Sports: Alysa Liu

I like figure skating as much as the next guy, which means I really only pay attention to it during the Winter Olympics. Luckily, me and everyone around the world were treated to a joyous show by American Alysa Liu, whose gold medal after an incredibly unusual two-year break from skating made for the feel-good story of this year's Games:

Guns: Rangemaster Defensive Shotgun with Tom Givens - class review and report

No matter how much experience with guns you have, it's good to stay in shape.  That's why I took a one-day introductory Defensive Shotgun course with Tom Givens's company, Rangemaster, to polish up my skills with the old Tacticool Remington 870 Wingmaster.  Note that the course is aimed at using a shotgun for home defense, and not for law enforcement or military purposes.

As most firearms classes do, Tom started with lecture.  He talked about the history of the shotgun, the types of shotguns and ammo typically used for self-defense, and the proper stance and technique needed for firing the darn thing.  Every student got a course packet and the lecture was in a comfortable, unintimidating classroom setting with a big TV screen for a visual aid.

After a quick lunch, we moved to the range for the entire afternoon.  Tom took us from the absolute basics (safely loading and shooting one shell, step by step) to drills involving multiple shots and loading under stress.  This was still a beginner-level one-day course, though, so we didn't do anything like slug changeovers, use cover, or move while shooting.

The class went through about 100 rounds of birdshot and 20 rounds of buckshot (the latter used mostly for a patterning test at various distances). The gentleman I was shooting with was pretty experienced, so our target was one ragged hole at the end of the drills (not counting the holes made by the wads).

Despite the entry-level nature of the course, I did learn a few things about myself and my gun. The Esstac shotgun cards I used as a sidesaddle worked like a charm. But the Magpul polymer MLOK rail section I had attached to the foreend broke during a string of fire (see picture below comparing the broken polymer rail to a new metal one), leading to my weaponlight wobbling all over the place. My eyes found the simple bead sight of my shotgun well enough in the daylight, but a ghost ring would probably be better at night. Finally, the Federal Flite Control 8-pellet 00 buckshot patterned fine out of my barrel, though I still prefer the 9-pellet load.

Bottom line - if you want to use a shotgun for home defense and you've never received formal instruction in its use, you should probably sign up for a class with a reputable instructor like Tom Givens.  And even if you've used a shotgun for decades, it's always good to go back to the fundamentals once in awhile.