can cause massive injuries and death.
#3: Never underestimate the Stupid Factor
In spite of an Eddie Eagle education and constant reminders, kids are kids. They act impulsively. They sometimes make poor and stupid choices.
Sooner or later, most kids will encounter a real live gun somewhere. The gun may or may not be supervised by an adult. It may or may not be loaded. My kids, like all others, may or may not be inclined to use the common sense God gave them. As parents, we increase the chances our kids will do the smart thing and stay safe when there’s a gun around when we train, educate and remind, remind, remind.
#4: Guns and fire are a lot alike.
One of the earliest safety rules I taught my kids was never to touch fire. You would think it was obvious, what with the heat and everything, but there’s something alluring about a beautiful, flickering, orange and gold flame that draws kids like, well, a moth. Those flames are just as enticing as the handguns and rifles we have in our homes.
It only takes a single close encounter with a flame to make a memorable impression. An encounter with a 12-gauge shotgun does the same.
A couple of years ago my husband purchased a shotgun while I was away on a business trip. When I returned, my son couldn’t wait to show me the new gun in the closet. He was completely entranced with this new firearm and asked to see it over and over again.
When we were at the shooting range a few days lat
er, my son was practically giddy over finally having the chance to fire this cool new gun. Well, he fired it exactly once. Even with my husband crouched down behind him and supporting him, the recoil still scared him silly. To this day he has never touched that gun, nor shown any interest in firing it again.
In many ways, a gun is a lot like fire. They can both be used to save lives and both play important roles in our homes and communities. We manage to teach fire safety to kids just fine. Why not apply those same rules to teaching gun safety?
Both fire and guns are tools and not toys.
Fire can save lives but can also be deadly. This holds true for guns.
Equipment used to start fires should be kept out of the reach of children. Guns and ammunition should be stored safely as well.
‘Don’t touch!’ is a good, basic rule for young ones.
Supervision is a key component to good safety training.
#5: Take advantage of experts and their resources
The NRA offers gun safety training, as do many shooting ranges, Fish and Game departments, sporting goods stores, and even firearm manufacturers. Often, this training is free. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel or wonder which rules are best for which ages.
NRA’s Eddie Eagle Gun Safe program is available to individuals, schools, and groups and priced affordably. Eddie Eagle’s four basic rules for kids to remember if they ever see a gun are:
Stop!
Don’t touch!
Leave the area.
Tell an adult!
These four rules are perfect for the young set and a good place to begin. One advantage in using experts, especially when kids get older, is that their message often has more impact than a parent’s. Don’t ask me why, but my son will never again step across the firing line at the shooting range. Why? Because the first time he did, the Range Master snapped at him once, and he’s never made that mistake again.
#6: Teach the important role of guns
Have you ever had this conversation with one of your kids:
“What did you do in school today?”
“Nothing.”
Of course you have, and you probably gave the same response when your mom asked that question! Kids have a way of knowing what’s important and what isn’t. Completing worksheets and rows of math problems isn’t important or meaningful. Learning how to shoot a gun, well, that’s a different matter entirely!
When your kids are learning how to handle a gun safely and how to hit a target, they instinctively know they are learning something significant and important. Spend some time teaching them about the rights protected by the Second Amendment, and how guns save lives. They’ll hear plenty of anti-gun rhetoric at school and from the media, but this is your chance to confirm to them what they already suspect. Guns are an important part of American history and they are now a part of it.
#7: Think in terms of layers when it comes to gun safety
Firearm safety classes aren’t enough. Supervision and constant reminders aren’t enough. It’s not enough to keep guns locked away in a safe. Rather, all of these factors work together to create an environment where kids are safe around guns.
I would say that we have been successful in our three years of gun education. Both of our kids have been taught how to shoot. Both have shot a thousand rounds or more from their .22 rifles. Our daughter is sniper material. For his part, our son just loves using his trigger finger, and even hits the target on occasion. He is showing signs of improvement both in skill and maturity level!
I can tell we’ve succeeded when I watch my daughter at the range. She fires a good 50-60 rounds, hits the rabbit outline in its center mass nearly every time, and then retires to a bench to read a book. Guns aren’t alluring to her; they’re practical tools she can use with ease and skill. She enjoys testing and improving her skills, but then she’s done.
Kids and guns don’t have to be a lethal combination. Instead, smart parents can teach gun safety in a sensible way that produces savvy, gun-smart kids who value their Second Amendment rights.
Lisa Bedford currently writes and blogs as TheSurvivalMom (http://thesurvivalmom.com/) and has an international following, with thousands of readers each week. Her blog and preparedness lifestyle have been featured in Newsweek, The Arizona Republic, and in numerous radio and TV interviews. She leads a host of SurvivalMoms who are determined to protect and provide for their families, no matter what. Lisa believes in the power of being prepared for an uncertain future and teaches classes to help others learn these same skills.
Reloading for Survival Situations
by Mr Smashy
Reloading is the best way to ensure your ammunition independence, both now and in the future. It liberates you from reliance on supply chains and retailers and offers the freedom to create your own secure ammunition supply irrespective of the ups and downs of the global economy.
Preparing for the Future
While it’s still a good idea to gather a good supply of surplus or bulk ammunition when prices dip, it’s important to develop proficiency at reloading before ammo grows scarce. The key is getting the needed tools, and then acquiring the necessary skills and knowledge through practice and practical application. The more you reload, the more you will understand the forces at play and why you need to do what you’re doing. All of this will be vital when supplies dry up and reloading becomes an urgent necessity, rather than what some may consider a hobby.
One immediate priority is to acquire a large and consistently replenished inventory of primers and powder. These components, which require complex chemistry to produce, are difficult to home-brew. Fortunately, powder and primers can be purchased in mass quantities at lower prices than ammo, and they take up much less storage space. Insurance policies and local fire regulations may limit the amount of powder and primers that can be kept in the home. In most cases it should be possible to store at least 20 pounds of powder and 10,000 primers – enough to make a lot of ammunition.
Bullets
High-powered rifles will require copper-jacketed rifle bullets. It doesn’t make sense to go through the work of reloading if you’re going to load lower velocity lead bullets for rifles. Using special presses and dies, it’s possible to make jacketed rifle bullets out of raw materials, but this is advanced reloading. For this reason, jacketed rifle bullets should be considered as vital as primers and powder, and it’s important to secure a large supply of them. For pistols and pistol-caliber rifles, you have the choice of shooting copper jacked and plain lead bullets. Lead bullets are cheaper and easier to keep stocked up, and it’s easy to make lead bullets with a bullet mold. The downside, once again, is that lead cannot be pushed to the higher velocity that a jacketed bullet can handle. Lead will also foul barrels more readily than a jacketed bullet.
Reloading Basics
Reloading is the process of taking a spent case, cleaning it, using a press and dies to remove the spent primer and resize the brass, then loading a new primer, powder, and bullet to make it into a fresh round.
The best firearms for reloading are ones in common calibers that take brass-cased, boxer-primed rounds. Steel cases can be reloaded, but most are berdan primed and not worth the effort. Steel pistol cases can usually be reloaded, so they shouldn’t be discarded without checking the primer type. If you are going to reload military surplus brass, be aware that the primers are crimped in and that a tool to remove the crimp is necessary to allow the brass to be reloaded.
The most basic tool for reloading is a good manual, one from the ammo manufacturer that you plan to use and for the caliber you plan to reload. Reloading can be dangerous, so it’s important to get the knowledge to use your reloading tools in a safe and reliable manner; this may, quite literally, be a key to your immediate survival. You need to be able to make the right choices when purchasing powder and working up loads. Keeping good notes is also vital; you need to keep records of how you run your reloading process what your final recipe is. It’s best to store all of these r
ecords both on paper and electronically.
The core-reloading tool is your reloading press, and the press you purchase will affect your reloading process greatly. On the cheaper end of the spectrum are the single stage presses, which are simple, rugged, and reliable, but slow to load. Because the single stage press can hold one die, each reloading operation must be run in batches. Another type of press is a turret press, which has a turret head holding each die. This allows each step of the reloading process to be performed on the round before the next round is loaded into the press. Finally, there is the progressive reloading press, which holds all the dies and allows for a reloading operation to be performed on a round with each pull on the press handle. As long as fresh components are being loaded into it, a continuous stream of loaded ammunition will feed out of the press.
Dies are the next big component in your reloading kit. I’d recommend getting titanium carbide or carbide dies. They may cost a bit more, but they will reduce the possibility of a case getting stuck and destroying the die, which would be much more costly and troublesome. Getting the best quality dies will also help you make the best quality ammunition. Even if you plan on running a progressive press, you can still make match-grade ammunition using high quality dies and careful reloading.
Survivalist Anthologies Volume 1 Page 9
