How fast can you run your pump shotgun?

Status
Not open for further replies.
1KPerDay said:
Everyone is slow compared to Mr. Knapp. I really liked watching that guy and listening to him. A class act.
Click to expand...
In the early 2000's, I shot at Federal Cartridge's home club when he was a rep for them. He'd show up some nights of trap league, usually with a couple of VIPs of some sort in tow. Was a great guy, he'd just strike up a conversation with you out of the blue, especially if you were shooting a Benelli. My claim to fame was being beaten by him in an Annie Oakley shoot. We were the only 2 guys shooting Novas. Ended up shooting from 5 yards behind the 27 line, hard left. I missed a bird, he got it, with pretty much the whole club watching by that time. That was a feel good loss if I've ever had one.
 
Saw the initial question and got a bit put off.

All of my training and actual experience with a shotgun was on the street hunting two-legged types for a full career. The last thing I ever worried about was how quickly I could cycle the gun and shoot it dry... Used properly, a 12ga with ordinary 00buck rounds is a one shot fight ender, period. At least that was my actual experience.

Yes, I always wanted to be ready for the next target - but training to be able to empty a magazine as quickly as possible never interested me at all.
 
My record , after half a dozen SG classes from Luis Awerbuck was to let Uncle Scott Reitz work me for all 72 shells I was carrying on his 180 course. Non stop random 180 degree steel pop ups. My 3 Rd gen 870 was Snick snicking as I knocked them down until running dry. I too used to get around half second splits on close multiple targets with aimed fire. I did sporting clays alot too, but not usually with a pump.
 
Gordon said:
My record , after half a dozen SG classes from Luis Awerbuck was to let Uncle Scott Reitz work me for all 72 shells I was carrying on his 180 course. Non stop random 180 degree steel pop ups. My 3 Rd gen 870 was Snick snicking as I knocked them down until running dry. I too used to get around half second splits on close multiple targets with aimed fire. I did sporting clays alot too, but not usually with a pump.
Click to expand...
That sounds like a hoot. Did you have enough time between presentations to stuff anything into the mag or did you just single load for the majority of the time? Also what ammo carry system were you using?
 
1KPerDay said:
That sounds like a hoot. Did you have enough time between presentations to stuff anything into the mag or did you just single load for the majority of the time? Also what ammo carry system were you using?
Click to expand...
It was crazy ! I had a 7 shot mag tube , 870 set up like a Border Patrol Wilson in 2010. 6 shot side saddle and short Houge stock and Surefire foreend. I had a custom dump pouch hanging from pistol belt with two boxes of loose bird shot and a few slugs in my cargo pants. Scott knew I was an advanced student of Louis and this was one of his advanced pistol courses that had a shotgun evolution in it .he also was playing me as a training junkie civilian :) I learned to really snick an 870 and was at my peak about then after 30 years doing so. My 870 was extremely slick, hard chrome and NP3 on all parts and polished. Soo he put me into the of the class knowing I was rattling with shells and did his best to humiliate a 63 year old. I did my best to keep my gun fed , it was the longest 90 seconds of my life and yes I missed a couple poppers as fast as he could manipulate them while the cops were hooting at me .Fast times at Eagle's Nest .

spring2008115_zpsf34d1a9f.jpg
 
Last edited:
I tried a Benelli Nova in training and matches. I slicked this one up and had a machinist redo the frame that hold recoil pad and cut it back to 13" LOP with the bigger Limbsaver. BUT although the gun is very accurate but I could never get the split time close to a polished 870 because of the Nova's longer stroke for 3.5" capability I guess :( I still keep it handy, with heavy slugs which it is sighted in for at 100 yards !
spring2008111_zps280e1d22.jpg
 
Now in my opinion the "slickest " pump shotgun is the Remington 31 and I have 4 of them in all guages and hunted them alot over 40 years. I also like Ithaca Featherweight, I carried an LAPD Model 37 issued one my father bought for me in Nam alot my first tour. . I met my dad over there in 69, he was developing the FLIR system for Army in the Mohawk airplane . He was there 90 days and brought the Ithaca riot gun with him and left it with me with 50 brass cased buckshot. In those days they did not check what came in country very much unless you were in a mass deployment. Slam fire is just a carnival trick IMHO .
 
I detest the M500.
Thick wristed shotguns and wingshooting don't mesh with me.
M500 back in the day was a good slug gun for deer (smoothbore, they tended to outshoot Big Green's offerings).
But they had that top safety, so when scoped kinda irked some folks (pre Maverick days).
Oddly the smoothest 870 I ever had, was an Express. Have owned several Wingmasters, from the 80's and before.............but this one cheapo Express was like greased lightning.
Of course a few others since have been pretty clunky.
I still have one, a Supermag...........it's not the smoothest, but it's tolerable. Not worth the effort to smooth it up.
It's killed a lot of doves, much to the dismay of the purists :)
 
jmorris said:
The only match (side) I ever won with a pump action was also with one I’d never shot before. IIRC it was 3 poppers, move/reload and 2 more, 3.82 or 3.62 seems to be stuck in my head.

View attachment 826276
Click to expand...
Wow! It must be cool to have a "national championship first place" award in anything. I think my chances of that are nil to the nth power. :D
 
Gordon said:
It was crazy ! I had a 7 shot mag tube , 870 set up like a Border Patrol Wilson in 2010. 6 shot side saddle and short Houge stock and Surefire foreend. I had a custom dump pouch hanging from pistol belt with two boxes of loose bird shot and a few slugs in my cargo pants. Scott knew I was an advanced student of Louis and this was one of his advanced pistol courses that had a shotgun evolution in it .he also was playing me as a training junkie civilian :) I learned to really snick an 870 and was at my peak about then after 30 years doing so. My 870 was extremely slick, hard chrome and NP3 on all parts and polished. Soo he put me into the of the class knowing I was rattling with shells and did his best to humiliate a 63 year old. I did my best to keep my gun fed , it was the longest 90 seconds of my life and yes I missed a couple poppers as fast as he could manipulate them while the cops were hooting at me .Fast times at Eagle's Nest .

View attachment 826290
Click to expand...
Wow! Loading loose rounds from a dump pouch? My respects, sir. I have a hard enough time loading quickly with caddies, bandoliers, etc.
 
One may appreciate accurate rapid cycling of a pump if they have dealt with large bears, a charging wild boar at close range hell bent in doing you great harm. I don't know of any guides who choose a single shot or even a double barrel over a pump while guiding in such country. Could be some around but pretty sparse IMO.
 
I used to be able to run a 97 quicker than any of the autos fired by the folks in my sporting clays league, and hit targets. I outran other pumps, too. The speed got even better when I semi-retired the 97s and started running 870s. I'm pretty sure the speeds are way down now, but it would be fun to shoot my 1100, 870 and 97 against the clock to see whether the old guy still has it.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

J
  • Locked
How fast are your pump times?
Replies
11
Views
918
sm
S
P
  • Locked
VIDEO: How Fast Can You Shoot a Shotgun?
2
Replies
34
Views
1K
PTMCCAIN
P
C
  • Locked
first real shotgun experience
Replies
2
Views
337
Dave McCracken
D
7
  • Locked
Pump gun shooting trap - how do you work your action?
2
Replies
29
Views
3K
benellimax4
B
P
  • Locked
How do you rate reliability in semi-auto shotguns?
2
Replies
44
Views
5K
Owen Sparks
O
Back
Top