Can you ghost load a pump shotgun

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Just read about that in Shooting Times. Wow!

If your house catches fire, any weapon with a round in the chamber is likely to make it interesting for the first responders, depending on where it is and how it is oriented.

Good thought but my response time is 45-60 minimum, so the fireworks show is over by then. Lol

I use to keep mine this way -

If you pull the trigger on the empty chamber - you can even do this before you put shells in the mag tube - then you do not need to hit the action bar lock (slide bar release) - just rack the fore-end and load a shell.

This way you eliminate one step + also do not need to locate and push an itty bitty button.

Whether it is because you just woke up at 4:00 AM to the sound of your door being kicked in - or because when under extreme stress you lose a little fine motor control - not having to hit that little button is IMHO a good thing.

I get that, but it's just ingrained into me safety wise and I go by muscle memory. My thing is, just in case someone got past my security system and found the Remi or mossberg and woke me up and I'm facing it, I got a couple seconds to grab one of a few Glocks. It's HK's old saying, "In a world of compromise, some don't." At that point it's called survival.....whether or not they chambered a round, they shouldn't be in my house and pointing a gun at me, well it just ain't gonna be pretty

There is a mixing of thoughts because there is a mixing of manual of arms.

With a pump, most people load the tube and then rack them when needed. From hammer down or cocked does not matter a lot, as long as you have trained and engrained your process.

With gas guns like 930s, 1100s, SLPs, Berettas, Brownings etc, cycling the bolt releases the shell onto the carrier then chambers a round.

With a VersaMax, Benelli, 1301 and a few other autloaders, if the shell release (or trigger) is not activated, nothing comes out of the tube, no matter how many times or violently you rack it. For those, most people release the shell from the magazine tube leaving one on the carrier. This essentially moves it to a similar condition as pumps and conventional gas guns. Rack the bolt when needed.

So manual of arms and training with and understanding yours does make a difference. If you own and use a VM, don't follow the process of folks with 870s, and vice-versa (pun intended).

I prefer to keep things simple and as unlikely to help create a handling and functioning problem as is possible.

The only time I chamber a round is if I think I'm about to fire it.

I could see someone fiddling around and trying to "ghost load" a 870, and ending up firing off the chambered round and wondering why they had a ND.

I spent a lot of years carrying an issued 870 - and training people to carry them - with an empty chamber, trigger pressed, safety off and a full magazine tube.

I continued to carry an older issued 870 with a 4-shot mag tube even after the new 870's with extended 6-shot mag tubes were issued for patrol. It had been inspected and "refined" during an armorer class I attended with it. Nice older 870. Short forend and a side saddle (head armorer thought I'd want it).

I preferred it to the newer 6-shot models we kept set aside for training/quals. Fast handling and great balance. (I also liked how the barrel could be removed without having to fiddle with the extended mag tube.)

If I have reason to remove one of my personal shotguns (Win 1200 6-shot & 870 Express 4-shot) from the safe and prep one for potential use, I'd prep it the same way. I'd probably drop 3 or 4 extra rounds into a pocket (another old habit) and not consider myself ill-equipped to face a situation which was suited for a shotgun in the first place.

If having a round in the chamber is not what you want -

You can ghost load a round and still have an empty chamber -

That is what I would do if I ghost load a round in the Versamax - I already drop one round out of the mag tube so all I need to do is rack the operating handle -- I would just be keeping 8 rounds in the tube and ghost loading #9.

I am even thinking it would not be possible to ghost load a VM with one in the chamber - as soon as you pull the trigger a shell will drop out of the mag tube - and jam into the round you ghost loaded.

Since it shoots 3.5" shells - a 2.75 inch shell will fit inside the carrier and not be part way in the mag tube.

This is not the case with an 870 - because the even a 2.75 inch shell resting on the carrier will be part way up the mag tube.

Hope I said this right - it is a little confusing.

If someone is trying to justify unusual handling and manipulation of a shotgun, just to try and get ONE extra round on-board ... they may find themselves better served by investing the time in attending a refresher shotgun course.

Anybody discussed (or experienced) what might happen if someone gets overly excited and short-strokes that first forend manipulation after having prepped that neato extra round? Teaching people to quickly clear just a normal manipulation-induced stoppage can be "interesting enough", without tossing an extra ball into the air in the juggling act.

Thanks for posting, never heard of or saw that trick before

If someone is trying to justify unusual handling and manipulation of a shotgun, just to try and get ONE extra round on-board ... they may find themselves better served by investing the time in attending a refresher shotgun course.

Anybody discussed (or experienced) what might happen if someone gets overly excited and short-strokes that first forend manipulation after having prepped that neato extra round? Teaching people to quickly clear just a normal manipulation-induced stoppage can be "interesting enough", without tossing an extra ball into the air in the juggling act.

Good point -

The VersaMax may be a problem if you have a ghost shell loaded - and then hit the cartridge release button by mistake -

This would release an extra round between the bolt and carrier - that would cause a really bad situation.

I don't think it would be a big deal either way with the 870 - but definitely worth looking at before you put your HD gun into that condition.

Same here, one in the pipe safety on.
But then I never have children around and I put up my SG in the safe when company is over. That makes for zero mistakes.
My Glock is always on me concealed with company, but they have thier SD on on them too.
Same minded people.

I was raised in a different age. Ours hung on a nail on the wall of an open stair well. From birth to leaving for the military. (1960)

Who knows how many kids adults, drunk or sober, passed those guns. Never ever a problem One was a model 12 Winchester 16 ga. one was a model 12 Remington 22 of which I still have.

When I was about 10 years a model 37 (?) Ithica 16 ga stood at the bottom of the stair well against the door frame. Same condition. One chambered safety on, fully loaded.

But then, every one in the country neighborhood had all kinds of long guns in their homes generally stashed by the door. Or over the fireplace or ????? Some even kept one or two in their barns.

No animals or kids were ever killed even to this day by miss gun handling. Yep, It was a different time, I guess.
/// Just for the thought of it .... It's the same where I live today over 2500 miles from home.

If your house catches fire, any weapon with a round in the chamber is likely to make it interesting for the first responders, depending on where it is and how it is oriented.

That was our second safety rule..... No one was allowed to set the house on fire... But it did catch fire three times from lightning strikes over the years but the critters and guns were the first out. Then we quenched the fire. Guess we were lucky.

I was raised in a different age. Ours hung on a nail on the wall of an open stair well. From birth to leaving for the military. (1960)

Who knows how many kids adults, drunk or sober, passed those guns. Never ever a problem One was a model 12 Winchester 16 ga. one was a model 12 Remington 22 of which I still have.

When I was about 10 years a model 37 (?) Ithica 16 ga stood at the bottom of the stair well against the door frame. Same condition. One chambered safety on, fully loaded.

But then, every one in the country neighborhood had all kinds of long guns in their homes generally stashed by the door. Or over the fireplace or ????? Some even kept one or two in their barns.

No animals or kids were ever killed even to this day by miss gun handling. Yep, It was a different time, I guess.
/// Just for the thought of it .... It's the same where I live today over 2500 miles from home.

Another testament to guns not doing anything by themselves, even for decades, if left untouched.

That was our second safety rule..... No one was allowed to set the house on fire... But it did catch fire three times from lightning strikes over the years but the critters and guns were the first out. Then we quenched the fire. Guess we were lucky.

Might have been worth it to have the Amish move the house. I could understand if the critters were afraid of lightning.

There is a mixing of thoughts because there is a mixing of manual of arms.

With a pump, most people load the tube and then rack them when needed. From hammer down or cocked does not matter a lot, as long as you have trained and engrained your process.

With gas guns like 930s, 1100s, SLPs, Berettas, Brownings etc, cycling the bolt releases the shell onto the carrier then chambers a round.

With a VersaMax, Benelli, 1301 and a few other autloaders, if the shell release (or trigger) is not activated, nothing comes out of the tube, no matter how many times or violently you rack it. For those, most people release the shell from the magazine tube leaving one on the carrier. This essentially moves it to a similar condition as pumps and conventional gas guns. Rack the bolt when needed.

So manual of arms and training with and understanding yours does make a difference. If you own and use a VM, don't follow the process of folks with 870s, and vice-versa (pun intended).

Agreed, but if there's one in the pipe you get an extra round available in case.
Plus, home invasion I don't want them to know where I am by the sound of chambering one in the pipe. Seconds matter.

Mine sits hidden yet relevant, one in the chamber, safety on, loaded tube and a 5 rd sidesaddle. No little kids or other untrained folks in my house. You would have to look hard to find it, despite its painfully available location.

If your house catches fire, any weapon with a round in the chamber is likely to make it interesting for the first responders, depending on where it is and how it is oriented.

Cooking off just one chambered round vs. 4-5 (perhaps 7-8) in the mag tube? No contest.

Cooking off just one chambered round vs. 4-5 (perhaps 7-8) in the mag tube? No contest.

That seems like more of an explosion, had not occurred to me.

My Glock is always on me concealed with company, but they have thier SD on on them too.
Same minded people.

Sounds like our gatherings. I remember my 9 year old daughter telling everyone at the table.."I feel really sorry for the bad guys who try to come to our house tonight. Actually, I don't..."

Sounds like our gatherings. I remember my 9 year old daughter telling everyone at the table.."I feel really sorry for the bad guys who try to come to our house tonight. Actually, I don't..."

Are you coming to the pro 2A Rally on Saturday?
I just forwarded larry_minn all the details including all the new gun control bills that they are trying to push though. Please PM me your email like Larry did so I can get you updated. This is very bad and expensive for all of us if they get what they want.
This is one of the new anti gun bills.