SGT Steve McFarland - I have several shotguns but my old Winchester 97 "Knucklebuster" speaks a language sure to be understood by everyone, and it looks tough, too!

1SG Steven Imerman - lol, Guess general direction is an exaggeration also being close as well with 00 buck where a rifled slug travel a great distance. On our Police Dept each time We qualified with our handgun's We also fired the shotgun. With the Remington 870 We fired 15 of the 00 buck plus 10 rifled slugs. We had electric locks with the shotguns mounted in each and every marked Police Patrol car so they were available if needed. . We did qualify on a regular basis so We did know how to safely handle and use the issue firearms We had.
Back when I was a kid though had a 22 rifle and also a 410 shotgun which a lot of kids around here did. No one ever had a mishap with any of them as We learned how to use them safely. A few times We went to the town dump and shot rats, the dump keeper didn't mind that at all and no one even worried about it. The 410 isn't a very big shotgun round (its about half the diameter of the 12 gauge) but it sure did make a mess of a rat.

SGT Steve McFarland - It sure does, We were on a call with a neighboring Police Department backing them up, they didn't have shotguns in their cars and a suspect paid no attention to them. When He heard the slide of the Remington 870 chamber a round He stopped and raised His hands. After He was arrested He was asked why He didn't respond , He said He figured they couldn't hit Him with a pistol round but He figured We couldn't miss with a shotgun. He was armed with a 38 caliber revolver.

SMSgt Lawrence McCarter - My first gun was a .410. Of course I had access to our two .22s before that, but the .410 was mine. Good memories.