Shotguns

Seller “Oregon Guns” has listed a Franchi LAW-12 tactical shotgun for sale in Auction #11139577, pointing out that the model is “permanently banned from importation” and to “make sure to get yourself one of these ‘evil assault shotguns’ while you still can.”

Particularly among the hunting crowd, who like to pit their wingshooting skills against those gray ghosts of fall — darting and diving aerobatic mourning doves and their white-winged cousins — more and more 28s are replacing their larger 20- and 12-gauge cousins. There is still a time and a place for big guns, but a growing number of hunters and clay target shooters are finding out that a smaller gauge can mean more shooting with less punishment.

CTD Shooting Team member Lena Miculek details how to execute weak-hand shotgun reloads in multi-gun competitions using a JM-series Pro Mossberg autoloading shotgun:

In association with CheaperThanDirt.com, the Gun Tests/GunReports.com team shoots a quartet of high-cap shotguns, with surprising results. The head-to-head findings compare a Saiga 12-gauge autoloader, the Kel-Tec KSG pumpgun, a Red Jacket Saiga Conversion, and the AR-15–style Akdal Arms MKA1919 autoloader.

The Kel-Tec KSG pump shotgun is a 12-gauge bullpup that’s as short as most submachine guns. The Cylinder bore barrel is 18.5 inches long, but the KSG is still shorter in OAL than the typical police shotgun with a 14-inch barrel. The gun will feed and chamber 3-inch ammunition, but 2.75-inch shotshells provide higher capacity and lower recoil. The accompanying video shows what it looks like in action:

Interchangeable choke tubes have been a feature for smokepole enthusiasts since Winchester Firearms created the system in 1959. The first experiment ended in 1965 because of functioning problems, but the Winchoke system introduced in 1970 took hold and is considered the grandfather of choke development. Today, it is hard to find a shotgun that does not feature some kind of interchangeable choke system.

Perhaps a little trip back to the physics classroom is necessary at this time. For those who still remember the days of Shotgun Chokes and Ballistics 101, we request a little indulgence.

When the powder charge sends the shot column down the barrel, it reaches the choke and is forced to squeeze together before exiting the muzzle. That constriction is called radial force. As the shot column leaves the barrel, gravity and wind resistance immediately take over and attempt to force the pellets inside the column to spin and flare off. The tighter the pellets are squeezed together by radial force inside the choke, the more the pellets hold together over a longer distance and produce a tighter pattern.

Constriction of the chokes is measured in thousandths of an inch and, in general, breaks down to the following measurements that are subtracted from the bore diameter of the barrel: Cylinder, .000; Skeet, .005; Improved Cylinder, .010; Modified, .020; Improved Modified, .030; Full, .040.

For example, in our patterning and handling tests, we selected a Browning Model XS Citori 12-gauge over and under with 32-inch barrels that was reviewed in previous editions of Gun Tests. The interchangeable chokes from the various manufacturers were all designed to fit the Browning. We checked the bore measurement of the XS with a bore gauge and the reading was .740. The constriction of all the choke tubes was subtracted from that figure to determine their bore diameter.

One more part of the classroom review states that in most cases the improvement in the pattern on a target at 30 yards over the widest pellet spread with a cylinder choke is about 10-13 percent with skeet; 15-17 percent with improved cylinder; 25-27 percent with modified; 30-33 percent with improved modified; and about 35 percent with a full choke. Students can now close their books.

It should be noted in reading through our test that performance results will vary depending upon individual shotguns and some shooters make their choke selection based on tube qualities other than patterning, such as ease of use; weight; and even appearance.

All of these individual factors are a matter of personal preference and help drive the quest to find the right combination of choke tube length and constriction that produces the optimum pattern performance. As one smoke-pole veteran said: "Whatever works for you, works for you — Don't mess with something that works."

In our test, we examined the results using both an improved cylinder and modified choke. The ammunition used was Winchester AA Xtra-Lite 2.75 inch Target Loads with one ounce of No. 71/2 shot and 2.75 dram equivalent of powder producing an average 1180 fps muzzle velocity.

All of the chokes in the test were fired at a 30-inch circle on a paper target placed 30 yards downrange. We noted that there was very little deviation in the overall pattern of pellet strikes on the paper, with all the chokes tending to produce slightly more strikes on the left side of the circle rather than on the right. This result probably is a factor of gun fit for the shooters, rather than choke fit in the barrel.

We also tested all the chokes on clay target presentations on a couple of different sporting clays ranges. While target breaks can vary according to the skills of the shooter more than because of the effectiveness of the chokes, we also used the "feel-good" factor to judge how well the tubes worked on clays in our evaluation.

Gun Tests recently tested an FN Police Shotgun 12-Gauge Pump No. 17674 that came with an extra stock for $270.

(GunReports.com) -- The Winchester Repeating Arms Super X® Pump is now available in 12 gauge 3½ chambering.

These specialized shotgun parts fall prey to several common mechanical malfunctions. Here's how to correct them.

To visit a big trap match and look at the competitor’s guns can be as enthralling as attending a custom car show. But a $10K over/under is not a necessity. Nor are some of the radical modifications to the guns one might see on match day. Gun Tests magazine evaluated a trap shotgun designed to put you into the action for less money than that. In looking for a suitable trap gun, they found that pump-action models were the most economical. They came across a single-barrel break-action model from Harrington & Richardson. This was the Topper Trap shotgun SB1-30T, $360, and decided to give it a try.

Introduced by Browning Arms Company in 1973, the Citori is a direct descendant of John M. Browning's Superposed, the great gun inventor's last invention. The first Superposed models produced by Fabrique Nationale in 1930 had double triggers, one for each barrel. Browning's son, Val A. Browning, eventually redesigned the gun to have a single selective trigger, which allowed firing either barrel first by moving a thumb selector mounted in the receiver. The present day Citori and the Superposed—models of which are still available from Browning's Custom Shop—are practically identical, which is just further proof that John M. had few if any equals when it came to designing guns.

One of the most popular over-and-under shotguns offered by Browning, the Citori line, has undergone numerous updates and upgrades over the years as thousands of target and field shooters look for something to improve their clay-busting and game bag-filling skills. A tweak here, a new twist there, and each new model is promoted as the key to shooting success. The practice must work pretty well, as very few of the major firearm manufacturers refrain from cranking out new and upgraded models on a regular basis.One of the most recent entries to the new-and-improved market is the Browning Citori Model 725, released to the public last year as the latest in a long line of innovative over-and-under shotguns produced by the company founded by legendary firearms inventor John M. Browning. The Model 725 is an update of the models such as the 625, 525, 425 and XS over-and-unders that are considered among of the most popular stack-barrel shotguns in the country.Lighter and trimmer than its predecessors, the 725 is billed as allowing the shooter to become one with the gun, with a new mechanical FireLite trigger for quicker second shots and new Invector-DS extended choke system for improved patterning and easier removal during choke changes. Several other minor changes are advertised as helping reduce recoil and provide better shooter comfort when touching off a round or two in the field or on the range.To fulfill the requirements of the Bargain Hunter story angle, we revisited a Citori Model XS Sporting that was part of a Gun Tests review in 2007. The XS fell between the Models 425 and 525 in the Citori line and as noted in the earlier review, it is among the solid, dependable over and under shotguns made in Japan for Browning. In Bargain Hunter reviews, we not only will flyspeck the performance of the guns involved, but we will delve deeply into questions of value, perhaps saving you hundreds or even thousands of dollars in tightly-matched comparisons.In this case, both the 725 and its XS predecessor feature the same rugged full-width hinge pin and tapered locking bolt design with locking lugs in the bottom of the receiver that have become a Browning trademark. In addition, both models come with three-stage triggers allowing for an adjustable length of pull, palm swells (for right-handed shooters), ported barrels, and screw-in chokes. Rather than use the internal Invector Plus chokes that came as a standard feature with Model XS, we upgraded to Diana Grade extended chokes for this match-up. Our reasoning was to pit extended chokes versus extended chokes as a fair test of performance.Although the Model XS featured 32-inch barrels while the Model 725 sported 30-inch barrels, we did not think the slight difference in handling ability hindered a proper match-up of the two shotguns.Our ammunition selection for this test included Winchester AA Xtra-Lite Target 2.75-inch loads that were 2.75-dram equivalent shells with one ounce of No. 71/2 and No. 8 shot traveling at 1180 fps for the sporting clays testing; and Federal Game Load 2.75-inch loads that were 3.25-dram equivalent shells with one ounce of No. 71/2 shot travelling at 1290 fps for field tests.Since only the Model 725 would handle 3-inch shells, we limited our comparison to 2.75-inch loads. Anyone who has fired many 3-inch loads and suffered from the resulting shoulder shock can appreciate our decision.Both shotguns handled the two types of shells with exceptional performance both in the field and on the sporting clays range with no malfunctions of any kind. Our team was particularly pleased with the solid hits using Modified chokes with both shotguns on high-flying mourning doves as far as 50 yards away. Heres our test report: