It has become very clear that once you select the defensive shotgun that suits you, you should run buckshot pattern tests with several different brands of buckshot loads to see which one the gun prefers. Serious bird hunters have known this about their favorite shotguns for quite some time, and they always make sure to have a good supply of the right ammo on hand before bird season opens.

One of the reasons that shotgun patterns spread is that many pellets in the payload are deformed as they fly down the barrel. They are deformed by smacking into each other and by contacting the harder metal of the barrel. Out-of-round pellets fly off at odd angles, causing the group to spread. This phenomenon occurs whether you are hunting birds with No. 8 shot or using 00 buckshot to deal with a criminal attack. It is the reason that ammunition companies designed the plastic shot cup that surrounds the pellets and travels down the shotgun bore with them.

My renewed interest in the defensive shotgun has shown me that the shotgun can be a very effective tool in fighting criminal attacks. With properly selected buckshot loads, the defensive shotgun delivers a massive, close-range blow to the attacking felon out to about 25 yards. With the addition of a good set of sights and shotgun slugs, it can do a deadly job even at the 100-yard mark.

In the course of my investigations, I began to hear about a fellow from Arizona who could tune up a defensive shotgun so it would perform even better, and at the 2007 SHOT Show, I found out his name, Hans Vang, and I even got to meet him. Vang invited me to bring him a shotgun, let him work his magic, and come to my own conclusions. Vang Comp is located in Chino Valley, Arizona, and I took my Model 870 out there this past July.

What Vang and his crew do is really quite simple. They lengthen the gun's forcing cone so that the shotshell has room to open completely when it is fired. Then they backbore the barrel to minimize the contact that the nine 00 pellets have with the barrel steel as they fly out of the gun. Finally, quite a number of holes are bored into the barrel near the muzzle to dampen the felt recoil and reduce muzzle flip. These simple operations make all the difference in the world.

My 870 has a preference for the Federal Premium Tactical 00 buckshot load (published velocity is 1325 fps) with the new Flitecontrol wad. My gun, which used to print nine 00 buckshot into 10 inches at 20 yards, was dumping the nine Federal pellets into 8 inches at 30 yards. Up closer, at 10 yards, the Federal payload was cutting one ragged hole in the silhouette target.

I know there's a saying about old dogs and new tricks, but I have to tell you that Vang Comp, Federal shotshells, and Remington pump shotguns have completely changed my opinion about the defensive shotgun. It just takes a bit of research, ammunition testing, and range time to develop a good defensive scattergun.

Nowadays, I keep my 870 in the back of my car, and it travels with me wherever I go. If things get too rough for a pistol to handle, I'll be reaching for the 870. The police riot gun has a long and honored career of protecting the American public. In retrospect, I should have given it a better chance to prove itself all those years ago.