Side saddle question

[beardog308]

I'm looking at a Mesa Tac side saddle for my 870 tactical. I see they come in left and right sides. I'm abidextrous and am at a loss. I shoot handguns and shotguns from the right and semi auto rifles and long guns from the left. Most of my bolt guns are lefty. Technically, I can shoot anything from either side.

Reaching over for a shell would be no different than reaching over to operate a right side bolt and I'm just as comfortable either way. I know I'm over thinking this but the cheapest price I found increased $20 since last night.

[bigbearbear]

Left side if your right hand is on the trigger. Don’t use your trigger hand to reload.

[beardog308]

Thank you

[JagerDog]

the side the bolt opening isn't.

[beardog308]

the side the bolt opening isn't.

LOL Duh.

[whutsup40]

Mine is on the left side!

[The War Wagon]

THIS.


Although I kinda wish I was ambidextrous - I could put one on BOTH sides then!

[L-2]

For a right or left handed person, a right-sided side-saddle is a good option for carrying extra or alternative shotgun rounds. Conversely, a left-sided side-saddle is also good for either a left or right handed person. Using either hand, it'll take practice removing the rounds to reload using either hand from either side.

A shotgun is particularly limited in ammo capacity (like a revolver), and carry more ammo takes some planning. The ammo is large or bulky. Having the ammo already on the shotgun is good planning if the shotgun is grabbed for an emerging situation and that shotgun "package" is now a ready-to-go system.

Another option is to have some type of bag, pack, tac-vest, bandolier, or other means of carrying spare ammo. A person could go without spare ammo which compromises the shotgun's capability, especially selecting between buckshot and slugs.

As an old-guy, I've just got an old "TacStar" (now part of the Pachmayr/Lyman brands) 4-round side-saddle, which only came for the left side of the receiver.

https://www.lymanproducts.com/brands/tacstar/side-saddles

Note the right side only Mesa Tactical side saddle seems to be limited to 4-round versions, while the left side versions can be ordered to carry more than 4 rounds, if desired. I personally found carrying 6 rounds on the left side was nice to have, but got in my wave manipulating the slide and went with the 4 round version.

I also have rounds mounted on the right side at the rear of the stock with other generic brands of screw-on or hook & loop carriers on the market. Depending on what mount used, the stock carrier gives me another 5 or 6 rounds of ammo.

I'm not sure if I'd personally want rounds on both the left & right of the receiver. I suppose I'd have to try that out and work with it a bit to have a better opinion. Thinking about it, I can see it working, but don't think the Mesa Tactical hardware allows mounting both at the same time. The opposite side may need to be a hook & loop type covering Mesa's mounting screws/pins.

If shooting left-handed, I can see having shells on the left &/or right side of the receiver. Pulling the shells out from either side and with either hand will be part of a person's practice.

Yes, I've also been trained with the preference of keeping one's shooting grip intact while loading with the support hand. This is a nice preference. If the gun's empty, just get the gun loaded as quickly as you can using either hand which supercedes whether one's strong hand is ready to pull the trigger. Practicing being able to shoot either left or right handed also helps.

Also, there will be the decision whether to carry with brass up or down (or both up & down). OP, make a decision and come back and tell us what you've done and how you like it.

[naz]

A friend told me that during a multi day class, his came lose and it also cut into his forearm when he flipped the shotgun over and braced it with his forearm and armpit to reload.

He ended up taking it off and looking for another way to carrier shells (Eg on belt)

[W.R.Buchanan]

News Flash: You can't mount a side saddle on the right side of the gun. There's that Ejection Port thing. Ithaca M37 then you could.

Look at Velcro Side Saddles. They are Far more versatile and you don't have to drill and tap holes and if you don't like it you can just peel off the Velcro Tape and you are back at Sq 1.

Look at Brown Coat Tactical they are the best I've seen and about $15 for a 6 hole one. They come in 2,4,6,8 shell versions.

To reload the gun you simply rip off the empty strip and slap a loaded one on. Anyone can do this in 5 seconds. Solid Side Saddles get in the way and get hung up on things.

hope this helps.

Randy

[Mr. Beretta]

This This

[akjunkie]

News Flash: You can't mount a side saddle on the right side of the gun. There's that Ejection Port thing. Ithaca M37 then you could.

Look at Velcro Side Saddles. They are Far more versatile and you don't have to drill and tap holes and if you don't like it you can just peel off the Velcro Tape and you are back at Sq 1.

Look at Brown Coat Tactical they are the best I've seen and about $15 for a 6 hole one. They come in 2,4,6,8 shell versions.

To reload the gun you simply rip off the empty strip and slap a loaded one on. Anyone can do this in 5 seconds. Solid Side Saddles get in the way and get hung up on things.

hope this helps.

Randy

Do these velcro shell holders work well attached to teh buttstock?
Picked up a used 590a1 with a Magpul buttstock with cheek rest. Traditional wrap around velcro doesnt fit.

[JagerDog]

LOL Duh.

So what was the question?


You could have a left-handed shotgun.

Which side? I highly recommend outside.

[W.R.Buchanan]

Do these velcro shell holders work well attached to teh buttstock?
Picked up a used 590a1 with a Magpul buttstock with cheek rest. Traditional wrap around velcro doesnt fit.

They will certainly stick to the side of a Magpul Buttstock ,,, BUT

No butt stock shell holder works that well on a butt stock. Sure you can carry extra ammo there but you aren't going to be able to access it quickly.

The whole idea is that you access the forward shell in the saddle with your thumb and ring finger, (see Pic Below)then you pull it out and transition the hold to between your index and pinky fingers with the two middle fingers behind the shell. (See Pic Below)Then you roll the gun to the right and slip the shell into the Ejection port and then, slide your hand forward closing the action ready to fire. (See Pic Below)

This is all done with the gun mounted so that when you finish loading, you are already on target and ready to fire.. Takes some practice. But very doable.

It's all about "Economy of Motion." This literally takes 2-3 seconds per fired shot.

Randy