The Savannah Arsenal Project

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Introduction To The Mossberg Shockwave:

• Per the BATFE, it is not a sawed-off shotgun. It is a “firearm”.
• It does not require any special National Firearms Act forms or taxes to own or possess.
• It is, simply stated, 12 Gauge BAD ASS!

Specs:

• Based on the Mossberg 590 shotgun.
• 12 Gauge and 20 Gauge (only the 12 Gauge was tested here).
• 14″ barrel, 26.5″ total length, but does not require NFA paperwork.
• Magazine capacity — five 2¾” shells, or four 3″ shells.
• Retail price in the USA: $350-$420

Special Quirks:

• Do not change out the pistol grip to any other style grip or a stock or the firearm becomes a short barrel shotgun. It is a felony to possess without a BATFE tax stamp and paperwork.
• For safety, keep your support hand within the forend strap.
• Be careful how you hold it when you shoot so that the you don’t get socked in the face by the rear grip.
• The weapon will take a lot of practice to master.
• Start out practicing with low-brass birdshot before trying full-power buckshot. You may want to experiment with “reduced recoil” or “low recoil” ammunition to see if it is less punishing and more controllable to shoot.

Where To Order:

• Buds Gun Shop
• Kentucky Gun Company

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You’ve finally got one!  What Can You Do With It?

I recently acquired a new Mossberg non-NFA 14 inch barrel “Shockwave”. With the 14 inch cylinder bore barrel and “Raptor” grip I was curious as to how difficult and punishing it would be to handle the little beast, and how well it would pattern with different types of shotgun ammunition at different distances. I bought a big roll of craft paper to use as targets and headed to the range to find out.

Ammunition Tested:

I wanted to test perceived recoil (no scientific instrumentation for measurement… just how it felt to me) and pattern spread with a wide variety of 12 gauge shotgun loads. I didn’t make any special purchases, and the ammunition that I chose for the test was from what I already had in inventory. For the test I used:

Birdshot:

• Winchester, #8 birdshot, 2¾”, low brass.

#4 Buckshot:

• Federal “Maximum”, #4 buckshot, 27 pellets, 2¾”, advertised 1325 FPS.
• Federal “Personal Defense”, #4 buckshot with “Flitecontrol Wad”, 34 pellets, 2¾”, advertised 1100 FPS.
• Remington Buckshot, #4 buckshot, with 27 pellets, 2¾”, advertised 1325 FPS.

00 Buck:

• Federal “Personal Defense”, 00 buckshot with “Flitecontrol Wad”, 9 pellets, 2¾”, advertised 1145 FPS.
• Remington “Managed Recoil”, 00 buckshot, 8 pellets, 2¾”, advertised 1200 FPS.
• Remington “Express”, 00 buckshot, 9 pellets, 2¾”, advertised 1325 FPS.
• Suprema “Extreme Performance Buckshot”, 00 buckshot, 9 pellets, 2¾”, no velocity advertised but YouTube videos suggest 1300 FPS.
• Winchester “Super X”, 00 buckshot, 9 pellets, 2¾”, advertised 1325 FPS.

As you can see from the list above, I only tested 2¾” shells. I was scared to try any 3″ shells (and I didn’t have any in inventory). While the gun is rated for 3″ Magnum shotshells, I can only imagine the abuse that it would deliver to the shooter. If you are brave enough, try it for yourself and report back to us about your experience.

Also, I only tested one round of each type of shot at each distance. It would have been much more scientific to test a large number of each type and compute an average spread, but I didn’t care to get that picky. My goal was to simply see what I could generally expect. One round of each was scientific enough for me.

Distances Tested:

I originally set out to only test the different shotshell loads at 7 and 15 yards. I knew that anything closer than 5 yards would probably present one big hole in the paper (especially with the birdshot), and with the 14″ cylinder bore barrel, any distance past 15 yards would see the pellets quickly bleed off energy and the pattern spread out larger than the width of a two-legged predator that you might find yourself defending against. Not to give away the end of the story, but surprisingly the Shockwave patterned well enough that I eventually pushed the target back to 25 yards. Pictured further down the page are the results at 7, 15, and 25 yards with the ammunition described earlier.

Targets:

I used standard IDPA cardboard silhouette targets (pictured right) and wrapped the body with a fresh sheet of white craft paper for each test shot. I used a small red square on each target as an aiming point.

Prior to this testing I had discovered that the little shotgun shoots significantly above point-of-aim. The further that you are from the target the more that this is compounded, so it pays to aim low on the target with the Shockwave.

Besides demonstrating the shot patterns of different types of ammunition, the tests will demonstrate how much it shoots higher as you move further from the target.

Shooting Technique:

There are lots of internet videos and articles about the dangers of looking down the sights of a pistol-grip style shotgun when shooting. It is very easy to sock yourself in the nose or teeth if you aren’t physically prepared to handle the extreme recoil that heavier shotshells loads produce (as demonstrated below in the photos from GunsAmerica’s Pistol Grip Pitfalls and How To Avoid Them). You will need to be very cautious if you fire any type of stockless shotgun. Read more on the subject on Savannah Arsenal’s Shotgun Pistol Grips.

Most pistol grip shotgun manufactures, including Mossberg, recommend that you only fire a stockless shotgun from the hip, or from chest height with your shooting hand pulled back up to your armpit. These techniques, however, make it almost impossible to shoot the shotgun with any degree of accuracy, especially past bad breath distance.

I’m a big ole boy with a good bit of shotgun experience (and a good dental plan from my employer) and so I tested the loads while firmly holding the Shockwave out in front of me in hopes that I could use the bead sight and achieve some level of accuracy (as demonstrated by Clint Smith of Thunder Ranch in the photo below). This shooting technique worked for me and I was able to get effective groups on target, but I will not accept any responsibility for any injuries that might occur to you. I recommend that you start with low-brass birdshot, and then work your way up to more powerful shotshells.

I will warn you that if you think it might be funny to let your wife and / or girlfriend shoot the Shockwave or any pistol-grip shotgun with this method using a full-power shotshell load, she will not be pretty anymore after it bashes her in the face or teeth. You will have an ugly and pissed off ex-wife and / or ex-girlfriend. You have been warned.

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Winchester 2¾” #8 Birdshot:

 

Observations:

The first thing that I noticed is what a pussycat the shotgun is with low-brass, #8 birdshot and the Raptor grip… very easy to shoot.

The second thing that I noticed is how high the shotgun shot over my point of aim (the red square on the belt line of the target), even at 7 yards (6-8″ above the point-of-aim). Remember to aim low with this shotgun.

 

The Results at 7 Yards:

Wow! Notice how large the shot group is — almost 13″ in diameter. The large hole in the target is, of course, from the shotshell’s wadding. This gun and ammunition combination would make a devastating “snake charmer”.

 

The Results at 15 Yards:

At 15 yards the #8 birdshot was a Claymore mine. The entire width of the 24″ wide target paper was peppered. I wouldn’t count on very deep penetration of your threat at 15 yards with birdshot, but you will certainly achieve thorough target saturation. As you can see from the photo below, a face full of birdshot at 15 yards will almost certainly result in blindness. Again, notice the red target square on the “belt line” and how high the point-of-impact was above the point-of-aim. The large hole in the target is, of course, from the shotshell’s wadding.

 

The Results at 25 Yards:

You will notice all of the tiny holes completely covering the paper from the #8 birdshot. I’m sure that there isn’t any energy left at 25 yards with the fine birdshot, however it is amazing at the amount of area saturation. A few rounds would definitely turn back wild dogs invading your campsite, or a group intent on looting your store (I am not suggesting that course of action, but rather suggesting that it might be effective). At 25 yards, make sure to aim low on the target, such as the belt line of a standing two-legged target, and the feet of a four-legged target.

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Federal “Maximum”, #4 Buckshot, 27 pellets, 1325 FPS:

 

Observations:

This ammunition patterned fairly well. Of course at further distances there were errant pellets that could hit innocent bi-standers, but in a rural area this would be very effective ammunition. Even with the 1325 FPS velocity the recoil was very manageable with the Shockwave grip.

 

The Results at 7 Yards:

All 27 of the #4 pellets held in a tight group and impacted on and just above the point-of-aim. The shot group is slightly left of center — probably the result of a jerked trigger. Nice group, though.

 

The Results at 15 Yards:

At 15 yards most of the #4 stayed in a fairly tight group, and the bottom of the group rested just above the point-of-aim.

 

The Results at 25 Yards :

Although at 25 yards the shot pattern was spread all the way from the point-of-aim up to the target’s face, and at 18 of the 27 pellets hit the target. Good ammunition choice if you want solid target saturation and don’t mind a few errant pellets.

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Federal “Personal Defense”, #4 Buckshot, 34 Pellets, 1100 FPS:

 

Observations:

This ammunition has a lot of pellets to saturate a target with. This means that at further distances you have a good chance of making lethal hits on your target, however there is increased chance of hitting friendlies in the background with errant pellets. This is great ammunition to use in a rural area, but in a more populated area you will have to worry about strays hitting friendlies.

 

The Results at 7 Yards:

At 7 yards all of the pellets stayed in a rather tight group on and just above the point-of-impact.

 

The Results at 15 Yards:

At 15 yards there were 29 out of 34 pellets that impacted the target. Lots of solid hits on vital organs. As with just about every load tested, most of the impact was above the point-of-aim.

 

The Results at 25 Yards:

At 25 yards the torso of the bad guy was thoroughly saturated from his groin to nearly his collar bone with #4 buckshot, however only 22 of the 34 pellets hit the target. Like all of the loads fired from 25 yards, you can see how important it is to aim very low on the torso to maximize the number of pellet hits. Had the Shockwave been aimed at his head or upper torso, there is a good chance that most of the shot pattern would have sailed over his head.

This is a good ammunition choice for the Shockwave.

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Remington #4 Buckshot, 27 Pellets, 1325 FPS:

 

Observations:

Like any of the #4 buckshot tested, it holds a pretty tight group at 7 and 15 yards, but at 25 yards there will be a bunch of errant pellets that will hit the target’s background. This is good ammunition for a rural area, but don’t try to shoot it past 15 yards in a more populated area.  It may shoot tighter out of a longer barrel, and certainly with a choked barrel.

 

The Results at 7 Yards:

At 7 yards the Shockwave parked all 27 #4 pellets right on top of the point-of-aim in a fairly tight group. Good effect on target.

 

The Results at 15 Yards:

At 15 yards it appears that 26 of the 27 #4 pellets saturated the torso from just above point-of-aim up to nearly the collar bone. This group seemed slightly biased towards the shooter’s left, probably the result of a jerked trigger. Still, this is an excellent target saturation and would have certainly stopped an unarmored threat.

 

The Results at 25 Yards:

At 25 yards the bad guy suffered from 19 out of 27 #4 buckshot pellets.  It is odd that with a low grouping that the target also suffered two pellets to the head. This is adequate pellet saturation for a Shockwave fired at 25 yards, but as you can see there will be plenty of errant pellets missing the target and hitting the surround back area.  Still, this is good ammo for the Shockwave.

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Federal “Personal Defense”, 00 Buckshot, 9 pellets, 1145 FPS:

• Featuring Federal’s “Flitecontrol Wad”.

 

Observations:

This ammunition shot the tightest groups of any that I tested. This is good ammo and highly recommended.

 

The Results at 7 Yards:

At 7 yards you can see that the shot had not even separated from the Flitecontrol Wad and hit the target light a rifled slug. Slightly left impact was probably the shooter’s fault.

 

The Results at 15 Yards:

Holy Cow!! The shot must have just separate from the cup just before impact as it parked all nine 00 pellets in a nice tight group. You can see how it impacted 9″ above the point-of-aim.

 

The Results at 25 Yards:

At 25 yards it appears that all nine pellets impacted the torso right in the heart and lungs, although significantly higher than the point-of-aim. With a 9″ wide shot group at 25 yards, this ammo is probably the tightest shooting 00 buckshot that I tested. This is good ammo.

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Remington 00 Buckshot, 9 pellets, 1200 FPS:

“Law Enforcement Reduced Recoil”:

 

Observations:

Remington’s “Managed Recoil” has a noticeable reduction in perceived recoil, but not so much that I would choose this ammunition over another type based on recoil.  The Shockwave grip makes it fairly easy to control the shotgun with full power loads, so my ammunition choice is primarily going to be based on shot grouping.  This ammunition isn’t going to be my first choice to use with the Shockwave.  At 7 and 15 yards the shot groups were acceptable, however at 25 yards the group was too spread out and too many pellets missed the target.

 

The Results at 7 Yards:

At 7 yards, Remington’s “Managed Recoil” 00 Buckshot put all of the pellets within an approximate 7″ group. — a very acceptable group for a 14″ cylinder bore barrel. As with all of the ammunition tested at 7 yards, the center of the shot group was approximately 8″ higher than the red target square. The left of center impact was probably shooter error. The large hole was from the wadding.

 

The Results at 15 Yards:

At 15 yards all nine pellets impacted the target, however the shot group was all over the torso.

 

The Results at 25 Yards:

At 25 yards it appears that only 5 of the 9 pellets hit the target — 4 in the torso, and one in the head. At 25 yards this ammunition’s pellets really spread out. It works fine at 7 and 15 yards, but there are too many other loads of buckshot that offer decent shot patterns at 25 yards also. This ammunition isn’t bad, but it isn’t going to be on the top of my shopping list for using in the Shockwave.  If you think that Hillary Clinton is a crook, then type in “Hell Yeah!” in the comment section at the bottom of the page.

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Suprema “Extreme Performance”, 00 Buck, 9 pellets:

• No velocity advertised but YouTube videos suggest 1300 FPS.

 

Observations:

First of all, this ammo is inexpensive. Sold at Walmart for around $10 for a box of 25, this 9 pellet, 00 buckshot load is made in Spain and imported by Tula. I was prepared to be unimpressed, but it really performed well out of the Shockwave, both in terms of shot groups, but also with its impact near the point-of-aim. This is good ammunition. After testing I went back to Wal-Mart and bought every box that they had.

 

The Results at 7 Yards:

This ammunition made a nice tight group just above the point-of-aim. The left-of-center impact was most certainly shooter error.

 

The Results at 15 Yards:

At 15 yards this ammunition made a relatively tight group that stayed relatively tight for a 14″ barrel with 7 pellets impacting the upper torso and 1 in the neck. Either that particular shotgun shell was loaded with a pellet missing, or one of the 9 pellets completely missed the target. You can see that at 15 yards that you need to aim at the belly button to get upper torso hits.

 

The Results at 25 Yards:

At 25 yards 8 of the 9 pellets hit in the torso. As you can see, the lowest pellet hit just to the left of the point-of-aim, and the highest impacted just below the neck.

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Winchester “Super X” 00 buckshot, 9 pellets, 1325 FPS:

 

Observations:

This ammunition shot relatively tight groups from the Shockwave’s 14″ barrel. It also shot very close to the point-of-aim. With its advertised 1325 FPS velocity it did have a fairly stout kick, but the Shockwave’s grip made it very manageable. At 7 and 15 yards it kept relatively tight and predictable groups, but spread significantly at 25 yards with only 6 out of 9 pellets impacting. It wasn’t terrible, but it won’t be in my top three choices for Shockwave ammunition.

 

The Results at 7 Yards:

At 7 yards this ammunition made a nice tight group just above the point of aim. The large holed are from the shotshell’s wad and cup.

 

The Results at 15 Yards:

At 15 yards all of the nine 00 buckshot pellets impacted the target. The lowest touched the point-of-aim and the highest were about armpit height on the chest.

 

The Results at 25 Yards:

At 25 yards only 6 out of the 9 pellets hit the torso. That particular shot was interesting that three hit near the neck and three impacted in the lower abdomen. None hit heart and lungs, although the results will surely vary with each shot.

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Discoveries and Final Recommendations:

The Raptor “bird’s head” grip makes it easier to aim and control recoil that I had originally expected. Still, exercise extreme caution so that you don’t hit yourself in the face with the back of the grip.

With all of the ammunition tested the Shockwave shot much tighter groups than I expected.

The Shockwave shot high with all of the ammunition and all three distances tested. I have decided that aiming at the belt-line or waist-line of an upright human threat, or at the feet of a four legged threat, is going to be the best way for me to employ the Shockwave in a defensive roll.

Some of my shot patterns impacted slightly left of my aiming point. I simply did not shoot the gun enough to decide whether it is a characteristic of the gun, or a deficiency of the shooter (probably the latter). I will make an amendment to this page just as soon as I get more experience and figure it out for sure. Hopefully with more practice and familiarization with the Shockwave I’ll be able to get my patterns right where I want them. Watch for future updates.

Final Recommendations:

• Be careful and don’t sock yourself in the nose or the teeth.
• Use Federal’s “Personal Protection” 00 Buckshot with “Flitecontrol Wad”, or any of the #4 Buckshot tested. Don’t be afraid to use the lesser expensive Suprema 00 buckshot.
• Aim at the belt-line.
• Practice a lot.

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Related Pages:

• Savannah Arsenal’s Mossberg Shockwave — Don’t Call It A Shotgun
• Savannah Arsenal’s Tactical Shotgun Essentials
• Savannah Arsenal’s Mossberg 500/590 Shotgun
• Savannah Arsenal’s Remington 870 Shotgun
• Savannah Arsenal’s Other Tactical Shotguns

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