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The care and feeding of the Benelli tactical semi-auto shotgun in the field


Sukhoi_fan

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First of all I'd like to express my appreciation for those of you who never rest and spare no expense in your pursuit of getting your tactical shotgun and related kit 'just right'. I could start naming names, however I'm sure I'd leave someone out (and I certainly don't mean to) - but you guys know who you are.

 

I've very interested in hearing the different solutions some of you have come up with for carrying the most ammo possible while nominally impeding movement. I will share my thoughts later in this thread, as my own solutions are still evolving. I will say this - I've yet to find a tactical shotgun vest which carries enough ammo to keep me happy and safe.

 

TIA

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I've been thinking about giving one of these rigs a try:

http://originalsoegear.com/coprig.html

 

I like how the cards are stacked in layers.

 

I currently use some California Competition speed loaders that are belt mounted. They are probably the fastest system available. They're faster than even side saddles since one grab can load multiple rounds.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaElhPSONF8

Video plus eye candy.

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Hey SD....I hadn't seen that SOE setup....Looks like it could work nicely! I also like these pouches from Specter Gear

 

http://www.spectergear.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=365

 

They hold 18 rds per pouch and you could configure a number of them onto a molle vest then throw on a couple bandoleers to boot

 

share your thoughts if you do try the SOE

 

Cya,

 

Hookster :)

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When I go hiking out here in the Mojave, this is my usual load out. The only thing not shown is my California Competition belt mounted shell holders. I have the 6 round versions since my hands are pretty big. I usually just grab four at a time though.

 

020-2_zps17de4aca.jpg

 

I also carry a pistol and its spare magazines. I also carry a big ass Spartan blade IWB, with just the handle exposed in appendix carry position on my left side. Funny story, carrying the knife there pushed me to hit the gym to lose a little gut that was pressing against the handle.

 

I have a pretty light Eagle Industries pack. I have a med kit in it, along with various lightweight supplies like batteries, some food, spare socks, wet naps (toilet paper), usually a box or two of ammunition, and some water. Depending on the time of year, I change out some cold weather apparel. I usually have my RMJ Tactical Hawk stowed in the area meant for a hydration pack. I try to keep the pack under 10 pounds.

 

This year I bought a TAD Stealth Hoodie for winter wear. The pocket arrangements have been great. Matched with the fact that I put my eyephone5 in a Lifeproof case, I'm pretty much waterproof with all my gear. I usually stow my phone, Surefire and GPS in the jacket pockets.

 

While that vest looks functional, I hate the mall ninja look honestly. Not a huge fan of vests to begin with due to the extreme temperatures I usually deal with. Plus, when you bulk up with equipment, you feel like a ninja turtle running around. The added weight and mass really restrict how fast you can take cover or even run your ass off. My 1.5 mile times drop from 9:46 to like 11+ depending on shoe and clothing weight alone. Add a pack, weapon and ammo and I'd probably be up around 14 - 15 minutes...

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It's not a big pack, so there isn't too much in it. The bottom zipper accesses the same compartment as the top. So I put the med pack at the bottom so it is easy to access. Stupid me has needed the med kit quite a few times during our adventures. From stupid cactus falling over on me to removing bee stingers, it certainly gets its use.

 

The outer hard case is a case I picked up from some military issue laser safety glasses. They were garbage, but I put my Oakley's or my GPS in it to keep it accessible and crush proof. With the glasses, I stow them in a microfiber bag, then put them into the plastic container.

 

There are a bunch of molle attachment points on the bag, but I never bothered to buy any pouches. I could see a value in putting some sort of administrative pouch on the exterior panel to access some essentials like tweasers. I do have a rocket flare in there that would be nice if it was stowed in an exterior pouch. Just never bothered to order one.

 

The only thing bad about this particular bag is it doesn't have a waist strap. So all the weight ends up being on your shoulders. It can also bounce when moving quickly. It's certainly meant to only be a day pack at best.

 

When we do hikes, the purpose is multifaceted. We play a game called geocaching to get us out to new areas and to learn land nav skills. We don't bother with the in city caches. We go after the back country caches. We take the guns along for protection and also for physical conditioning. Learning to carry a weapon for 8 miles over rough terrain is much different than slinging up to stand at the range.

 

My favorite ones are to do the caches at night so your terrain navigation skills is much harder. Much of the terrain out this was is referred to as Mount Doom or Mordor due to the rough fractured earth terrain of the Mojave.

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Hey SD........WHat make of bandolier is that?

 

I bought a low end bandolier (AIM Sports/holds 55 rounds) and a high end bandolier (Urban E.R.T./holds 50 rounds). They both serve the purpose, however as you can imagine the low end one has less material. The downside to the AIM Sports bandolier is the girth which is 53". The two significant positives to the Urban E.R.T. is that there's extra material which isn't covered by the elastic shell holder so that when over your shoulder the bandolier does not interfere with shouldering your shotgun (whereas a bandolier which has the shell holders all the way to the end definitely will); the other advantage over the AIM Sports bandolier is the girth, the Urban E.R.T. has a girth of 62" which I'm certain would be very helpful when suited up with body armor, or if one is on the large side. The Urban E.R.T. is pricey, that's for sure, but I'm convinced it's worth it.

 

http://www.urbanertslings.com/tacoshbafor1.html

 

I've got five different types of rounds on my bandoliers: (by round count) #4 buck, Ranger Low Recoil 00, Federal 000 (I really like 000), Dupleks 028, and BRI sabots. Each has its own feel on the ends and each type is placed in the same locations on each bandolier so I can feel the difference even in the dark while under stressfire. I've positioned them all brass down for ease of use.

 

I'm still working it out, but since I've been in a situation where I only had a single round left at the end of the incident I have this thing about not running out of ammo. For my purposes I want something I can grab and go with in an instant. I've tried it and I could carry four bandoliers on my shoulders ok, but that is a bit much of a load for the purposes of speed and movement so I've settled on two bandoliers - given enough time to grab two. Each of my shotguns has it own ready to go kit, although I'm still working out the details, hence this thread to fish for some more ideas.

Edited by Sukhoi_fan
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Great info man. Thanks for that Urban Slings link......I'll be ordering a couple of those.

 

You're welcome.

 

I forgot to mention - from my experience when you subject elastic material to 90+ degree temperatures, the more exposure the quicker the elastic gives out over time - one summer in your car or truck in the southern regions will kill the elastic on your bandolier. So for the kit in your car you may want to run the cheaper bandolier. FYI

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Stranger,

I have tried the California Strippers however I switched over to the Progressive Machine style for tactical training.....I have not found either to be trustworthy to retain the cartridges when you run into something, as they are designed to readily release the cartridges. Between the two shown, the Progressive Machine are cat's meow.

 

Screenshot2013-02-21at82516AM_zpsa70adb63.jpg

 

Screenshot2013-02-21at82536AM_zps96164228.jpg

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I would recommend anyone toting critical communication gear protect it in a hard case......one slip and fall on a Mojave rock onto your pocket and the GPS device could easily be smashed useless. A most recent example of such misery was highlighted in Marcus Luttrell's "Lone Survivor" wherein as a SEAL he tumbled / plummeted down an Afghan hillside while under attack .....crushing his communication gear attached to his pack useless.....the rest is history as he could not call in air support for him and his pinned down team.

 

A small Pelican case is easily modified to be attached to a pack and may save your life if the fall doesn't kill you first.

 

Screenshot2013-02-21at91108AM_zpsa5540316.jpg

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  • 11 months later...
First of all I'd like to express my appreciation for those of you who never rest and spare no expense in your pursuit of getting your tactical shotgun and related kit 'just right'. I could start naming names, however I'm sure I'd leave someone out (and I certainly don't mean to) - but you guys know who you are.

 

I've very interested in hearing the different solutions some of you have come up with for carrying the most ammo possible while nominally impeding movement. I will share my thoughts later in this thread, as my own solutions are still evolving. I will say this - I've yet to find a tactical shotgun vest which carries enough ammo to keep me happy and safe.

TIA

:confused: WOW? Edited by 00stormbringer
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Bandoleers for sure. They aren't meant to last forever, just for when you need to go with more than a pocket full or what's on yer gun. http://www.amazon.com/Sports-Shotgun-Shell-Bandolier-Rounds/dp/B00551HARU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1391903443&sr=8-1&keywords=shotshell+bandolier

 

I've got a few of em loaded. I don't mix em up on the bandoleer though. I've got one filled with Dupo28s with another 8 on my rail that I bought on the cheap when they first came out. (Love those things but won't buy more at current prices) Another filled with TruBalls, and a few filled with Buck. All on different hooks on the back of a door or two so I can grab whatever I want or need quick and easy like... I keep a mix in my gun but if it's dark, I wanna know what I'm loading.

 

Some good ideas in this thread but I always like to keep things as simple as possible.

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I bought a low end bandolier (AIM Sports/holds 55 rounds) and a high end bandolier (Urban E.R.T./holds 50 rounds). They both serve the purpose, however as you can imagine the low end one has less material. The downside to the AIM Sports bandolier is the girth which is 53". The two significant positives to the Urban E.R.T. is that there's extra material which isn't covered by the elastic shell holder so that when over your shoulder the bandolier does not interfere with shouldering your shotgun (whereas a bandolier which has the shell holders all the way to the end definitely will); the other advantage over the AIM Sports bandolier is the girth, the Urban E.R.T. has a girth of 62" which I'm certain would be very helpful when suited up with body armor, or if one is on the large side. The Urban E.R.T. is pricey, that's for sure, but I'm convinced it's worth it.

 

http://www.urbanertslings.com/tacoshbafor1.html

 

I've got five different types of rounds on my bandoliers: (by round count) #4 buck, Ranger Low Recoil 00, Federal 000 (I really like 000), Dupleks 028, and BRI sabots. Each has its own feel on the ends and each type is placed in the same locations on each bandolier so I can feel the difference even in the dark while under stressfire. I've positioned them all brass down for ease of use.

 

I'm still working it out, but since I've been in a situation where I only had a single round left at the end of the incident I have this thing about not running out of ammo. For my purposes I want something I can grab and go with in an instant. I've tried it and I could carry four bandoliers on my shoulders ok, but that is a bit much of a load for the purposes of speed and movement so I've settled on two bandoliers - given enough time to grab two. Each of my shotguns has it own ready to go kit, although I'm still working out the details, hence this thread to fish for some more ideas.

 

The part I bolded is good SF but is it always warm where you are? It's 26 degrees where I am and if I were to need to "feel" for anything, I would be darn hard-pressed after a short time if it were something even as simple as shell length unless they were side by side and different enough to really be tangible with numb fingers.

 

Not picking at all but just read your entire post and saw that and was adding in the variable of temps during short and long term exposure to cold vs common tactile senses.

 

Just a thought for your planning is all.

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The part I bolded is good SF but is it always warm where you are? It's 26 degrees where I am and if I were to need to "feel" for anything, I would be darn hard-pressed after a short time if it were something even as simple as shell length unless they were side by side and different enough to really be tangible with numb fingers.

 

Not picking at all but just read your entire post and saw that and was adding in the variable of temps during short and long term exposure to cold vs common tactile senses.

 

Just a thought for your planning is all.

 

Good point. No, it's not always warm here, been below freezing for hours/days at a time recently. What sort of gloves do you use in cold weather? (I've been wanting some Oakley tactical gloves, just haven't sprung for 'em yet, lately been using some el cheapo polyurethane coated mechanic type gloves) Under such circumstances I would suggest adaptation, which can mean whatever you can come up with. Easy enough to make the distinction between slugs vs. shot loads however if you have a variety of shot loads then it would seem one would need to have some sort of aid to help make the distinction or else make it all one single type of buckshot along with the slugs. I'm thinking something inserted between the elastic and the shotshell, e.g. matchsticks, tabs of fabric, small plastic tubing, attach small safety pins (or whatever suits ya) could help one ID the rounds. Also the positioning on the bandoleer comes into play, possibly separating various shot rounds with slugs in between.

Edited by Sukhoi_fan
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Bandoleers for sure. They aren't meant to last forever, just for when you need to go with more than a pocket full or what's on yer gun. http://www.amazon.com/Sports-Shotgun-Shell-Bandolier-Rounds/dp/B00551HARU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1391903443&sr=8-1&keywords=shotshell+bandolier

 

I've got a couple of those AIM bandoleers. I'm not at all impressed with 'em. The Urban E.R.T. bandoleers are pricey but worth it imo. Always check the elastic and never a good idea to subject that elastic to excessive heat (like in a car in the summertime) - loaded or unloaded (the elastic that is). If you just have to expose the elastic to anything above room temperatures very much expect to replace any such bandoleer periodically as the elastic WILL become stretched out and not recover (from my own experience).

Edited by Sukhoi_fan
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:confused: WOW?

 

I've been in a storm where running very low on ammo became a problem that required immediate action and that resulted in a tactical disadvantage I had to adapt to. Therefore in the future I plan on carrying as much ammo on me as practical. Two bandoleers seems about right, however I'm very much in my happy zone with four. lol

 

If you know of any 'tactical shotgun vest'* which will comfortably accommodate at least 3-4 dozen rounds of shotgun ammo I'm all ears.

 

*It takes precious moments to suit up in a vest should the need arise when one can simply grab a bandoleer or three on the fly

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