Rob Haught 2-Day Tactical Shotgun Class – November 19/20-2011 KNOB CREEK
Instructor: Rob Haught
Assistants: Joe Barnsfather & Barry Foster
Location: Knob Creek lower shooting range.
Total students in attendance: 9
Range conditions:
Great weather in the 60’s on Day 1, same temperature on Day 2 with some rain mixed in.
Equipment:
Mostly Remington 870p’s
Class and Drills:
This was my first exposure to the shotgun in a formal setting. Needless to say, it’s much different than the AR platform. Probably the only thing I was comfortable with was the “fighting stance”.
Rob taught us his push/pull method of working the pump shotgun. Basically, your left hand is trying to pull the shotgun away from your body…to act as a buffer and take some of the recoil away from your shoulder pocket. The right hand is working the trigger/safety, and slightly pulling the butt-stock into the shoulder pocket. Probably a 70/30 split between the left and the right.
When executed correctly, I barely noticed any recoil, or felt any pain in my shoulder/peck area. Of course, having trained on the AR platform alot this year, I was used to using the left arm to pull the butt-stock into the right shoulder pocket…so it was difficult switching gears.
All-in-all, at the end of 2 days…and shooting approximately 100 rounds of birdshot and buckshot, my right shoulder and peck hardly hurt at all. By the next day, at home, I couldn’t tell that I had shot at all.
Rob showed us his CQB position for the shotgun, where you basically rest the butt-stock on top of your shoulder and rotate the weapon 90 degrees towards you…so you are looking over top of the barrel…and the front bead is facing inward. This is where I found out if I was using my left arm properly to push the weapon away from me. When done properly, the back of the shotgun didn’t hit me in the cheek. It only takes a couple of times before you figure it out…unless you like pain. Luckily, there was no rear sight…or my face would have been cut or roughed up.
Towards the end of Day 1, Rob had the class go thru some low light/no light drills…and using the shotgun with a flashlight attached. This was a rare opportunity since most ranges are closed at night. I, unfortunately, missed out on the night portion of the class, due to family obligations…but I was given the executive summary on Day 2.
Rob gave us a blend of history, lecture, and drills. It was nice to know why we were doing something, and how these techniques had been developed over the years. Rob is always looking to improve or refine his techniques, and quick to drop something if it’s outdated.
Rob didn’t seem to have any axes to grind or an ego to stroke. He stated his opinions, followed by why and how he came to feel that way about certain techniques and ways of doing things. Still, he was open to new or other ideas.
Rob would explain a drill to us…and then demo it. He would repeat his explanation and demos, which was helpful for me…since I was so new to this platform.
For people who say that the shotgun is easy…just point and shoot in the general direction…let me say…that I missed the target probably 50% of the time…and we were only 15-20 feet away.
I had a blast…it’s always fun learning something new and getting out of your comfort zone.
Here’s a link to some pics that Joe took:
http://s807.photobucket.com/albums/yy358/SuperiorFirearms/Rob%20Haught%20shotgun%2019%20and%2020-2011/
I’d like to give a special thanks to Andrew, the tall guy with the beard in our group. He has become very good with kydex…and hooked us up with those shotgun shell holders you’ll see in the pics. They worked flawlessly…and I’d have been lost without them.
Thanks to Joe and Barry for watching over us, too…helping us tweak our technique and form.
Thanks again to Rob Haught, for a fun and informative class. I can’t wait to sit his class again, soon.
Sincerely,
Chris
When all else fails, there’s always the “double ram’s head blow”. Something’s gonna get thru… 
