FR&I Tactical Shotgun, Rolla MO 2004
Remington 870s dominated the class, with a few Mossberg 500s and Winchester/FNs thrown in. Joe (our host) and I were the only students with semi-autos; he brought his tricked-out Rem 1100 3-gun gun, and I brought my 11-87P and Saiga-12. Recommended ammo loadout was 100 rounds of birdshot, 100 rounds of buckshot and 50 slugs, but actual usage varied widely due to the nature of the class exercises. I shot 175 rounds of birdshot, but still had plenty of buck and slugs left over. Other guys ran out of buckshot early and had to finish with birdshot. TIP #1: bring more ammo than you think you'll need!
The FR&I shotgun class is unlike the pistol program, in that it is purely a "technical" shooting class. Students are taught nomenclature and mechanics of the shotgun and how to employ the gun in a tactical (home defense) situation. It is assumed that a student has already been introduced to the theoretical concepts surrounding use of force (ie when to shoot and when not to shoot), and already has an elementary knowledge of how the shotgun works (ie how to load, unload and fire it). Before attending the class, I told my wife I thought it would be to the shotgun what the Level II is to handgun, but such was not the case. The FR&I tactical shotgun class is more basic in nature; if it was a pistol class, I'd put it at about a "Level 1-1/2".
DAY ONE began with a classroom session covering the nomenclature of the shotgun, as well as
its advantages and limitations as a weapon system. The various carry positions and loading
methods were explained, as well as the "Zone concept" and shot patterning. Then it was off to
the range to get some hands-on practice with the FR&I "painless" long gun shooting position
(uses the same body mechanics as the FR&I handgun shooting position - TIP #2: take the
Level II before taking this class; it will help). We also practiced the carry and loading
drills, using our own guns loaded with Action Trainer dummy rounds. Next, we moved over to the
live-fire bay to pattern our guns with 00 buck and see the Zone Concept at work. Once we had
an idea of how our guns patterned with OUR ammo at various distances, we swapped ammo with
another student and repeated the exercise. The differences in most cases were amazing! Loads
that in one gun went all over the place, produced reasonably tight groups out of another gun.
Guns of the same make and model patterned completely differently. Interesting stuff.
Day One was rounded out by a whole bunch of live-fire strings that included speed and tactical
reloads, as well as transitioning to the handgun - where, of course, the FR&I 4-point draw
integrated seamlessly. Finally, the FBI slug CoF and the NJ State Police shogtun CoF were shot for
score.
DAY TWO began with more live fire skill-builders, reloads and transitions, a repeat of the FBI slug course, and the "Rolling Thunder" drill. We then digressed to some great man-vs.-man "games" made possible by the COPS range's wonderful array of steel targets. One student started on each end of a row of 20 steel poppers, shooting toward the middle. The middle two poppers were red, and angled so that they overlapped each other as they fell. Starting with an empty gun, the first student to get his 10 targets (9 white, 1 red) down was the winner. More often than not, the contest came down to strategy (speed-load one shell at a time, or take time to load a full magazine then fire them all?) and smoothness of reloading technique. F*ck up a reload, and you got owned. After that, we moved to a "Hogan's Alley" setup, where students walked along a wall, pausing at doorways or windows to engage steel targets while avoiding the many no-shoots. If a shot couldn't be made with the shotgun for fear of whacking an innocent, the shooter could either bypass said target (it would be visible at a better angle from another opening) or transition to his handgun and attempt to make the shot that way. We reviewed proper foot placement and use of cover when clearing a doorway, and put the "low search" shotgun carry position to practical use. After all students had run the gauntlet with their shotguns, we repeated the exercise with handguns only. T he class ended with the Final Exam, a basic CoF that tested the student's proficiency in shooting technique, the Select Slug drill, and transitioning to the handgun. We wrapped up fairly early in the afternoon on Day Two, and could've had time for some extra-curricular activity (hand-to-hand refresher, or other exercises outside the scope of the class itself), but most of the students had come from out of town (or even out of state!) and were anxious to get headed home.
LESSONS LEARNED:
EQUIPMENT - My 11-87P is heavy, and the stock bolt carrier release that has to be depressed
to access the mag tube sucks. Joe's 1100 had an aftermarket extended carrier release that
acted like the funneled mag well on a pistol; very slick. Remington is marketing an oversized carrier
release for the 11-87 that is somewhere between the stock and competition releases in size;
might be an answer. The 11-87P also wouldn't cycle with most types of low-brass game loads,
which I had feared going into this. I swapped Jeff Kline for some Federal hi-brass stuff that
worked OK, but it was a heavy enough load that I might as well be shooting buckshot!
Not cheap, either. With full-power buck and slugs, it ran fine.
The Saiga-12, on the other hand, ran like a champ with everything I fed it. Its unconventional rifle-like design renders many of the drills moot; the answer to almost everything (speed load, tac load, select slug) is a mag change. And it's lighter and cycles a helluva lot faster than the 11-87P, to boot; I even gave Joe and his spacegun 1100 a run for his money on a couple of the man-vs.-man drills. :-)
TECHNIQUE - the FR&I technique isn't quite "painless", but it sure beats the next best option! :-) It will take practice to get comfortable with. I have a pretty good sized bruise on the end of my collarbone, where I fired a slug drill using an improper technique. Ow. There's a little tenderness on the pectoral muscle where the stock should rest when mounted correctly; about the same level of discomfort as I had after shooting 800 rounds of .223 in Pat Rogers' carbine class earlier this summer. I think a shorter "LE" stock for the 11-87 would make that gun a better fit for this shooting position.
COURSE MATERIAL - by Steve's admission, the syllabus is pretty much lifted straight from shotgun guru Dr. David Armstrong, and mirrors *his* style and ideas rather than Steve/FR&I's; there were a couple places in the text that applied more to range work than to *fighting* with the shotgun, which I think Steve should change by way of making the syllabus his own. The course is also geared toward pump shotguns (which all operate pretty much the same); different makes/models of semi-auto shotguns have their own manual of arms, so it's impossible to address them all with a common technique. It's important that semi-auto shooters know their guns and how to manipulate them, and realize that what works for a pump and is demonstrated in class may not be the best thing to do with a semi. That being the case, semi shooters may not get as much out of the class as pump guys.
All in all, I enjoyed the class (there's no such thing as a "bad" FR&I experience). It allowed me to get some dedicated tactical shotgunning practice, which I hadn't had since participating in tac shotgun matches at my gun club several years ago (it's amazing what one forgets). It also verified that the Saiga could hold its own against more traditional shotguns in a tactical environment, WRT accuracy and reliability. And of course, the class provided a convenient excuse to spend time with folks from the Glock List, which I consider an extended family of sorts. Steve, Kent, Jeff and Chris, it was great catching up with you. To Parker, the Shays, and everyone else - nice meeting you! In closing, if you haven't had any formal shotgun instruction and are interested in learning how to employ the gun in a home defense application, I recommend the FR&I Tactical Shotgun class.