The National Firearms Act, or NFA, has had a profound effect on American gun culture. One of the ways it has done so is by making short-barreled shotguns subject to registration and a $200 tax stamp. However, there is a bit of wiggle room in the NFA when it comes to shorter scatterguns. If a smoothbore gun does not have a pistol grip, was never built as a shotgun and is over 26 inches long, it is considered to be a “firearm” by the ATF and the NFA rules do not apply to such guns. As a result, the popularity of these “firearms” has soared in recent years.
At first glance, some might think this sort of gun is just a silly range toy, while others may see it as the perfect self-defense gun. The truth, according to my testing, lies somewhere in-between these two extremes. Think of a “firearm” like you would a pocket pistol: They’re smaller, harder to control and shorter-ranged than a full-size defensive shotgun, but what you lose on one side, you gain in having something that’s easy to manage in close quarters and can go just about anywhere you can go.
There’s a booming market in boomstick accessories, but not all the accessories that can work on a larger shotgun can work on a firearm. With that in mind, let’s look at some gear that is ideal for these compact street howitzers.
Mesa Tactical Sureshell Top Mount Carrier: MSRP – $129.95
On-board ammunition capacity is the Achilles Heel of the defensive shotgun, and this is even more true with the short magazine tubes found underneath a firearm. The Mesa Tactical Sureshell Top Mount Carrier solves this problem, as well as another problem that’s about to come up. The shell carrier screws into the top of the receiver and not only provides space for four extra rounds of ammunition on the side of your gun, there is a short section of Picatinny rail on top so you can add an optic. Speaking of which…
Holosun HS510C Sight: MSRP – $364.69
One of the biggest issues with shooting a firearm is that you lose two points of contact compared to a shotgun. You no longer can stabilize your gun with your shoulder and a cheek weld, and as a result, accuracy can suffer. This is the second problem I mentioned earlier.
We can mitigate this problem with a red dot optic for better accuracy and more intuitive aiming, and the dot I’ve chosen is the tried-and-true Holosun HS510C. I chose this optic because the large window makes sight acquisition easy, and the solar charging and long battery life are ideal for something that won’t be shot very often but could be called into service at a moment’s notice.
CGM Gear MTRS-12 Gauge Light Mount: MSRP – $44.95
I’m not convinced of the utility of a weapon-mounted light on a concealed carry gun, but I am a huge fan of using them on anything meant for home defense. A firearm, while smaller than a full-size shotgun, is not a concealed carry gun. It is, however, an excellent home defense gun for when you’re away from home.
Normally at this point, I’d talk about one of the many shotgun fore-ends out there which have a light built into them, but I just can’t bring myself to swap out the beautiful wood fore-end on my Mossberg Shockwave Nightstick with something plastic. As a result, I’ve added a short section of Picatinny rail to this gun via a CGM Light Mount. The rail was super-easy to add, and it gives me enough rail to add a small light to my gun. The light I’ve chosen to use is a…
Nightstick TCM-10GL Weapon Light: MSRP – $388
Yes, that’s right, I put a Nightstick on my Nightstick. Not only is it a useful firearms accessory, it’s a Dad joke as well. The TCM-10GL is small, but it kicks out 650 lumens. This isn’t a portable lighthouse with four-figure amounts of light output, but remember, we won’t be making 100 yard shots with this gun. Rather, this gun is for when things are up close and personal, so some that doesn’t take up a lot of space yet still cranks out a very respectable amount of light is ideal for this sort of gun.
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