Hunters Hut
Inactive Commercial Member
- Joined
- Jan 21, 2022
- Messages
- 28
In this months Guns Magazine there is an article on Shooting The Shorties, by Denny Hansen. It’s NOT what you think.
Some of my RV friends know I own a gun shop and ask me what is the best defensive weapon to carry in a motor home? This can be very subjective to say the least. My answer is always it depends!
Please remember that this article is not meant to be a hard and fast rule. This is just one of many opinions on the subject. There are hundreds of different RV’s out there and there will be hundreds of different kinds of self defense firearms chosen for the task.
One of the major break through s in the past couple of years has been the shorty shotguns. Mainly the Mossberg Shockwave, Remington 870 Tactical, and now Standard Co. is also making one.
Several years back BATF has approved the use of 14” barrel shotguns equipped with a birds head grip as a other firearm. The caveat is you must be 21 years of age to purchase a pistol grip firearm. It was Mossberg who started the shorty scene back in 2017. These shorty’s come in 12, 20, and even 410 gauge. Since the pandemic started, they have been mostly sold out due to the excessive demand. Just be aware you MUST pay attention to the firearms regulations of the state you are purchasing the weapon in. Then you must be aware of the firearm regulations of the states you are driving through and then camping in.
The normal capacity of a shorty 12 gauge is five shells plus one up the spout. Mossberg came out with the new 590S Shockwave. The S means it will shoot the shorty 1-3/4 in. shot gun shells. With use of the shorty’s you can get eight plus one up the spout.
So why am I touting a small shorty shotgun? First it is very concealable. It can fit in a bedroom drawer, inside a dinette booth bottom, or even on the floor of the closet of an RV. Many people are NOT comfortable with a hand gun for self defense. The shorty shotguns give you a lot of fire power in a smaller package.
One of the concerns I would have is penetration of a fired shot in an RV. The new shorty shells have less recoil, and less penetration of walls compared to regular buck shot or shot gun shells.
As with any firearm, practice is essential. Shooting these little shotguns can be anything but easy. You must practice with the firearm of choice you plan on defending your family with. Like any other firearm you will have to learn to load and unload. Putting the safety on, racking the slide, and finally firing the firearm.
Just an FYI a misconception of these shorty’s is to shoot from the hip. This is very hard to shoot accurately with this position. It is ok within spitting distance of the target. But when you get farther away it is hard to keep on target. Bringing the firearm up to eye level, at arms length, and using the front sight will give you much better results.
You may or may not feel comfortable having a firearm for self defense in your RV. Personally I believe in that old cliché it is better to have one and not need it, then to need it and not have one.
Travel safe.
JCP