Pistol grip shotguns... pointless or practical?

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I have seen many of these "tactical" Pistol-grip shotguns and I was wondering what the uses are for a gun like this. Do any military forces use this type? Dont tell me to shoot from the hip. The last thing you need to be doing in a defense situation is shooting from the hip.

Oddly enough I want one. Mostly because Hogue makes the kit and I LOVE Hogue!!!!!






moss500.jpg
 
Some LE/military types apparently use the pistol grip shotgun for door breaching. Practical for them but not for me. I shot one years ago at the skeet range and that convinced me I didn't need one.

That reminds me, that was one of the very few times someone has handed me a loaded gun and told me it was unloaded. I was young enough not to check, so pointed it down range and pulled the trigger. I was shocked at how little recoil it had. Good thing though!

I could maybe see some practicality if you used it as a SD car gun or something at point blank range.
 
i have that gun pictured but keep the full stock on it. you have to shoot it from the hip it says right in the manual its very dangerous to hold it otherwise. it would be good for a truck gun. if you want something to use get a full stock though.
 
Have one - keep it in the house with a flashlight attached ... easy to handle and actually works well as a "point and shoot" home defense weapon ... absolutely NO use on the range!
 
I have to wonder how muzzle jump is on one. Eve firing from the hip, it would seem that all that recoil has to go somewhere. I would rather have a full-length stock and a short barrel. Especially if it has to be registered s a pistol, as some states (MI) require below a certain length (here it's 30" or less).
 
I have to wonder how muzzle jump is on one.
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I edited my post above to mention that I shot an "empty" pistol grip 12GA. It was not enough to loose my grip or have the gun jump much, even though I was not expecting it. The recoil just pushes on your arms a bit.

HAHAHAHA my dad came home with one
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If I had more money and fewer other priorities, I would not mind having one.
 
it seems ok till you put pheasant, turkey loads, or buckshot in one. i had some fiochii pheasant loads that kick harder then anything ive seen, well after firing 25 rounds of trap loads i was getting used to it, then i tried one of these, the recoil was so crazy that it left my right wrist useless for a week. it felt sprained.
 
Sure, I'll buy one ... as soon as they come out with one
that's a gas-operated autoloader
with a 10" barrel
made from the get-go as an AOW (save $195 on transfer tax!)
with a vertical box magazine
in 28-gauge
with a purpose-designed thigh holster.

What I will use it for, I got no clue. But if they make it, I'll buy it.
 
You can sight down the barrel {unless you're a total wimp} and get it done wise but you'll never be as fast or as accurate as with a shoulder stock. Unless you plan at spending most of your shotgun time shooting at locks and hinges like the military and police do I'd avoid them or at least get a folding stock.
 
They save space. Makes it fit better in a trunk, under a bed, what have you.

They're not as quick to bring to target as a shotgun with a shoulder stock, nor can you follow up as quickly.

That said, there was the very famous shooting of four armed attackers in three shots by a NY Bar owner several months ago with a pistol grip only shotgun. He'd owned it 20 years and didn't practice with it. Two of the attackers died as a result of their wounds.
 
Ok, My two cents, I love Shotguns, if i had one gun it would be a trusty 18in with ghosts hah, sorry started dreaming there lol.... they can be accurate to 100 yds but the pistol grip kills the accuracy and follow up shots. now due to the nature of the human body follow up shots will likely be neccesary and multipyle attackers can also be present, the only real reson i've ever thought of one is special pupose breaching but the fact is you can do that just as well, better in my expierience with a true stock.... altho Blackhawk makes a knoxx pistol grip for hte 870 and mossberg,
 
Fun? Yes
Good for the truck if you can't afford/own an SBS? Yes
Cool factor? Yes
Practical for the average shooter? Not Really

If you wanna have fun at the range, go for it, but for practical use (SD/HD) there are much better options.

Also, all the people talking about door breaching....if you're not on the SWAT team....come back to reality, please. You won't be breaching doors. Sorry.
 
Also, all the people talking about door breaching....if you're not on the SWAT team....come back to reality, please. You won't be breaching doors. Sorry.
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Oh come on now, some of us forget our keys a lot... ;)

But really, folding stocks kind of take away most of the PGO's reason for being IMO.
 
One of the most useful parts of a shotgun is the butt. You don't give up that much control or clumsiness by having a butt over a PG; and how the heck do you propose to butt-stroke with a PG??? One of the best HTH defense moves when you have a long gun is butt-stroke to the face. PGs are "kewl" but in reality not that useful.
 
Yeah, I think that everything has already been summed up here:
  • Folding stocks can be as compact as a PGO shotgun but gives you the advantage of a buttstock when storage space isn't a concern. Sort of makes PGO shotguns pointless IMHO.
  • PGO are hard to shoot well and slower than a regular stock
  • Great for breaching guns but your not a breacher so don't get that fantasy stuck in your head thinking you're justifying a PGO.
  • Look cool but not really practical
My personal view is that since I won't be blowing the locks and hinges off the door of my house, they have no purpose on any of my shotguns. I'll stick with the standard stock or a folding stock if I need the compact size for storage space reasons.
 
There are a couple of applications for PGO...

Door/lock breaching

Maybe as the "inside the armored truck gun"

Otherwise, I'll stick with the normal stock.
 
Worthless ? Not really

But, close to it. I tried one once many years ago and my wrist hurt so bad for 3 days that I could not write on the black board as a chemistry teacher. I never used one again. As mentioned , they have a purpose with certain applications with law enforcement and the military within a narrow range, but for the average homeowner, stay with the shoulder stock gun for best results.
 
Long guns are meant to be aimed. Shotguns are long guns..and although many of you will disagree that one should aim a shotgun, shooting from the hip is not THAT kind of shooting.

do they have their place? Yes... but not for most applications.
 
Stock will always win when shooting for accuracy and speed and to bring to fire with shotguns. But pistol grip has it's place too. Like the others say, a shorter shotgun is easier to manuever in a vehicle, or behind a store counter, or anywhere where confined space is a major factor. But alot of people own pistol grip shotguns for SD/HD and not going to go out and shoot skeet, hunt, or maybe even range time. That store owner in NYC never did and it worked wonders for him. Believe it or not alot of people own guns soley for defense and probably have never really fired them except for that first time or not at all! I have a few friends that are like that. Besides no matter what most would say because they dislike PG, shorter weapons are easier to manuever indoors or in tight places. Just look at the M4, otherwise we would all still be using 20" M16's and the develepment of CQB weapons would never exist if size and length wasn't a factor. Yeah they are a bit hokey for the gun enthusiast but they work for some people's needs.
 
I have a PGO Mossberg 500 for HD. The recoil BS that some have stated is just that. My entire family has fired mine 100's of times and have never complained of a sore wrist or arm. With practice, point and shoot, the gun is great up to 25yds or so. My gun has been ported with no noticable reduction in recoil but some reduction in barrel rise. In a home invasion situation I doubt a person would have time to shoulder an aim a shotgun but would shoot from the hip. I have fired everything from slugs to 000 buck, they all kick, thats what you should expect from a 70MM.
 
Remember when Rambo movies were new?

I was shooting at a Public range when a guy, in armless black tee shirt, red bandanna on his head, and wearing camo fatigue pants walked up carrying a pistol grip 12 GA Mossberg.

He held his weapon waist high, pointed it at the berm and fired three rounds rapid fire. He then noticeably cringed, his hand in spasms of pain. He slowly turned around, walked off and got in his vehicle.

He had enough fun for the day.

Still, except for a little pot belly, he looked the part.
 
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