Mossberg 590 Shockwave Nightstick (MSRP: $700)
Range toy or serious defensive firearm? Opinions on these “firearms” are somewhat mixed. I can’t make up your mind for you, but I can describe how I started to appreciate what firearms like the Mossberg Shockwave can bring to the party.
I am a defensive shotgun nerd. I’m certified by Rangemaster to teach defensive shotgun and do so regularly. I’ve attended classes in the defensive scattergun from 360 Performance Shooting and others, and my home defense gun is a tricked-out Mossberg 590.
As a result, I approached this assignment with a few thousand grains of salt. Why use this chopped up little thing when a perfectly fine defensive scattergun was right there?
I’ll admit that looks were one of the reasons why I found the Nightstick so appealing. I am a sucker for wood furniture on tactical shotguns, and to make matters worse for me and my checkbook, the Nightstick model bears a distinct resemblance to the Marshal Service Short Shotgun, aka the Witness Protection shotgun, a gun that I wanted to own badly as a youth. My head said this was a silly range toy, my heart said give it a try. And my heart turned out to be correct.
I can’t run the Nightstick as fast as my 590, and I’m not comfortable making shots over 15 yards with it, even with high-quality ammunition like Federal’s FliteControl defensive buckshot. However, these downsides come with one significant upside: With an overall length of just 26.37 inches, the Nightstick is much shorter than my 590. This means I can carry it in places where a full-size shotgun would stick out like a sore thumb.
After putting boxes and boxes of ammo through this gun, everything from softball target loads to full-power defensive buckshot, I’ve come to the conclusion that “firearms” like the Shockwave Nightstick are the “pocket guns” of the defensive shotgun world. No, I wouldn’t want to train with them on a regular basis and yes, they do lack in features and performance compared to a full-size gun. But I can stick a little .380 ACP pistol or a .38 Spl. revolver into a pocket holster and carry into places where my regular defensive pistol might attract too much attention. The same is true for the Shockwave. Drop this thing into a small backpack or sports bag, and nobody will know you’re loaded for bear. Pocket pistols require more technique to shoot well, and the same is true for this gun. If you’ve not learned the “push-pull” method of recoil control, shooting the Shockwave (or any other firearm) is going to be rather unpleasant for you.
However, if you’re willing to put in the time and effort, then the Mossberg Shockwave Nightstick or a similar firearm will provide you with a compact defensive firearm that dramatically increases your available firepower.
Mesa Tactical SureShell Top Mount Carrier And Rail (MSRP: $129.95)
The Shockwave Nightstick holds five shotshells in its magazine, which is probably enough for the average defensive encounter. However, I have lived too many years on this planet to trust my life and the lives of my loved ones to “probably,” so I’ve chosen to augment those five rounds with a Mesa Tactical SureShell Top Mount Carrier And Rail. This screws right into the top of the receiver of the Shockwave and provides a secure way to store four to six extra shells on your gun. I chose the four shell version primarily for weight reasons, but the six shell version would work just fine if you don’t mind holding up a few more ounces in front of your face.
One of the nicer things about the SureShell mount is that it also adds a short section of Picatinny rail on top of your firearm, making it easy to augment your aiming by adding a red dot sight or other optic.
Holosun HS510C Reflex Sight (MSRP: $364.69)
Quick: What’s the maximum effective range of a defensive pistol? About 15-25 yards, more or less. Yes, with practice you can make 50 yard headshots, but most defensive encounters are going to happen at under (way under) 20 yards.
Now, what’s the maximum effective range of 00 buckshot out of a shotgun? What’s the maximum distance can you hold all the pellets from a shell on a man-sized target? Yes, that’s right, the same as a pistol, about 15-25 yards. Sure, you can shoot at targets farther than those distances, but sending stray pellets into innocent bystanders is a good way to experience the American justice system from the inside, and should be avoided at all costs. A red dot on a shotgun or firearm lets you pick up your aiming point faster after recoil than a bead sight or a ghost-ring sight.
People are putting red dot sights on their guns so they can make faster, more accurate shots at common engagement distances, and the same holds true for the shotgun as well. The Holosun HS510C is a proven performer and has survived many a torture test, making it a good choice for a firearm.
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