Short barrel shotguns

[faustus]

I have shot my 12ga Tac-14 quite a bit .... and it has become my main woods bumming gun.



Does your 14” 11-87 have a shoulder stock? If it doesn't here a suggestion":

Focus on reduced low recoil loads!!!

Full power loads are difficult to manage in a gun without a shoulder stock.... When I got my Tac-14 new I tried it ... and the result was that the gun recoiled out of my hands ... and landed in the sand in front of my feet .....

So much for 2oz Blue Dot loads .....

Here an interesting video hat explains what I mean .....

[longbow]

I haven't shot anything with that short a barrel but from what experience I have with BD I think pashiner's comment is spot on:

"I know, compared to a 28" barrel, those shorties really throw some fireballs with commercial slug loads, and are obviously much louder."

Not sure if velocity will suffer as much as with a short rifle barrel but I will bet that BD will produce a fireball in such a short barrel. Having said that if you have a heavy payload you may not be able to launch it effectively with a much faster powder. All shotgun powders are fast compared to typical rifle powders some are just faster than others.

Not having done it I'll not guess at results beyond an expected large muzzle blast and fireball. If you are able, please take some pics in low light. I am sure they will be impressive!

I don't plan on getting anything with such a short barrel but am still interested in your results so please keep us posted.

Longbow

[rking22]

Faustus, thanks for posting that video. That’s probably how 90% of the ammo would go thru my Tac14 too, only a good many from the hip! Really thinking I need one in 20ga, would be physically smaller and lighter on the LW frame.

I chrono some 410s today, 296 skeet loads ran 1236 from a 28 inch barrel and 1223 from a 26 inch tube set. Saturday I will try the same loads thru a 9 inch tube set inside a 30 inch 12 gage barrel. I also have a chamber adapter I can try in my 18 inch 870. Not really a direct comparrison to the 12 ga discussed here, but data points I am doing anyway. We shot some lite skeet loads from those 9 inch tubes and I could literally see the shot string. They were still real slow in my full length tubes but not that bad. Was notable difference between 9 inch and 26 inch barrels. 296 is slower than blue dot, but not a whole bunch, so suspect BD may not be ideal in the shorty. Should be plenty of gas to operate the action !!! And then some.

[ChuckJaxFL]

It does have a stock. Here it is, for comparison, next to my 21” 11-87SP Deer.

I bought a cheap chrony on EBay. I hope to find out if it works this weekend. I’m also planning a visit to the family farm this month. Maybe I can get some low-light footage with Blue Dot. I have some 32gr under 00B*15 ready to go.


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[rking22]

Uh, this may not pertain to you specifically, but feel a need to throw it out there for others who might come along. If you are in the US the TAC14 is only non NFA if it retains the original grip configuration, full but stock makes it an NFA item. If you are north of the border, or have a stamp then never mind. Just guessing location based on forum name.

[centershot]

Uh, this may not pertain to you specifically, but feel a need to throw it out there for others who might come along. If you are in the US the TAC14 is only non NFA if it retains the original grip configuration, full but stock makes it an NFA item. If you are north of the border, or have a stamp then never mind. Just guessing location based on forum name.

Yes, without the paperwork and tax stamp, putting a full length buttstock on a Tac-14 is no different than adding a buttstock to a pistol - instant felony!

[W.R.Buchanan]

I'll call Trump (got him on Speed Dial) and get him to do an EO Exempting Republican Owned SBS's from NFA.

Especially here in CA where Riots are Imminent, Before, During, and After the Election !!!

That will help,,, Right?

Randy

Here's a 870 SBS from Hans Vang King of the Police Shotgun Gurus !!! This is what they should look like!!!

Attachment 267227

[centershot]

^^^ We love you Randy! ^^^

[ChuckJaxFL]

I ran a couple loads today. The 14” gun was the 11/87. The 28” was my Winchester 120 that I bought with my hay bale tossing money when I was 11. I don’t have anything with and 18”

I tried a 00B*12 load in Fiocchi hulls and 32 grains of Blue Dot;
1160 in the 14”
1360 in the 28”


Also 00B*9 in an AA hull with 24 grains of Unique.
1140 in the 14”
1330 in the 28”

Both achieved almost exactly 85%.

Later, I’ll try some IMR red, universal, or 800x.


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[elmacgyver0]

I'll call Trump (got him on Speed Dial) and get him to do an EO Exempting Republican Owned SBS's from NFA.

Especially here in CA where Riots are Imminent, Before, During, and After the Election !!!

That will help,,, Right?

Randy

Here's a 870 SBS from Hans Vang King of the Police Shotgun Gurus !!! This is what they should look like!!!

Attachment 267227

Don't care a rats behind about shotguns but if you can get him to remove suppressors from the NFA I will be most beholding to you!

[W.R.Buchanan]

I'm workin' on it!

All I need is for him to answer his phone, Melania keeps answering his phone and she just hangs up on me.

Randy

[ChuckJaxFL]

Unexpected ‘success’:

Just out of curiosity, I loaded:
Win AAHS gray,
24.5gr Unique,
CB1118-12 (didn’t clip the petals)
And just 6 00B from the Lee mold, stacked in three pairs.

I expected this load to turn the 1187 into a single shot. However, the gun ran five rounds without a hiccup. Velocity was around 1175, patterns were better than my other garbage attempts for the day.

Recoil was laughable. I only had a couple more of these loaded up, so I handed the gun to my 100lb daughter. She’d never shot any shotgun before. Even she felt that the recoil was negligible, she said she could have shot it all day.

I’ll load up a dozen more or so, to see if it really works, or if I just had a lucky day.

With only 6 pellets, this doesn’t seem destined to be my favorite round. But, it is an easy, fun to shoot one. 6 pellets at 1175 is nothing to dismiss. And, it’s nice to have an option that is super cheap, has nearly-no-recoil, and actually works where each and every expensive LE/Tactical ‘reduced recoil’ load that I’ve tried fails.


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[dverna]

Unexpected ‘success’:

Just out of curiosity, I loaded:
Win AAHS gray,
24.5gr Unique,
CB1118-12 (didn’t clip the petals)
And just 6 00B from the Lee mold, stacked in three pairs.

I expected this load to turn the 1187 into a single shot. However, the gun ran five rounds without a hiccup. Velocity was around 1175, patterns were better than my other garbage attempts for the day.

Recoil was laughable. I only had a couple more of these loaded up, so I handed the gun to my 100lb daughter. She’d never shot any shotgun before. Even she felt that the recoil was negligible, she said she could have shot it all day.

I’ll load up a dozen more or so, to see if it really works, or if I just had a lucky day.

With only 6 pellets, this doesn’t seem destined to be my favorite round. But, it is an easy, fun to shoot one. 6 pellets at 1175 is nothing to dismiss. And, it’s nice to have an option that is super cheap, has nearly-no-recoil, and actually works where each and every expensive LE/Tactical ‘reduced recoil’ load that I’ve tried fails.


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There is a place for lower recoil loads in a defensive shotgun intended for up close work. Especially if it is a "family" gun and your wife/gf/children may have to use it. It is what I have for my SG in both slugs and buckshot. I am not using it to shoot deer or hogs at 50 yards.

[megasupermagnum]

That's still more than 20 gauge buckshot. Being as Unique is on the slow side of what most people would choose for such a light payload, it likely keeps the port pressure higher to allow it to cycle.

[ChuckJaxFL]

That's still more than 20 gauge buckshot. Being as Unique is on the slow side of what most people would choose for such a light payload, it likely keeps the port pressure higher to allow it to cycle.

I'll bet you're exactly correct. I'd bet a "proper" 7/8 load using IMR Red won't have enough pressure left at the port.

[Frank V]

I'll bet you're exactly correct. I'd bet a "proper" 7/8 load using IMR Red won't have enough pressure left at the port.

I'm not running down anyone's choice of shotgun, but that is one reason I like the 870.

[ChuckJaxFL]

I'm not running down anyone's choice of shotgun, but that is one reason I like the 870.

You'll get no argument from me. For "serious" use, I'm with you 100%. I impulse purchased this because it was ridiculously cheap on gun broker, even with the tax stamp, and it has proven a lot of fun to mess around with.

I tried some more of those 6 pellet loads. They are very borderline as far as function. About 1 out of 6 would fail to cycle.

In the meantime, I think I've exhausted combinations using Unique. Using 24 grains, CB1118-12 wad with the petals cut off, and .310x12 I was able to get 1090fps out of the 14" barrel. The same load, using an FS12 gas seal and half of a FC12 wad generated 1142fps. Function was 100% on both loads.

[rking22]

This thread got me thinking about the Tac 14 again. I decided to spend 25$ on the grip and put it on my 18 inch barreled 870, instant Tac 18 for 25 bucks.
I kinda like it, but it’s pretty heavy, to what I expected. I shot some clays off a sporting station and it breaks them well, inside 20 yards or so. Not the gun, that’s as far as I can point without the Burt stock against my forearm for index. I was shooting from bottom of my rib cage, basically hip shooting. About 70% breaks if the were close, notably better with a “whole” gun, usually 90+ percent on that type target. Recoil not bad, but I was shooting 1 oz at 1290fps, will try something more for curiosity. Probably going to set up one of my lightweight 20s with this grip, just for fun.
Thanks to the OP for the interesting diversion!

[ChuckJaxFL]

I forgot:

As expected, 14” doesn’t seem to be enough for a real heavy blue dot load.

AAHS hull, 16 pellets of 310 ( 1 5/8 oz), X12X & FC12.

31 grains - 679 FPS
32 grains - I lost this number. It was in the 800’s.
33 grains - 962 FPS


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[megasupermagnum]

I forgot:

As expected, 14” doesn’t seem to be enough for a real heavy blue dot load.

AAHS hull, 16 pellets of 310 ( 1 5/8 oz), X12X & FC12.

31 grains - 679 FPS
32 grains - I lost this number. It was in the 800’s.
33 grains - 962 FPS


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I wouldn't blame the barrel, that just sounds like a poor load to me. I can't find any 1 5/8 oz data for an AA hull. The most similar I can find is 1 1/2 ounce buckshot loads, and most of them are only going 1,100-1,150 fps. You aren't far behind those. If you really want to punish your hand, find some Federal plastic base hunting hulls. You can likely gain 150 fps in the 2 3/4" and 200+ fps in the 3".