OT - Traded evil black rifle for an evil-er blacker shotgun

[Rexster]

I never learned to be a fan of the AR15, and traded our last AR today toward a Scattergun Technologies TR-870. It has the well-known sight package and Armor-Tuff coating typical of this company's products, plus a Vang-comp barrel for throwing tight patterns. I have been using a bead-sighted Vang-comp barrel on my 870P since 2002 or 2003, and had that same barrel on a Marine Magnum some time before that, so I am an experienced and enthusiastic believer in Vang-comp barrels.

For HD, the tight patterns may not be needed or even desirable, but I work night-shift big-city police patrol. I consider a good shotgun much more important than a rifle/carbine in that environment. Moreover, according to the rules, I can deploy a shotgun at my discretion, and carry it up front. Rifles must be kept in the trunk, and only deployed under certain circumstances.

I had been considering having sights added to my 870P, but a local 'smith known for good shotgun work was much-backlogged after the hurricane damaged his shop and kept him from working for a while, and this Scattergun Tech shotgun offered me a chance to have a turn-key custom gun with no delay.

The AR was a Knight Armament that had been sitting unused since 2002, after returning from the company after warranty service. I still have a Mini-14 for when I want an autoloading .223 carbine.

[mescalero1]

?

[rjohns94]

a Great choice indeed. The forum is gonna want detailed pictures for sure. I have gone with the extended mag version of the Benelli M3 - which offers both the pump and semi option. My Benelli M1 with extended mag on the 26inch barrel has a 24 inch slug barrel also. Trying to convince my brother to take it of my hands. As I posted elsewhere, I kept EBR n the form of an AR-10 but the Benelli would definately be a go to gun in almost every scenario for HD at this time.

[alnitak]

Don't need much convincing, Mike. Just need to sell some more goodies!

[Modoc ED]

If you're working within 50-yards and using 000, 00, #4 Buckshot, a shotgun with a Modified Choke is deadly. The best thing about those buckshot and choke combinations is that you don't have to be a dead eye, dead shot in order to make your shotgun effective.

[Rexster]

The "evil-er" part simply means I can manipulate a shotgun better than an AR rifle, and, of course, nobody can deny that a shotgun can do a tremendous amount of damage to a target. New in-service training, in which I was taught how to use buckshot for breaching, was another card in the shotgun's favor. Until this point, I was only to fire live ammunition at a bad guy, NEVER at inanimate objects. A .223 carbine is not a useful breaching tool.

A little bit on the Vang-comp barrel; this is like a choke, but modifications run the full length of the barrel, starting with a lengthened forcing cone, back-boring to a point near the muzzle, and then machining an integral choke that is optimized for 00 buckshot. My older Vang-comp barrel, which I have used for about a decade on two different shotgons, will keep all pellets on the head of a silhouette target at 15 yards! All shotgun barrels being individual, it remains to be seen how this new one will perform, but reports of other Vang-comp barrels have been similar.

A pattern this tight is actually not needed at typical HD distances, but I once I have a shotgun in my hands, switching to another long weapon is unlikely, and the oath attached to my badge might compel me to take much longer shots. Of course, slugs are an option, and this is why I wanted a shotgun with better sights. I had felt handicapped, until now, with the simple bead on my existing weapon. Really, with the tight pattern, the better sights help even with buck.

Photos? Well, until I learn MUCH more about transferring images to a forum, that will not happen. Some other forums walk me right though the process, but this one does not. Even then, the photos taken with my mobile phone are far too large for most forums. My new shotgun looks just like the ones on the Wilson Combat website; click on the Scatttergun Technologies tab.

Some say that these shotguns are overpriced, and yes, they have a point. But, this shotgun was a turn-key weapon, and I traded for most of the value, getting rid of an AR that had sat unused since 2002.

[3leggedturtle]

those are great weapons, i enjoy handling them almost as much as a lever when go the range and in the gunshops. Have to show us some patterns later on please.