Course Review: LMS Defense 1 Day Shotgun Clinic Sacramento Ca.
Date: 30 Nov 2009
Location: Sacramento, California
Background
I do not have any military or law enforcement experience. I’m a private citizen whose only experience with shotguns has been around dove and duck hunting when I was a teenager. Any comments or recommendations that I make in this review and for this course are to be consumed from a civilian perspective.
Instructors
Our instructors for this course were Josh Jackson, Todd Nielsen and Andre Licon. Without going into a lot of details, all of them have extensive experiences in law enforcement and as instructors.
They took turns throughout the day, providing information on the different areas to be covered in the course. One area that I appreciated was that while a student was performing a drill under the watchful eye of an instructor, there was another instructor talking us through what that student did correctly and also feedback on areas of improvement.
Class details
o 13 students of varying backgrounds (law enforcement, general contractors, high-tech industry, etc)
o 4 Benelli’s (mix of models); 8 Remington 870s; 1 Mossberg
o Round count: 180 birdshot, 100 buckshot, 20 slugs
o Mix of steel IPSC-shaped targets and poppers of varying sizes, limited use of cardboard IPSC targets
o Range of engagements: 50 yards to contact range (not with steel obviously)
o Main topics covered: types of shotguns, accessories and their pros and cons, patterning and effective range of typical shotgun loads, loading techniques, positional shooting, use of barricades, shooting on the move, minor incorporation of team tactics (working with a partner)
Lessons Learned
o To control the shotgun your stance needs to be a bit more aggressive (forward lean). Slugs required the most control.
o Typical rate of spread for 9 shot 00 buckshot is 1" per 1 yard. General width of human torso is 18". You are liable for every projectile leaving the barrel of your shotgun; therefore 15 to 18 yards may be your maximum effective range. This was the case for my buckshot+shotgun combination. Know your patterning and range for your shotgun and loads.
o The manual of arms for a shotgun is obviously different than other firearm manual of arms. The differences really come to light under simulated range stress so practice your shotgun skills and techniques or you won’t be performing as well as you think you will.
o Pattern your slugs in your shotgun. You can easily make 50 yard hits if you do your part. A 1 oz slug puts a hole about the size of the width of your thumb into the target.
o Know when and how to switch between buckshot or slugs. This is where knowing your effective maximum range comes in handy.
o You can and will miss if you don’t employ the marksmanship fundamentals shooting a shotgun.
o You can easily shoot faster than you can keep your shotgun topped off. If you’re not shooting then you need to be topping off the magazine. Keeping it fed was the single biggest issue when employing the shotgun against multiple targets.
o Firing a shotgun from the various prone positions (urban, rollover, etc) isn’t a comfortable experience… but is something that needs to be experienced and you have to drive through that discomfort. Practice the different shooting positions as there are some minor changes that need to be made when employing a pump-action shotgun. Also, be aware of your shoulder stock while in supine or you’ll find it coming back into your jaw or nose.
o Beanbag and OC shotgun rounds are really neat. Only a demo but we got to see how they shot, their accuracy, report and the examination of the end product.
Summary
I was looking forward to this class as my shotgun skills had only been grounded in hunting and not around defensive skills or techniques. The course curriculum was what I was looking for and due to the students having a significant amount of experience, the curriculum was expanded to suit the student’s capabilities.
Overall, I learned a lot about how to use my shotgun. As I have already told some friends, shooting your daddy’s shotgun at some birds is not the same as using a shotgun in a defensive situation. This course has given me the experience and skills to make improvements on the gaps that I identified during this course.
Thank you to Josh, Todd and Andre (nice finally meeting you). And it was nice making new friends and also seeing some familiar faces at the class.
Stay safe.
