Time to tune up those mad shotgunning skillz!  I spent a couple of days at FrontSight in Pahrump taking their Shotgun Skill Builder class (basically, Combat Shotgun 201).  This class is for people who have been through their intro class, and it is about practicing and improving what you learned (well, were shown, anyway) in that class.

There has been a great deal of drama around FrontSight, as it went bankrupt last year.  That has been resolved, and there are new owners (and a new name – Prairie Fire).  The old owner, Dr. Ignatius Piazza, has been bought out and has nothing to do with the new operation (to almost universal rejoicing – he was kind of a nut, and I’ll just leave it at that).  Prairie Fire will be doing a grand reopening, probably in April, and there will definitely be changes.  At this point, all I have to go on is gossip from the remaining staff, but it sounds like there will be a change of focus from self-defense to competition and likely some kind of LEO curriculum.  Which would be disappointing, but I’m in wait-and-see mode.

The Shotgun Skill Builder class was not offered very often, but they put up a couple of classes in February and I figured “what the heck, I’ve got time”.  What with the bankruptcy and turmoil and all, there were shockingly few people at the facility; I think they had two or maybe three classes while I was there, and there couldn’t have been more than 40 students.  My first trip, I think they had between 300 – 400 students.  Still, they are in a reorganization/transition phase, so, wait-and-see.

My class had three (3) students, and our instructor was one of the FrontSight rangemasters.  He immediately demonstrated his good sense by bringing his Beretta 1301 to class.  I, too, have a 1301, and am a big fan.  With only three students, he basically tossed the structured curriculum, and we had a lot of one-on-one time.

So, after a quick review of clearing malfunctions, on to shooting.  I am happy to say my shotgun threw no malfunctions.  Total round count for the two days was probably around 350, mostly birdshot.  We shot more slugs than I expected, because all three of us sucked at shooting slugs from range.  This was a disappointment to me, as I was banging the gong with almost every shot on my last trip.  My “yips” from rifle shooting carried over, but by the end of the class I was doing much better (although not as good as my last trip).  I’m still slow getting shots off from range.

My stance got tweaked, which helped with multiple targets.  I had a ton of 00 shells left over from the last class, so I shot them periodically because the heavy loads really show whether you are controlling recoil.  My multiples improved – full hits (5 or more 00 pellets) across the board on doubles, triples and quadruples.  That alone made it a good trip.

The trick with shotguns really comes down to ammo management.  Unless you are running some kind of detachable magazine rig, this is a big deal because you have to reload one shell at a time.  You may also feel the need to swap in a slug or possibly some other kind of shell.  Because shotguns have different mechanical setups, what works on one won’t necessarily work on another. Having an instructor with the same shotgun was a real plus.  I picked up a couple of tricks and different techniques for emergency (ejection port) loading when you just flat run dry, and switched up the way I go from shot to slugs (I now load the slug in the magazine, trip the switch to dump it onto the lifter, and rack the bolt to waste the shell in the chamber and load the new slug).  If my mag is full up, I still need to pull and hold the bolt back to port load the slug, which is a little slower and less reliable for me.

We did one “off-label” exercise that was very enlightening.  Last time, we patterned our shotguns to get a sense for the maximum range that we could put all 8 or 9 00 pellets on target.  This time, we kept backing up, to see what happened at range with our 00 loads.  I brought some of my 8 pellet Flite Control, and at 50 yards, if I aimed a little high, I was reliably seeing 4 pellets on target.  This means there were several that just kept right on a-going (which is not ideal), but with a clean background I think the effective range with buckshot is longer than I thought.  Although I can swap in a slug in around two seconds, so I’ve got that going for me.  It was instructive to see how quickly the shot loses energy – the hanging steel targets moved noticeably less at long range, and at 50 yards I wound up holding probably 8 – 10 inches high.

One of the other students had a “regular” shotgun, with a longer barrel, and it threw wider patterns with 00 shells.  This seemed counter-intuitive to me, but apparently in a longer barrel, the 00 pellets have more chances to bounce around inside the barrel and tend to scatter more once they leave.

I had the chance to meet hayeksplosives before she decamped for Washington.  She picked out just the kind of hole-in-the-wall for locals that I love.  You’d never stop there unless you knew, but I had a damn fine burger and a couple of good beers.  The PNW Glibs need to do a meetup when she gets settled in – she is just as funny (and more profane) in person than on screen.

If you’re thinking “I want to be more like R C” (and who doesn’t, really?), the Beretta 1301  is the choice for a self-defense shotgun.  Mine is built out like the Langdon Tactical version (pictured), which shows up periodically on GunBroker if you want to skip to the end on upgrades (and damaging your bank account).  If you are going to put an optic on it, get the Aridus Industries mount.  I’ve got a Trijicon RMR sight, which co-witnesses with the front post for accuracy at range (assuming you don’t have mental problems like some people).  I’d still like to try one of the Tavor TS12 bullpups (15 rounds on board, and you can load one of the three 5 shot tubes with slugs), but I have never been able to get my hands on one to see if I like it enough to drop the coin on it.  Someday . . . .

Oh yeah, cocktail time.  The Boulevardier (which is a Negroni, only with bourbon instead of gin):

3 oz. bourbon (I use home barrel-aged Jack Daniels)

1 ½ oz vermouth (I use Carpano Antica)

1 oz Campari

Add to your shaker with ice, shake the proper amount (10 – 15 seconds), and serve.  Either lemon or orange peel will serve for the garnish, if you’re fancy like that.  I like mine served over ice, but straight up works also and is the classic presentation.  This is also a drink that some barkeeps stir with ice, rather than shake.  Whatever jiggles your handle, I say.

This is a cocktail with some strongly flavored ingredients, so getting the balance/proportions right is key.  The 2:1 ration of bourbon to vermouth is pretty standard and works well.  The Campari is a strong bitter flavor, and too much can easily overwhelm the drink, while too little is just . . . disappointing.  As ever, tweak the proportions to your taste – Mrs. Dean, to my surprise prefers a touch more Campari than I do.  The goal is a drink where the bitter of the Campari, the richness of the vermouth,  and the bourbon all balance each other out.  It is a great cold weather cocktail.  And is suitable for making as a freezer cocktail – just triple the ingredients and add about 1 – 1 ½ oz water (it picks up a little water from the ice when you shake it).