It has been a fun ride teaching Defensive Shotgun for Fieldcraft Survival, and the ride is far from over. After many years of being a student and bird hunter, it is rewarding to share the shotgun with students who may select one for home defense or survival purposes. I believe the shotgun is one of the most essential firearms you can possess in your home. With the proper ammunition, it will help you hunt anything in North America and it is an incredibly capable defensive tool for your homestead. Some believe the shotgun to be "too much" for them, and there is no doubt one of the scattergun's reputations is heavy recoil. I get it; not everyone enjoys the visceral pounding a shotgun can deliver and if you aren't training with it because of the perception of pain, you won't be proficient with it when you need it. For those of you on the smaller side, here are three ways to tame the recoil.

12 to 20 Gauge

One of the easiest ways to tame a shotgun is to use a small bore. Keep this in mind: as the number goes up, the size of the bore goes down. A 10 gauge is significantly larger than a 12, and a 20 gauge is smaller. 20 Gauge shells are typically colored yellow to avoid mistaking them for a larger gauge. You have to be careful if you own and operate both 12 and 20 gauges, as you probably learned in a firearm safety course that 20 gauge rounds can be fed inside the chamber of a 12 gauge shotgun by accident. Loading a 12 gauge shell on top of that could cause disastrous consequences. The 20 gauge is just as capable, often sending projectiles at the same velocity. However, it can't send as much of a payload since the shell is smaller. As the projectile's weight increases, so does the recoil, as it is simple physics. While you can get light loads for the 12 gauge, it is easier to get full power loads for a 20 that gives you most of the capability of a 12. I am not a fan of "reduced recoil" anything and would rather have a shooter use a full-power load in a smaller bore.

ACCESSORIZE

Many shotguns have a length of pull (typically the length from the end of the buttstock to the end of the receiver nearest the trigger guard) of about 13" to 15", and some synthetic stocks have spacer kits to build it out and increase the length. Longer stocks fit taller folks fine, but there are many who prefer to use dedicated youth or short stocks instead with the butt of the shotgun directly under their eye on the center of their chest. Youth stocks, like the one equipped on my personal 870 from Hogue, help bring the weight of the shotgun closer to the core of the body where the shooter is strongest. Instead of putting the shotgun in your shoulder "pocket', put it more centerline and absorb the recoil with your body rather than the shoulder joint. Swapping out the buttstock for a shorter stock isn't where your accessorizing should end. Your shotgun deserves a quality light for low-light/no-light shooting scenarios, and a red dot will make aiming easier. In my recent podcast with Ernest Langdon, he recommends a red dot with a circle reticle for use inside the home as it generally represents where pellets will land in home-defense ranges. A quality sling should be available if you plan on carrying your firearm into the field, but it isn't absolutely necessary inside the home.

PUSH-PULL TECHNIQUE

Light loads for clays are more forgiving than buckshot and slugs. Along with a good aggressive athletic stance, the best way to mitigate recoil is with the push-pull technique most often attributed to Rob Haught. Those who teach this technique, including the guys from Fieldcraft, will tell you to push the forend while you pull the stock into your shoulder, attempting to "pull the shotgun apart". Depending on the texture of the shotgun stock, it may be easier to get a purchase on the forend and stock over a stock that is slick or less textured. Push-pull helps the shooter keep the shotgun level for follow-up shots with semi-autos. One must remember to rack the slide and reverse the push of the support hand to a pull. Depending on the comfort level of the shooter, sometimes pull-pull technique helps get the firearm ready for a follow up shot faster. When the smaller frame shooter uses a semi-auto shotgun along with the push-pull technique, the combination of grip and recoil spring really makes for the most pleasant experience.

You don't need to be the size of Terry Crews to handle a shotgun. With the right selection, configuration, and technique, you will become more ready to handle shotgun recoil. One excellent range test of your flinch factor is the ball and dummy drill where a training partner loads a dummy round or a live round and you practice your perfect trigger press either way not knowing if there will be a click or a bang. Your goal is to have zero movement in the muzzle should you hear the click. Let's face it, there's no doubt the shotgun has some serious "oompf" when it comes to recoil but with a few modifications, a bit of understanding, and some dedicated practice, you'll absolutely be able to tame the beast regardless of your size.