Extra Shells Up or Down?

[Rob454]

You can get a lefty 870. I've seen it. It pretty cool.

YOU CAN? Ive never seen one. i almost bought a left handed bolt action but it was 1200$. the right handed version was only 750$. I decided to look like a retard by using my right handed bolt action rifle.


As for the other guy who suggested the other shotguns i personally dont need to have a tacticool looking shotgun. Im sure they have their advantages but to tell you the truth If I did get in a sutuation where I was fighting for my life my first worry would be to shoot the other guy not how many lazer beams can I have going off at once to improve my aim.
Rob

[mcubed4130]

Hmm.. thanks for the input. I guess I'm just going to have to try myself. Just need to save some $$$ to get a Vang Mossberg.

I know that trying to shoot left on a right handed winchester 1300 is not working smoothly enough for me.

Cheers,
ed

When I first got my shotgun, I was going to send my gun to Vang for modification. I never got around to it... When I took my tactical shotgun classes, many people had Vang modified Mossys and Remingtons...

Truth is, it didn't make much difference. For the situations where longer range was called for, the Vang mod'd guns were better - but not good enough... We all had to learn to use "combat unload" of the #00 buck, and "combat load" slugs instead.

And with slugs, Vang made no measurable difference for anyone...

Also of note, the people with Ghost rings, were certainly doing better than the bead sight people - when we had to take the longer shots.

-M3

[jdberger]

As for the other guy who suggested the other shotguns i personally dont need to have a tacticool looking shotgun. Im sure they have their advantages but to tell you the truth If I did get in a sutuation where I was fighting for my life my first worry would be to shoot the other guy not how many lazer beams can I have going off at once to improve my aim.
Rob

I'm the Other Guy? Neat. Kinda makes me feel dangerous.

Anyway, I'm partial to the Ithaca 37, mostly 'cause I have one. But it is nice to find someone who agrees with me - to wit: Ned Christiansen from MichiGuns.

Shotguns-The Browning BPS has never been seen as a fighting or action competition shotgun. That's a shame, because with a few modifications, it makes a great one.

When I needed to upgrade to a modern pump from the Winchester '97, I looked at everything I could find. I looked outside the boundaries, being careful to not be constrained by what everybody else was using. My three main criteria were handling related: a) it must have a short, smooth stroke; b) ergos must be good- safety and slide release easily reached and actuated; c) there must be no %#&%$@#!!)&$# cartridge lifter, acting as a loading gate to the magazine. As popular as certain models of shotgun are, many have the lifter/gate which must be depressed to load the magazine. These tend to act like Chinese fingercuffs, trying to skin the unfortunate thumb that follows a little too closely behind the cartridge it is pushing in. The BPS has none, and, in fact, the magazine loading area is long enough that loading two at a time is possible, by dropping a cartridge on to the bottom of the bolt of the overturned shotgun, pushing it in with a second cartridge, which then follows it in. You have just loaded two for the price of one, so to speak. As a bonus, the BPS has an ambidextrous safety, if that is important to you.

It also has bottom ejection, of which much is made, but the advantage is not that the empties come out the bottom, nor even that the receiver is enclosed (although I'll admit that doesn't hurt). The real advantage is that ejection is very positive and it is not necessary that the slide be racked hard and fast to get clean ejection.

The one huge, glaring disadvantage of the BPS and other bottom-ejecting shotguns in a fighting/competition role, is that a single round cannot be quick-loaded into the chamber when the gun runs dry, as there is no ejection port giving the shooter direct access to the chamber. The action of the gun must be closed, a round loaded into the magazine, and racked into the chamber-- slow and cumbersome. Some tactical trainers recommend against the habit of dropping a round directly into the chamber because a) you weren't supposed to let the gun run dry in the first place, and b) you are using two loading procedures: one for an empty gun and one for a partially loaded one. Be that as it may, when the shotgun has been run dry, and you have just heard that very loud CLICK, it is faster to drop one in with the action open and close it than it is to put one in the magazine and rack it in. There could be a time when one round NOW is more meaningful that one round in "now-point-eight" seconds with the satisfaction that you did it like they told you. Toward this end, the BPS and the Ithaca Model 37 pictured here have the loading port cut into the receiver.

[edsel6502]

YOU CAN? Ive never seen one. i almost bought a left handed bolt action but it was 1200$. the right handed version was only 750$. I decided to look like a retard by using my right handed bolt action rifle.

Yessir.

I was in a shotgun class and there was a Vang modded lefty 870. Ejection port and all.

[trinydex]

is there anything out there that holds shells like

http://youtube.com/watch?v=DvY-KRr7Thc

on the gun?

[Prowler]

IMHO. Brass up. Apparently one of this things the cops found during the North Hollywood shoot out. That after all that maneuvering for cover, the brass down shells were missing.

If you are in a situation where you are moving around like crazy the only thing holding the shells in is the friction of the shell holder. At least with brass up gravity will help hold down the shot shell.


YMMV

If it's a match, I go brass down for bird shot, brass up for slugs. If it was for anything else, brass up...

[Sgt Raven]

I shoot left handed so I usually go brass down cause its faster for me. Kind of a pain cause they dont make lefty shotguns. At least i dont think they do
Rob

After watching many CAS shooters single loading a Win '97 lefty's have an advantage shooting a right hand gun. Keep youir left hand on the stock pulling it into your shoulder and throw the shell in the port with your right hand.

[gose]

Depends on how you load, I reload weak hand and prefer to have mine brass down.

[Fjold]

I shoot left handed so I usually go brass down cause its faster for me. Kind of a pain cause they dont make lefty shotguns. At least i dont think they do
Rob

Remington makes the 870 (as said before) and the Model 1100 G3 in left handed. Benelli makes a lefty autoloader

[Ceemack]

IMHO, it depends on the type of carrier being used.

With a receiver-mounted Sidesaddle, I keep them brass down. I've found it's faster to pull them down and then load them upward into the magazine. It's secure enough to carry them brass-down without them slipping out--certainly in any likely civilian scenario.

With a elastic carrier on the stock, as mentioned by the OP, I've always kept them brass up. Elastic carriers just aren't as secure as a Sidesaddle, and the rim will keep them from sliding out.

If I were storing a mix of buckshot and slugs on the gun, I believe I'd store them in different places on the gun (say, extra buckshot on the receiver and slugs on the stock) rather than putting some shells up and some shells down. Under stress, I'd be too likely to waste time pulling down on a shell that was stored brass up.

[GSequoia]

I'm thinking of going with a Mossberg because of the tang mounted safety. Do you have to release your firing grip from the pistol grip to get to the safety?

I can turn the safety on and off with my RH thumb from a firing read position.

As for brass up vs. down, never really thought about it...


If I'm in a situation where I need more than six shots of buck I'm getting my SKS!

[M. Sage]

Come on Ted, even in the dark if it's a foot from your face you can tell the difference between red & blue. And if it's too dark to tell, you sure as hell shouldn't be shooting anybody.

I know, it never really gets dark in the really urban areas out here because of the light pollution, but if there's a power outage, or you're away from "civilization", it'll actually get dark. In the (real, honest-to-God) dark, you can't tell red from blue. They both look black.

[bohoki]

i have mine brass up but i am using it on a double

[1911su16b870]

Cartridge rims down in the side saddle for me, easier for me to pull down on rim and immediately feed into the loading ramp of the shottie.

[trinydex]

i wish they had these for an on gun application

http://youtube.com/watch?v=zdowUS0eekA

but here's what the pros do

http://youtube.com/watch?v=wU5dsnBsxXs