balmo Posted September 2, 2014 Share Posted September 2, 2014 I have an all shotgun match in 2 weeks and stage designer might add a stage where multiple loads are needed to complete the stage. How do you change load on a fly? I could per-arrange the load on the tube if possible but how do you change load on the fly on a semi-auto shotgun? Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maximis228 Posted September 2, 2014 Share Posted September 2, 2014 Say you have a few clays before you engage some long distance slug targets. You plan your tube to not miss the clays and move straight into the slugs... but you miss your last clay in the array. Load one birdshot. Shoot/burn your current shell that is loaded on a target (Depends on transition). This will bring up your make up birdshot; re engage your last clay and move on. This is how I would do it. Others might have a much faster or easier way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theKenny Posted September 2, 2014 Share Posted September 2, 2014 Depends on your Shotgun. On Benelli, VM you can use your firing hand to pull the charging handle to the rear then drop a slug in. you do lose the shell in the chamber. you can also load the slug into the mag before you need it so you can fire the round in the chamber ad the slug loads. - not preloading say you have 4 steel, 1 slug target array after 3 birdshot, load the slug, take the last birdshot and your slug is ready. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobS761 Posted September 2, 2014 Share Posted September 2, 2014 I have an all shotgun match in 2 weeks and stage designer might add a stage where multiple loads are needed to complete the stage. How do you change load on a fly? I could per-arrange the load on the tube if possible but how do you change load on the fly on a semi-auto shotgun? Thank you. In a nutshell, planning. You may even have to plan how you load up your caddies. I'm not trying to be facetious at all. This same issue vexed me as well, but I found that if I look carefully at a stage, it will come to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJW Posted September 2, 2014 Share Posted September 2, 2014 In a nutshell, planning. You may even have to plan how you load up your caddies. I'm not trying to be facetious at all. This same issue vexed me as well, but I found that if I look carefully at a stage, it will come to me. Absolutely—on a mixed ammo stage, make sure you know which rounds are where on your caddies. Lots of ways to do this, but it's amazing how quickly this can get confusing when things go south halfway through a stage. Some examples: slugs on belt, bird on chest rig; slugs on twins, bird on quads; slugs to the right, birds to the left. Something like that. Plan your first tube load carefully and then make sure you know which reload comes from where, including any place you might need Oh Crap ammo to make up a shot. Also, if you can set up the stage so that your slugs come either all at the beginning or all at the end, it will simplify things. You have to avoid putting a slug on the wrong target, and either getting all the slugs out of the way first or not having to worry about them until all your birdshot targets are down will really help out with that. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sterling White Posted September 2, 2014 Share Posted September 2, 2014 Take a look at shooting the slugs first or last to avoid tagging a non-slug target and getting a penalty. Tossing slug targets into the middle of a stage or having them staggered is a recipe for disaster and a bad stage design in my books. During the preload know your routine and load sequence then manage off the belt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkCO Posted September 2, 2014 Share Posted September 2, 2014 (edited) Mixed targets is not bad stage design at all! Now it makes it more difficult, and can lead to DQs, but let's not get too nanny. In mixed load shotgun stages, I give the shooter the option to shoot slugs at the beginning or the end to avoid DQs. There are basically two dominant methods, candy cane and select load. Candy cane mixes the shells in the tube and has a higher disaster factor, but can be a bit faster. First in, last out. The select load puts the primary load in the tube and than when you need a different load, leave one in the chamber and load the tube with the number of rounds you need of the select, shoot last main load target then the selects. If you have a miss in either case, you have to load a shell before a different load type gets chambered. So miss the last select, and you are basically doing another select. Edited September 2, 2014 by MarkCO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sterling White Posted September 2, 2014 Share Posted September 2, 2014 (edited) That's because you understand, Sir Hoot-n-nanny! Edited September 3, 2014 by Sterling White Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPeel Posted September 5, 2014 Share Posted September 5, 2014 Our local MD puts slug / buck targets in the middle of arrays all the time so we get a lot of practice on this. My personal experience with trying to preload the tube for the targets doesn't work because I will inevitably miss a target, or have a ftf, or something to put the slug in the chamber before I want it there. So I prefer to load on the fly, putting the slug or buck in the tube one target before I need it. I prefer to quad load but keep a normal 4 round or 4x4 caddie on my left side in these stages so I can pull just one round when I need it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJW Posted September 5, 2014 Share Posted September 5, 2014 I prefer to quad load but keep a normal 4 round or 4x4 caddie on my left side in these stages so I can pull just one round when I need it. Even if you do a candy cane load, keeping a traditional caddy for one-off emergency loads is a really good idea. Fortunately I keep an AP 4x4 behind my holster for...just such emergencies... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davsco Posted September 5, 2014 Share Posted September 5, 2014 I just don't get the mixed load stages. who in the heck in real life is going to be preloading their tube for close and far shots (because of course you don't know), and seriously who is going to be flicking rounds out of their chamber or mixing up what's in their tube while bullets are flying at them? I do 3 gun for fun but also with home defense and the like in mind. challenging, sure, but I'd rather be challenged in something that has a practical aspect (small/obscured targets, moving targets, transitioning between guns, etc). ok back to regularly scheduled programing... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
balmo Posted September 5, 2014 Author Share Posted September 5, 2014 Thank you for all the replies. My question is more on the mechanical aspect of loading on the fly. (i.e. load slug befoe the last birshot target) Stage description is out. 4 slugs at start, 4 buck in the middle and birdshot in between. I think I have an idea how to load the tube at start and loads on my caddy. I still primary load caddies, no deuce or quads (yet) for me. Big important thing is not to go dry on gun ya? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longshot83 Posted September 5, 2014 Share Posted September 5, 2014 I am shooting this same match. After looking at the stage diagram I am planing on loading 5 bird and 4 slugs at start. Then will load the buck and more bird as needed throughout the stage. That is until I can actually walk the stage and then I may change plans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPeel Posted September 5, 2014 Share Posted September 5, 2014 I just don't get the mixed load stages. who in the heck in real life is going to be preloading their tube for close and far shots (because of course you don't know), and seriously who is going to be flicking rounds out of their chamber or mixing up what's in their tube while bullets are flying at them? I do 3 gun for fun but also with home defense and the like in mind. challenging, sure, but I'd rather be challenged in something that has a practical aspect (small/obscured targets, moving targets, transitioning between guns, etc). ok back to regularly scheduled programing... 3Gun is a sport. Defensive training is not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkCO Posted September 5, 2014 Share Posted September 5, 2014 but I'd rather be challenged in something that has a practical aspect Then you should be shooting IDPA BUG only...still a game, but the one closest to "practical" reality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt in TN Posted September 7, 2014 Share Posted September 7, 2014 I just don't get the mixed load stages. who in the heck in real life is going to be preloading their tube for close and far shots (because of course you don't know), and seriously who is going to be flicking rounds out of their chamber or mixing up what's in their tube while bullets are flying at them? I do 3 gun for fun but also with home defense and the like in mind. challenging, sure, but I'd rather be challenged in something that has a practical aspect (small/obscured targets, moving targets, transitioning between guns, etc). ok back to regularly scheduled programing... The biggest strength of the shotgun is its ammunition flexibility. Practicing that makes for challenging stages as well as learning to use it to its fullest effect in any situation. I think training ammo selection is MUCH more "real world" than practicing loading 32 rounds of birdshot in a stage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trgt Posted September 7, 2014 Share Posted September 7, 2014 Perfect timing on the question, thanks OP! (Same question - same upcoming match :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kuduman Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 Yeah, 3gun is a game. The shotgun part is the most divorced from defensive use though. In the real world, no one wears shell caddies... It's either on the gun, or you pretty much don't have it. Besides, how many shells is it going to take to get you to your rifle anyway? That's what you need to be moving toward, if there are that many bad guys... The shotgun is awesome, but the rate of fire cannot compare to a magazine-fed rifle. It's still fun though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveG Posted September 21, 2014 Share Posted September 21, 2014 If you put a slug on a shot target during one of Denise and JJ match's it's going to cost you a few bucks. They had a stage a last year that almost every other target was a differ round. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Sierpina Posted September 22, 2014 Share Posted September 22, 2014 If you put a slug on a shot target during one of Denise and JJ match's it's going to cost you a few bucks. They had a stage a last year that almost every other target was a differ round. If you mean the stage at the He Man, it was very easily gamed to not even be an issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HRider Posted September 25, 2014 Share Posted September 25, 2014 There have been some good comments made regarding shell carrying, loading strategies, etc. I always make sure my slugs are a different color than my birdshot (or buckshot). I have seen more than one person who shot all Remington Green shells grab the wrong shell for a target (or even putting the wrong shells on his belt). I usually shoot Federal Low recoil truball slugs that have a blue hull, Winchester AA birdshot (now has a silver/gray hull) and Winchester 00 buckshot with a red hull. Knowing where they are on your belt/body is important, the color is just the last line of defense that can be picked up in your peripheral vision. Hurley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
balmo Posted September 25, 2014 Author Share Posted September 25, 2014 Thanks for all the reply guys. I had fun with the match. Anyways, being a green horn on 3-gunning myself, I messed up the stage. I loaded up the buck as planned, BUT forgot that birdshot was still in the chamber. So my first buckshot target is a procesural becasue I shot it with birdshot, duh. Anywho, it was an amazing experience and learned a lot form this all shotgun match. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkCO Posted September 25, 2014 Share Posted September 25, 2014 it was an amazing experience and learned a lot form this all shotgun match That is awesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now