Here we’ll go over major parts of pump and semi-automatic shotguns. We’ll then cover stance and how to safely load and unload.
But before we do, now is another good time to review our safety rules.
- All guns are always loaded
- Never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to destroy
- Keep your fingers off the trigger until your sights are on the target
- Be sure of your target and what is beyond it
Table of Contents
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Parts of a Pump Action Shotgun
Here are the typical parts of a pump action shotgun.
From our Types of Guns article, you know that you have to manually pump the fore-end to load each shotgun shell.
Here is a great video that goes over how everything in a pump action works. The reviewer is using inert aluminum snap caps to demonstrate loading and unloading.
Parts of a Semi-Auto Shotgun
Here are the typical parts of a semi-automatic shotgun.
Semi-automatic shotguns use the energy from shooting to automatically load the next shell. The Benelli M2 uses an inertial system while other semi-autos may use gas or other systems.
Here’s how to load and unload a shotgun:
How to Shoot a Shotgun
Now that you know the major parts of both pump and semi-automatic shotguns, as well as how to load and unload, here are a few tips of how to shoot them.
- Hold the standard grip with your firing hand and place your weak hand on the fore-grip.
- Keep your feet shoulder width apart with slightly bent knees. I would recommend being a little more square with the target and leaning forward a little to mitigate recoil.
- Place the shotgun firmly in the pocket of your shoulder. This is important since if you don’t have a firm plant, you’ll end up really feeling the shotgun as it hits you.
- Get a good cheekweld on the stock
Here’s a quick primer on how to load and shoot a pump shotgun:
With some more details on how to reduce the recoil with some tension and stance:
These just begin to skim the surface of getting proficient at the shotgun. For more in-depth info, I would recommend signing up for a well reviewed course near you, or at the very least, picking up Magpul’s awesome DVD, Art of the Dynamic Shotgun.
4 Leave a Reply
A good cheek weld doesnt matter ? Yeah i mean a real cheek weld, not barely touching your face. Ive seen so many bad cheek welds in two of these videos.
I'm cross dominant with dominance of right hand and left eye. Please guide what doe's and don'ts I should keep in mind while buying a shotgun and a rifle Semi Auto as well as Bolt action. How to overcome this problem. Though I close my left dominant eye while shooting right handed air guns but now I wanna go for real ammo.
I read here that the Remington 700 bolt action is good for accuracy is appreciated but wanna know which ONE caliber is the best when keeping in mind the price, availability, recoil, choice, efficiency, long range etc. Please suggest the best one. Thank you so much.
When I shoot shotgun I open both eyes and if I use only one eye...I go with the right even though it's not my dominant. Same thing with rifle with scopes...right eye. I like .308 for the best mix of everything.
abrir ambos ojos al efectuar disparo asà mantenemos la vista periférica como también ser ambidextro